Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Aug 19, 2009 9:00 pm Hi guys, we just received our frame invoice and I was wondering if it is worth getting it independently inspected. Our contract states that the frame is complete when it is signed of by a building inspector, which I am assuming the builder does. But I thought it might be worth getting our own to do it. Could I really trust that the builder has done it right? To my inexpert eyes it looks ok, but I don't want to run into issues later that are hard and timely to fix. Any ideas? Built with Bentley homes in Doreen All moved in Dec 2009 Now for the garden! Our stuff so far viewtopic.php?f=31&t=16532 Re: Independent inspection of frame - who did/didn't do it? 2Aug 19, 2009 9:09 pm Hi Lostris, If you have the funds, then I would say go for it. We had our own inspector go through our house pre-plaster, and he picked up several things that did not meet the building standards. We picked up the obvious things, but the professionals can really make you look silly when they read your plans and tell you that something is missing or not done correctly. Our independent inspector provided a very detailed report, let me know if you want to see some of the stuff they picked up in our inspection. Cheers. Have a shiny new Heywood 28! - http://burtony.blogspot.com/ Re: Independent inspection of frame - who did/didn't do it? 3Aug 19, 2009 9:10 pm Hi Lostris, By law, the builder must get a building surveyor to approve the frame before it proceeds to the next phase. This is based on a phone call with the building commission. We got our independent inspector to inspect our frame and he found some major issues which we were told would be fixed before the pre-plaster inspection but when our inspector did the pre-plaster, he found that they had not been fixed. We now have to get him to do a pre-plaster re-inspection after we are given the confirmation by the builder that the issues have really been fixed. We are waiting for the written confirmation at the moment. By the way, you have the right to ask your builder for a copy of the approval they received from their building surveyor, this is what we did and we are holding on to the invoice until we see this. Hope this helps. And.. YES i would highly recommend getting an independent inspector Good Luck! [i]We built in Point Cook and are loving our new house. Re: Independent inspection of frame - who did/didn't do it? 4Aug 19, 2009 9:16 pm thanks guys So did you pay the frame invoice then got the inspection, or did you get the inspection then paid? Our builder has a "strict" 7 day payment policy so we don't have the time to do an inspection first. Also, can you recommend your inspector? We're in Nth East Melb. Built with Bentley homes in Doreen All moved in Dec 2009 Now for the garden! Our stuff so far viewtopic.php?f=31&t=16532 Re: Independent inspection of frame - who did/didn't do it? 5Aug 20, 2009 8:57 pm We got an independent inspection for the frame. There were only a couple of really minor issues so we decided to pay the invoice and carry on. Trying this building gig one more time. Re: Independent inspection of frame - who did/didn't do it? 6Aug 20, 2009 11:05 pm We got it done at frame and pre-plaster and will also get a pre-handover one done. After reading about many many bad experiences that others have read, we decided that we would like some peace of mind and be reassured that structurally our house is sound and built right. We chose to go with someone that came very highly recommended on this forum. Big Kev from New Home Inspections. All up, we will have 3 inspections done and it will be around $1800, it seems like a lot...but a small price to pay for peace of mind for the largest investment so far in our lives. PD were notified that we were using an independant inspector about a week before the first inspection and our SS told us when to book in the inspector for our pre-plaster. New Home Inspections are based in Melb...not sure how busy they are....but worth giving a try. Our building journey has begun: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=23138 Brookvale 45 by Porter Davis ************** Lead me not into temptation.....I can find the way myself. Re: Independent inspection of frame - who did/didn't do it? 7Aug 21, 2009 8:46 am We didn't get an independent inspector in as my dad is an owner builder who has done 95% of the work on their place and my godfather is a builder... there were no issues with our frame really! 2nd build here we come in Whittlesea! https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=92617 1st Build - Henley - Cooper in Doreen! (2009) https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=17354 Re: Independent inspection of frame - who did/didn't do it? 8Aug 21, 2009 8:53 am CiNnY We didn't get an independent inspector in as my dad is an owner builder who has done 95% of the work on their place and my godfather is a builder... there were no issues with our frame really! Isn't that an independent inspection by another name? Trying this building gig one more time. Re: Independent inspection of frame - who did/didn't do it? 9Aug 21, 2009 9:04 am haha i never said we didnt have an independent inspection just said we didnt get an independent inspector! lol 2nd build here we come in Whittlesea! https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=92617 1st Build - Henley - Cooper in Doreen! (2009) https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=17354 Re: Independent inspection of frame - who did/didn't do it? 11Aug 21, 2009 9:59 am We thought everything looked good when we saw our frame but we hired an independent inspector anyway and he saw some minor issues that definitely needed fixing. If you don't know much about Australian building standards I'd an inspector is a must. We had Darren from Darbecca do ours and I think he does all suburbs around Melbourne. Re: Independent inspection of frame - who did/didn't do it? 13Aug 21, 2009 12:58 pm dp Our building journey has begun: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=23138 Brookvale 45 by Porter Davis ************** Lead me not into temptation.....I can find the way myself. Re: Independent inspection of frame - who did/didn't do it? 14Aug 21, 2009 12:59 pm some of the issues found were: double stud instead of triple stud roof truss not placed according to plan so had to get the engineer to sign off that the new placement of truss was going to be supported ok by the lintel. window jack studs installed incorrectly which mean that brick ties couldn't be used. The inspector also checks that the frame is flush so that when they put on the plaster...it shouldn't be too out. A lot more preventative work rather than waiting till house is all finished before seeing that walls aren't squared etc which makes tiling a NIGHTMARE. Our building journey has begun: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=23138 Brookvale 45 by Porter Davis ************** Lead me not into temptation.....I can find the way myself. Re: Independent inspection of frame - who did/didn't do it? 15Aug 21, 2009 6:43 pm Some missing braces and stiffeners. Some minor damage due to drilling for a vent location. Trying this building gig one more time. Re: Independent inspection of frame - who did/didn't do it? 16Aug 21, 2009 7:40 pm Well after your advice I contacted Big Kev and he is doing an inspection on Monday for us, I felt it was better to be safe than sorry. Will let you know how it goes! Built with Bentley homes in Doreen All moved in Dec 2009 Now for the garden! Our stuff so far viewtopic.php?f=31&t=16532 Re: Independent inspection of frame - who did/didn't do it? 17Aug 30, 2009 6:13 am hi I'm building in williams landing wonder if anyone knows big kevs contact details or any petantic building inspector who does this area. My house has had 3 change of builders in 2 months and im seriously worried about some of the problems that the constant change of builder may have caused Total Breeze Air Conditioning and Electrical - Based in Melbourne http://www.totalbreeze.com.au Re: Independent inspection of frame - who did/didn't do it? 18Aug 30, 2009 9:21 am Right here Octain. We will be giving him a call also however we will not be starting until atleast Nov. http://www.newhomeinspections.com.au/index.html Re: Independent inspection of frame - who did/didn't do it? 19Aug 30, 2009 9:22 am http://www.aplusinspections.com.au/ will probably do Williams landing. Trying this building gig one more time. Re: Independent inspection of frame - who did/didn't do it? 20Aug 30, 2009 9:30 am octain hi I'm building in williams landing wonder if anyone knows big kevs contact details or any petantic building inspector who does this area. My house has had 3 change of builders in 2 months and im seriously worried about some of the problems that the constant change of builder may have caused hi octain, im building in WL too. Google: "new home inspections" and you'll get the contact details. Another one: "darbecca pty ltd". I'm planning to use darbecca. Hope it help. You may still have a case, but your next step is to speak to a lawyer. 3 1580 This is 100% true. You can not hang anything on steel frames. very frustrating 8 5339 That is a really good attitude Akin to you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. I do enjoy watching that tik tok inspector from Victoria but he does go a little… 12 81847 |