Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jun 02, 2010 12:47 pm Hi all, We are in the midst of starting our build in June and from many forums found that building inspectors are being used at times. I am very new to this, so am wanting to find out: 1. What do building inspectors do? 2. Are they highly recommended and why? 3. What kind of charges will we be looking at? 4. Lastly, any good inspectors that anyone can recommend from past experience and they think they do a really superb job? Thank you in advance. Building The Amberlea 44 Fusion Home http://www.amberleadream.blogspot.com Land settled May 10!! Building commenced 30 Jun 10. Re: Building Inspectors- A YES OR NO? 2Jun 02, 2010 1:35 pm People who have got building inspectors out to their site will usually praise them. People who decide against building inspectors usually say they're a waste of time. So who knows. Personally? Nein! Re: Building Inspectors- A YES OR NO? 3Jun 02, 2010 1:43 pm think about the amount of money, time and effort that it takes to build a house.. Now think about the money time and effort it takes to organise a building inspector who is on your side and can point out important defects during the building period.. How can anyone not want a building inspector? Re: Building Inspectors- A YES OR NO? 4Jun 02, 2010 2:00 pm Andrew's point is sound and is usually the arguement for a having building inspector. There are arguments against and I don't want to get too involved in a big debate, but these are usually the responses 1) Anyone can be a "building inspector". As building inspectors always state themselves, they are not and do not have to be "qualified" to inspect a building. As they also state themselves they are merely reading the regulations and using their common sense and knowledge in the area of building to determine if your building meets regulations - regulations which you also have access to but perhaps can't interpret as well as them. 2) Many people confuse regulations with "best practice" - some are requirements, others are suggestions only. 3) The building inspector has no power to enforce his recommendations. 4) Your building company legally has to have a verified independant inspection anyway. This is already included in the cost of your home. 5) It's certainly low cost compared to the house, but it's by no means cheap. Overall if I had plenty of money to spare I would go a building inspector, theres nothing to loose. But as this is my first home, I'd prefer to rely on my own knowledge and common sense, and spend the money elsewhere. I think it's also interesting to note - this board is an excellent hunting ground for "building inspectors". There are plenty of people here worried about their builds, so you may well find inspectors being promoted or promoting themselves. Why? Well money of course. Re: Building Inspectors- A YES OR NO? 5Jun 02, 2010 2:21 pm Quote: 4) Your building company legally has to have a verified independant inspection anyway. This is already included in the cost of your home. This is perhaps the most valid point. The building has to comply regardless, and the building surveyor will ensure that happens. I think independent inspectors come in handy at the end of the build. Having another set of eyes looking for defects certainly will help as many people moving into their new house may be a little overawed with what is happening, or too excited to pick up every defect and miss some obvious problems. Blog is now up - http://www.jbdave.blogspot.com/ Re: Building Inspectors- A YES OR NO? 6Jun 02, 2010 2:30 pm cream Hi all, We are in the midst of starting our build in June and from many forums found that building inspectors are being used at times. I am very new to this, so am wanting to find out: 1. What do building inspectors do? 2. Are they highly recommended and why? 3. What kind of charges will we be looking at? 4. Lastly, any good inspectors that anyone can recommend from past experience and they think they do a really superb job? Thank you in advance. As I've posted elsewhere, we have never used a building inspector in any of our previous 3 builds-and won't this time either. We (I) will be on site most days and in the past have asked lots of questions. We have picked up on co-ckups early enough to have them dealt with and if there have been any issues down the track, they have also been dealt with as required by law. I would say it's up to you-if you don't trust yourself or are not confident enough to keep an eye on things and you can afford it-then get an independent inspector. Deemaree Kyndylan Capers: viewtopic.php?f=36&t=46852 My blog: http://www.sufficientlysufficient.blogspot.com/ Re: Building Inspectors- A YES OR NO? 7Jun 02, 2010 2:32 pm 1. What do building inspectors do?
Interpret their knowledge of building standards and tolerances in reference to your house. In other words they spot issues that do not fall within standards and tolerances when it comes to brickwork, roof tiles, roof cavity, guttering, windows, gaps between doors, internal wall cracks and obvious issues. Depending on who you get and how much you pay, they may or may not look at your electrical plan and paint imperfections. 2. Are they highly recommended and why? They are highly recommended because both the people hiring them have no idea what to look for and or there are known issues with the house and you need a second opinion. Think about it this way, $400 now for an inspector to spot an issue that could cost $1,200 later to fix if not identified earlier. 3. What kind of charges will we be looking at? Between $350 and $495 for 1.5hr to 2hr inspection plus a written report sent to you. 4. Lastly, any good inspectors that anyone can recommend from past experience and they think they do a really superb job? There are many good and bad inspectors out there but either way you ask the inspector, how much, how long, what do you check, what don’t you check and how long will it take to receive a written report? You could even try looking at an example of an inspection report. Quote: Your building company legally has to have a verified independant inspection anyway. This is already included in the cost of your home. If you believe this your mistaken. The building surveyor will check to see if your house stands. If it does he will sign on the dotted line. If you have a crack through the side of your house or warped doors... they don't care. My advice. Builders for a few reasons hate building inspectors. While building with S Homes they hated the idea of bringing one in. The builder pushed me by asking why did I want to spend big bucks on them when they are not qualified, recommendations are not always accepted and a waste of money. I replied with “If so, why are you so worried?” I was then told that I wasn’t allowed to bring one in either way because it was against my contract. I did my research and got back to them saying that as long as I advise within a reasonable time I can have anyone I want present, especially an inspector. Re: Building Inspectors- A YES OR NO? 8Jun 02, 2010 2:36 pm We didn't get an inspector but we were on site pretty much daily so we saw everything. Once the build was complete and you are walking through it for the 1st time during handover then these are the times when I would consider an inspector (during the different stages if you have no access to your home until handover). It's personal choice in my opinion. Re: Building Inspectors- A YES OR NO? 9Jun 02, 2010 2:40 pm Adam.M If you believe this your an idiot. So your calling us idiots. Real tactful!! You seem to know alot about building inspectors? Like I was saying.... ibfragalot99 I think it's also interesting to note - this board is an excellent hunting ground for "building inspectors". There are plenty of people here worried about their builds, so you may well find inspectors being promoted or promoting themselves. Why? Well money of course. That's about all I'll say on that one Re: Building Inspectors- A YES OR NO? 10Jun 02, 2010 2:43 pm Fight,fight,fight..http://i665.photobucket.com/albums/vv19/Breezalee/710_animated_fighting_smileys.gif. Deemaree Kyndylan Capers: viewtopic.php?f=36&t=46852 My blog: http://www.sufficientlysufficient.blogspot.com/ Re: Building Inspectors- A YES OR NO? 12Jun 02, 2010 3:02 pm We'll be getting a building inspection done. For a couple hundred dollars, I don't see the harm. I am a little dubious as to the "independant" inspections organised by our Builder TBH. Can't hurt to get a 2nd opinion from a truly independant inspector and in most cases, if not all cases, that I've read about, the builder has taken on board the independant inspection and made necessary repairs / changes etc. In one case I read about the builder hadn't put insulation over the garage as they should have and the independant inspector picked up on this. I certainly won't have time to be on site every day and even if I was, I'm not a builder or expert in that area by any means. Building an Eden Brae Saville 27 http://karry327.blogspot.com/ Building thread https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=44247 Re: Building Inspectors- A YES OR NO? 13Jun 02, 2010 3:02 pm We have used a building inspector throughout our build and have done so for our own peace of mind. We are unable to be on site regularly, due to work commitments and living too far away from our build site. We also chose to have an inspector coz we are not builders and we have no idea what is acceptable or not. Our builders were more than happy for us to have an inspector and when our inspector pointed out a few issues to our SS, they discussed the problem, worked out a solution and it was fixed there and then. Our SS was not worried or put out and even he made the comment that sometimes it's good to have a fresh pair of eyes on the build.
It's a personal choice and one that only you can make. We paid approx $450 per inspection and received a written report as well. All up we will have 3 inspections. We figure when we are spending the huge amount of dollars to build the house, we want it to make sure that we are getting it done as best as we can, so spending a bit more is well worth it in our eyes. I might add that our inspector found a number of issues that needed to be fixed, that hadn't been picked up by our builders' inspectors. Re: Building Inspectors- A YES OR NO? 14Jun 02, 2010 3:03 pm Sorry for my tasteless comment ibfragalot99. I have changed my post accordingly. Yes I went through the motions of a building inspector a month ago and stated what I have read and interpreted. Camelia, I paid $350 for my report. I did my research and for what I needed one for, it fit the purpose. $900 seems too steep. Re: Building Inspectors- A YES OR NO? 15Jun 02, 2010 3:34 pm Deemaree Dee, you are quite the plonker well done First time build and I will be building again before I move into this one. My name has sat on the title of over 15 properties in the last 10 years and just like selling a home , or building a home or going to a restaurant - What the eye dont see the chef gets away with. Beer cans used in the mortar to plug a gap, electrical connections taped together, termite damage bogged over while the termites were still feeding ( actually termites dont eat the wood , they chew it up and then grow a fungus on it to eat - you dont have to remember that , there wont be a test at the end ) I am currently very happy with the quality of my build ( just the quality mind you , the speed could be beaten by an astmatic ant with some heavy shopping ) but will be using an inspector on this occasion until I am confident I know what I am doing ( I have 2 quotes both at $400 at this time for Metro Perth build ). I wont be recommending them for anyone in Perth just yet as I have never used them before. 400 clams for some piece of mind on a total purchase $ ( insert your build price here - mine is too scary to be committed to paper ) Plus this A mate recently had a 350 sqm country style colonial home built using the same builder from his last build 10 years ago. He used an inspecter and found $14 500 worth of stuff to fix ( they fixed most of it and settled for a discount of $8k off the final payment. Mate was only woried about a couple of slightly uneven cornices and power point fittings. I wish you all good luck Timeline Aug 08-Land Mar 09-Demo/Titles Sept 10-Handover No1 Sept 11-Handover No2 April 12-Sold No2 Aug 14-Land/Demo Jan 15-Slabs viewtopic.php?f=31&t=25736 Re: Building Inspectors- A YES OR NO? 17Jun 02, 2010 5:06 pm Thank you all. Guess its a mixed bag of reviews, and we'll have to decide where to go from here. its good to know all these information though. Building The Amberlea 44 Fusion Home http://www.amberleadream.blogspot.com Land settled May 10!! Building commenced 30 Jun 10. Re: Building Inspectors- A YES OR NO? 18Jun 02, 2010 5:10 pm cream Thank you all. Guess its a mixed bag of reviews, and we'll have to decide where to go from here. its good to know all these information though. Sorry that we couldn't make it more clear cut for you! But like everything else in building, what's right for one may not suit someone else! All the best cream! Deemaree Kyndylan Capers: viewtopic.php?f=36&t=46852 My blog: http://www.sufficientlysufficient.blogspot.com/ Re: Building Inspectors- A YES OR NO? 19Jun 02, 2010 7:48 pm It is well-known that a number of volume builders employ Building Inspectors that will give them favorable treatment. Why? Because if they get on the good side of a volume builder, they get a lot of work without having to rely on their integrity and/or reputation to get them work. Same with tradies ... its a constant supply of work for very little effort and/or marketing/advertising costs. The only truly independent inspector is one you hire yourself. Many people are unaware that with a HIA contract, you can negotiate your own Building Inspector to be the official inspector of the build, right from the start. If your builder refuses, they've obviously got something to hide. Enquire with your local Council re: cost of using their building inspector - they are normally quite cheap and have nothing to gain. Built a Tribeca 44 with the Big M Sales Accept 15/06/09, Contract Signed 24/09/09, Site Start 23/11/09, Slab 11/12/09, Frame 12/01/10, Roof 20/01/10, Lock-up 30/03/10, Fixing 30/04/10, Handover 27/08/10. Re: Building Inspectors- A YES OR NO? 20Jun 02, 2010 8:15 pm We used one on our final inspections, builder was not too happy that we got someone in, but it made him pull his finger out and get a lot of things fixed before handover, we found there was two types of inspectors out there fixed price who quote for 1.5 - 2hrs or the ones that charge per sqm which all came in at a more expensive price. I was advised by a few people to say away from that mob that puts red dots everywhere. Cheers Lou http://take2-customdesigndownslope.blogspot.com 07-10-09 omg they have cut the block 14-05-10 we finally have the keys 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 81766 We are about to commence a new build I and I’m reading about defects along the way. My question is should we employ a independent building inspector to come in and… 0 5199 If you are in Victoria you have a statutory right to your own building inspector regardless of builder's consent. No negotiations are required. However the builder will… 1 2865 |