Browse Forums Building A New House 1 May 31, 2011 10:37 pm Hi all, My first home in Point Cook is about to be completed. As much as I trust Porter Davis' reputation, I wonder whether an independent building inspector is necessary. From what I've read through other's posts, the inspections seem to discover cosmetic stuff. I don't expect the inspector to discover anything major(since it's PD), so do you think it is worthwhile to get an inspection? If I do get one, can I do it after PCI, or must I do it beforehand? Any recommendations on inspectors? I've come across Q.A.I Reporting. Has anyone used them? I have zero knowledge in building so I would probably only need it for the peace of mind. But then I am skeptical about paying for someone to discover cosmetic stuff. Sure I'd be able to see scratched windows etc, or is there more to it? Your replies would be greatly appreciated! Re: Do I need an independent inpection for a PD house? 2May 31, 2011 11:14 pm Hi there, Definately.Doesnt matter who the company is these days as they all pretty much uses subbies. We built 9yrs ago with AVJ and we got a pre handover check done by new home inspections (kevin) and he was brilliant. Best money we ever spent. We told AVJ that the bank wouldnt release the final payment till it was done. He went thru and came back with a page of things that needed fixing and ours was built well Kevin said. I gave that list to AVJ and said fix it all then you get your final cheque! (nicely ofcourse) Funnily enough everything was fixed that they were trying to fob off onto the maint period. So 9 yrs later we have had no issues at all..none...The building companies are only insured for a certain number of houses at a time so they want to get you off their books. Then when you pay the final amount they dont return ph calls,dont fix things... so DONT pay until your happy!! Good luck Re: Do I need an independent inpection for a PD house? 3Jun 01, 2011 1:05 pm I would recommend an independent building inspector for all builders. Even though it looks like an ok job has been done, the peace of mind in knowing that you have taken steps to ensure your investments is done correctly is worth the money spent. Especially before handover, if there are any items that need attention, the inspection report list can be added to the builders list. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ All new built homes look like display homes... until the furniture goes in. Re: Do I need an independent inpection for a PD house? 4Jun 07, 2011 5:19 pm Thank you for your reply. I had a feeling that PD was stalling my building process(figured it's common for them to procastinate since I was never pushy)and I was worried that the building quality might have been compromised along the way. So I ended up getting a private inspector like you've suggested and I must say that it's worth it. Nothing major was discovered but there are too many cosmetic defects in and out that need to be fixed, and I wouldn't have found out half of it by myself. Really glad to have done this, would have been paying for a job half-done had I not... Btw I tried calling 'New Home Inspections' but no one ever picked up the phone so I went with QAI Reporting, as suggested by other forum users. Very happy with the inspection. Despite handover being delayed by another week or two, it feels good knowing a well-finished house comes at the end of this. Well, that's if PD is professional enough to fix them all 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 81884 It is true that a builder can ignore your independent inspection report as it is not part of the contractual arrangement but that is stupid because he cannot avoid fixing… 9 46854 Thank you so much for the effort. We will use it to talk with builder. We also had idea of building duplex instead and seeking suggest ions. viewtopic.php?f=31&t=106744 11 13835 |