Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Apr 21, 2013 10:13 pm Hi all We are about to embark on this whole building journey. Down to our final tender decisions. Both DH & I don't have a building background but have built before. With our last build 16 yrs ago all our comments made where very cosmetic vs structural. So this time round DH & I are thinking about getting our own building inspector to review the property at each inspection. We would get them to write a list of issues and then depending what they are raise them to be rectified. Wondering who else has done this? How did you raised this with the chosen builder, did you add this to the contract? What are others thoughts? Thanks in advance for your opinions Re: Private building inspector 2Apr 21, 2013 10:37 pm We let them know at admin stage. A tender was raised so the ss could do a site orientation. We got them to come in at the commencement of internal linings, all bricks, roof, frames were done. The report was of those items. And we will get him back before PCI, actually this Saturday... Getting close. It just will give us peace of mind. Built a Hawthorne 31 with EB nessjeffdreamhouse.blogspot.com.au Building an investment now with New Living homes... We are at nearly finished... Just landscaping and driveway to go! Re: Private building inspector 3Apr 22, 2013 3:00 pm Thanks for that. Basic question from a newbie but what does PCI stand for? Re: Private building inspector 4Apr 22, 2013 3:48 pm Practical completion inspection... Just before you make your final payment. Built a Hawthorne 31 with EB nessjeffdreamhouse.blogspot.com.au Building an investment now with New Living homes... We are at nearly finished... Just landscaping and driveway to go! Re: Private building inspector 5Apr 22, 2013 4:01 pm We do a lot of building stage inspections and you can find many examples on my blogs. If you are in Victoria you have automatic right to bring your inspector at any reasonable time, no need to make any provisions in the contract. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Private building inspector 6Apr 22, 2013 6:01 pm Thanks building expert, we are in Sydney. My DH spoke to one today and he charge $458 for an inspection. He said he only needs to do two. Not sur son the details need to speak more to DH tonight. How many inspections do you think would be necessary? And what stages are important? I will check out your blog, thanks for the info. Re: Private building inspector 7Apr 22, 2013 7:30 pm All the info is on my web site, why you should do stage inspections. The blog is mainly about the people that wished they had them done or about the problems we typically find when we do them. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Private building inspector 8Apr 23, 2013 10:42 am we are building in SA and also don't have any building background, so we hired an inspector for all stages (I think it is going to be 5 or 6 in total) it's great to know a little bit more about our future house already proven Re: Private building inspector 9Apr 23, 2013 11:23 am We didn't feel the slab stage needed inspection... It is engineered and they inspect it before insuring invoice... Just check with your builder though, that it's the same... Frame and bricks were only 2-3 weeks apart... We got the house inspected at the completion of this stage.... Roof was on, bricks were done and frames could bee inspected internally. We also had plumbing and a bit of electrical done, air con and wiring... It was good value to get the inspection done here at this stage. Our next inspection as I said before is at PCI, gyprock, paint, kitchen and bathroom fit out, all internal fittings will be inspected as well as the external build. We are not getting another inspection done on settlement as we are going CDC and a local certifier will inspect it then to see if it complys and issue us with a interim occupation certificate. I think we have covered all aspects of the build with this plan to give us peace of mind. Built a Hawthorne 31 with EB nessjeffdreamhouse.blogspot.com.au Building an investment now with New Living homes... We are at nearly finished... Just landscaping and driveway to go! Re: Private building inspector 10Apr 23, 2013 11:29 am Just another thought make sure you can view a report done by your inspector. We had HK Ryan. He is more than you quoted...mention homeone he gives a discount. Our builder provides an independent report supplied by Tyrell's. It's independent we pay for it, in our contract but in the end EB pay them, so we also got HK Ryan. My partner was thinking of not getting our house inspected again because tyrell's report was just as thorough as HK Ryan's but I found it builder speak, and it had no photos as a reference. I liked HK Ryan's report as his photos provided us with a reference when we walked through with our SS to have work addressed. He spoke in terms that I understood. I think if you pay for it, you should be able to understand it. Hence the reason why we are getting HK Ryan out again. Also because I told my partner, it will save me later saying, "well if you we had it inspected we would know what it's supposed to be like" no comebacks lol Built a Hawthorne 31 with EB nessjeffdreamhouse.blogspot.com.au Building an investment now with New Living homes... We are at nearly finished... Just landscaping and driveway to go! Re: Private building inspector 11Apr 23, 2013 12:42 pm I know you're in Sydney so you cant use who we're hiring, but have a look at this website - it lists all the points where they can do inspections (and what it covers, etc) so you can pick and choose what ones you want done. It will give you an idea of what they do at least http://www.newhomeinspections.com.au/pa ... vices.html (side note, we're going with a Pre Plaster inspection and a Pre Handover inspection) - MrsT Brought first house in 2008. Renovated...a LOT. Built in 2013. Our thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=67954 Re: Private building inspector 12Apr 23, 2013 9:04 pm Thanks for that will get DH to look into HK Ryan. The guy DH talked to also said only two inspections are necessary, the same points you mentioned. So at least that is the same. What does CDC mean? Re: Private building inspector 13Apr 23, 2013 9:27 pm Complying development certificate as opposed to using local council. Built a Hawthorne 31 with EB nessjeffdreamhouse.blogspot.com.au Building an investment now with New Living homes... We are at nearly finished... Just landscaping and driveway to go! Re: Private building inspector Illawarra area 14May 15, 2013 8:20 pm Hi all, just thought I'd share the research I'd found when looking for a private inspector in the Illawarra (Wollongong) area. This is the list I came up with for businesses in/serving the Illawarra: Jim’s building Inspections http://www.jimsbuildinginspections.com. ... nspections Hnk Ryan http://www.hnkryan.com/report.html Houspect http://www.houspect.com.au/construction … ?state=nsw Safe House http://www.safehouseconsultants.net/index.html Restwell Property Inspections http://www.restwellpropertyinspections. … bout.shtml IBC http://www.illawarracertifiers.com.au/services.html Hubby and I began contacting them and sending through a copy of our plans. The general quotes and information we received are below. Jim’s Building Inspections: frame – 330 preplaster – 330 final – 440 Ben who looks after the South Coast area for Jim’s recommended we only need the final two Total: $770 (of 2) Total: $1100 (of 3) “An independent building inspection can be very beneficial in picking up poor or inadequate workmanship and items missed or defects. Although I would suggest that only 2 & 3 need doing as the frames can be seen at the pre plaster inspection.” HnK Ryan: Preplaster/Lockup – 595 Completion – 595 Total: $1190 They said they’d need the address, the site supervisors phone number and our contact number if we were happy to proceed. Once they have access they will call for our Credit Card details. Houspect: frame – 350 lockup – 350 prehandover- 795 10% discount if all 3 Total: $1345.5 (with discount) Pre-handover stage – $795 (this is a very detailed inspection of all final finishes and takes more time than earlier inspections, and can be used for defects and Builders Warranty claims). These rates are GST inclusive and include inspector travel time, inspection time on site, photos and report compilation. “We would be pleased to offer you a 10% discount if you choose to purchase all 3 stages with payment upfront of $1,345.50. If you choose to have us inspect all 3 stages of your build, we can have the same inspector look after all the stages of your project. This will assist with communication and the inspector’s understanding of how your build is progressing. Houspect uses fully licensed builders with a minimum of 15 years experience to do all of our inspection work. Houspect Inspection services cover construction standards and conformance related to Australian Building Code standards and actual on-site construction and workmanship. Please note Individual inspections are booked at the completion of each construction stage, and paid before we can issue the report to you as per our standard terms and conditions. In terms of the timeframes for the inspections, we ask for at least 2 weeks notice as this will provide us enough time to speak to your builder and coordinate the inspection, and to schedule our inspector. We also need your builder or site manager to provide us with access to the site for each inspection.” Safe House: Frame – 300 final – 600 Total: $900 “Depending on the supervisor and the quality of the construction the first inspection at frame stage I would budget for $300 (Frame can be done before plastering after the brick work is my understanding), and the final report before the handover period I would Budget for $600. It may be less if few defects . High cost of final is due to the detail required stating what is the defect, how it should have been done and the recommended fixing method.” ---------------- We have decided to go with HnK Ryan; They were first to respond, quotes were true to their website, they had an actual website and many people on Homeone recommend them. The special bonus? You get a discount if you’re a Homeone member… So it’s actually cheaper for us than the above quoted price. I hope you’ve found this information useful. It’s important that you go with someone you feel comfortable with. Ask to see sample reports and how many building inspections they’ve done in the local area. Though it is a small amount to pay in comparison to the total house, you still want to ensure it’s worthwhile. Re: Private building inspector 15May 15, 2013 9:46 pm RagnarsWife we are building in SA and also don't have any building background, so we hired an inspector for all stages (I think it is going to be 5 or 6 in total) We are looking to build in SA as well... who did you end up using? Re: Private building inspector 16Jan 14, 2014 2:07 pm Just resurrecting this thread to ask if there are any recommended Sydney based independent inspectors? We've done lots of building inspections before for pre-purchase but only end up getting a report rather than speaking to someone. Is this the same sort of process for a building inspector who is inspecting the workmanship during a build? We'd rather have someone discuss it with us and send us photos with quick comments on it (rather than something super verbose which we may not have the attention span to read through!) Also wanted to find out if they do things like pre-contract reviews? We're concerned that the site considerations will be overlooked as all we'll be contracting a volume builder for is the house... we have a slope to the land and we are a battleaxe block so we're just a bit concerned that there is little in the way of considering drainage and turn around space... TIA Re: Private building inspector 17Jan 14, 2014 2:23 pm Hi yvonneh I can't help you in Sydney but we do a lot of inspections in Melbourne and there is a lot of information on my web site and on my blogs And yes, pre contract is your most important inspection because if you sign up on a bad deal (and I have seen many) it will be difficult to help you. We always recommend that the owner is at the inspection for the precise reason you mention, to get clear explanations in person. That is then followed with a written report. If owner can't make it then we call with verbal summary.(we do the same with pre purchase reports) Good luck with your build. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Private building inspector 18Jan 14, 2014 3:53 pm Thanks building-expert! I'm reading your site now... Yes pre-contract makes sense to have someone review it independently. Hopefully they will take things like our land topography and situation into consideration. Seems like we'll need all the luck we can get for deciding what to do. I'll keep hunting around for a recommended inspector in Sydney. Re: Private building inspector 19Jan 16, 2014 5:47 pm yvonneh Thanks building-expert! I'm reading your site now... Yes pre-contract makes sense to have someone review it independently. Hopefully they will take things like our land topography and situation into consideration. Seems like we'll need all the luck we can get for deciding what to do. I'll keep hunting around for a recommended inspector in Sydney. If you find a list, please be sure to post! I find a lot are very busy. Try: Richard J Young JP Arrunga Building Services Pty Ltd PO Box 323 GALSTON NSW 2159 T 02 9653 1699 M 0414 366 665 F 02 9653 1679 www.absi.com.au Builders Licence No. 16949C Or Doug Coombes doug@sydneybuildingconsultants.com.au Anything else you can find please share...! Re: Private building inspector 20Jan 16, 2014 9:28 pm Thanks! Have you had any feedback on these? Quote: Richard J Young JP Arrunga Building Services Pty Ltd PO Box 323 GALSTON NSW 2159 T 02 9653 1699 M 0414 366 665 F 02 9653 1679 http://www.absi.com.au Builders Licence No. 16949C Or Doug Coombes doug@sydneybuildingconsultants.com.au I've seen some reference to : http://www.hnkryan.com A couple of google searches yielded http://www.sydneybuildingreports.com.au/ http://www.buildreport.com.au/building- ... homes.html http://houspect.com.au/construction-ins ... ?state=nsw http://www.buildinginspector.com.au/ I would send it to the certifier who is technically your representative and working on your behalf not the builder's 1 2269 If you already have a contract, is the inspection cost stated in there? If not they would be forced to issue you a variation which you could of course object to. 12 25866 I do enjoy the drama:-D In his latest two videos he has started bringing security guards to site, I am waiting for the punch on to begin lol 6 45549 |