Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Aug 22, 2016 5:27 pm I’m currently preparing for a custom build and am wanting to understand the difference between getting a building inspector to look at the construction at various stages vs getting an engineer. In particular: [ul][li]Are there any legal requirements to get an engineer or building inspector to review the construction?[/li] [li]If there are no legal requirements, what stages is it recommended getting either of these professions to review the construction?[/li] [li]At what stage should either of these professions be contracted in the build process? e.g. should they be contracted well prior to the build starting?[/li] [li]Any other points I should note about this[/li][/ul] Re: Building inspections vs engineer inspections 2Aug 24, 2016 12:40 am Hi arodc, You sure know how to ask complex questions. Your contract will probably state that you or your agent may look at the house. A building inspector working as an advisor to the building surveyor will inspect your home 4 or possibly 5 times during construction. You sound as though you want to know about a building consultant vs a structural engineer. Structural engineers understand structures but are not always knowledgeable on non-structural issues. A building consultant usually knows about non-structural issues but not always fully trained on structures. Dilemma?... well you need to ask the pertinent questions to ensure they have the additional expertise that brings them up to scratch. What I say is even more important is whether or not they have a definition of defect that covers reasonable life expectancy, good quality workmanship, manufacturer minimum requirements, poor quality substitutes... and do they get inside the roof, on the roof, under the timber floor (if not a slab)... and that will sort out over 90% of them as being unsuitable in my opinion. Many also do not look at roof plumbing issues claiming that this work falls under a different classification of report. They are supposed to find the defects, so ensure that they actually answer yes to these questions or you might do a better job yourself. Good Luck. Re: Building inspections vs engineer inspections 3Aug 24, 2016 10:32 am Leonardo_23 Hi arodc, You sure know how to ask complex questions. Your contract will probably state that you or your agent may look at the house. A building inspector working as an advisor to the building surveyor will inspect your home 4 or possibly 5 times during construction. You sound as though you want to know about a building consultant vs a structural engineer. Structural engineers understand structures but are not always knowledgeable on non-structural issues. A building consultant usually knows about non-structural issues but not always fully trained on structures. Dilemma?... well you need to ask the pertinent questions to ensure they have the additional expertise that brings them up to scratch. What I say is even more important is whether or not they have a definition of defect that covers reasonable life expectancy, good quality workmanship, manufacturer minimum requirements, poor quality substitutes... and do they get inside the roof, on the roof, under the timber floor (if not a slab)... and that will sort out over 90% of them as being unsuitable in my opinion. Many also do not look at roof plumbing issues claiming that this work falls under a different classification of report. They are supposed to find the defects, so ensure that they actually answer yes to these questions or you might do a better job yourself. Good Luck. I am not sure what you consider to be reasonable life expectancy. Statutory builders warranty is 10 years in Victoria so I would assume that new dwelling should be free of defects for at least 10 years. Colorbond products, roof tiling, external cladding will all easily outlast 10 years as will Weathershield (Dulux, indefinite)) paint or Solargard (Wattyl 15 years). What then about (builders trade)appliances that manufacturers warrant for 12 months or 24 months? How will you extend that to 10 years? Even with Smeg it is only up to 5 years. Would you really expect builder to purchase extended warranty from the manufacturer?(if available) On the other hand Guide to Standards and Tolerances 2015 (that I absolutely detest) considers that life expectancy of external acryllic paint is 36 months, enamel 24 monts and stains 12 months I have inspected thousands of new homes and thousands of homes up to ten years old and must say that durability of building elements is never an issue unless there is workmanship defect and there is water ingress. I have found that other defects are far more prevalent. Perhaps you can put up some examples or elaborate further. 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: Building inspections vs engineer inspections 4Aug 24, 2016 11:24 am Really the engineers work is done when they submit the drawings for building approval. It then becomes the Building Inspectors role to check that the engineeringl elements that the engineer specified have been installed properly. The engineer would only be involved again if the Building Inspector identified a problem that needed engineering input to solve. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Building inspections vs engineer inspections 5Sep 02, 2016 1:17 pm Thanks for the replies and information to date. Leonardo_23 - you refer to a building inspector and building surveyor. One of the reasons for this post is that when I had the engineering done for my house, part of the engineer's quote included the offer to inspect the house during the footing and framing stages. I'm wondering if I should get this done, or if I should employ the services of a building inspector/surveyor, or both of them, or neither of them? 3 6412 The engineering is the engineering. It's irrelevant how much material you have. Unless it fits the requirements of your design the engineer can't "make"it work. You might… 7 9693 You have mandatory building inspections and privately engaged building inspections. The difference between the two comes down to inspecting the building so it's safe and… 3 18076 |