Browse Forums Pools & Spas 1 Feb 23, 2018 9:02 pm Hi, We have recently finished our pool area. We have just had a certifier come out today and he said there are some little issues but one big one. The big one is that we have a step to the side of the gate. He said it’s in the non climbable zone and couldn’t even think of a way to fix it? So we have had a look at the non climbable zone a bit more. We were under the impression it was just directly outwards and in an arc upwards and downwards. We have measured it and the step is to the side of the non climbable zone and we can find nothing that says this zone goes sideways. I have attached a pic below. It’s not the best pic but you can see a black thing attached to the brick - that is the latch for the gate. Which swings outwards towards the grass. The step up is to the side going towards the house. We are going to contact him to ask him to explain but we are quite confused. To actually climb from the side would be impossible. Any advice welcome! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ First Home Owners and Builders - building Zara29 with Metricon in 2017. Our Build - https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=87366 Re: Pool Compliance 2Feb 24, 2018 6:41 am Four issues 1 The ultimate judge of compliance is the Relevant Building Surveyor and if not satisfied there will be no sign off 2 The person responsible for the design and preparation of drawings for the building permit is responsible that design is compliant 3 Building surveyor must have been satisfied that the design is compliant 4 Has the pool fence been constructed in accordance with approved drawings? Someone has missed something or the issue would not have appeared. 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: Pool Compliance 4Feb 24, 2018 9:58 am Yes - that will have to be the solution. However I guess my question was - why is it an issue if it is not in the non climbable zone??? First Home Owners and Builders - building Zara29 with Metricon in 2017. Our Build - https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=87366 Re: Pool Compliance 5Feb 24, 2018 10:50 am It's all about liability and many Building Surveyors are sued, some multiple times. This is a matter of child safety and unless the fence is spot on, no one in their right mind will sign off on it. No one wants to be facing criminal charges, climbable zone or not. Check your drawings. Perfectly safe pool fences are just one side of the equation, pool safety risk is the other. Many times during my inspections I have found perfectly constructed pool fences that nevertheless were a death risk due to owner's negligence. Once I inspected beautiful property with flawless fence but the rose bush has grown in 1 week (whilst owners were away) just enough to interfere with the gate closing latch. Luckily nothing happened but it could have and I recommended removal of the rose bush.In another example there was just enough wind tunnelling to keep the glass gate open for minutes. Or an outdoor entertaining area combined with pool area where people drink . Once they had a few who will keep an eye on the gate? All this was insidious but there were many blatantly idiotic examples, pots and vases against fence, chairs against or near fence, bushes and trees grown near the fence etc. Once a child drowns, criminal liability or not the stain on the conscience will never go away If you have a pool you have a child drowning risk perfect fence or not and you have to have eyes on the back of your head and wits about you 24/7 I could have a pool but with 10 grandkids I choose not to have the risk. That's just me. 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: Pool Compliance 6Feb 24, 2018 10:56 am That is all very heartfelt but again not what I am asking. Is the step in the non climbable zone or not? Because to us it doesn’t look like it is. If you can’t answer this question I don’t really need to see a rant about pool safety. First Home Owners and Builders - building Zara29 with Metricon in 2017. Our Build - https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=87366 Re: Pool Compliance 8Feb 24, 2018 1:01 pm good answer from Aussieta but you may find what you are looking for here http://www.vba.vic.gov.au/__data/assets ... Safety.pdf I know this is Victorian practice note but it's all based on NCC so it should be relevant in QLD It seems your step must be at least 500 away from the fence If you want good answers then take time and post more information, like your building permit drawings 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: Pool Compliance 9Feb 24, 2018 1:10 pm qld pool fence requirements http://www.hpw.qld.gov.au/construction/ ... fault.aspx For anyone that comes across this issue in the future - Just did what aussieta said and found a plumber to inspect it and sign off on it. Was difficult to find someone to… 3 6990 From a pure legal perspective, if you've signed the variation, it is a very high bar to have it set aside. No-one can give you legal advice on a forum, but you would need… 3 5473 |