Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Are these defects "normal" ? 3Oct 23, 2018 1:04 pm brokenstick I had my frame inspection by Darbecca yesterday. They found 22 defects - most of them small items like not enough nails, brackets and straps installed incorrectly, missing blocks, not enough tension in straps, nails in sheet bracing recessed too far etc etc As far as my site supervisor is concerned this is a good result as they are all small things that are easily fixed. As far as I am concerned this is bad - surely the framers do this all the time and should know to do things properly the first time, however small they are. It is not rocket science to put enough nails into a plate or attached a bracing strap properly with enough overlap, especially when they have a nail gun. This just amazes me - is this normal??? Re: Are these defects "normal" ? 4Oct 23, 2018 3:04 pm This is my own inspector. The thing that frustrates me is that there is nothing major wrong, the general structure is good. These defects are all basic stuff and nothing to do with lack of skill - just laziness and shortcuts that show lack of pride in their work. Re: Are these defects "normal" ? 5Oct 23, 2018 3:30 pm brokenstick This is my own inspector. The thing that frustrates me is that there is nothing major wrong, the general structure is good. These defects are all basic stuff and nothing to do with lack of skill - just laziness and shortcuts that show lack of pride in their work. Mine are major Re: Are these defects "normal" ? 6Oct 23, 2018 3:31 pm Are you building with a 'big' builder? Many of them use very young trades and I am not deliberately bad mouthing the younger guys, you can get it with the older ones too, but I tend to find the ones who haven't been in the job very long do tend to take shortcuts, whether deliberately or not, and often not have much pride in their work. I know that this is generalising, it definitely isn't always the case, but it just seems to be the case more often than not in my experience. I wouldn't stress too much about the small defects. We had many in our house build but we ended up with a very solid house (as stated by an independent inspector). Remember that the Darbecca inspector needs to make a note of absolutely everything, even the things that aren't of much consequence, not just to justify the cost of the inspection but so you can't ask later why he didn't include something small that becomes an issue later. I know builders, and inspectors, and my general experience is that defects, especially small ones, are common. If the builder feels that the defect is significant enough they will definitely get it fixed - they don't want to have to come back and do it later either. Having said that if something really worries you definitely make sure it is followed up. I realise that my thoughts aren't everyone's and that people do expect an amazing job when they are spending so much money (so did I) but unfortunately not everything is always going to be perfect. My blog: tashandpaul.wordpress.com Re: Are these defects "normal" ? 7Oct 24, 2018 11:39 am Good thing is you have a documented report that your SS can use to rectify these defects. Sad truth is you probably need to get an independent inspector for most stages to get the job done right. I had the same experience, used Darbecca throughout the build and they identified several defects which my SS then rectified. Re: Are these defects "normal" ? 8Oct 24, 2018 2:56 pm I guess i will just focus on the positives. They have responded well to the reports and are addressing most of the issues (some I agree are very pedantic) Re: Are these defects "normal" ? 9Oct 24, 2018 6:17 pm I have had quite a number of defects found by Darbecca. Their reports are quite comprehensive. I am lucky to have a family member who knows more about building than me, so they have stepped in for me as I was completely overwhelmed. The general consensus from others in the know, the slab and frame work were sloppy. It is a good sign that the builder has responded well and willing to work toward resolving the issues. I found it more frustrating when there has been limited communication. Fairhaven Homes - Clovelly 191 Hi It came to my attention after the handover that - The facade cladding on the face and the side are not straight. -The face tapers down by 50mm from left to right and… 0 3073 1 9811 All 3 items listed are defects and are of concern. Please seek qualified independent inspector and/or legal advice for your state. 1 8574 |