Independent Property Inspections has recently launched a new product helping new home owners with their construction.
If you are like most Australians, you have aspired to build your own home and finally the dream has come to fruition. You have done your due diligence and selected a suitable builder to build your dream home, but how do you protect yourself from become one of the horror stories we hear so much about where after settlement you realise the quality isn’t quite right and request for maintenance issues and defects to be resolved fall on deaf ears.
In this age of volume builders and transient workforces there is no guarantee on the quality of the workmanship of the tradesmen building your new home.
Independent Property Inspectors can ensure the quality and the finish of the construction of your new home. Our inspectors can inspect your property and provide a comprehensive and detailed report at the various stages of construction. These inspections will be in line with progress and final payments to ensure your builder rectifies any defects identified by our inspectors.
Our inspections are designed to give you peace of mind through the construction of your home and ensure no nasty surprises once the handover process (and final payment) has occurred.
Whether you require a stand alone Pre Settlement Inspection or an inspection at each stage of construction, we have a package to suit your needs, and most importantly your budget.
Construction Inspections
New Dwellings (Homes)
Recommended Inspection – site visits
Inspection 1 – Frame
Timber / Steel frame workmanship/ materials.
This inspection is best carried out after the frame has been approved by the relevant building surveyor appointed by your builder.
- Wall frames checked for plumbness and compliance, bracing for correct installation,
- Roof trusses for correct installation and bracing.
- Concrete slab checked for bottom plate overhang, exposed steel, potential cavity blocking,
- Excessive cracking or dusting.
- Levelness of floors
Inspection 2 – Pre – Plaster/Fixing
Prior to plaster hung and water proofing completed.
Ideally this inspection takes place prior to the hanging of plaster so that any modifications to the frame made by related tradesmen such as plumbers and electricians during the course of their installations can be checked.
- Wall frames checked for plumbness and compliance, bracing for correct installation
- Window frames
- Door sills and flashing
- Roofline and tiles
- Guttering, fascias and eaves
- Shower bases and baths
- · Waterproofing
Inspection 3 – Practical Completion – Pre-Handover
Finished product, all floor coverings, paint work, all fixtures and fittings installed
Chances are you’ve been waiting some time to move into your new home and can’t wait to get in and unpacked. To the untrained eye your new home may look perfect, however closer scrutiny will uncover all the small defects and any unfinished detail. This inspection covers every aspect of your new home from top to bottom ensuring quality of workmanship.
These will be ‘marked up’ with stickers for rectification and will be listed in your report.
External
- Brickwork for level, plumbness, straightness and to make sure that it is in line.
- Cleaning off of mortar from across the faces of the bricks.
- Chipped bricks and/or holes and other imperfections in the mortar finish.
- Other external cladding types such as weatherboards for correct fixing etc
- Correct clearances between the windows and their brick sills.
- Correct bearing of the brick walls onto the concrete slab.
- Proper placement of articulation joints, flashings and weepholes.
- Guttering, fascia and eaves for their level, straightness and correct installation.
- Colorbond gutters, fascias and flashings for damage to their pre finished paintwork.
- Roofline and tile installation.
- Glazing for scratches and chips.
- In fills, cover boards and linings are checked for correct installation.
Internal
- Doors for correct hanging and operation.
- Windows for fitting.
- Walls and the skirting boards for their straightness
- Plaster joints for tool marks, scratches and sanding ridges.
- Ceilings for correct installation and for visible joints.
- Cornice lines for levelness and straightness.
- External corners for their straightness and to ensure that they are in line.
- Tiling & grouting for level, straightness and finish.
- Tile junctions and joints
- Cut-outs around taps for correct sizing.
- Painted surfaces for coverage, blemishes and paint runs.
- Nail holes are also checked for proper filling.
- Kitchen cupboards and vanities and the bench tops for scratches and correct installation.
- All other plumbing fixture and fittings for correct installation.
Roof Cavity
- Insulation for coverage, snugness of fit and depth
- Heating platform for correct instalment
- Roof sarking if fitted.
Inspection 4 – Final Handover
- Your Inspector will return to ensure all items identified on the checklist have been suitably rectified.