When you’re building a property, there’s no shortage of people turning up on site with clipboards, tape measures and serious expressions.
Quantity surveyors, building surveyors, certifiers, inspectors, builders, bank representatives... At times it can feel as though half the construction industry has inspected your project.
Which sounds reassuring.
The only problem is, they’re not checking the same things.
One of the biggest misconceptions during construction is assuming that because somebody has inspected and signed off on a stage of the build, they’ve also confirmed that the workmanship is good.
Unfortunately, that’s not necessarily the case.
A building can meet the required standards and still contain workmanship issues you’d rather discover while the walls are open, rather than sitting on the couch six months later when you're wondering why your hallway seems to be making a gradual left turn.
The important thing is to understand who is checking what - and what they are definitely NOT checking.
The Quantity Surveyor Is Looking at the Money
Depending on how your construction is being financed, your lender may require a quantity surveyor or progress inspection before releasing stage payments. Their job is primarily about establishing whether the amount of work completed on site broadly supports the payment being requested.
They may look at how far the project has progressed, what materials have been incorporated into the build and whether the construction has reached the stage required for that particular progress payment. This gives the lender confidence that it isn’t handing over 80 per cent of the construction funds when you currently have a slab, a wheelbarrow and three very optimistic tradies.
What they’re generally not there to do is conduct a detailed assessment of workmanship.
They’re not examining whether every wall is perfectly straight, whether the finishes are beautiful or whether something is developing that could turn into a defect later.
So effectively they're saying, “Yes, there appears to be enough house here to release the next payment,” rather than, “And what a magnificent, perfectly built house it is.”
Their job is primarily about progress and value. That makes the inspection important, but it doesn’t make it a quality inspection.
The Compliance Inspection Is About Ticking Boxes
Throughout a build, certain stages of construction need to be inspected and approved by the relevant building surveyor or certifier. Depending on the project and jurisdiction, these can include stages such as footings, foundations, slab, frame and completion.
These inspections are about compliance. The person carrying them out is assessing whether the work meets the relevant building permit requirements and applicable construction standards.
Obviously, that matters enormously. Nobody wants a house that looks fabulous but has somehow failed to satisfy fairly important things such as structural requirements.
But this is where the distinction becomes important. Compliant does not necessarily mean high quality. On other words, something can potentially meet the required standard without being the quality of workmanship you expected.
There can also be developing issues that may not technically constitute a defect at that particular point in the construction process.
Imagine, for example, looking at a timber frame and noticing that one section has a very obvious bow in it.
You can see it.
Your inspector can see it.
The builder can probably see it.
Possibly someone driving past the site at 60 kilometres an hour can see it.
You can also make a fairly educated guess that once plasterboard is installed over the top, you may eventually end up with a wall that isn’t exactly travelling in a straight line.
The builder, however, may quite reasonably say, “It’s not a defect yet. The wall isn’t finished.” Technically, they may be right. Comforting? Not especially.
An Independent Inspector Is About Quality
A private building inspector engaged directly by you can inspect construction at different stages with a different focus. Rather than simply asking whether the build has reached a particular payment stage or whether it complies with minimum regulatory requirements, they can look more closely at workmanship and developing defects.
They may identify things that would be considerably easier to address while construction is underway.
A framing issue, for example, is a lot easier to see and fix when you can actually see the frame. Once it has been covered in plasterboard, stopped, sanded, painted and decorated with a tasteful print from Freedom Furniture, your options become somewhat more limited.
That doesn’t mean every item they raise automatically has to be fixed immediately. A builder may quite legitimately respond that something is not yet a defect because the work isn’t finished. Construction sites are, after all, works in progress. Judging the finished product halfway through can sometimes be a little like complaining that your cake looks terrible while it’s still cake batter.
The benefit is that potential issues have at least been identified and documented. You and the builder know they exist, and there is an opportunity to deal with them before they disappear behind subsequent layers of construction.
Have the Conversation Before You Sign
If you want independent inspections during your build, this is something I recommend discussing with the builder before signing the building contract.
Explain that you intend to have your own inspector attend at agreed stages.
The aim shouldn’t be to create an adversarial process where someone turns up every fortnight armed with a spirit level and a burning desire to find fault. A good inspection process should actually help both parties.
If problems are identified early, the builder has the opportunity to address them while the relevant trades are still on site. That is usually far easier than discovering defects at the end of construction and trying to bring trades back after they’ve moved onto another job 40 kilometres away.
Ideally, agree on the process upfront: when inspections can occur, how much notice is required and how reports will be provided to the builder. Setting expectations early tends to create a much smoother process than announcing halfway through construction that somebody you’ve never mentioned before would like access to inspect the frame tomorrow morning.
Remember Practical Completion
Even if you don’t arrange independent inspections throughout construction, I would still strongly consider having an independent defects inspection carried out around practical completion.
This is the point where you want someone carefully reviewing the finished property and identifying outstanding defects before everything is considered done and dusted.
Where possible, I also like to negotiate the practical completion process before signing the contract.
For example, you may want the ability to conduct an independent inspection within a specified period after the builder advises practical completion has been reached, together with an agreed process for dealing with outstanding minor defects.
The exact terms need to be negotiated before you sign the contract and properly reflected in your contractual arrangements. Trying to introduce new payment conditions at the very end of the build is unlikely to make you the builder’s favourite person.
Don’t get to the end of the project and suddenly announce, “By the way, I’ve decided I’m withholding money until every item on this list is fixed.”
That conversation tends not to go particularly well.
Any inspection rights or payment arrangements need to be discussed, negotiated and properly documented before you sign.
The reason for doing this is straightforward: the best time to get defects fixed is while the builder still has trades working on the project.
Once everyone has packed up and moved onto the next site, getting someone back to adjust one door, straighten a cupboard and fix two bits of skirting can somehow become an expedition worthy of Burke and Wills.
Three Inspections, Three Different Jobs
Ultimately, there can be several different people inspecting your project during construction, but they are performing different jobs.
The important thing is to understand what each inspection actually tells you. They are different checks for different purposes.
Know what each person is checking, decide what level of independent oversight you want, and most importantly, sort out the inspection process before you sign your building contract.
Because the best time to discover that a wall isn’t straight is when you can still see the frame, not after the television has been mounted on it.
Quantity surveyors, building surveyors, certifiers, inspectors, builders, bank representatives... At times it can feel as though half the construction industry has inspected your project.
Which sounds reassuring.
The only problem is, they’re not checking the same things.
One of the biggest misconceptions during construction is assuming that because somebody has inspected and signed off on a stage of the build, they’ve also confirmed that the workmanship is good.
Unfortunately, that’s not necessarily the case.
A building can meet the required standards and still contain workmanship issues you’d rather discover while the walls are open, rather than sitting on the couch six months later when you're wondering why your hallway seems to be making a gradual left turn.
The important thing is to understand who is checking what - and what they are definitely NOT checking.
The Quantity Surveyor Is Looking at the Money
Depending on how your construction is being financed, your lender may require a quantity surveyor or progress inspection before releasing stage payments. Their job is primarily about establishing whether the amount of work completed on site broadly supports the payment being requested.
They may look at how far the project has progressed, what materials have been incorporated into the build and whether the construction has reached the stage required for that particular progress payment. This gives the lender confidence that it isn’t handing over 80 per cent of the construction funds when you currently have a slab, a wheelbarrow and three very optimistic tradies.
What they’re generally not there to do is conduct a detailed assessment of workmanship.
They’re not examining whether every wall is perfectly straight, whether the finishes are beautiful or whether something is developing that could turn into a defect later.
So effectively they're saying, “Yes, there appears to be enough house here to release the next payment,” rather than, “And what a magnificent, perfectly built house it is.”
Their job is primarily about progress and value. That makes the inspection important, but it doesn’t make it a quality inspection.
The Compliance Inspection Is About Ticking Boxes
Throughout a build, certain stages of construction need to be inspected and approved by the relevant building surveyor or certifier. Depending on the project and jurisdiction, these can include stages such as footings, foundations, slab, frame and completion.
These inspections are about compliance. The person carrying them out is assessing whether the work meets the relevant building permit requirements and applicable construction standards.
Obviously, that matters enormously. Nobody wants a house that looks fabulous but has somehow failed to satisfy fairly important things such as structural requirements.
But this is where the distinction becomes important. Compliant does not necessarily mean high quality. On other words, something can potentially meet the required standard without being the quality of workmanship you expected.
There can also be developing issues that may not technically constitute a defect at that particular point in the construction process.
Imagine, for example, looking at a timber frame and noticing that one section has a very obvious bow in it.
You can see it.
Your inspector can see it.
The builder can probably see it.
Possibly someone driving past the site at 60 kilometres an hour can see it.
You can also make a fairly educated guess that once plasterboard is installed over the top, you may eventually end up with a wall that isn’t exactly travelling in a straight line.
The builder, however, may quite reasonably say, “It’s not a defect yet. The wall isn’t finished.” Technically, they may be right. Comforting? Not especially.
An Independent Inspector Is About Quality
A private building inspector engaged directly by you can inspect construction at different stages with a different focus. Rather than simply asking whether the build has reached a particular payment stage or whether it complies with minimum regulatory requirements, they can look more closely at workmanship and developing defects.
They may identify things that would be considerably easier to address while construction is underway.
A framing issue, for example, is a lot easier to see and fix when you can actually see the frame. Once it has been covered in plasterboard, stopped, sanded, painted and decorated with a tasteful print from Freedom Furniture, your options become somewhat more limited.
That doesn’t mean every item they raise automatically has to be fixed immediately. A builder may quite legitimately respond that something is not yet a defect because the work isn’t finished. Construction sites are, after all, works in progress. Judging the finished product halfway through can sometimes be a little like complaining that your cake looks terrible while it’s still cake batter.
The benefit is that potential issues have at least been identified and documented. You and the builder know they exist, and there is an opportunity to deal with them before they disappear behind subsequent layers of construction.
Have the Conversation Before You Sign
If you want independent inspections during your build, this is something I recommend discussing with the builder before signing the building contract.
Explain that you intend to have your own inspector attend at agreed stages.
The aim shouldn’t be to create an adversarial process where someone turns up every fortnight armed with a spirit level and a burning desire to find fault. A good inspection process should actually help both parties.
If problems are identified early, the builder has the opportunity to address them while the relevant trades are still on site. That is usually far easier than discovering defects at the end of construction and trying to bring trades back after they’ve moved onto another job 40 kilometres away.
Ideally, agree on the process upfront: when inspections can occur, how much notice is required and how reports will be provided to the builder. Setting expectations early tends to create a much smoother process than announcing halfway through construction that somebody you’ve never mentioned before would like access to inspect the frame tomorrow morning.
Remember Practical Completion
Even if you don’t arrange independent inspections throughout construction, I would still strongly consider having an independent defects inspection carried out around practical completion.
This is the point where you want someone carefully reviewing the finished property and identifying outstanding defects before everything is considered done and dusted.
Where possible, I also like to negotiate the practical completion process before signing the contract.
For example, you may want the ability to conduct an independent inspection within a specified period after the builder advises practical completion has been reached, together with an agreed process for dealing with outstanding minor defects.
The exact terms need to be negotiated before you sign the contract and properly reflected in your contractual arrangements. Trying to introduce new payment conditions at the very end of the build is unlikely to make you the builder’s favourite person.
Don’t get to the end of the project and suddenly announce, “By the way, I’ve decided I’m withholding money until every item on this list is fixed.”
That conversation tends not to go particularly well.
Any inspection rights or payment arrangements need to be discussed, negotiated and properly documented before you sign.
The reason for doing this is straightforward: the best time to get defects fixed is while the builder still has trades working on the project.
Once everyone has packed up and moved onto the next site, getting someone back to adjust one door, straighten a cupboard and fix two bits of skirting can somehow become an expedition worthy of Burke and Wills.
Three Inspections, Three Different Jobs
Ultimately, there can be several different people inspecting your project during construction, but they are performing different jobs.
- The quantity surveyor may be assessing progress for payment purposes
- The building surveyor or certifier is looking at compliance
- Your independent building inspector is focused on workmanship and defects
The important thing is to understand what each inspection actually tells you. They are different checks for different purposes.
Know what each person is checking, decide what level of independent oversight you want, and most importantly, sort out the inspection process before you sign your building contract.
Because the best time to discover that a wall isn’t straight is when you can still see the frame, not after the television has been mounted on it.
