Brisbane Building Inspections

A Pre-Handover Inspection is a thorough inspection of a newly built property examining the structure for defects under the Australian Standards and Building Codes along with evaluating the quality of the workmanship. It focuses on any issues that need to be addressed before the final payment is made. An inspector will look for building defects and damage along with cosmetic defects and the quality of the finishes. He will ensure there is no incomplete or unfinished works, and the site and building are free of safety hazards. He will check the presence of installations and the operation of the fixtures and fittings. Areas inspected include the site, including fences, retaining walls and relevant features as well as the exteriors of the building and roof. Also inspected is the interior of the building including the roof space and subfloor space along with all the services and installations. Specifically, for example, he will check that all windows slide smoothly and open and shut correctly. Another thing that is checked is all wet areas to ensure silicone has been installed where required. For a complete list of what is checked at this inspection please use the following link: www.asbir.com.au/handover-inspection-or-pci

A thorough inspection, whether pre-handover or pre-purchase should cost less than $500 (inc. GST). A pre-handover inspection cost is based on the size (total floor area) of the home you are building. Most homes are 250m2 or less and our cost for this size is $485 (inc. GST). If your build is larger than this, the price will slightly increase. A complete pre-purchase building & pest inspection will cost $495 (inc. GST).

Typically, the purchaser will engage the inspector to conduct a building & pest inspection as part of their due diligence and therefore they will pay the relevant costs. However recently more and more vendors have commissioned their own building & pest report as part of the preparation for sale. There should no difference in these reports if an independent and impartial professional inspector has been engaged.

The stages checked by a building inspector during a home build, usually match up with the progress payment claims issued by the builder. These are

• Base / Slab Stage: 

Inspection of footings and slab area prior to pouring of concrete.

• Frame Stage

Inspection of completed frame and roof frame structure before interior wall linings are installed.

• Enclosed / Lock-up Stage

Inspection of roof cladding, external walls, doors and windows, and waterproofing before tiling of wet areas.

• Pre-Paint / Fixing Stage:  

Inspection after installation of internal fixtures and fittings, interior and finishing of carpentry prior to painting.

• Practical Completion / Pre-Handover Stage:  

Inspection of the completed home for defects, incomplete and sub-standard work prior to Handover. Quality control checks at various stages during construction will ensure the quality of workmanship and enables defects to be identified at a time when they can be rectified easily and so can help avoid problems and building disputes down the track.

A true quality inspection of the frame should occur once the roof is on, the temporary bracing is off, the frame has been straightened and before the internal wall linings are fixed. In other words just before the plasterer begins work on the interior. The following should be checked at a frame inspection

• All wall framing for straight and plumb
• All walls square
• Roof frame tie-down and bracing
• Wall frame spacing
• Blocking and noggin in walls and ceilings
• Frame correctly placed on slab
• Plumbing and drainage penetrations
• Tie-down to steel columns, beams etc
• Window openings
• Door openings
• Timber sizes
• Termite barrier
• Retaining walls

For a complete frame inspection, the inspector will require a full set of the approved plans, that include the engineer’s bracing design.