Pre-handover building inspection

[Kellie]

Hi everyone.

I bought my first apartment off the plan and it will settle in a few weeks. I've been told that the pre-handover building inspection will be very soon. 

I've heard a couple of horror stories from people who had a lot of faults in their apartments that were hard to rectify so I want to make sure I get it thoroughly inspected. 

Just wondering if some of the experts here could give me suggestions on what I should be looking for during the inspection? I think I'll be okay picking out faults in the finishing like paintwork and grout etc but obviously want to also make sure I notice anything more potentially serious like plumbing issues or anything that might crack or break over time. Thanks.

[DanB]

Hi Kellie,

I bought an off-the-plan apartment and have been living in it for 3 years now. We ended up having 6 family members to come to the inspection with us, including an architect! Fortunately there were few faults compared to other stories I've heard. Some were obvious during the inspection but others we actually didn't notice straight away.

Here's what we found:

- Our frameless shower door opened outwards, but there was a metal towel rail on the wall it opened towards. It seems they had forgot to install a rubber stop on the floor. If we didn't notice and had swung it open with force, it surely would have cracked. The builder fixed this one quickly.

- Several of the soft-close cabinets were missing the soft-closers! If yours have this feature, make sure you open and close all the doors to check they work properly. Again, another quick fix.

- The floor waste in the shower drained very slowly, but of course we only noticed this the first time we had a shower! It turned out the tilers had dumped cement/grout/sand/who knows what down the drain, causing it to be partially blocked. We checked it during the inspection, but only for 30 seconds or so, which wasn't enough time for water to build up in the pipes to reveal the problem. We had to get the builders out a few times before they eventually diagnosed it and fixed it properly, and it hasn't been a problem since then.

- The worst problem was something that didn't actually occur until months later. I'm still not 100% sure what the issue was, but basically, it turned out that the phone cables were connected incorrectly. They worked, but the internet connection was extremely slow, which at first we put down to our ISP. Then all of a sudden it just stopped working altogether. We ended up having to get our own electrician out to fix it because the problem occured just before Christmas, and the builders and the developer were all closed until the end of January. Needing the internet for work, that was far too long to wait! We paid for the electrician out of our own pocket, then spent about three months chasing the developer trying to get it reimbursed, with the developer trying to pass the buck to the electrician who installed the wiring, and the electrician refusing to pay because they expected us to wait a month for them to come and fix it! Eventually the developer caved and reimbursed us themselves. That was a bit unpleasant, especially as nobody would take responsibility for the fault.

Apart from those issues, the apartment has been fantastic and has turned out to be a great investment. Good luck!

[DanB]

One more thing I forgot! A mate of mine bought off the plan, and his place was pretty much fine, except there was no silicone sealant between the vanity and the splashback in the bathroom.

That building was finished in a big rush as they were well behind schedule, which is something to keep in mind if yours is running late.

[BIM_Engineer]

@TheFoxSays& @Kellie @JoshRaf
While we are still on Balconies
Make sure you read this article as well

Balconies, decks & Balustrades

"As a safety measure, all home owners and commercial property owners with balconies, decks and balustrades should ensure that:  It is inspected on a regular basis for any warning signs of potential collapse  A maintenance program is introduced to extend its design life, and  Where there is a doubt or a problem, an inspection by a Structural Engineer or other suitably qualified building practitioner are arranged." Quote

BTW in disputes the Engineer has the final say when it comes to your safety

[RenoQueen]

Good discussion! Many thanks for the tips here. 

[Kellie]

Just as a quick update. I was recommended by a builder to contact ArchiCentre Australia. They got back to me quickly and said they would be happy to do a pre-settlement report for $590. However, the developers have said that the only professional that is allowed to do it is a registered building inspector.

[BIM_Engineer]

@Kellie
That's laughable " and who are the building inspectors registered to or members of? most likely the MBA & HIA who represent builders during disputes with clients anyway...IMO there is an obvious conflict of interest there.

Chances are if your building is no-compliant you may well require an engineer to prove that the building is equivalent or better than what was specified in the codes anyway, so you are back to square one
I recommend you get someone independent of the builders organisations MBA HIA , eg. AIA Archicenter or Engineers Australia EA

OT.. Why the VBA Inspections fails the pub test

Contrary to belief the majority of buildings are Non-Compliant

That is to say they don’t meet Current National Construction Codes (NCC) & Australian Standards (AS)

A building surveyor or inspector will recommend making the building/element comply if it's detailed/known or where it can’t be made to comply then the  AS says it will need to be certified as “Equivalent or better than what is specified"

Australian Standards deal with Compliance & Non-Compliance specifically in various parts of their respective codes

1. By Description so if you follow the Instructions/Diagrams it will be deemed as “Tried & Tested” compliant or
2. Alternatively by Formulae & First Principles/Calculations/Proofs Checked by Engineers
3. Computer Simulations using software (newer) Checked by Engineers

From My Experience Building surveyors turn a blind eye to non-compliant  hard to rectify building engineering elements.my2c

[Kellie]

All good, despite the initial email from the developer saying "registered building inspectors only" they were happy with an architect from Archicentre to do the inspection so I've locked it in. Will let you know how I go. 

[Kellie]

I did the inspection today. Lots of little imperfections which I hope they can rectify but overall very happy. Hopefully the professional inspector hasn't picked up anything major. Thanks again for all of the advice - very much appreciated.

[BIM_Engineer]

@Kellie
Glad it all went well

[Kellie]

Thank you. I should get his report today. 

One thing that surprised me was the courtyard had large format pavers that had no grout. Instead of a drain the water goes down between the pavers. The architect said it was a good system, although because they were large pavers there was some water pooling on top of them which might get a bit annoying.