New Penrith Build Staged Construction Inspections

What is a new build staged construction?

New build staged construction inspections involve a series of building inspections throughout the construction of a new Penrith home. From where your property is only a slab of concrete to the handover of the keys to your brand-new home, new-build multi-stage inspections ensure that the construction process is of high quality and compliant with building codes and other safety standards every step of the way. Building a house (or any kind of building) from the ground up is long and often arduous. So, having checkpoints along the way to ensure everything is going smoothly will help identify mistakes and prevent future issues. 

Unlike building surveyor inspections, new build staged construction inspections are third-party evaluations that offer you a second pair of expert eyes on your new build. Generally, building companies (especially project home Builders) have many jobs at once, and the supervisors are looking after 10 or so homes which is impossible to do! This is where issues arise, and trades get away with poor workmanship. Having third-party inspections ensures your project is a quality build throughout, and many years later, you’re not having major issues with your new home.

We are a small business that cares about quality and attention to detail, and we’re ready to earn your trust as your new building inspector specialising in the Penrith area. 

Stages of New Penrith Builds

New build staged construction inspections are broken down into checkpoints. However, there’s no industry standard for how many stages there are, and it depends on the build itself. We’ll review the six most common stages in a new build staged construction inspection and what each stage entails. 

Pre-Slab Inspection

A Pre-Slab inspection is exactly as it sounds. An inspection before pouring the concrete slab into your home. We check all aspects of the formwork, reinforcement and dimensions to ensure it complies with the architectural plans. 

Slab inspections include

• Checking for moisture membranes 
• Placement of the steel
• Barrier provisions for termite protection
• Dimensions and ensuring they are within tolerances
• Checking that the installation is correct and according to plan

Framing Inspection

Frame inspection is completed once the complete framing is erected. Walls, roof trusses or conventional roofing, including all bracing. This is a very important stage as the frame is the main structure of the building, and a poor-quality installation could have serious defects down the line.

Framing inspection includes

• Similar to Pre-Slab, we check all dimensions to ensure they are correct as per the plans.
• Checking framing members for plumb, square and straight walls.
• Check tie-downs and bracing are as per engineer details
• Check dimensions and locations of doors and windows
• Check Physical Termite barrier has been installed as per the code
• We also give the completed slab a once-over to ensure no major shrinkage cracks.

Pre-lining Inspection

This inspection is not always done by other firms. Still, we think it’s very important as once the plasterboard is installed, we can see behind the walls and are not sure if any trades have cut corners or have done shotty workmanship. In the past, we have seen plumbers cut studs to run the plumbing and electricians do similar questionable work.

Pre-Lining inspection includes

• Checking the plumbing services are installed correctly and in all correct locations
• Ensuring sufficient blocking to plumbing pipes etc
• Ensuring sufficient blocking has been installed for cabinetry, toilet accessories, shelving, wall-mounted TVs etc 
• Check that previous recommendations made to the frame has been implemented.
• Check brick ties have been installed correctly
• Check Roof coverings and Brickwork for defects

Lock-Up/Waterproofing

Lock-up stage is as it sounds. The building is at the point where all Linings, windows, doors, gutters, and garage doors are complete. It’s getting very close to the final stages. At this stage, acceptable finishes are very important to ensure a quality job is handed over to you. We must inspect this stage before any tiling as we want to check waterproofing compliance with AS3740-2010

At this stage, we check

• Plasterboard finishes
• Sufficient fixings to plasterboard and cabinetry
• Quality check of all carpentry, ie doors, jambs, skirtings, architraves
• Waterproofing check 

PCI-Practical Completion Inspection

Practical completion is, as the name suggests, this inspection is completed just before handover so you can rectify defects before you receive the keys to your new home, ready to move in. It’s always best to have the builder do the initial cleaning before our inspection. For clients who only have this stage of the inspection completed and none of the previous stages, the defects will likely be more cosmetic as now many are hidden behind wall linings and not visible to the inspector.

The other potential issue is sometimes major defects can be found at this final stage which can cause a lot of stress for both the builder and client as rectification could be timely and costly at this stage of the project. Compared to clients who have had regular inspections, the defects are found sooner and rectified as the project carries on.

Practical completion we check:

• All finishes to both interior and exterior, wall linings, brickwork
• Paint finish and coverage
• Plumbing working as they should
• Floor coverings for defects
• Expansion joints and silicon as required
• Check benchtops and cabinetry for scratches
• Check electrical and appliances to ensure everything is operational.
• Check Site drainage has been completed as per plans
• Check to landscape
• Check driveways
• Ensure locks and doors work as they should

Not sure what a new build stage inspection will look like for a new home in your area? Contact us today for more information!

End of Defect liability Inspection

This inspection is usually completed after 90 days. It will allow you to address the builder with issues that you would like rectified or perhaps certain things have deteriorated since the handover. For example, carpet joins showing through, tap leaks, and cracked tiles. We will check all items as per practical completion, and of course, you will be able to provide insight into areas you have concerns with which we can thoroughly investigate.

We like to pay extra attention to the moisture readings in bathrooms as they should not read at high levels being a newly built home. High-level moisture readings could identify waterproofing failure or plumbing issues within the walls. Ensuring the site drainage is working well, and the property surrounds are draining well. No cracks in internal and external walls.

Why are new build staged construction inspections important?

Building a new home in Penrith requires time, money and dedication. You’ll be putting a lot of effort into your new property, and at the very least, you’ll want to ensure that everything is of high quality, safe and functional when you’re finally able to move in.

Here are a few reasons why new build multi-stage inspections are important.

• Catch issues before it’s too late, and major work is required to rectify them (even then, they are never as good as if it was done the first time correctly)
• Ensure safety and functionality 
• Third-party insight vs building surveyor inspections (Many building certifiers are in the Builders Pocket)
• Peace of mind
• Ensure you get what you pay for from the builder
• Quality control
• Prevent future deterioration of your home from poor construction methods and quality

Using a multi-stage approach, you can catch any issues that might arise during the building process before it’s too late or extremely costly and time-consuming to rectify. When you can fix any mistakes before adding layers to them, it’s much simpler and more cost-effective.

Another thing to note is that the building surveyor inspections that certify new builds could sometimes be less thorough or diligent due to the building company using the business regularly.

How much does a new build stage inspection cost?

The cost of a new build multi-stage inspection will vary. Each quote depends on the following:

• How many stages of the inspection would you like inspected
• The building size

When it comes to a new build staged construction inspection, you’ll usually get what you pay for. While you can often find competitive rates among inspectors, it’s important to understand that your cheapest option isn’t always ideal. Especially when building your new home, you’ll be pouring a lot of money into construction costs. After patiently waiting for months or even years for the final result, the last thing you want is unexpected expenses. 

So, think of a new build staged construction inspection as an investment in the safety and quality of your new home.

New Build Staged Construction Inspection | Penrith

Clear View property inspections offer new build staged constructions inspections and many other kinds of building inspections. We do things a little differently than others in the industry. We are a small business we’re a one-person show – and by foregoing the need to grow fast or scale our business exponentially, we’d much rather provide high-quality building inspections with premium customer service and strong attention to detail. After all, you want an inspector you can trust when building your new home. Choose Clear View and book your New Penrith Build Multi-Stage Inspection today! Call now.

Suburb of Penrith

Penrith City is located at the western fringe of the Sydney metropolitan area – about 54 kilometres from the Sydney GPO. Penrith City is bounded by Hawkesbury City in the north, Blacktown City and Fairfield City in the east, Liverpool City and Wollondilly Shire in the south, and Blue Mountains City in the west. The area is convenient (within walking distance) to most shops, Coles, Woolies and Aldi, Penrith Westfield – aka The Plaza and other smaller shops. Penrith station is the main station – all suburban and Intercity (Blue Mountains) trains to stop there. Intercity trains take about 50 minutes to Central, whereas suburban trains can take up to 1hr and 15 minutes to Central. Depending on your family’s requirements, you could do without a car and just Uber/Taxi or train/bus everywhere.

 

There are lots of good eateries, especially along High Street. Housing is more affordable compared to the rest of Sydney, but the distance to the Sydney CBD is the trade-off (about 55 km). If you are lucky, you can still get a good 3BR house for under $900k. The weather out at Penrith is more extreme on both ends of the scale compared to inner Sydney – very hot in the summer – 40C+ deg. is common and can get down to very close to zero in the middle of winter – so consider that if you don’t like extreme weather then maybe this is not the area for you. Penrith is also very fortunate to be one of the few areas that got the real NBN – Fibre To The Premises (FTTP) – and it’s brilliant.

Penrith has many great entertainment things to do, especially at the Penrith panthers League club. iFly Down Under is an indoor skydiving facility in Australia. It is also​ the largest and most powerful indoor skydiving facility in the Southern Hemisphere! The 365-degree glass tunnel allows spectators to watch and cheer on friends, family, colleagues or loved ones from front-row seats. This is a must-do when in Penrith! At the same location is Aqua gold which is a fun way to smash the crab out of gold balls. My family and I always enjoy having a swing whilst trying to get the gold balls in the nets located in the water. There are plenty of places to eat at the Penrith Leagues Club, ranging from fine dining to takeaway. I just need to eat the amazing hot dogs from Harry’s Cafe de Wheels when I’m there. Penrith is quite the entertainment hub and is well worth spending the day out there for fun with the family.