When building your dream home, you deserve to feel assured that construction is up to standard. Assurance comes from the information provided by an experienced and knowledgeable professional in their field.
In the case of construction, you need the assurance of a building consultant. Without this assurance, your new home could be vulnerable to expensive issues down the track. Worse still, your warranty may not cover the issues.
A building consultant can help you protect your investment by ensuring your home meets industry standards for a liveable and saleable premise.
What is the role of a building consultant?
A building consultant is qualified to inspect the quality of work planned or undertaken by builders. Their job is to ensure that all construction work is of an acceptable standard, as per the Domestic Building Act, 1995.
A written report will assess the quality of a build at each stage of the process:
- The Construction Base
- The Construction Frame
- The Build Lock-up/Enclosure
- The Build Fixings and Fit-Off
- The Practical Completion Inspection (PCI)
- The Property Handover
- Post-handover or Maintenance period
- Statutory Warranty Period
Why is a building consultant essential to the building process?
For property owners
Building consultants work with property owners to ensure that their home meets industry standards when considering liveability and saleability.
Currently, the only protection owners have against defects related to the quality of work, or otherwise, is a Building Defect Liability Period, which typically lasts for only three to twelve months following the build. Although builders are liable for major building defects this only includes structural issues such as major cracks, roof leaks, and electrical or plumbing faults that severely impact its functioning. In this instance, the owner has up to seven years under the Home Building Warranty or ten years under Victorian Consumer Law to notify the builder to rectify the issue.
Regardless of whether a defect is covered, prevention is always a better safeguard than repair. That’s why it is crucial to have a building consultant review the work throughout the entirety of the build process to minimise serious issues from becoming your problem to solve.
For builders
A builder’s reputation can suffer from one, seemingly small mistake that occurs in a single job, not to mention the added strain and cost of fixing that mistake. Building consultants work with builders to minimise mistakes and costs that are identified at each of the stages of the inspection process.
At Red Dog Property Inspections, we only recruit experienced building consultants with extensive construction knowledge who are skilled in catching things before they become a problem and importantly, delivering projects to the highest possible standard.
What to look out for when choosing a building consultant
Due to a lack of regulations and formal qualification requirements, anyone can call themself a ‘building consultant’. That’s why choosing a reputable one is crucial. At Red Dog Property Inspections, we have our own formal training and qualification process. This way, we can guarantee consistent, high-quality service every time.
We also pride ourselves on providing our clients with reports that are easy to understand and free of technical jargon. If you are thinking about your next build or have already started the process and would like to find out more about how a building consultant can help you save time and money throughout the building process, contact us today.
