Australians can own a home in several ways: inheritance, purchase, or construction. Constructing your home has several advantages over the other options since you have control over the design. Besides, building a home is not financially draining since you can do it over time. That said, regular inspection is critical throughout the construction phase. Therefore, you need to invite a building surveyor to conduct inspections at various stages. While building surveyors conduct a myriad of checks, some reviews are considered more important than others.

Footings Inspections

The first phase of construction entails excavation and laying of a foundation. It represents the footing stage, which is critical to the structural integrity of a building. Therefore, a building surveyor must be competent — or rely on accredited experts — to inspect all aspects of the footing. Some of the elements that a building surveyor examines during footing inspection are permit drawings, frost protection plans, waterproofing, minimum depth and soil stability, among others. If inspections results vary from permit drawings and building laws, a surveyor does not allow construction to proceed until changes are made.

Slab Inspection

"A house is only as stable as the base upon which it sits" is a common phrase in the construction industry, for good reasons. Unidentified defects in a slab or base pose a danger to the structural stability of a house and its occupants. Such flaws might be caused by defective steel/rebar mesh, substandard vapour barrier or unprofessional formwork. For this reason, slab inspection is a crucial part of pre-concrete and post-concrete pour. Moreover, a foundation slab is unique to the geotechnical conditions of a project site. Therefore, design and installation must comply with the Australian Standard, AS 2870 — Residential Slabs & Footings. During a survey, an inspector examines adherence to engineering documents, concrete cover, stormwater and sewer drains, termite protection and bored pier locations, among other areas.

Final Inspection

The final inspection is the top-bottom examination of a completed building, which the surveyor conducts before issuing the final certificate of compliance. It is easy to think that the last review is a waste of time since different inspections are done at every construction stage. Unfortunately, the perception is skewed because the final examination is the only way that a surveyor can establish changes in local and national building codes and standards. A house can only be occupied if it satisfies a building surveyor's inspection checklist.

If you need building surveying inspections for your property, contact a surveyor near you.

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