Owner-supplied materials and fittings: who carries the risk
A client who buys the tapware or the doors has not taken the builder out of the job. This guide shows where the risk really lands and what to record before the item goes in.
11 min read
Topic
Defects
Articles and news about Defects for Australian builders.
Owner-supplied materials and fittings: who carries the risk
A client who buys the tapware or the doors has not taken the builder out of the job. This guide shows where the risk really lands and what to record before the item goes in.
11 min read
Gutter and downpipe installation faults builders miss
Most gutter failures are installation faults that stay hidden until the first heavy rain. Here is where they start and how to check the system before handover.
11 min read
Balcony waterproofing: falls, outlets and membrane detail
Most balcony leaks start at the falls, the outlet or a junction rather than in the membrane itself. This article sets out the sequence a licensed builder should follow, from the first fall check to the flood test before tiling.
12 min read
Control joints in residential slabs: where to cut them and why
A slab will crack. The question is whether it cracks where you chose, in a neat line at a joint, or somewhere random across the panel. This article covers joint layout, depth and cutting timing for shrinkage control.
11 min read
Thermal imaging on building sites: what it shows and what it does not
A thermal camera shows where surfaces are warmer or cooler than their neighbours, which is a useful clue and a poor verdict. Here is what the picture can support, what it cannot prove and how to pair it with checks a builder can defend.
11 min read
Practical completion and handover: a builder’s checklist for finishing a job properly
Handover is where a good job becomes a good reputation, or where a dispute begins. The completion date starts the statutory warranty periods, the final payment depends on it, and the owner’s first impression is formed in the first hour. Here is how to finish properly.
7 min read
The most common building defects in NSW, and how builders stop them happening
Building Commission NSW’s research and audits point to the same culprits year after year: waterproofing first, fire safety second, then structure, the building enclosure and services. Here is where defects come from, and the site controls that stop them.
7 min read
Retention and defects liability periods on home jobs in NSW
Retention is money held back to give a principal leverage over defects and incomplete work; the defects liability period sets how long that leverage lasts. They are separate from the statutory warranties that survive both, and getting the wording wrong is expensive.
14 min read
Plasterboard fixing and jointing defects at handover: prevention on the tools
Almost every plasterboard defect a certifier or client picks up at handover was set on the day the sheets went up and the joints were taped. This article deals with fixing and jointing practice rather than lining selection.
11 min read
Product substitution: what builders must check before swapping a specified product
Lead times and prices push builders to swap specified products every week. Most swaps are fine. The ones that are not become defects, failed inspections and disputes. Here is what to check before you substitute.
7 min read
First 10-year defects insurance policy accepted in NSW: what apartment developers and builders need to know
The reforms that make 10-year defects insurance workable in NSW commenced on 20 August, and Building Commission NSW now lists a first policy in an acceptable form. How DLI works, and what it means for developers, builders and owners.
6 min read
Statutory warranties in NSW: six years, two years, and what counts as a major defect
Every NSW residential building contract carries statutory warranties that cannot be contracted out of. What they promise, how long they last, what counts as a major defect, and how builders should handle defect claims.
7 min read