In short: The most useful findings in any report are the ones where a document says one thing and the building says another. That requires having the document.
Ask for them early
You are entitled to the engineering drawings for your own home, and many owners never request them. Without them, a structural inspection is limited to what looks wrong. With them, it becomes a comparison, and a comparison is not arguable.
What we check them against
Tie down locations and types, bracing positions and quantities, beam and connection details, lintel sizes and bearing, and slab reinforcement. Every Point Cook finding above came from one of those comparisons.
What they will not tell you
Finish quality, tolerance and workmanship are not in the engineering. Those are judged against the Guide to Standards and Tolerances 2015. Both kinds of finding belong in a report, but they behave very differently in a dispute.
Written by the Owner Inspections team from inspections carried out in Point Cook. Licensed building practitioners, Building & Plumbing Commission registration CDB-U 53425.
