Building Inspector's First Visit
- vvienl
- Jun 2, 2014
- 2 min read
Hubby and I decided before we embarked on this crazy adventure that we would enlist the services of a building inspector. We do not have any knowledge of the trades and while we're pretty good at research, there is so much info out there that we do not have access to. We got our hands on a copy of the building code, but we could not understand most of the technical jargon and would not even know where to begin to look for potential problems. Reinhard from Better Home & Building Inspection Service was recommended to us by a friend who works in the building industry. We were very impressed by his no-nonsense attitude and enlisted his services to perform a total of 5 inspections at various stages of the renovation.
The concrete slab was our first inspection. Reinhard quickly identified two major problems - the slab was not cured according to SA Housing Code regulation, and the MEN system used in the slab was not earthed. He also recommended the use of anchor to stabilised some bricks that have moved when the arch was cut for the walkway in the ensuite.
When we tendered our project out to obtain quotes, we were very clear in informing each builder that we would be using the services of a building inspector to verify and check the work that will be done. All the builders we spoke to indicated that they didn't have a problem with that. Our builder stated that he welcomed the inspection to verify his work. Naturally, he was not very happy when he was informed of these problems that had to be rectified. But we were very taken aback by his flat-out hostile and confrontational attitude. When questioned about the curing of the slab, he pulled out his own copy of the building code, arguing that it was not necessary. He was quickly shut down by the inspector who informed him that his copy was out of date and no longer relevant. Then he argued that the earthing requirements for the MEN system in the concrete slab was not relevant as this was an extension, not a new build. Reinhard promised us that he would contact the OTR to seek their input and confirmation.
These were issues that we would have never been able to identify on our own, and we were glad we had an expert on our side, pointing out problems to the builder, backed by regulatory evidence. The builder's attitude has got me a little worried. I hope it's not a portent of things to come as we still have a long way to go with the entire project.
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