Getting it Right – Page 4

Placing Fill

Of so you want to place some fill. . . .perhaps behind a retaining wall to level a garden . . . So what do you need to understand?

Here are some things to consider.

Final Volume – Loose Volume

Most people underestimate the volume of material they need because they measure the volume they have to fill, and then quote that volume in the order.

The problem is that the material for delivery is measured by the loader bucket, or the truck load, which is when the material is loose.

Typically the loose volume will compact down by around 10% so if you are filling a large volume to advise the supplier you may need more than the measured volume and you will advise them you may need to add to your order as the job proceeds.

Consolidation and/or Compaction

There are two ways of getting to the final volume:

Consolidation This is letting the material compact under its own weight. This can work quite well for sand, especially if it is ‘washed in’. For other materials it takes much too long (0ften many years) which means you will be forever topping up and re-levelling the top surface.
Compaction This is making extra effort to pack the fill down. Considerations in compaction are:
- Compact in layers the thinner the layer the better the compaction. (Layers should be no more than 150mm)
- Even compaction will give better result (Covering the whole area several times with a vibrating plate or roller will give a much better result than running a bob cat up and down a few times on each layer)

For DIY jobs you can hire a vibrating compactor for around $60/day.

If you are engaging a contractor to do the fill ask people giving you a price how they intend to compact the fill. (The cheapest price will be to place the whole lot, level, and run the machine over it. . . .a recipe for an area that will remain soft and continually sink)

If you are planning to build on the filled area you really need to have ‘Controlled Fill‘ professionally placed and tested.

Fixing Stage Inspections

This is the time when all plasterboard lining (or internal cladding) architraves, skirtings, doors, built in shelves, baths, basins, troughs, sinks, cabinets and cupboards of a home are fitted and fixed in position.

The waterproofing of all wet areas will also have been completed.

The house will still require painting and things like cabinet doors may be missing.

Why Inspect At This Stage

Bringing defects to the attention of the builder at this stage usually means they can be more easily dealt with than at the PCI Stage.

This could mean less delays overall.

Things To Look For

Here are some things you, or your inspector, should be looking at:

Doors correctly fitted without sticking and catches and lock operating correctly.
Architraves neatly fitted.
Window Frames correctly fitted and sealed.
Correct glass specification, with safety markings for glass doors
Skirting neatly fitted .
Correct cabinets fitted with good workmanship.
Correct tiles / splashbacks installed neatly
Correct shelves and rails in Wardrobes
Ceiling/wall linings and cornices neatly fitted.
Electrical switches, light fittings, smoke alarms. and power sockets correctly located.
External structures such as pergolas, verandas, decks, and carports constructed with adequate workmanship and the correct materials.
Al Fresco / Patio surface finished correctly and draining away from the house
Termite protection / Vermin proofing in place.
Step heights.
Balustrades for balconies and landings securely fixed
Anything else that looks wrong!

Only Completion Stage to Go!

Avoiding Splitting Responsibility

I often come across people who want to exclude certain items of the work from a house building contract to save money.

They may want to do the work themselves, use their own tradie (relative or friend) or use a different supplier to install things before or during the build.

Liability for Problems

The main issue of splitting the House contract is that you can finish up with split responsibility, giving the Builder a ‘Get Out of Jail Free Card’.

If there is a problem during construction, or defect that is any way related to the service you excluded from the contract then:

Who do you chase for remedy; Builder, Supplier, or even accept responsibility yourself?
The Builder, and the Supplier, will usually deny all liability blaming the other.
Whoever you believe is at fault you will to take it to an appeal, or arbitration,which will take time and money
To support your claim you will probably need an independent professional opinion which will add to the cost.
There is no guarantee that the finding will be totally in your favour.

Examples of Issues

Here are a few common issues:

Delay If your build contract goes over time one of the Builder’s strategies to avoid paying Liquidated Damages is to claims your supplier delayed the works as they were slower than his normal supplier.
Theft Stealing is rife on building sites. Even though the Builder lets your supplier on the site there is normally an exclusion of liability for theft.
Damage Scratches, dents, marks, breakages, at best the builder may provide compensation at a level related to the cost related to the value of the cheapest standard replacement. (for example a standard GRP bath not your $2000 free standing ceramic bath)
Failure To Work Properly This mainly occurs on issues like plumbing or electrical items. Because of a lack of communication the wrong pipe or wiring has been installed, or the locations are incorrect. Again each blames the other and you can be up for an extra cost.
Damage Scratches, dents, marks, breakages, at best the builder may provide compensation at a level related to the cost related to the value of the cheapest standard replacement. (for example a standard GRP bath not your $2000 free standing ceramic bath)
Future Building Movement I have heard of people doing their own site preparation including cut or fill. In WA I know some people want to install their own drainage work (Soak wells). If you then get any building movement you may find you have given the builder a get out to avoid bills of tens of thousand of dollars.

I hope this helps you understand the issues, and also the risks, of splitting supply and/or work from the main building contract.

Personally I have always let the Builder provide a finished house and installed any extras later.

How Many Construction Inspections?

Well I do my own inspections, so for my houses they have been at least once week. . . . . but if you are paying $4-500 an inspection for a professional you might want to consider the options below!

Just remember the fewer professional inspections the more you should take an active interest yourself.

Option 1

Five Inspections based on the Standard Progress Payments

Base – Best to inspect before the slab is concreted to check:- The slab is in the right location, plumbing is in the right place, and site is properly drained to avoid the ground becoming waterlogged.
Frame – This is the main structural component of your house. It should be assembled properly and according to the engineering details. The slab can also be checked for problems.
Lock Up – Time to ensure that the outer shell of the house is weatherproof and the brickwork is satisfactory. At this stage check if pipe work and electrical cabling are in the right places. You may also be able to check if the insulation is correctly installed.
Fixing – Waterproof membranes in wet areas correctly installed. Architraves, skirting, doors, baths, basins, sinks, troughs, wall cabinets, cupboards, bench tops, shelves, properly fixed in correct locations.
Practical Completion (PCI) – The last chance to get mistakes and omissions sorted before Handover.

Option 2

Three Inspections

To save money you could reduce the number of inspections to the following three.

Base – As 1 above.
Pre-Plaster – As the frame is still visible before the plasterboard is installed this becomes a combined Frame, and Lock Up Inspection.
Practical Completion (PCI) as 5 above.

Option 3

Some people might only be prepared to pay for one inspection and go for the PCI.

My thoughts would be the Pre-Plaster Inspection would be the one to choose.

This is a chance to pick up any serious structural issues before they are covered up.

The PCI Inspection really is more about picking up finishing quality issues than structural issues.

See the PCI Guide for advice and extensive checklists….only $4

Virtual Build?

I recently saw an advert for ‘MyPlace’ a ‘Virtual Build Information System’ by Burbank.

What Is A Virtual Build Information System?

MyPlace is a virtual construction site which provides a visual aid in the progress of your home’s construction. It lets you check out what’s happening on-site of your new home without having to leave your couch.

If you build your new home with Burbank home you will be able to log into ‘MyPlace’ at any time. You will then be able to:

Download documents.
See photos of your home being built.
See updates from the Builder.

Is it A Good Idea

Well it sound ‘Modern’ and ‘High Tech’ but I’m not convinced.

I always like to be able to have signed document in my hand, not electronic documents!
Is it just a system to try and keep you away from the site, and stop you asking awkward quality questions?
How much detail will the photos really show to help you gauge the build quality?

Many people building have problems in getting a weekly phone update from the Site Supervisor, so how frequently and up to date will the information be?

I might be interested if I was having a house built a long way from where I lived, but in my mind nothing replaces regular site visits during the build.

If you have used one of these Virtual Build Information System I would like to hear about your experiences.

See: Relations With The Builder for similar posts.

Builders Excuses

Lets face it, building isn’t always easy. Each house has its own problems and the builders have to deal with the weather.

Things do go wrong . . . so the measure of a good builder is how they resolve the problems.

Here are some excuses you shouldn’t have to hear. . . . together with some suggested responses from me.

“That’s the way we always do it” – Response “Well why did you do it differently in the show house?’

“You don’t understand.” – even “You’re a women you wouldn’t understand.” – Response – “I didn’t think you needed to be a brain surgeon to get a job as a builder, so explain it to me.”

“The Regulations say its got to be like that.” – “Response “Show Me the Regulation” This one was tried on me. After the Site Supervisor heard my response he said “OK it will be fixed tomorrow.”

“The delay is due to the weather” – Response – “As the standard contract requires you to make allowance for bad weather you had better show me the records the weather has been worse than usual.”

“We build them outside in all weathers – not in cosy factories” – Response – “I thought you were an experienced builder familiar with the problems of working on site”

You can’t get good tradies around here, so quality suffers. – Response – “You contracted to build to that quality so it sounds to me you are just trying to save money by not paying the going rate, and/or not supervising them properly.”

What excuses have you heard?

Too many excuses and it could be worth getting your own Building Inspector involved

Overhanging Brickwork

Unfortunately brickwork overhanging the slab like this is more common than it should be. . . . but it’s often not the brickie’s fault.

How it Happens

Normally the problem is that the slab has been constructed smaller than the required dimensions.

This wouldn’t be a problem, but for the fact that most houses come with prefabricated frames which mean the frame is too big for the slab. If the frame components aren’t ‘adjusted’ to make them smaller they will overhang the slab, and as a consequence the bricklayer overhangs the brick to maintain the wall cavity.

How Much Is Too Much?

The Building Code of Australia (BCA), Part 3.2.2.7, Edge Rebates, states ‘Exterior masonry must not overhang more that 15mm past the edge of the slab’.

Interestingly the maximum overhang permitted for the frame is only 10mm from the edge of the slab.

Solution

To my mind the best solution is to bolt a steel angle to the slab using masonry anchors.

The reason the masonry anchor is 50mm from the top surface of the concrete is to prevent it breaking out.

I have heard of people suggesting pouring concrete, or a cement grout I wouldn’t recommend that. To do it properly would require dowel bars to be drilled into the concrete and reinforcement fixed before trying to bond a thin piece of concrete to the slab.

Using Your Own Building Inspector

I frequently hear of people being told by their Builder “You can’t use your own Building Inspector!”

If your builder says that, he is trying to Con You! ……or Breaking The Law!

Here is an explanation based on my last House Contract (HIA Standard Contract) . . . . . .

Possession

The builder does have ‘Control’ of the site see; Contracts – Site Possession.

But one of the contract clauses states . . . . . . “The OWNER or an authorised officer of the LENDING BODY is entitled after giving the BUILDER reasonable prior notice, to go on the LAND to inspect the BUILDING WORKS at reasonable times provided that such inspection does not delay or interfere with the progress of the BUILDING WORKS.”

Owner

A key element in the above clause is the word OWNER so lets look at how the contract defines OWNER . . . .

‘OWNER‘ means the person, partnership, or company named in the Particulars of the Contract and whenever appearing in this Contract includes their AGENTS, executors and administrators.

This means you can appoint anyone you want to act as your AGENT in the matter of inspecting the works.

Action

Don’t ask, write a formal letter to your Builder informing them that you have appointed a Building Inspector as your Agent.

If you find the builder has put in a clause in the contract saying you can’t use your own building inspector this is illegal. You can have that clause struck out. (see this link: Unfair Contract Terms)

To find out about inspecting a new house see

Practical Completion Inspection

House in “The Cloud” ?

It looks like it’s a house that Apple’s Steve Jobs might have owned.

No Surprise that this Melbourne House is known the Cloud House.

Certainly stunning from this view, but you would never know it from the street, as it’s actually a rear extension to an Edwardian House.

This photo is from the Homesthetic.net website where you will find some more photographs (Well worth a look. if only for the ‘Loud’ carpet)

For more Unusual House Photos, and Fails, have a look at: What the………………….?

Building Certification Inspections

All house builds have to be inspected to check on their compliance with the Building Code of Australia.

These Certification Inspections used to be carried out by the Local Council. Nowadays there is no requirement for a builder to use any particular certifier so many builders choose their own private certifier.

There are a limited number of inspections as follows:

All Houses

After excavation for, and prior to the pouring of, foundations;
Prior to covering of the frame;
Prior to covering waterproofing in wet areas;
For the issuing of the Occupation Certificate.

Additional Inspections

If required the following will be added to the basic four inspections

Prior to pouring any in-situ reinforced concrete building element ;
After the construction of a swimming pool is completed to inspect the child resisting barrier has been erected.

Warning

These inspections are a confirmation that the building meets a basic level of construction. They do not inspect every element of your house and are not an indication of the overall quality of the build. (See Compliance not Quality for more information)