Final House Inspection - What to look for?

[ClairBear]

Flush the toilets to make sure no blockages in pipes.

[Garth]

hey jesterarts,
housing inspections are something not to mess with, if you go to a builder and say hey, there is paint missing on the top of the door he will laugh at you and make it difficult to repair, do yourself a favour and hire a independent inspector. they will go over the house and look at structual items, crawl into roof spaces, ensure appliances work, make sure plumbing works, and make sure things have been done to relevant codes. in all honesty, thats the best way to do it.
it may cost a bit, but will save you some serious heart ache and stress

[Jesterarts]

Hey Garth,

I've had a builder look over the house when the frame was up, once the roof and windows were in and then a brick layer go over it with a fine too comb once that was gone.

So in terms of structural stuff it's been looked over.

So I'm not too worried abot bit stuff. The main focus of this inspection tomorrow is the details of stuff that we are happy about or not.

I'm not too worried about the cost of an inspector, I'm just quite confident that I won't need one in our case.

Ok, here is my list of fun for tomorrow thus far.

Things to take:
Flashlight
Globes
Something to plug into power points
Go for adventure in roof
Spirit Level
Square
Step ladder
Tape measure
Corded phone.
Cloth to wipe down bench tops to check for scratches

Stuff to check (excluding items listed on anewhouse.com.au):
- Doors open close
- Even gap around doors when closed
- Check door stoppers
- Check wall behind door
- Power points
- Phone points
- Inside lights
- Outside lights
- Garage door
- Windows, open close smoothly
- All taps
- Plug sink, fill to max and then let drain
- Flush toilet several times.
- Fill bath and drain.
- Powerpoints are level
- Powerpoints are correct height from ground. 1100 or 300
- Check central heating
- Check stove works, oven works
- Get in ceiling and check for leaks
- Check insulation around downlights
- Check tensioners and frame joints in roof

I think I've very much going to enjoy this.

There is also some inspection checklists I have found here:
http://www.anewhouse.com.au/?page_id=235

[Troy711]

Check the silicon in the bathroom/ensuite and make sure it has full contact down both sides where it meets the tiles.

[Jesterarts]

Check the silicon in the bathroom/ensuite and make sure it has full contact down both sides where it meets the tiles.

Cheers!

Yeah, this one I will be very particular about as when I was building the unit I screwed this up with my shower and had fun trying to sort it out down the track.

Rookie mistake, though it was my first even attempt at putting in a shower.

And I recall i need to check the grout between the tiles is smooth without gaps/chips as this can cause leakage behind the tile.

[Jonno]

Make a little check list on the comp to print off
If u havnt already so u don't forget

[Jesterarts]

Make a little check list on the comp to print off
If u havnt already so u don't forget

Yeah, I'm putting together a checklist tonight. It's going to be epic.

I've already started compiling it, but it's still just in notepad. So when I get home tonight I'm going to actaully format it properly.

Then print them off to take with me along with a building tolerances guide my mate who is a builder is giving me tonight.

[Jesterarts]

Just finished my checklists... all 24 pages worth!

[MikeCuzzy]

Just finished my checklists... all 24 pages worth!

Most analysed house in human history!
Don't forget UV light to check for mysterious chemicals and liquids :P

Seriously though, good luck, hopefully it all checks out

[Banicks]

It makes me very concerned, I've always understood that any job being done is worth doing well.

The amount builders, plumbers, electricians and the like charge is a huge amount. It's more profitable to be in a trade than it is to spend your extended educational academics at university for a qualified job. What concerns me is that they charge huge amounts, but quality of the job is questionable to the point where you have to hire someone to check it!

Granted in this instance it is an older house, but I hear even the new houses aren't always built to standards. I know a fair few of you are tradies - and I know that price doesn't dictate quality. Just puts Joe Blow in a concerning position!

[Troy711]

I know exactly what you are saying and I do agree with you but I've last seen the other side of the coin. A huge builder we work for in Canberra (which shall remain nameless but most people in the business will know who I am referring to) has said that they do not care about quality, only quantity. As a tradesman myself I find it disgusting and I always endeavor to do the best job I can (because my job is a finishing trade) but sometimes I need to cut corners to meet unreasonable deadlines. I've seen stuff in this builders houses that has honestly made me cringe. I feel sorry for the owners sometimes as the houses aren't exactly cheap for the amount of house/land you get and they are of a sub-par standard.

But also on the other side I work for a builder who is the most pedantic and meticulous builder I've ever met and if I need an extra day to complete his jobs he works around me. I've even told the guy that he is the only builder in Canberra that I would ever trust to build me a house.

[Jesterarts]

All right. Had the house inspection today and it went awesome!!!

I pretty much stuck to my list, ended up taking 1.5 hours to go through the whole place.

Only items I picked up was scratches on some windows and window frames, 2 paint defects and one lose light fitting. The rest of the place I could not fault.

The Construction Manager and Site Supervisor were there with us and they picked up a few things I didn't. Very happy overall.

The only thing I couldn't test was the stove because they don't put it in until we're just about to move in so it doesn't get flogged. I thought this was a bit odd but whatever.

So they have 14 days to fix the defect items, thought the Construction Manager said he will try to have it done in a week, and then Jaimee (my fiancee for those of you playing along at home) will go in for one last inspection at which I've asked them to ensure the stove is in.

Very, very happy with the quality of Henly thus far I have to admit. Only had one issue with them with some window stuff @ brick stage but it was all sorted.

So potentially, we will be moving in in 2 weeks!

Thanks for all the advice guys, just gave me that little more confidence today knowing I wouldn't overlook anything.