Building
Building a home is a huge undertaking if you plan on going it alone. There are legal safety standards that your build must meet which are designed to keep you, anyone you employ during the build and the intended resident’s safe both during and after construction.
Stages of build are a means of helping to ensure that the design, materials and construction of your home meet the relevant safety standards of the Northern Territory. Without proper safeguards in place, anyone could construct a building without any regard to safety and recommended building standards.
Foundations
All building structures require strong foundations. Imagine piling thousands of tons of material on top of straw supports? It doesn’t take much of an imagination to work out how quickly such a foundation would crumble under the weight.
The relevant strength of foundations also relies on elements such as the quality of the ground, moisture infiltration and the slope of the land. It is a good idea to obtain a ground inspection to determine the most suitable construction methods for foundations and plumbing as the principles of laying foundations in one specific situation may not apply to the circumstances of another.
Wall & Roof Framing
Wall and roof framing is important because these are areas of a build which are considered load bearing. Failing to ensure that a structure is correctly supported in the places where it is needed could result in the building falling down around you. This is an important stage of the build that should have an inspection as it helps determine whether a home is fit for habitation.
Once plaster and roofing work is completed it becomes more difficult to correct framework defects. While stages of build inspections are designed to ensure that work meets safety requirements and regulations, they also save homeowners the time and stress of correcting defects after the event.
Should I Hire an Independent Inspection Company?
At some stage during your build you may begin to feel that you are in over your head. That is understandable. It is better to hire an independent inspection company to give you that peace of mind that your build is being carried out according to your plans and following the National Building Code of Australia. Ultimately, the cost of a building inspection will often outweigh the cost of repairing damaged or defective work.
Always make sure that you hire a qualified building inspector. The industry was deregulated a few years ago and anyone can be a building inspector. At Houspect our Inspectors are fully qualified builders who have been in the building industry for a minimum of 15 years.
Houspect Building Inspections
For professional stages of build inspections in the Northern Territory you can seek support from Houspect. Call today on 1300 258 789 to find out more about the services that Houspect can offer you to assist in the building of your home.
