Building & Handover
A builder inspects their own work. So does the certifier, against a narrower question. Neither of them is working for you. These reports put an experienced builder on your side of the contract while the work is still happening — which is the only time defects are cheap to fix.
New Build Staged Inspections
Independent inspections at each critical construction stage, while the work is still open and still cheap to correct.
From $445
Who it is for
Owners building a new home, whether with a volume builder or a custom builder, who want their own inspector present at the stages that matter.
When to order it
Booked as a program at the start of construction. Each stage is inspected while the work is still visible — once it is covered, the opportunity has gone.
What the report covers
- Base and slab — before the pour, while the steel, membrane, formwork and set-out can still be seen
- Frame — before linings, when tie-downs, bracing, member sizes, notching and workmanship are all open
- Pre-plaster and services rough-in — after services, before the walls close
- Waterproofing — wet areas before tiling, the single highest-consequence stage in the build
- Lock-up — roof, external cladding, windows and doors, weatherproofing at the junctions
- Fixing — internal linings, joinery, trims and the quality of the finish work
- Practical completion — the full handover inspection before you accept the building
Handover & Practical Completion Inspection
The inspection that produces your defects list — carried out before you accept the building and release the final payment.
From $445
Who it is for
Owners about to take handover of a new home or a completed renovation, who need a documented defects list before they sign off.
When to order it
After the builder gives notice of practical completion and before you attend handover, accept the building or release the final progress payment. This is the point at which you have the most leverage you will ever have.
What the report covers
- Every internal room — walls, ceilings, floors, paint, joinery, doors, windows and hardware
- Wet areas: tiling, falls, seals, junctions, waste points and the evidence of the waterproofing beneath
- Roof exterior and roof void where safe access exists
- External cladding, brickwork, render, windows, doors, flashings and weatherproofing junctions
- Site works: drainage, paths, driveways, fencing, retaining and finished levels
- Fittings, fixtures and services that can be operated on the day
- Items required by the contract or the plans that are visibly incomplete or missing
Post-Handover Defects Liability Inspection
An inspection near the end of the defects liability period, while the builder is still obliged to return.
From $445
Who it is for
Owners inside the defects liability period set by their building contract, who want everything documented before that window closes.
When to order it
Before the defects liability period in your contract expires — not after. Check the date in the contract and book with time to spare.
What the report covers
- Defects that have appeared or worsened since handover
- Items from the handover list that were never properly completed
- Settlement cracking, movement and shrinkage, separated from structural concern
- Wet area, roof and weatherproofing performance after a season of real weather
- A documented list suitable for a formal claim to the builder
Statutory Warranty Defect Inspection
An independent building report documenting defects while statutory warranty periods still apply.
From $445
Who it is for
Owners of a home built or substantially renovated within the statutory warranty period who have found defects and need them documented independently.
When to order it
As soon as you become aware of a defect. Statutory warranty periods in NSW are limited and differ for major and non-major defects, so the value of this report falls sharply once a period has expired. Confirm your dates with NSW Fair Trading or a solicitor.
What the report covers
- Inspection and documentation of each defect you have identified
- Identification of related defects you have not yet noticed
- A description of the likely cause of each defect, based on the physical evidence
- An assessment of whether each defect appears major or non-major in character
- Photographic evidence, and thermal or moisture evidence where the defect involves water
- A written report suitable for putting to the builder, the insurer or your solicitor
Renovation & Extension Stage Inspections
Staged inspections for renovation and extension work, where new construction meets an existing building.
From $445
Who it is for
Owners renovating or extending, where the risk sits in the junctions between old work and new.
When to order it
Booked as a program at the start, with the critical stages timed to the builder’s program.
What the report covers
- Structural connections between the existing building and the new work
- Underpinning, footings and support to existing structure where visible
- Waterproofing to new wet areas and to the junctions with existing construction
- Weatherproofing where the new roof, wall or window work meets the old
- Services alterations visible before linings are closed
- Final completion inspection of the completed work
Construction Progress & Payment Claim Inspection
An independent check that the stage being claimed has actually been reached before you release the money.
From $445
Who it is for
Owners who have received a progress claim and want it verified against the work genuinely completed on site.
When to order it
On receipt of a progress claim, before payment.
What the report covers
- The work physically complete on site at the date of inspection
- Comparison against the stage described in the claim and defined in the contract
- Work claimed but not evident, and work incomplete within the claimed stage
- Photographic record of the state of the works on the day
- Obvious defects visible in the completed work at that stage
Rectification Works Reinspection
Going back to confirm the items on the list were actually fixed, not just marked off.
Quoted on scope
Who it is for
Anyone holding a defects list that a builder or trade has reported as complete.
When to order it
After rectification work is reported complete, and before you accept it or release retention.
What the report covers
- Each item on the original list, assessed as rectified, part-rectified or not addressed
- Whether the repair method used is likely to hold, or has covered the symptom
- New defects introduced by the rectification work itself
- An updated written status against the original list, with photographs
Price guide
What does a building report cost?
A pre-purchase inspection, a leak investigation, a costed rectification scope and a strata report are not the same piece of work, so they are not the same price. These are guide starting prices for a standard job of each type, GST included.
Pre-Purchase Building Inspection – Building Only
Building condition without the timber pest component, for properties where pest risk is genuinely low or already covered.
From $399
Pre-Purchase Building & Pest Inspection
The standard combined report for a house purchase: building condition and timber pest activity, inspected on the same visit.
From $499
Apartment & Unit Pre-Purchase Inspection – Internal Lot
The inside of the lot you are actually buying, inspected properly, with the common property questions flagged for the strata search.
From $379
Handover & Practical Completion Inspection
The inspection that produces your defects list — carried out before you accept the building and release the final payment.
From $445
General Building Defect Inspection
A whole-of-property defect inspection when you know something is wrong but not what, or how much of it there is.
From $445
Water Ingress, Moisture & Leak Investigation
Finding where the water is actually getting in, using thermal imaging and moisture measurement rather than guesswork.
From $445
Roof Condition Inspection – Visual & Drone
The condition and remaining service life of a roof, inspected from above, below and — where access is unsafe — by drone.
From $349
Pre-Construction Dilapidation Report
A dated photographic record of a property’s condition before the excavation, demolition or construction next door begins.
From $445
Defect Rectification Scope of Works & Cost Estimate
A builder’s scope and cost estimate for putting the defects right, in a form trades can quote against.
From $645
Strata, commercial, insurance and specialist compliance reports
Scope varies too much between jobs for a starting price to mean anything. These are quoted after the scope is reviewed.
Quoted on scope
What the confirmed price depends on
- Property type and size
- Location and travel
- Access to the areas that need inspecting
- The scope of the report
- Complexity, and how many concerns are involved
- Urgency
- Any specialist equipment or testing required
Every price on this website is a guide, is GST-inclusive, and is a starting point for a standard job of that type. The confirmed figure is subject to travel distance and job complexity. You receive a confirmed price and a written scope before anything is booked.
Request a report
Tell us the property and the problem
You will get a confirmed price and a written scope before anything is booked. No deposit is taken to answer a question.
Would rather just talk it through?
1300 140 579Describe the property and the concern. You will get a straight answer about which report fits, including when the answer is that you do not need one.
- NSW Licensed Builder
- Professional Indemnity Insured
- $20 Million Public Liability Insurance
- More than 20 years of hands-on building experience
- Independent — the report is written for you
Enquiry received.
Thank you — your request has been sent and you will get a reply with availability, scope and cost.
If you are working to an auction or a cooling-off deadline and need an answer quickly, call 1300 140 579.