When to book each stage inspection on a Werribee build
How to time slab, frame, lock-up and the rest so nothing is covered before it is checked.
In short: Every stage has a short window between being finished and being hidden. Booking well means knowing what closes each window.
The window is set by the next trade
A slab can be checked only until the concrete truck arrives. A frame can be checked only until the insulation and plaster go on. On a busy Werribee estate those gaps can shrink to a day or two, so the trigger for booking is the next trade's date, not the end of the current one.
Ask for dates early
Supervisors usually know the pour date or the plaster delivery a few days ahead. Ask for it as soon as the previous stage starts and pass it to us. A booking we can plan is far easier than one made the afternoon before.
Slab: the day before the pour
Pods, steel, chairs and the vapour barrier all have to be in place. Earlier than that and the work is incomplete; later and it is under concrete.
Frame and lock-up: before anything covers the studs
The frame inspection needs the roof covering on but no sarking or insulation hiding the members. Lock-up follows once windows and doors are in, before plasterboard is delivered.
Fixing, waterproofing and handover
Waterproofing is checked after the membrane cures and before tiling. Fixing comes before the painter. Pre-handover is about a week before the keys, so the builder has time to act on the list.
If you can only afford a few
Choose slab pre-pour, frame and pre-handover. The first two are the only times structure can be seen, and the last is your final chance to have items fixed at the builder's cost.
Written by our local inspection team from work carried out in Werribee. Licensed building practitioners, Building & Plumbing Commission registration CDB-U 53425.
