When is a defect actually a defect
The word does a lot of work in a building dispute.
In short: Most arguments with a builder are not about what is there. They are about whether it is allowed to be.
Two different questions
The first is what was built. The second is whether what was built falls inside an allowance. Only the second is contested.
Where the allowances come from
Your contract, the National Construction Code, the relevant Australian Standard and the Victorian Guide to Standards and Tolerances.
Why a report should cite them
An item described as poor workmanship invites an argument. An item cited against a tolerance turns the discussion into a measurement.
The grey area
Some things genuinely sit inside tolerance and still look wrong. A report that says so is more useful than one that lists everything the owner dislikes.
Structural versus cosmetic
Every report we issue makes that split explicit, because it decides what is worth pressing and what is worth letting go.
Written by the Owner Inspections team from inspections carried out in Pakenham East. Licensed building practitioners, Building & Plumbing Commission registration CDB-U 53425.
