Ask RiotACT: Cracks in the wall

Hi Zultan, I hope you resolved your issues in the end. I won’t go into the detail of why the cracking wasn’t mentioned in the report but I can help treat the actual issue. If you ever encounter the issue again, please contact me. Cheers.

shellcase said :

Good morning Justin Heywood and Zultan; yes Justin that is the case. Zultan hope all your cracks are little ones.

Hope no one suffered too much water entry last night, wouldn’t want to read any more of Rubaiyat or VYBerlina’s insufferable and illogical rants against Private Certifier Building Surveyors.

Oh, by the way, VY’s are so last decade. VF SSV’s rool, OK!

The expensive Clayton’s inspections are generating a massive defective housing stock that everyone is having to pay for and are one reason why sensible owners avoid investing in Canberra’s housing. Neatly shooting ourselves in the foot just so the appalling standard of building can benefit the worst builders.

That and virtually none of our buildings are being built for our climate. Stupid is as stupid does.

Good morning Justin Heywood and Zultan; yes Justin that is the case. Zultan hope all your cracks are little ones.

Hope no one suffered too much water entry last night, wouldn’t want to read any more of Rubaiyat or VYBerlina’s insufferable and illogical rants against Private Certifier Building Surveyors.

Oh, by the way, VY’s are so last decade. VF SSV’s rool, OK!

Thanks all. To clarify the cracks don’t seem to be getting bigger. Most of them were rendered over (attempts to hide them) by the previous owner and hairline cracks have reappeared. The one that is largest in the garage internal wall appears to have been filled multiple times and re-cracked.

shellcase said :

Oh dear, Rubaiyat and VYBerlina are not paying attention or are politically motivated; not good.

The most critical inspection in the building process is that of Frame & Presheet where structure, utility’s rough-in’s (and in Class 2 and Class 3 structures) penetrations through firewalls, damp-proofing and flashings are checked before the interior is closed up.

This inspection is compulsory on Class 1 (Stand-alone houses). It is optional on multi-storey residential.

Private Certifier Building Surveyors can only enforce what is written in the Building Act and Regulations. Our toy government lacks the substance to do the obvious. Read my last post!

Or we could revert to government inspectors, a beaut system where you and I, the ratepayers, had to cough up around $2M per year to satisfy plaints brought by home-owners against the Building Section.

I suggest you could also get out of your armchairs, get yourselves 52 years of experience as a Tradesman, Clerk of Works and Principal Building Surveyor as per this little black duck.

You do realise that builders doctor-shop amongst the certifiers, right?

shellcase said :

This inspection [utilitys, penetrations through firewalls, damp-proofing and flashings] is compulsory on Class 1 (Stand-alone houses). It is optional on multi-storey residential.

This inspection is optional on apartment buildings? I would have thought it even more important to make sure apartments are built well (more people affected, problems harder to fix etc.)

Oh dear, Rubaiyat and VYBerlina are not paying attention or are politically motivated; not good.

The most critical inspection in the building process is that of Frame & Presheet where structure, utility’s rough-in’s (and in Class 2 and Class 3 structures) penetrations through firewalls, damp-proofing and flashings are checked before the interior is closed up.

This inspection is compulsory on Class 1 (Stand-alone houses). It is optional on multi-storey residential.

Private Certifier Building Surveyors can only enforce what is written in the Building Act and Regulations. Our toy government lacks the substance to do the obvious. Read my last post!

Or we could revert to government inspectors, a beaut system where you and I, the ratepayers, had to cough up around $2M per year to satisfy plaints brought by home-owners against the Building Section.

I suggest you could also get out of your armchairs, get yourselves 52 years of experience as a Tradesman, Clerk of Works and Principal Building Surveyor as per this little black duck.

rubaiyat said :

The state of, especially the multistorey apartment, buildings in Canberra is particularly notorious to the point where owners have come out and openly described their own property as unresolvably defective, they are so frustrated with the whole building quality control and legislation in the A.C.T.

Agreed. Private certifiers has been a nightmare.

Regarding the cracks, the issue will be whether they are changing at all. If they are getting larger, especially changing in short periods of time, you have a potential problem.

Simple to fix. ACT Government must make Frame & Presheet Inspections compulsory on Class 2 and 3 multi-storey apartment projects, which then brings them into line with Class 1 residential.

Why won’t they do it? The Private Certifier Building Surveyors have been bashing the government about that since 1999.

The state of, especially the multistorey apartment, buildings in Canberra is particularly notorious to the point where owners have come out and openly described their own property as unresolvably defective, they are so frustrated with the whole building quality control and legislation in the A.C.T.

That there has been so little money paid out in compensation is to my experience a mere conformation of a broken system.