Other Architects, Planners and Surveyors
This unit group covers Architects, Planners and Surveyors not elsewhere classified. It includes Building Surveyors and Quantity Surveyors.
Signing off the frame inspection
You are a building surveyor who certifies that houses are built to the rules, and today you are inspecting a frame before it is covered up. It is 9am and you have four inspections booked. The first is a new two storey house, and the builder, whom you have known for years, is hoping you will be quick.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
Morning. Frame is all done, you can see it is good. The lining crew arrives at noon, so if you could sign off by then, I would owe you one. There is a bracing detail in the plans, but I have done this a thousand times.
Check the frame against the approved plans and tell Stuart exactly what you find
You find that part of the specified bracing is missing in one wall. Stuart is not happy, but he fixes it before the lining goes in. Once a wall is covered, nobody can see what is behind it.
Sign off, since Stuart has a good record and the frame looks fine
The wall is lined and nobody ever knows what was missing inside. You have signed your name on something you did not check, and the owners trust that signature for the life of the house.
Say you will check later in the week and let the lining crew wait
You do the right thing, but the crew is sent away and Stuart loses a day. A short inspection that morning would have kept both the quality and the schedule.
I have been told the builder has made mistakes and you are the one who signs things off. I have never built a house before. Can you tell me if there is anything I should be worried about?
Reassure him that everything is fine and that he really has nothing at all to worry about
He is relieved, then upset when he later learns a wall needed fixing. You told him something you had not checked, and he now doubts everything you say.
Say it is not your job to advise owners and refer him back to the builder for any other questions
You are correct about your role, but he leaves feeling no one is on his side. A few clear sentences would have helped him without crossing a line.
Explain that you check work against the rules, show what you found, and say who to ask next
Mr Nguyen understands what you do and what you don't. He appreciates being told about the wall and the fix, and feels better equipped to talk with the builder.
I just wanted to check that the inspection this afternoon is still on. My family is moving in at the weekend, and we have already packed. Is the certificate going to be ready by then?
Reschedule the inspection to next week so you have more time to do a thorough job on it
The house is probably fine, but Priti's move is wrecked. Delaying avoids a hard conversation without helping her.
Say yes, so she can plan her move, and sort out any issues when you get there this afternoon
You find unfinished handrails at the afternoon inspection and cannot issue the certificate. Priti's family has already given up their rental. Her trust in you is badly hurt.
Say you cannot promise a certificate yet, but tell her what is left to do to get it
Priti presses the builder to finish the handrails before you arrive. You pass the house, with just a small list outstanding. Honest messages give people time to fix problems.
How it went
You get through your four inspections, one wall fixed before it was hidden and two owners better informed. Building surveyors are trusted because they check what other people would rather not delay for. It can mean disappointing friends. Would you be comfortable being the person who says not yet?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The steel price that moved overnight
A fictional case set in building sites and offices where plans are checked and costs are tracked.
The situation
Hamid was the quantity surveyor on a new community hall in the town of Gundowring. His cost plan was approved months earlier. Then the steel supplier rang the builder to say the price for the main frame had jumped. The committee running the hall project were volunteers who had raised every dollar themselves, and the chairperson, Mrs Papadakis, was close to panic. Someone suggested dropping the accessible toilets to cover the shortfall.
What they did
Hamid checked the supplier's new quote line by line and asked the builder for two more prices, so the committee could see the real picture. He then prepared three options in plain language: a smaller kitchen, a staged build with the outdoor deck later, or a different cladding. He explained what each would give up and cost, and told the committee that removing the accessible toilets would break the building rules and was not a real option.
How it turned out
The committee chose the staged build and the deck was left for a second stage. The hall opened a little later than hoped, and nobody got everything they wanted. Mrs Papadakis said afterwards that having clear choices had turned an emergency into a decision.
What would you do?
- How would you explain a big cost change to people who are volunteering their time?
- What is the difference between cutting costs and cutting corners?
- Why might it help to give people options and not just one answer?