jonni boy

i have read load of stuff saying that house's in Australia are built to a lower standard than in the UK so my question is how do they pass a surveyor's report ? if your not buying a new build then what kind of report do you need to get to satisfy the bank that the property is worth the money and is it the same as the UK where you re-negotiate with the seller after you've had the report if there are any faults

Paul2004

I'm guessing the surveyors too have lower standards ?!

I agree that the houses are, well not lower standard, but lower quality in the overall build. For example the outer wall on every house we see being built was one brick thick! ... but then at the same time houses in Oz DON'T have the weather variations we do over here! ...

Stud wall a plenty!

wanderingwombat

Construction of buildings in Australia is to the Building Code of Australia (and referenced Australian Standards). The buildings are inspected by the local council or private certifiers. They generally inspect at footings, slab, frame & final plumbing. This is a compliance check not a quality assurance check, although some private certifiers do offer this service for an additional fee. Most punters are not aware of this or choose to forget it whilst juggling their rapidly diminishing budget.

Brick veneer construction is dependant on the engineered timber frame for structural support. The brickwork, in a deemed non-cyclonic area, adds some structural bracing strength but is really just a low maintenance skin. In Brisbane, houses can be finished internally while waiting for bricklayers.

The brick veneer construction really came about due to the loan requirements of the Commonwealth Bank in the early 60's. In those days when you bowed and scrapped to get a loan, if you didnt build what the CB wanted you didnt get the loan. Very different to today.

The engineered timber frame is stronger than a cavity brick wall consisting of seperate bricks "glued" together.


WW