A tradie has revealed how many corners are being cut by dodgy builders and why homebuyers are going to be hit the hardest.
Independent building inspector Russell McCarthy was hired to cast an eye over the quality a new home being built in Perth last week.
While the builders had already layered the brick walls and prepared for the roof to be installed, Mr McCarthy found a crucial flaw that could have ended in disaster.
The inspector noticed the primary support beam for the roof was not only off-centre, but also wasn’t secured, instead it had just been placed on top of brick.
Mr McCarthy warned the homeowner that the fault could lead to the roof’s complete collapse and cause ‘untold damage to the house and anyone inside’.
Western is the only state in the country where compliance experts are employed by the builders rather than outsourced from a third party.
A homeowner would have to pay out of their own pocket for an inspector.
Mr McCarthy also claims it’s leading to a number of builders ‘cutting corners’ and delivering faulty builds that insurance companies won’t cover.
The Perth homeowner luckily had Mr McCarthy spot the fault and ordered them to demolish the house to rebuild at no extra cost.
Mr McCarthy said it was just one of a number of builds he had been contracted to inspect in the past five years, none of which were ‘defect-free’.
He claims the lack of rules enforcing compliance in the state has spurred on ‘shoddy workmanship’ that sets homeowner back to square one.
‘In the case where it’s identified, insurance will walk away every single time as they don’t cover non-compliant work,’ he told Yahoo.
‘Clients don’t trust builders and it’s fair enough.’
Mr McCarthy has since taken to posting videos on social media to further spread awareness about the dodgy dealings in the state.
He urged Aussies thinking about hiring builders for a project to also bring an independent inspector to keep them in check.
‘In cases like this one, where the problems are not immediately visible to the untrained eye, having video proof can make all the difference,’ Mr McCarthy wrote in a post to his website.
‘If there are serious issues, like in the case of the new build, we work with both the homeowner and the builder to ensure the problem is resolved, whether that means repairs or, in this case, complete demolition.’
He added that skipping an inspection is a ‘gamble’ and that there’s always a chance of ‘significant structural issues’ even in new homes.
Mr McCarthy and his company, WA Building Inspectors, have also seen success forcing dodgy builders into building up to code.
‘In cases where we’ve helped, the Building Commission has turned around to a builder and said, “I’m sorry, but this customer has made every effort to best demonstrate non-compliance, and you ignored it flat out”,’ he said.