I would never build again if I didn't have a 3rd party inspector. My builder tried to discourage me from using one and lucky we did. It's the stuff you don't see as a customer that is the real catch. Look at all these leaks! You are doing great work exposing the reality of the building industry!
@@andrewbyrnes6389 I got the inspector to come at every stage completion. I wouldn't have an inspector just at the last stage. There is too much to check (waterproofing for instance, prior to tiling). Our builder knew we had the inspector ahead of time so they put their better site supervisor on the job. I am certain it kept them accountable. I will never build or buy pre existing property without an inspector now that I have gone through this process.
Incredible advice! Worth the expense up front to guarantee the work is done properly. Waiting or bringing in a inspector too late doesn’t work, nor will lawyers after the build. Cost is too high and ability to change the problem at the root cause much harder! Best advice!
Just a word of advice most inspectors are as dumb as dog shit and are extremely lacking in any practical knowledge so shop around. Also spec builds are the bottom of the barrel with the tightest margins and no one cares they are in and out to make thier living so the builder can provide the cheapest housing to be competitive half the time even if it passes inspection all the structural elements are spaces at maximum tolerance so you get cracking ceilings etc down the track
I think with his line of work he needs to stay independent to avoid conflict of interest with builders. Because lets face it builders are the ones trying to cut corners and they need someone on their toes to keep them honest.
I feel sick to my stomach watching this. There are no words. The cost is just not monetary here but the cost on your health, stress the poor owners my heart goes out to them. I live in a 140 year old Queensland farm cottage and it's gone through cyclones, earthquakes and long droughts and it is still in better shape by far than this disaster.
The property prices in Australia, particularly in Sydney, are shocking. I am speechless at the quality of the house regarding the materials they use and the internal design.
our whole country is like that and yet they're doing nothing to help people be able to afford anything. Property, mortgage and rent and sky high across the states, Sydney's prices are the average everywhere, my region is 2hours north and shares the same prices as that stupid over hyped city.
@@Reddzionast year a six month old house around the corner from me (in condell park) literally collapsed in the middle of the night. The house was valued around 1-1.5 million and was being rented out for 1150 per week. The industry is full of potential disasters. I wouldn’t buy a home unless I was there everyday overlooking every part of the build. Houses built 50 years ago will last longer than the houses built in the last 10 years. Edit: it was this year (2023) the above mentioned house collapsed.
@@sonnyobrien "They" as in the gov and the politicians and the people responsible for handling these prices. They KNOW VERY WELL that millions are at risk of going homeless and they know very well that millions are struggling to pay bills, mortgage and rent yet they've done nothing to help people. It;s just been news stories of the rich buying out properties or the rich buying rich houses. Me start acting? The fuck am i supposed to do? There is nothing that i can personally do except to bring awareness to it to the communities but that won't make those in charge to HELP the country. We are fast approaching spring and summer (aka fire season) and if any bad fires happen again, then those that are struggling are going to struggle even more. Every passing month people are finding it harder and harder to afford their homes. It shouldn't be my job to act against it, it should be their job to help us.
Bro my mum (who’s a single mum) just saved for 8 years after my dad leaving her to afford a home and the house is built like it’s cardboard. Showers leaking, concrete in the backyards cracked, doorframes are uneven, taps are broken, the turf that was laid is all uneven and floods. I don’t know how people can live with themselves providing such a bad service. Love this video, more people have to bring this shit to light. 👍
I work in the construction industry as a sparky, and I can tell you the builders don't care near the end of the job as they want things done so they can go to the next job. It is shocking no one wants to do a good job or hold subcontractors to account. Other trades don't care about each others work, if it is in their way they will just cut out other trades work. No accountabilty whatsoever and it is shocking. The govt pushing for more homes to be built will only turn out homes like this
Yup same. It's disgraceful. When problems have been brought up I've heard the builders say stuff like "by the time they figure it out we'll be long gone"
Part of the issue for builders is the ridiculous cost pressures and time pressures imposed by developers and their representatives, particularly in the apartment space. That and design and construct contracts where all liability for poor design falls on the builder, most notably the added cost of correcting poor design rationality that the builder must either bear the brunt of, or disregard and simply build to the bad design. However this doesn't excuse poor workmanship, which is definitely on show in this video. There is a multi-res development not far from me built about 5 years ago, and every time I see it I'm amazed it got signed off by a building Surveyor. Basic code compliance like uneven steps or steps that are too steep have been overlooked. And you're right about trades not caring about other trades' work - I see it all the time
Whilst everything you've said in those points is true, it's not the actual genesis of the problems we are facing in the Australian construction industry right now... The fact that all it takes to impress an Australian is for a house to still be standing 50 years on, is fucking insane... I just got back home from living in Germany for two years, and I met multiple families who are living in wooden 'Fachwerkhaus' homes which were built in the 13th and 14th centuries, and all they've had to do to the place is repaint it every 50-100 years and they installed hydronic heating in the early 1900s and double-glazed windows in the 1930's, stuff that Australian homes STILL don't fucking have... The fact is, when the Brits and Irish began arriving on Terra Australis two centuries ago, they did NOT bring with them a desire or skillset to recreate the sturdy homes that existed across Western Europe. Instead, they figured you could just process a few local trees into a cheaply nailed-together weatherboard home and call it a day... Even today, Germanic and Scandinavian builders are still building houses that will outlive (by a factor of ten) anything being built in Australia, the USA or Canada today. It's a cultural issue, and Australian building culture is precisely "Yeah, nah, she'll be right mate, they won't notice until the warranty is expired anyway". Australians, by and large, are lazy and greedy people. They want top dollar for sweet fuck-all. It's why we have cashed-up bogans bragging about how little work they do... They'd be fired from a German job site on the first fucking day...
These builders should have their names and details made public so potential buyers can check as to wether any of them are associated with a prospective purchase
These utubers could accidentally have the builders sign in every video when there showing these shoddy jobs . A bit if passive aggressive payback. 😎🇦🇺👌
I think if you are thinking of building or buying a new apartment, check out the individuals concerned, not the company or the entity. It has been very obvious in Sydney disaster apartments lately, the same individuals, re phoenixing their companies. Buyers should understand exactly WHO is the person behind the build, or the names of developers, and check out their personal history before they commit.
Criminals, from the builder, to VBA… poor people struggling to save money, dealing with interest rates B.S for 30 years, finding a roof to live in, and ending up with this situation is sad
For the price of an average house in Australia I could have a house in northern Europe, plus a holiday home in Italy, and funky cool house just outside of a major Japanese city and a Georgian house on the east coast of America. Plus money to spare. Or I could have a boring, poorly build generic 3 bedroom shitbox in a suburban wasteland outside Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. Tough choice
That's right. A proper, solid house with good insulation, double glazed windows, a superb hearing system, solid walls not some cardboard, properly installed electrical wiring in conduits not just thrown wires on top of the ceiling etc. I cannot stand the cold houses in Australia and spending literally thousands of dollars to heat them because no one came up with the idea of radiators and a central heating system with the hot water provided by the town.
@@KanyeKetchup at least these 'crap' countries have liveable housing and very low homelessness. While in Australia we have over 200,000 homeless people, the highest per capita rate in the OECD countries... Because we are not 'crappy' and take care of each other 🤣
whos a professional these days? They are few and far between. Seems like all buildings he inspects are non-compliant! A world driven by greed and money.
I look at the influx of medium rise development and it disquiets me to think about how much future rectification work is mandatory. Especially water ingress into balconies, basements and roofs. Problem is, Australia is so corrupt that the developers run the show and the government made it impossible to produce anything of merit in this country.
The problem is as much over complicated designs as it is incompetent tradespeople. These trendy flat-roof, eavesless townhouses look like a future maintenance nightmare even if built by competent trades in the first place. If you look at a cookie cutter house built in the the 70s-00s there is far less to go wrong. Consumers need to stop buying these stupid designs as much as the builders need to stop building them for people who don't know better.
@@tmmtmmyou are absolutely right. The designs are terrible, difficult to get right even for competent constructors. Add in lack of skills and it's a disaster.
@@josephj6521definitely avoid box gutters like the plague. I understand metal rooves have less problems with leaking if done properly (no tiles to break etc).
@@Scoob60990% of these trades are foreigners... most of the not my problem aussies are usually brickies and concreters. Yes there are a few bad ones that survive but they usually get caught out. Most of the crap work I dealt with in the building industry was unqualified immigrants... As a former reputable tradesman I refused to work for project builders for two reasons, I have to fix other workers f..kups due to builders not wanting to hire quality trades and secondly them not waiting to pay a livable rate... I remeber when a project builder wanted to pay me $350 to fit 27 doors, 4 WIRs, fitout 4 other cupboards and then drive 50km back for free to fit off door handles after the painters been through. Out of that $350 I have to pay for my fuel, tools, vehicle, insurance, income tax and gst... a solid 3 days work for one of Australias largest project builders. Pay peanuts get monkeys!
Our government bureaucrats, our politicians, our schools and businesses...you got pericarditis or myocarditis? Too bad, no one forced you to take it. Sorry about that.
@@C783H nearly every tradie that built my house was a foreigner. My supervisor told the Indians that painted my house to take a hike after the 3rd attempt, and paid my old man to roll the whole house again to do it properly. They were too busy talking to their mates on the phone the entire time, so they got canned. But yeah "Aussies". hey. lmao
@@dragginmedown The " builder " sub contracts all the work to " trade contractors " . The " builder " is basically just a contract manager / middle man between the buyers and the sub contractors who do the actual building work .
Don't we have Dan the Man, who solves Victoria's woes? I live in a home built 70 years ago by my parents. OK, it needs outside paint for decoration only. The home is solid with original stumps. If my plumber father can build a house to last, why are today's builders so shonky?
@@davidbrayshaw3529 To be honest- Dan is just the most obvious example of an incompetent despot - the reality is that Australia's political class has failed us for decades now. The most striking example when Kevin Rudd tried to implement a mining tax, and was while under attack from the mining industry for this was stabbed in the back by his own party - Gillard in particular, seeking her moment of fame at the expense of the nation. Says it all I think about Australian politicians.
Just bought a brick veneer joint to live in that was built some time around 1975. It’s in unbelievably good nick, everything is straight as an arrow and solid as a rock. None of the newer builds I’ve lived in compare, I’ve been in sub 10yr places and everything is already ratshit and falling apart. We’ve lost something in this country.
I’m a maintenance plumber in Melbourne and in my experience I wouldn’t touch brand new builders homes with a ten foot pole. We’re flat out with work to rectify other plumbers deplorable standard of work. But hey keeps us busy 🤷🏻♂️
My dad used to tell me if you’re going to do something, do it to the best of your ability and take care and pride in your work! What happened to work ethics? This gets worse and nobody cares anymore! Imagine paying all this money for a slap bang job 😞
👍 Tops video. I can't imagine the stress of going through a new build these days, and having to deal with this quality of workmanship. Paying a few grand for maintenance on my 67 brick veneer suddenly seems highly acceptable.
Answer: do not buy a new house in the western suburbs of Sydney or Melbourne. The standards are non existent, and never enforced. You will be buying a worthless place in 20 years in the middle of nowhere with no infrastructure. Things are very tough for buyers in these poor quality locations, and the quality and resale value of your home will likely be very poor in 20 years when it has completely fallen apart. And ignore the developers promises on railways stations and schools, roads or hospitals. Only currently published government documents can promise you those things. Buyer beware, no sympathy if you fall for their promises. Australia is not some 3rd world dream destination, if you must, buy an established (but smaller home) closer to the city. You cannot have a well built 5 bedroom 3 bathroom McMansion on a budget in that country. So many people stung by this, it is really sad.
I think they recently made it illegal and a lot harder to do But I'd be curious if the new law is as affective as planned (can't make homeless people ceo's of dead companies now)
What can I say makes me FURIOUS and it’s not even my property… how on gods earth do they get away with this … AND how did it PASS Final inspection ….How much money changed hands I wonder??
So glad I found your videos - we want to build our (modest) dream home in the country side - you've shown us to keep it simple, less things to have shortcuts taken on. My shortlist (so far): -Simple rectangle design and steep roof with eaves -Regular gutters (no box gutters) -Get the concrete slab inspected pre & post pour -Copper piping -Only have 1x wet room if possible, and have it closely inspected -After seeing this video and the roof, I'm wondering if a pre-fabed steel one is a safer option... --We are now thinking of building with hemp blocks instead of timber or bricks... simple to install and will reduce the amount of extras needed (like insulation, building wrap and so on)... all of that stuff seems to opens more avenues for shortcuts /non compliant work to be done I just can't imagine spending $400k+ only to have to move out and be told bad news like this.... it doesn't seem fixable hree (without hundreds of thousands of dollars)
Very important to have concrete footpath around your house too, so water drains away from the slab. Make sure they check water drains for cracks too, they run a camera through. Bricks will last longer then that hebel stuff
If you are looking for a simple/reliable build, steel frame kit homes have done well in my experience. All the best houses I have ever dealt with have been steel frame kit homes with brick veneer or double brick. They had all the other aspects you listed too. Simple roof profiles, simple layout. Slab build, built ABOVE GRADE so no water can ever pool against the slab & limited wet areas.
Add: get independent building reviews to check the work, i.e. ones you actually pay for. And if you want cut price, expect the crap quality you will get, and carefully check the reputation of the builder by talking to people who have had previous work done by them, by your own research, not their own recommendations. It really is a case of caveat emptor I am afraid, because building standards are meaningless in this industry. There is no enforcement whatsoever of dodgy builders or developers. And seriously consider getting (and paying for yourself, independently) a qualified architect to at least do the design, better still to manage the build. It all costs a bit more (around 10 to 15%), but the result will be so much better than simply trusting a builder given the nightmare reputations they have now. Buyers thinking they can get a bargain are one factor in the disasters you hear about, and have themselves partly to blame. The more 3rd parties you can employ (architects and inspectors: and you have to pay for this separately yourself) the better. I would never do a build, or even a renovation without a qualified architect to keep the builder or sub contracted tradies to do their job: such is their reputation these days. Costs more but well worth it, (unless you can flog your house to the next bunny before it falls apart lol). Foundations and water coursing is a particular problem, so many opportunities for builders or tradies to cut costs and improve their 4WD buying power! Of course, they are long gone when it all falls apart.
It looks like to me that a proper commissioning system needs to be implemented in our housing construction industry. We do it elsewhere, why not the home building industry?
Duck tape as a sealant ? 500k for this rubbish. Jeez. Maybe all the owners of those townhouses should take class action against builder, but I'm guessing he would just fill for bankruptcy and start again under a different name.
FINALLY someone else noticed I’ve been saying this for years! I did carpentry, I left the industry cos, I could see all of this! Plus the waste and pollution! People come from overseas and build these houses too. I can’t believe that this was even accepted. It’s disgraceful. You should see what they knocked up in my street. A lot of non compliance.
This is why I bought a home built in 1980. We inspected it on a day where it had been pissing down for 3 days straight. No leaks inside and only a few minor leaks in the past with minimal staining. Underneath the house was bone dry with very little movement in the stumps and only one moderate leak in the shower recess which I'll be able to fix myself. We're still planning on spending a fair bit on remediation but it was in far better condition than many of the much newer houses we saw. It might have been built to a worse standard but at least it was actually built to that standard. These new standards are worthless if there is no enforcement of them.
It’s crazy how people can get a refund as easily as needing a receipt but for a house that is most people’s biggest purchase have all the trouble in the world it’s bullshi it’s a damn shame
Against whom? The builders phoenix their companies when it all turns to shit, and turn up somewhere else. No one to act against. More fool the idiots that buy them, although the VBA standards should actually be enforced (which they are not at the moment).
Your politicians won't let that happen. They are profiting from it and Australians are too weak and too tight to pay for quality work and instead hire these massive companies to build on the cheap. We should be circulating the NAMES of the people responsible, from inspectors the people working on site and BLACKBALLING THEM. Run `em out on a rail, just like the good old days. That's why we did it in the good old days. Now we have to do it because the law is NOT on your side.
Your Westminster clownshow is centuries deep in repeating the same mistakes that landed the convicts here in the first place. Population for the sake of political fascism is a fools errand
Insist on using a council appointed certifier not a private one. Council appointed certifiers are on a wage and not paid per job and are usually difficult to work with which in my opinion is a good thing. They are more likely to knock stuff back vs a private certifier. I have been building houses for 15+ years and i would rather a certifier knock stuff back than turn a blind eye. They might not catch everything but in my experience they are more through than a private certifier. You should be confident in your work to have anyone look over it.
One thing I don't understand is why the architects / building designers need to design such complicated roofs. Why do they need all these box gutters? Does a regular ol eaves gutter and downpipe really look that bad? We know box gutters are prone to leaks yet they still keep designing them. Maybe I'm just old school..
eliminating the eaves is the difference between being able to fit 3 or 4 townhouses on a block = $$$$ for the developer. The homeowners who decide to build an eavesless free standing house on a spacious block are idiots however.
Have you ever met an architect.... say no more. 🤣😂😎🇦🇺👌 they live to design completely impractical bullshit so they get the next wanky award. There is a reason we built houses the same way for centuries., they just worked.
We hired a our own private building inspector during our build who did a 5 stage inspection from slab down to handover. It gave us some peace of mind as he identified many defects during our build which managed to get rectified before everything got covered up.
The certifier MUST be getting kick backs from the builder and paying off council. It will all stop when insurance companies refuse to underwrite owners home and contents. The root cause of the problem is the builder and they need to serve jail time for fraud!
When I was framing for Carlisle, we had a frame fail for one missing nail in a junction block on a 50sq home, and that was on the 2nd inspection, sometimes we had 3 inspections, the Carlisle inspector, the independent inspector and the owners inspector, im amazed that trades get away with this much shit when we got pulled up for missing 1 nail on a frame to took around 20,000 nails. If you want to build a house, use Carlisle
Who is the builder mate? We need to know who cannot be trusted to provide compliant new builds. I love your videos. Keep it up. This is the reason I purchased an established property. I'd be too scared to consider a new build. 😊
Australian real estate when compared to GDP is at a higher ratio than it was in Japan during the top of their real estate bubble. Lets say a group of people wanted to slaughter Australias middle class how would they do it? They would blow up property valuations since for most aussies their home equity is literally the majority of their wealth.
I've lived in a 1860's built solid brick house in regional Victoria for the last 13 years. It's extremely solid but until now, I've longed for a new build. After watching your videos, and reading the comments of older builders who are appaled at the state of the building industry now, I'm pretty happy with my purchase. I'll take the slightly more maintance my old house needs over shoddy building any day of the week. My 160 year old house has far fewer issues than most of the 5 - 10year old houses you seem to inspect. There is no pride in the building industry today, just greed!
as a new buyer im glad I bought a 1950s double brick yeah there's maintenance and renos to do but between my skills and you tube i can do most of it and if I fuck it up i reedo it myself keep up the good work mate
All to common in the industry. 10 years looking at these issues and often you find water leaks are the identifiable issues that tenants complain about, the you look deeper and items like fire compliance (fire rated plaster board and penetrations) Ps skirting tiles and light weight cladding on balcony’s are one of my pet peeves, usually because it means the membrane has been run up the cladding and system no longer drains
I recently purchased an older home that’s 25 years old in excellent condition. Inspected thoroughly and no issues at all. I know a builder that’s been in the industry for 40 and he told me do not ever buy a new home as building companies are skimping and outsourcing the work to unqualified builders. Buying a new home in australia right now is a MASSIVE risk it’s not worth it.
Fantastic video mate, I keep reading about these poorly constructed developments but actually seeing it from an inspection perspective is pretty eye opening
Im a carpenter with 20 years in the game, I spent a few years doing maintenance carpentry, I've seen some shocking things in my time. I feel your pain buddy.
I’ve been told by a retired building inspector. That up to 75% of buildings in satalite suburbs of Melbourne are full of defects. It’s sad the state of affairs really. He said he started to see the industry go to shit around 2000
Another perspective that should not be neglected is the building surveyor's work ethic, at each building construction stage, from base stage to completion, those building surveyors who are registered with the VBA must engage to inspect the quality of the building work, without they say yes and tick everything, the building process can not proceed to the next stage until the building occupancy is issued. So, what those building surveyors did? What makes them easily pass a building with terrible quality again and again like that?
These days it seems compliance is more important than workmanship. Ethics and independent thought have also declined. People are trained what to think not how to think critically. More bureaucracy won't fix the problem. What we need it merit. People should be hired based on merit, performance and reputation. People should start doing their own due diligence instead of relying on the system. 'Let the buyer beware'
I worked for land surveyors. I'm not sure if you're referencing the right industry? A surveyor is only there to measure the footings, slab etc are correctly positioned within the property boundaries and the home measurements are correct. Surveyor's have nothing to do with assessment of quality. I'm not sure if they call building inspectors, Surveyor's where you are? I'm in Sydney. Essentially Surveyor's are expert mathematicians. We are aware of local regulations like the minimum distance permitted from guttering or wall to boundary, and advise builders of there are issues of that nature and measurements. Not whether water proofing codes are satisfied.
Thanks for the content. As someone who has recently completed a renovation myself having never done anything like that previously every video makes me feel good about what I have achieved. I didn't go to trade school but i was personally invested in the outcome so it shows. Lastly, are you able to share what percentage of jobs you attend where there are only very minor issues and for the most part the builders have done a good job?
The Government MUST intervene!! How are builders not being held to account? We’ve taken a huge nosedive in Australian building standards. Seems we’re no better off than a developing country. How can anyone trust buying a property built after the year 2000?! 🤷♀️🤦♀️
Building inspection before you buy is a must these days. Builders are required to give 7 year home warranty insurance on their work and repair any defects or problems arising in that period at their cost.
These sort of builders just have NO SHAME ! They are having very nice lives with their friends and family, nice cars, nice home, nice holidays. Their children go to the very best schools and their daughters have huge weddings. And it's all off the backs of the misery of the poor people that bought in good faith.
There's a Clarendon home being built next to me. There's no way in hell I'd buy anything built from about 1985 onwards. Everything is built to minimum standards. Pathetic.
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Thankyou for showing us these reviews, we always use to think new = built right without any issues. What a nightmare for these poor people that live there. Honestly wtf are the inspectors doing, or VBA. Just useless
@@stewatparkpark2933 nah, you're starting to get into electrical and plumbing maintenance at that age. Daggy 1980s brick veneer, concrete tiles and eaves all around is where it's at. Stevie wonder could have built one and it still wouldn't leak.
@@davidbrayshaw3529 Copper pipes only have a service life somewhere between 50 and 100 years. Timber framed buildings move and eventually the joins get fatigued and you get a leak. Coming home to a flooded house isn't fun. Neither is having a slow leak which destroys structural members and you only find out after significant damage has been done. Scale also builds up in metal pipes leading to poor water flow/pressure. That said I'd much rather some 30-40year old copper than the plastic pipes they put in new builds! With electrical, switches and fixtures only have a finite life and everytime you replace one you fatigue the wiring. The 50 years+ of unscrupulous tradies and diyers fucking about you can end up with broken wires and dodgy connections that at best cause an intermittent connection and at worst burn your house down. Even in my 1989 built home there was a fair amount of rats nest wiring and dodgy shit done to the electrical system in the 30 years between it being built and me acquiring it. My house also has light switches on the architraves and several of them have had the wiring shortened so many times from replacing the switches that it is now at the minimum length. The next time it needs replacing I'll need to smash a hole in the plasterboard to install a longer wire because it's impossible to feed it through any other way.
the whole game is f-ed. don't buy a new house. don't buy anything newer than 10 years. Even then, be careful. Was first tenant in a place built by a volume builder in '12. cracks in walls you could put a pencil through inside 12 months. Later told it was caused by the trusses not being designed to support the weight of the in roof heater. plenty of other issues as well. forever chasing doors that wouldn't stay shut, or you couldn't shut because the door frame had twisted. next place was in was built in the 80s was wonderful, one after that build in '04 pretty good as well. all within 5km of each other
@@dragginmedown i hear you. 50mm cracks in the roof plaster and cornices right near where the heater unit is located and no where else is more roof structure. somone in the game that i trust had a look and that was their verdict. could see it in the way tusses where saging in places
After 20 years in Australia I felt that the quality of life incl. housing was going backwards from corruption and stupidity …moved to the US and happily settled in - you’re treated better for your skills and live better here, hands down. This video tells me I wasn’t imagining it all back then.
@@greenneck2472 depending on the type of job you’re looking for, there are multiple options. E.g. tech jobs are good in NC, TX, WA, CA etc. The service sector pays well in most states. Healthcare is booming in Utah and blue collar work pays great in Florida, New Mexico, Texas or Georgia. It’s hard to pinpoint something like that at my end because only you know what you’re after. Plus if you have weather preferences that’ll affect your choice. There are many recruitment firms in the US that might be of interest to you 👍🏽 All the best!
Great job on these videos. 2 things that are absolutely consistent themes that nobody seems to get right. 1 box gutters. 2 under cover balconies particularly those which are elevated.
I’m so glad I was onsite during our extension, checked every day and questioned. Luckily only had some small issues that were easy to deal with afterwards. More to do with it being a difficult plot than anything else.
Nothing will happen to them. Nothing. The building industry is on a knife edge with firms going bust left right and centre. Do you honestly think any institution or government is going to bring them to justice and repair this or hold them accountable for anything? Nope. The dodgy builders know this and will continue doing it. It’s disgusting. The building industry employs too many people for it to be scrutinised and held to account.
Wow. I’m used to the videos having a few defects but not showing one every 5 seconds. That’s just piss poor workmanship and oversight from everyone involved.
My husband had this friend who was a small builder with moderate success. We engaged him for the construction of 2 townhouses on the site of my in-laws’ old house. My husband pays a great deal of attention to details so he picked up defect after defect after defect after defect, and although his builder friend rectified all of those, the experience definitely damaged their friendship and they no longer catch up. Despite all that, however, the foundation, structure, and quality of materials used for the townhouses are actually quite decent. We still count ourselves lucky in that the defects were more about the finer details and various finishes, and the overall quality of construction was way above average. The most recent issue we’ve had with one of the townhouses was some electrical faults for the lights, and it turned out that the electrician our builder friend hired to wire things up did so in a rather stupid manner (technically still correct but rather bothersome for subsequent maintenance and repairs)…
Subdivided housing is more often than not crap built (owners trying to make a buck at least cost, and they are generally very ugly replacements for what was there before: gardens now just crammed in basic housing to accommodate overpopulation). Glad your husband got it basically sorted, but it should never have been his job, no wonder the relationship is strained. Personally, I would never get a friend to build anything, too much strain on the relationship (if you valued it in the first place), just too much to get wrong and it becomes emotionally difficult. If you still choose to do so, at least pay for an independent person like an architect to manage it.
reminds me of the new apartment complex in Sydney condemned for cracking foundations. That's why they say don't buy apartments and houses younger than 30 years
I successfully talked my wife out of one of those off the plan, new home development builds and settled on an established 80s brick and tile that's absolutely rock solid. I built new in 2011-ish and we had all sorts of issues with the alfresco constantly leaking water and going moldy, had it repaired 3 times in 24 months. The main living/dining/lounge ceiling sagging after 2 years. Rooms with no insulation, downlight transformers blowing up after 12 months, paint that washed away after 24 months. Light/door fittings on the piss, tap fittings splitting and pissing water after a few years and more I can't remember off the top of my head. And this was not a cheap budget build in a big development. Put me right off new builds. I'm also a commercial sparky and I know for a fact the better tradesmen are not working domestic where the pay is complete garbage. So if the domestic scene is paying peanuts compared to commercial/industrial then...?
I've worked as a carpenter joiner in the commercial fittout of architectural joinery for 40+ years... trust me, it's not getting any better on this side eather.😎🇦🇺👌
You’re absolutely right, I’m a qualified domestic plumber and after a decade I quit out, the salary is garbage. $34 an hour for a skilled trade which is often a brutal and dangerous job. No thanks, and I hope other quality tradies also quit if they are putting up with those conditions. I am so, so happy I’ve moved on, and get paid a lot more too.
Thats why i will never buy a brand new home. Im glad i bought my established house that was built in 1992. All those brand new housing estates are built quick, and they cut corners, and they dont give a crap. They move onto next projects, unfortunately. There should be a massive complaint made against the builder to the appropriate regulatory body.
These are reasons why we chose to buy an older house and remodel Our house was built in 1989 and it’s rock solid … I would never buy a new home now after seeing this
I’ve been binging on your content this past week or two and from what I’ve seen I’d never buy or build in Australia (not without you from start to finish) realtalk keep doing what your doing exposing them hack jobs
4.32. I've always said everyone says a tradesperson Are the best in the business. A tradesperson to the normal person means they are good at what they do. Well, they're not and should not be allowed to work in this industry.
Going to town on the defects is 100 percent your job. BUT!! Finding and isolating the most pressing issues for fault resolution works is such a balance . The roof subbys simply don't have the means to strip all the roofs .pull apart bulk heads and liaison with plumbers chippy and electrician. Being a inspection mediator to actually fix things is what is best for the owners. A hitlist. Things like speaders,silicone and overflow issues just create a never fix outcome. 😢
No point buying brand-new house in a small block of land Not worth it no yard no parking extra cars . 21m wide block. 600 m² plus good all rounder Side access parking ,,, Need go back to that again early 2000 last of the good era ...
Prospective property buyers pay good money to get a building inspector to make sure that there are no significant structural faults… but only what they can see without moving anything or climbing anything. They don’t do the job they’re supposed to do. Not only are home-buyers paying for a service they don’t get from building inspectors, they get shafted by the real estate legislation that says that property sellers aren’t compelled to list all the things that are wrong with the house to any prospective buyer. I’m sure I’m not the only person who’s been double-ended in a property deal. At least we had the decency to disclose everything wrong with the house we sold, and the buyer was prepared and financially able to rectify any of those problems.
if the builder pays the trades men peanuts this is what you get the east coast has a big problem with building codes and they use the cheapest materials they can get away with the buildings are like the Chinese tofu dreg buildings
Mate you are a hero. It’s mind blowing how these criminals can get away with this. The whole system is corrupted to its core.
The responsible people should be imprisoned for ruining the purchasers’ lives.
Oh calm down ya spud
The surveyor should also be imprisoned.
@@BenJdons Did your parents have any children that lived?
@@KG84Cdo you need a special carer?
@@KG84Cthat guy is probably one of the developers contractors
This channel has opened my eyes but I'm not surprised by the extent of greed.
I would never build again if I didn't have a 3rd party inspector. My builder tried to discourage me from using one and lucky we did. It's the stuff you don't see as a customer that is the real catch. Look at all these leaks! You are doing great work exposing the reality of the building industry!
Do you get the inspector to come after the job is done? Can you inform how their service helped you find a good building work
@@andrewbyrnes6389 I got the inspector to come at every stage completion. I wouldn't have an inspector just at the last stage. There is too much to check (waterproofing for instance, prior to tiling). Our builder knew we had the inspector ahead of time so they put their better site supervisor on the job. I am certain it kept them accountable. I will never build or buy pre existing property without an inspector now that I have gone through this process.
@@matt_small yeah that sounds smart. Spend a bit extra but it ensures better quality work. Thanks for the advice
Incredible advice! Worth the expense up front to guarantee the work is done properly. Waiting or bringing in a inspector too late doesn’t work, nor will lawyers after the build. Cost is too high and ability to change the problem at the root cause much harder! Best advice!
Just a word of advice most inspectors are as dumb as dog shit and are extremely lacking in any practical knowledge so shop around. Also spec builds are the bottom of the barrel with the tightest margins and no one cares they are in and out to make thier living so the builder can provide the cheapest housing to be competitive half the time even if it passes inspection all the structural elements are spaces at maximum tolerance so you get cracking ceilings etc down the track
The industry needs more people like you! If you start a building company I would build with you!
I think with his line of work he needs to stay independent to avoid conflict of interest with builders.
Because lets face it builders are the ones trying to cut corners and they need someone on their toes to keep them honest.
@@bign1667 some do take pride in their work son
@@maelradec6766 point us in the right direction I plan to subdivide 6 acres sell half and build on half
till greed sets in & the same standard will appear
Sad to say but we all know which kind of people are building like this and taking shortcuts and don’t care about anyone…. 🤔
I feel sick to my stomach watching this. There are no words. The cost is just not monetary here but the cost on your health, stress the poor owners my heart goes out to them.
I live in a 140 year old Queensland farm cottage and it's gone through cyclones, earthquakes and long droughts and it is still in better shape by far than this disaster.
The property prices in Australia, particularly in Sydney, are shocking. I am speechless at the quality of the house regarding the materials they use and the internal design.
our whole country is like that and yet they're doing nothing to help people be able to afford anything. Property, mortgage and rent and sky high across the states, Sydney's prices are the average everywhere, my region is 2hours north and shares the same prices as that stupid over hyped city.
@@Reddzionast year a six month old house around the corner from me (in condell park) literally collapsed in the middle of the night. The house was valued around 1-1.5 million and was being rented out for 1150 per week.
The industry is full of potential disasters. I wouldn’t buy a home unless I was there everyday overlooking every part of the build. Houses built 50 years ago will last longer than the houses built in the last 10 years.
Edit: it was this year (2023) the above mentioned house collapsed.
@@Reddzion who is ‘they’?
Government will not do anything: responsibility if citizens to make change. Reach out and start acting
@@sonnyobrien "They" as in the gov and the politicians and the people responsible for handling these prices. They KNOW VERY WELL that millions are at risk of going homeless and they know very well that millions are struggling to pay bills, mortgage and rent yet they've done nothing to help people.
It;s just been news stories of the rich buying out properties or the rich buying rich houses.
Me start acting? The fuck am i supposed to do? There is nothing that i can personally do except to bring awareness to it to the communities but that won't make those in charge to HELP the country.
We are fast approaching spring and summer (aka fire season) and if any bad fires happen again, then those that are struggling are going to struggle even more.
Every passing month people are finding it harder and harder to afford their homes. It shouldn't be my job to act against it, it should be their job to help us.
Bro my mum (who’s a single mum) just saved for 8 years after my dad leaving her to afford a home and the house is built like it’s cardboard. Showers leaking, concrete in the backyards cracked, doorframes are uneven, taps are broken, the turf that was laid is all uneven and floods. I don’t know how people can live with themselves providing such a bad service.
Love this video, more people have to bring this shit to light. 👍
suck it up
such people are criminal psychopaths. psychopaths do not feel empathy, that's how they sleep at night.
Whyd she buy it tho
I work in the construction industry as a sparky, and I can tell you the builders don't care near the end of the job as they want things done so they can go to the next job.
It is shocking no one wants to do a good job or hold subcontractors to account.
Other trades don't care about each others work, if it is in their way they will just cut out other trades work. No accountabilty whatsoever and it is shocking.
The govt pushing for more homes to be built will only turn out homes like this
Never should have privatised the industry regulators. Worst thing that’s happened especially in Victoria where this guy and myself are from.
Yup same. It's disgraceful. When problems have been brought up I've heard the builders say stuff like "by the time they figure it out we'll be long gone"
This is the truth.
Part of the issue for builders is the ridiculous cost pressures and time pressures imposed by developers and their representatives, particularly in the apartment space. That and design and construct contracts where all liability for poor design falls on the builder, most notably the added cost of correcting poor design rationality that the builder must either bear the brunt of, or disregard and simply build to the bad design.
However this doesn't excuse poor workmanship, which is definitely on show in this video.
There is a multi-res development not far from me built about 5 years ago, and every time I see it I'm amazed it got signed off by a building Surveyor. Basic code compliance like uneven steps or steps that are too steep have been overlooked.
And you're right about trades not caring about other trades' work - I see it all the time
Whilst everything you've said in those points is true, it's not the actual genesis of the problems we are facing in the Australian construction industry right now... The fact that all it takes to impress an Australian is for a house to still be standing 50 years on, is fucking insane... I just got back home from living in Germany for two years, and I met multiple families who are living in wooden 'Fachwerkhaus' homes which were built in the 13th and 14th centuries, and all they've had to do to the place is repaint it every 50-100 years and they installed hydronic heating in the early 1900s and double-glazed windows in the 1930's, stuff that Australian homes STILL don't fucking have... The fact is, when the Brits and Irish began arriving on Terra Australis two centuries ago, they did NOT bring with them a desire or skillset to recreate the sturdy homes that existed across Western Europe. Instead, they figured you could just process a few local trees into a cheaply nailed-together weatherboard home and call it a day...
Even today, Germanic and Scandinavian builders are still building houses that will outlive (by a factor of ten) anything being built in Australia, the USA or Canada today. It's a cultural issue, and Australian building culture is precisely "Yeah, nah, she'll be right mate, they won't notice until the warranty is expired anyway". Australians, by and large, are lazy and greedy people. They want top dollar for sweet fuck-all. It's why we have cashed-up bogans bragging about how little work they do... They'd be fired from a German job site on the first fucking day...
These builders should have their names and details made public so potential buyers can check as to wether any of them are associated with a prospective purchase
These utubers could accidentally have the builders sign in every video when there showing these shoddy jobs . A bit if passive aggressive payback. 😎🇦🇺👌
I think if you are thinking of building or buying a new apartment, check out the individuals concerned, not the company or the entity. It has been very obvious in Sydney disaster apartments lately, the same individuals, re phoenixing their companies. Buyers should understand exactly WHO is the person behind the build, or the names of developers, and check out their personal history before they commit.
Agree, every apartment block should have a plague with the builder's name on it and all buildings should have details on a public register.
Criminals, from the builder, to VBA… poor people struggling to save money, dealing with interest rates B.S for 30 years, finding a roof to live in, and ending up with this situation is sad
For the price of an average house in Australia I could have a house in northern Europe, plus a holiday home in Italy, and funky cool house just outside of a major Japanese city and a Georgian house on the east coast of America. Plus money to spare.
Or I could have a boring, poorly build generic 3 bedroom shitbox in a suburban wasteland outside Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane.
Tough choice
Australia has been ruined by greed and corruption.
100% the truth right here.
That's right. A proper, solid house with good insulation, double glazed windows, a superb hearing system, solid walls not some cardboard, properly installed electrical wiring in conduits not just thrown wires on top of the ceiling etc. I cannot stand the cold houses in Australia and spending literally thousands of dollars to heat them because no one came up with the idea of radiators and a central heating system with the hot water provided by the town.
All those other countries are crap bruh 😂😂😂😂
@@KanyeKetchup at least these 'crap' countries have liveable housing and very low homelessness. While in Australia we have over 200,000 homeless people, the highest per capita rate in the OECD countries... Because we are not 'crappy' and take care of each other 🤣
If you think it's expensive to hire a professional, wait til you hire an amateur
whos a professional these days? They are few and far between. Seems like all buildings he inspects are non-compliant! A world driven by greed and money.
That's funny 🤣🤣🤣 Les
I look at the influx of medium rise development and it disquiets me to think about how much future rectification work is mandatory. Especially water ingress into balconies, basements and roofs. Problem is, Australia is so corrupt that the developers run the show and the government made it impossible to produce anything of merit in this country.
The problem is as much over complicated designs as it is incompetent tradespeople. These trendy flat-roof, eavesless townhouses look like a future maintenance nightmare even if built by competent trades in the first place. If you look at a cookie cutter house built in the the 70s-00s there is far less to go wrong. Consumers need to stop buying these stupid designs as much as the builders need to stop building them for people who don't know better.
@@tmmtmm yep we want to build one and these videos have shown us to keep things simple with the roof, that's for sure.
@@tmmtmmtrue. I think a tiled or corrugated iron roof with gutters is best. That’s it!
@@tmmtmmyou are absolutely right. The designs are terrible, difficult to get right even for competent constructors. Add in lack of skills and it's a disaster.
@@josephj6521definitely avoid box gutters like the plague. I understand metal rooves have less problems with leaking if done properly (no tiles to break etc).
"Not my job not my problem"
-Literally 95% of Aussie tradies
95% of Aussies.
As long as there is beer in the fridge and sports on tv we've adopted a she'll be right attitude for near everything.
More like, Not my fuck'n job.
@@Scoob60990% of these trades are foreigners... most of the not my problem aussies are usually brickies and concreters. Yes there are a few bad ones that survive but they usually get caught out. Most of the crap work I dealt with in the building industry was unqualified immigrants...
As a former reputable tradesman I refused to work for project builders for two reasons, I have to fix other workers f..kups due to builders not wanting to hire quality trades and secondly them not waiting to pay a livable rate...
I remeber when a project builder wanted to pay me $350 to fit 27 doors, 4 WIRs, fitout 4 other cupboards and then drive 50km back for free to fit off door handles after the painters been through. Out of that $350 I have to pay for my fuel, tools, vehicle, insurance, income tax and gst... a solid 3 days work for one of Australias largest project builders. Pay peanuts get monkeys!
Our government bureaucrats, our politicians, our schools and businesses...you got pericarditis or myocarditis? Too bad, no one forced you to take it. Sorry about that.
@@C783H nearly every tradie that built my house was a foreigner.
My supervisor told the Indians that painted my house to take a hike after the 3rd attempt, and paid my old man to roll the whole house again to do it properly.
They were too busy talking to their mates on the phone the entire time, so they got canned.
But yeah "Aussies". hey. lmao
The VBA need to be held accountable themselves.
Builders need to stop accepting the lowest price. It very rarely ends with a compliant or quality job.
The builders make the price.
@@dragginmedown The " builder " sub contracts all the work to " trade contractors " . The " builder " is basically just a contract manager / middle man between the buyers and the sub contractors who do the actual building work .
@@stewatparkpark2933 Not hard to check the work of subbies
@@stewatparkpark2933 I am a tradie. Volume builders have set prices that they pay tradies champ
Don't we have Dan the Man, who solves Victoria's woes? I live in a home built 70 years ago by my parents. OK, it needs outside paint for decoration only. The home is solid with original stumps. If my plumber father can build a house to last, why are today's builders so shonky?
Im a 72 year old retired builder , I cant believe how bad the industry has become ,
Dan Andrews has destroyed just about everything he could in this state.
@DavidNotSolomon i can assure you this is widespread, not just in Victoria.
@@davidbrayshaw3529 To be honest- Dan is just the most obvious example of an incompetent despot - the reality is that Australia's political class has failed us for decades now. The most striking example when Kevin Rudd tried to implement a mining tax, and was while under attack from the mining industry for this was stabbed in the back by his own party - Gillard in particular, seeking her moment of fame at the expense of the nation. Says it all I think about Australian politicians.
@@davidbrayshaw3529 Yes, the media is a major part of our problems.
Just bought a brick veneer joint to live in that was built some time around 1975. It’s in unbelievably good nick, everything is straight as an arrow and solid as a rock. None of the newer builds I’ve lived in compare, I’ve been in sub 10yr places and everything is already ratshit and falling apart. We’ve lost something in this country.
I’m a maintenance plumber in Melbourne and in my experience I wouldn’t touch brand new builders homes with a ten foot pole.
We’re flat out with work to rectify other plumbers deplorable standard of work.
But hey keeps us busy 🤷🏻♂️
Had a giggle at "they're using Class 2 screws, I can tell" while zooming in from about 20m away haha
I assumed he meant he could tell because they were already rusting.
@@thebackwardpointinggodwit8080 I assumed he could tell, based on how shonky everything else was
My dad used to tell me if you’re going to do something, do it to the best of your ability and take care and pride in your work! What happened to work ethics? This gets worse and nobody cares anymore! Imagine paying all this money for a slap bang job 😞
Unfortunately the people who do the job correctly never get any work because the builder always takes the cheapest sub contractors price .
@@stewatparkpark2933aka race to the bottom.
Dont worry literaly every first world country has this problem of everyone wanting to be a "hustler" and make easy money
👍 Tops video. I can't imagine the stress of going through a new build these days, and having to deal with this quality of workmanship. Paying a few grand for maintenance on my 67 brick veneer suddenly seems highly acceptable.
I've just bought a 69 brick veneer it's an ex commission home and it's built better than most modern buildings
It does actually worry and scare me to buy a house in Australia.
Beware of anything built in the last 20 years
Answer: do not buy a new house in the western suburbs of Sydney or Melbourne. The standards are non existent, and never enforced. You will be buying a worthless place in 20 years in the middle of nowhere with no infrastructure. Things are very tough for buyers in these poor quality locations, and the quality and resale value of your home will likely be very poor in 20 years when it has completely fallen apart. And ignore the developers promises on railways stations and schools, roads or hospitals. Only currently published government documents can promise you those things. Buyer beware, no sympathy if you fall for their promises. Australia is not some 3rd world dream destination, if you must, buy an established (but smaller home) closer to the city. You cannot have a well built 5 bedroom 3 bathroom McMansion on a budget in that country. So many people stung by this, it is really sad.
Is it any wonder why so many builders are folding at the moment ? Chances are, folding, then starting back up under a different name
100% they are , it's called phoenixing and its rampant.
I think they recently made it illegal and a lot harder to do
But I'd be curious if the new law is as affective as planned (can't make homeless people ceo's of dead companies now)
National Disgrace
What can I say makes me FURIOUS and it’s not even my property… how on gods earth do they get away with this … AND how did it PASS Final inspection ….How much money changed hands I wonder??
So glad I found your videos - we want to build our (modest) dream home in the country side - you've shown us to keep it simple, less things to have shortcuts taken on. My shortlist (so far):
-Simple rectangle design and steep roof with eaves
-Regular gutters (no box gutters)
-Get the concrete slab inspected pre & post pour
-Copper piping
-Only have 1x wet room if possible, and have it closely inspected
-After seeing this video and the roof, I'm wondering if a pre-fabed steel one is a safer option...
--We are now thinking of building with hemp blocks instead of timber or bricks... simple to install and will reduce the amount of extras needed (like insulation, building wrap and so on)... all of that stuff seems to opens more avenues for shortcuts /non compliant work to be done
I just can't imagine spending $400k+ only to have to move out and be told bad news like this.... it doesn't seem fixable hree (without hundreds of thousands of dollars)
Very important to have concrete footpath around your house too, so water drains away from the slab. Make sure they check water drains for cracks too, they run a camera through. Bricks will last longer then that hebel stuff
If you are looking for a simple/reliable build, steel frame kit homes have done well in my experience. All the best houses I have ever dealt with have been steel frame kit homes with brick veneer or double brick.
They had all the other aspects you listed too. Simple roof profiles, simple layout. Slab build, built ABOVE GRADE so no water can ever pool against the slab & limited wet areas.
Add: get independent building reviews to check the work, i.e. ones you actually pay for. And if you want cut price, expect the crap quality you will get, and carefully check the reputation of the builder by talking to people who have had previous work done by them, by your own research, not their own recommendations. It really is a case of caveat emptor I am afraid, because building standards are meaningless in this industry. There is no enforcement whatsoever of dodgy builders or developers. And seriously consider getting (and paying for yourself, independently) a qualified architect to at least do the design, better still to manage the build. It all costs a bit more (around 10 to 15%), but the result will be so much better than simply trusting a builder given the nightmare reputations they have now. Buyers thinking they can get a bargain are one factor in the disasters you hear about, and have themselves partly to blame. The more 3rd parties you can employ (architects and inspectors: and you have to pay for this separately yourself) the better. I would never do a build, or even a renovation without a qualified architect to keep the builder or sub contracted tradies to do their job: such is their reputation these days. Costs more but well worth it, (unless you can flog your house to the next bunny before it falls apart lol). Foundations and water coursing is a particular problem, so many opportunities for builders or tradies to cut costs and improve their 4WD buying power! Of course, they are long gone when it all falls apart.
Had 2 properties with balconies both leaked. Never have balcony at least not over living space so if it leaks its not gonna leak inside.
@@adventurehungry All great advice in this thread. Hope the OP takes notice!
It looks like to me that a proper commissioning system needs to be implemented in our housing construction industry. We do it elsewhere, why not the home building industry?
Because the construction industry makes Victoria biiiig money. Gov doesn’t give a shit about this
Duck tape as a sealant ? 500k for this rubbish. Jeez. Maybe all the owners of those townhouses should take class action against builder, but I'm guessing he would just fill for bankruptcy and start again under a different name.
I got a new drinking game!!
Take a shot when you say Non compliant!
FINALLY someone else noticed I’ve been saying this for years! I did carpentry, I left the industry cos, I could see all of this! Plus the waste and pollution! People come from overseas and build these houses too. I can’t believe that this was even accepted. It’s disgraceful. You should see what they knocked up in my street. A lot of non compliance.
This is why I bought a home built in 1980. We inspected it on a day where it had been pissing down for 3 days straight. No leaks inside and only a few minor leaks in the past with minimal staining. Underneath the house was bone dry with very little movement in the stumps and only one moderate leak in the shower recess which I'll be able to fix myself.
We're still planning on spending a fair bit on remediation but it was in far better condition than many of the much newer houses we saw.
It might have been built to a worse standard but at least it was actually built to that standard. These new standards are worthless if there is no enforcement of them.
also survivor bias helps the old buildings still standing are the good ones the badly built buildings of the same age have all been bowled by now
I think this is a new class of home: an off-the-plan fixer-upper.
Gold
I'd call it a indoor swimming pool
It’s crazy how people can get a refund as easily as needing a receipt but for a house that is most people’s biggest purchase have all the trouble in the world it’s bullshi it’s a damn shame
These home owners have been scammed. We need some lawyers to set up a class action.
Against whom? The builders phoenix their companies when it all turns to shit, and turn up somewhere else. No one to act against. More fool the idiots that buy them, although the VBA standards should actually be enforced (which they are not at the moment).
Your politicians won't let that happen. They are profiting from it and Australians are too weak and too tight to pay for quality work and instead hire these massive companies to build on the cheap.
We should be circulating the NAMES of the people responsible, from inspectors the people working on site and BLACKBALLING THEM. Run `em out on a rail, just like the good old days. That's why we did it in the good old days. Now we have to do it because the law is NOT on your side.
Your Westminster clownshow is centuries deep in repeating the same mistakes that landed the convicts here in the first place.
Population for the sake of political fascism is a fools errand
@paulb27864 We have laws, they're just not in the favour of the consumer. That's down to the politicians not being in favour of the consumer.
Agree. Buying property in Australia is such a rip off. They are glorified leaky tents!
Wayyyyy over priced too
Insist on using a council appointed certifier not a private one. Council appointed certifiers are on a wage and not paid per job and are usually difficult to work with which in my opinion is a good thing. They are more likely to knock stuff back vs a private certifier. I have been building houses for 15+ years and i would rather a certifier knock stuff back than turn a blind eye. They might not catch everything but in my experience they are more through than a private certifier. You should be confident in your work to have anyone look over it.
One thing I don't understand is why the architects / building designers need to design such complicated roofs. Why do they need all these box gutters? Does a regular ol eaves gutter and downpipe really look that bad? We know box gutters are prone to leaks yet they still keep designing them. Maybe I'm just old school..
Because it sells. People do not like shoebox houses with a pitched roof. They do not understand this is the best fault proof design.
Box gutters are the worst and low pitch rooves are bad too. Stick with a simple roof.
eliminating the eaves is the difference between being able to fit 3 or 4 townhouses on a block = $$$$ for the developer. The homeowners who decide to build an eavesless free standing house on a spacious block are idiots however.
Have you ever met an architect.... say no more. 🤣😂😎🇦🇺👌 they live to design completely impractical bullshit so they get the next wanky award. There is a reason we built houses the same way for centuries., they just worked.
We hired a our own private building inspector during our build who did a 5 stage inspection from slab down to handover. It gave us some peace of mind as he identified many defects during our build which managed to get rectified before everything got covered up.
The certifier MUST be getting kick backs from the builder and paying off council. It will all stop when insurance companies refuse to underwrite owners home and contents. The root cause of the problem is the builder and they need to serve jail time for fraud!
Regulator deregulation. This country is a cesspit.
I feel like I don't want to watch to the end. Thanks for opening our eyes to this.
When I was framing for Carlisle, we had a frame fail for one missing nail in a junction block on a 50sq home, and that was on the 2nd inspection, sometimes we had 3 inspections, the Carlisle inspector, the independent inspector and the owners inspector, im amazed that trades get away with this much shit when we got pulled up for missing 1 nail on a frame to took around 20,000 nails.
If you want to build a house, use Carlisle
Who is the builder mate? We need to know who cannot be trusted to provide compliant new builds. I love your videos. Keep it up.
This is the reason I purchased an established property. I'd be too scared to consider a new build. 😊
Australian real estate when compared to GDP is at a higher ratio than it was in Japan during the top of their real estate bubble. Lets say a group of people wanted to slaughter Australias middle class how would they do it? They would blow up property valuations since for most aussies their home equity is literally the majority of their wealth.
The thing is, the bubble won't burst as long as there is immigration
It'll happen eventually.
@@tmmtmmthat’s 100% correct. That’s why all governments are perpetuating the Ponzi Scheme of immigration.
Our government should be on the end of a rope, pack of corrupt rats that lot of em
I'd recommend a class action against the builder
I've lived in a 1860's built solid brick house in regional Victoria for the last 13 years. It's extremely solid but until now, I've longed for a new build. After watching your videos, and reading the comments of older builders who are appaled at the state of the building industry now, I'm pretty happy with my purchase. I'll take the slightly more maintance my old house needs over shoddy building any day of the week. My 160 year old house has far fewer issues than most of the 5 - 10year old houses you seem to inspect. There is no pride in the building industry today, just greed!
as a new buyer im glad I bought a 1950s double brick
yeah there's maintenance and renos to do but between my skills and you tube i can do most of it and if I fuck it up i reedo it myself
keep up the good work mate
Thank you for shedding light onto this !! You are a diamond in the rough ! Its so good to know there are still peope out here looking out for others ❤
All to common in the industry.
10 years looking at these issues and often you find water leaks are the identifiable issues that tenants complain about, the you look deeper and items like fire compliance (fire rated plaster board and penetrations)
Ps skirting tiles and light weight cladding on balcony’s are one of my pet peeves, usually because it means the membrane has been run up the cladding and system no longer drains
Unfortunately this is not unusual, houses of this quality now exist on every street in every suburb in Australia..
Yeah pretty much
I recently purchased an older home that’s 25 years old in excellent condition. Inspected thoroughly and no issues at all.
I know a builder that’s been in the industry for 40 and he told me do not ever buy a new home as building companies are skimping and outsourcing the work to unqualified builders. Buying a new home in australia right now is a MASSIVE risk it’s not worth it.
Australians must know buliders names. All crap must be exposed plus GOV regulations must changed Thank you man
Fantastic video mate, I keep reading about these poorly constructed developments but actually seeing it from an inspection perspective is pretty eye opening
Im a carpenter with 20 years in the game, I spent a few years doing maintenance carpentry, I've seen some shocking things in my time. I feel your pain buddy.
The state of these houses, it's about ripe for a Royal Commission
Just what we need, another commission to launder tax payer money which doesn’t commission anything!
@@sam8192 I was joking but yeah
I’ve been told by a retired building inspector.
That up to 75% of buildings in satalite suburbs of Melbourne are full of defects.
It’s sad the state of affairs really.
He said he started to see the industry go to shit around 2000
Need to name and shame these guys.
Another perspective that should not be neglected is the building surveyor's work ethic, at each building construction stage, from base stage to completion, those building surveyors who are registered with the VBA must engage to inspect the quality of the building work, without they say yes and tick everything, the building process can not proceed to the next stage until the building occupancy is issued. So, what those building surveyors did? What makes them easily pass a building with terrible quality again and again like that?
@@daniel.s8126Of course, quotas are one reason but not the only one, we can not say without bribes or corruption...
Typically building surveyors have responsibility for checking for compliance NOT workmanship.
These days it seems compliance is more important than workmanship. Ethics and independent thought have also declined. People are trained what to think not how to think critically.
More bureaucracy won't fix the problem.
What we need it merit. People should be hired based on merit, performance and reputation. People should start doing their own due diligence instead of relying on the system. 'Let the buyer beware'
I worked for land surveyors. I'm not sure if you're referencing the right industry? A surveyor is only there to measure the footings, slab etc are correctly positioned within the property boundaries and the home measurements are correct.
Surveyor's have nothing to do with assessment of quality.
I'm not sure if they call building inspectors, Surveyor's where you are? I'm in Sydney. Essentially Surveyor's are expert mathematicians. We are aware of local regulations like the minimum distance permitted from guttering or wall to boundary, and advise builders of there are issues of that nature and measurements. Not whether water proofing codes are satisfied.
Thanks for the content. As someone who has recently completed a renovation myself having never done anything like that previously every video makes me feel good about what I have achieved. I didn't go to trade school but i was personally invested in the outcome so it shows. Lastly, are you able to share what percentage of jobs you attend where there are only very minor issues and for the most part the builders have done a good job?
Thank you for your work. People are suffering without help.
The Government MUST intervene!! How are builders not being held to account? We’ve taken a huge nosedive in Australian building standards. Seems we’re no better off than a developing country. How can anyone trust buying a property built after the year 2000?! 🤷♀️🤦♀️
The government is just as corrupt as the building game, just give them a knight hood.
Building inspection before you buy is a must these days. Builders are required to give 7 year home warranty insurance on their work and repair any defects or problems arising in that period at their cost.
These sort of builders just have NO SHAME ! They are having very nice lives with their friends and family, nice cars, nice home, nice holidays. Their children go to the very best schools and their daughters have huge weddings. And it's all off the backs of the misery of the poor people that bought in good faith.
There's a Clarendon home being built next to me. There's no way in hell I'd buy anything built from about 1985 onwards. Everything is built to minimum standards. Pathetic.
What were those tools used to measure the water and see the water through the walls? Can be handy during inspections
I wish there were more people like you out there.
I feel like you were on this site with a half chub the whole time with all the non complaints around haha
I love the channel, you remind me of my uncle. Let me know when “non-compliant” tees come out.
Much love from QLD keep it up.
Factory prebuilt Timber Building Systems - TBS. We manufacture within an ISO9001 controlled environment, giving you improved cost control, quality and reliability. Your building will be of a higher quality because we manufacture to a finer tolerance than conventional construction.
My favourite TikTok inspector I’ve learnt so much of him 😎👍
Thankyou for showing us these reviews, we always use to think new = built right without any issues. What a nightmare for these poor people that live there.
Honestly wtf are the inspectors doing, or VBA. Just useless
Better off buying something that was built 50 years ago .
@@stewatparkpark2933 nah, you're starting to get into electrical and plumbing maintenance at that age. Daggy 1980s brick veneer, concrete tiles and eaves all around is where it's at. Stevie wonder could have built one and it still wouldn't leak.
@@davidbrayshaw3529 Copper pipes only have a service life somewhere between 50 and 100 years. Timber framed buildings move and eventually the joins get fatigued and you get a leak. Coming home to a flooded house isn't fun. Neither is having a slow leak which destroys structural members and you only find out after significant damage has been done. Scale also builds up in metal pipes leading to poor water flow/pressure. That said I'd much rather some 30-40year old copper than the plastic pipes they put in new builds! With electrical, switches and fixtures only have a finite life and everytime you replace one you fatigue the wiring. The 50 years+ of unscrupulous tradies and diyers fucking about you can end up with broken wires and dodgy connections that at best cause an intermittent connection and at worst burn your house down. Even in my 1989 built home there was a fair amount of rats nest wiring and dodgy shit done to the electrical system in the 30 years between it being built and me acquiring it. My house also has light switches on the architraves and several of them have had the wiring shortened so many times from replacing the switches that it is now at the minimum length. The next time it needs replacing I'll need to smash a hole in the plasterboard to install a longer wire because it's impossible to feed it through any other way.
the whole game is f-ed. don't buy a new house. don't buy anything newer than 10 years. Even then, be careful. Was first tenant in a place built by a volume builder in '12. cracks in walls you could put a pencil through inside 12 months. Later told it was caused by the trusses not being designed to support the weight of the in roof heater. plenty of other issues as well. forever chasing doors that wouldn't stay shut, or you couldn't shut because the door frame had twisted. next place was in was built in the 80s was wonderful, one after that build in '04 pretty good as well. all within 5km of each other
Cracks and doors not shutting is from slab heave, improper drainage around the house, possibly cracks in storm water pipes. Not from the heater haha
@@dragginmedown i hear you. 50mm cracks in the roof plaster and cornices right near where the heater unit is located and no where else is more roof structure. somone in the game that i trust had a look and that was their verdict. could see it in the way tusses where saging in places
@@norlag that’s crazy. Must have been a heavy unit. Was it sitting mdf as well
@@norlag think mines sitting on the wall frame in the hallway for extra support. I see what your saying
After 20 years in Australia I felt that the quality of life incl. housing was going backwards from corruption and stupidity …moved to the US and happily settled in - you’re treated better for your skills and live better here, hands down. This video tells me I wasn’t imagining it all back then.
I feel like the USA is going to shit pretty quickly lately, probably Japan the best bet.
hey mate, i'm 23 in South Australia and I've had enough of Australian laws. any recommendations for a state to move to in the US?
@@greenneck2472 depending on the type of job you’re looking for, there are multiple options. E.g. tech jobs are good in NC, TX, WA, CA etc. The service sector pays well in most states. Healthcare is booming in Utah and blue collar work pays great in Florida, New Mexico, Texas or Georgia. It’s hard to pinpoint something like that at my end because only you know what you’re after. Plus if you have weather preferences that’ll affect your choice. There are many recruitment firms in the US that might be of interest to you 👍🏽 All the best!
HA - yes YSA is a great place - great health care - no issues with gun violence etc etc - AND - DONNY DUMP - HA
@@geneva760 that’s right mate - do not come here …the US is not a great place for unskilled people like you 😁
Great job on these videos. 2 things that are absolutely consistent themes that nobody seems to get right. 1 box gutters. 2 under cover balconies particularly those which are elevated.
I’m so glad I was onsite during our extension, checked every day and questioned. Luckily only had some small issues that were easy to deal with afterwards. More to do with it being a difficult plot than anything else.
you are amaaazzzzinnn
Nothing will happen to them. Nothing. The building industry is on a knife edge with firms going bust left right and centre. Do you honestly think any institution or government is going to bring them to justice and repair this or hold them accountable for anything? Nope. The dodgy builders know this and will continue doing it. It’s disgusting.
The building industry employs too many people for it to be scrutinised and held to account.
Australians pay more for houses than almost anywhere in the world, and we still get the worst quality. How is that?
@@DavidNotSolomon very true. I’m not sure it’s because its unregulated, corrupt or people simply don’t give a crap. It needs a massive shake up.
@@thomjanson9644 I would say it needs the return of Christ.
Very insightful. I am very interested to know the different tools you used in this inspection and in general.
Thanks for your honesty. Great Channel. I definitely feel for the owner.
Wow. I’m used to the videos having a few defects but not showing one every 5 seconds. That’s just piss poor workmanship and oversight from everyone involved.
Thank you for sharing you insight. You’re preventing people from making a terrible mistake
My husband had this friend who was a small builder with moderate success. We engaged him for the construction of 2 townhouses on the site of my in-laws’ old house. My husband pays a great deal of attention to details so he picked up defect after defect after defect after defect, and although his builder friend rectified all of those, the experience definitely damaged their friendship and they no longer catch up. Despite all that, however, the foundation, structure, and quality of materials used for the townhouses are actually quite decent. We still count ourselves lucky in that the defects were more about the finer details and various finishes, and the overall quality of construction was way above average. The most recent issue we’ve had with one of the townhouses was some electrical faults for the lights, and it turned out that the electrician our builder friend hired to wire things up did so in a rather stupid manner (technically still correct but rather bothersome for subsequent maintenance and repairs)…
Subdivided housing is more often than not crap built (owners trying to make a buck at least cost, and they are generally very ugly replacements for what was there before: gardens now just crammed in basic housing to accommodate overpopulation). Glad your husband got it basically sorted, but it should never have been his job, no wonder the relationship is strained. Personally, I would never get a friend to build anything, too much strain on the relationship (if you valued it in the first place), just too much to get wrong and it becomes emotionally difficult. If you still choose to do so, at least pay for an independent person like an architect to manage it.
reminds me of the new apartment complex in Sydney condemned for cracking foundations. That's why they say don't buy apartments and houses younger than 30 years
I successfully talked my wife out of one of those off the plan, new home development builds and settled on an established 80s brick and tile that's absolutely rock solid.
I built new in 2011-ish and we had all sorts of issues with the alfresco constantly leaking water and going moldy, had it repaired 3 times in 24 months. The main living/dining/lounge ceiling sagging after 2 years. Rooms with no insulation, downlight transformers blowing up after 12 months, paint that washed away after 24 months. Light/door fittings on the piss, tap fittings splitting and pissing water after a few years and more I can't remember off the top of my head. And this was not a cheap budget build in a big development.
Put me right off new builds. I'm also a commercial sparky and I know for a fact the better tradesmen are not working domestic where the pay is complete garbage. So if the domestic scene is paying peanuts compared to commercial/industrial then...?
I've worked as a carpenter joiner in the commercial fittout of architectural joinery for 40+ years... trust me, it's not getting any better on this side eather.😎🇦🇺👌
You’re absolutely right, I’m a qualified domestic plumber and after a decade I quit out, the salary is garbage. $34 an hour for a skilled trade which is often a brutal and dangerous job. No thanks, and I hope other quality tradies also quit if they are putting up with those conditions. I am so, so happy I’ve moved on, and get paid a lot more too.
Thats why i will never buy a brand new home. Im glad i bought my established house that was built in 1992. All those brand new housing estates are built quick, and they cut corners, and they dont give a crap. They move onto next projects, unfortunately. There should be a massive complaint made against the builder to the appropriate regulatory body.
These are reasons why we chose to buy an older house and remodel
Our house was built in 1989 and it’s rock solid …
I would never buy a new home now after seeing this
I like all the inspection instruments you use!
The council should be held accountable for signing of on these job site
Appreciate the awareness your raising! 👌
People who approved these builds need to be held accountable. All the way to the top.
I’ve been binging on your content this past week or two and from what I’ve seen I’d never buy or build in Australia (not without you from start to finish) realtalk keep doing what your doing exposing them hack jobs
4.32. I've always said everyone says a tradesperson Are the best in the business. A tradesperson to the normal person means they are good at what they do. Well, they're not and should not be allowed to work in this industry.
Going to town on the defects is 100 percent your job. BUT!! Finding and isolating the most pressing issues for fault resolution works is such a balance . The roof subbys simply don't have the means to strip all the roofs .pull apart bulk heads and liaison with plumbers chippy and electrician.
Being a inspection mediator to actually fix things is what is best for the owners.
A hitlist.
Things like speaders,silicone and overflow issues just create a never fix outcome.
😢
As you said bro. You can’t fix that. It’s faaarked. Needs to be demolished
Love this channel! You are a good dude, keep up the good work. Glad that we bought a house built in 2003.
what a disgusting job but you skipped the most important part, did the waterstop in the bathroom comply?
What do you think 😅?
Great to see that you are being thorough mate 👍
No point buying brand-new house in a small block of land Not worth it no yard no parking extra cars . 21m wide block. 600 m² plus good all rounder Side access parking ,,, Need go back to that again early 2000 last of the good era ...
Prospective property buyers pay good money to get a building inspector to make sure that there are no significant structural faults… but only what they can see without moving anything or climbing anything. They don’t do the job they’re supposed to do. Not only are home-buyers paying for a service they don’t get from building inspectors, they get shafted by the real estate legislation that says that property sellers aren’t compelled to list all the things that are wrong with the house to any prospective buyer. I’m sure I’m not the only person who’s been double-ended in a property deal. At least we had the decency to disclose everything wrong with the house we sold, and the buyer was prepared and financially able to rectify any of those problems.
Fun drinking game. Take a shot every time he says "non compliant" or "what the hell is this?"
You'd be cooked in no time lol
@@ithinkurf thats why its fun
if the builder pays the trades men peanuts this is what you get
the east coast has a big problem with building codes and they use the cheapest materials they can get away with
the buildings are like the Chinese tofu dreg buildings
This is unbelievable, we need to start auditing some builders brains for compliance
8 .15. Maybe there should be a gaol sentence for the person in charge and if The Apprentice can't learn they need to be sent on their way.