Important Things You Need To Know About Building Approvals

Prior to the start of construction activities, you will need a building development approval. This is important because it's a requirement by law and you don't want to find yourself on the wrong side of it. In addition, building approvals are very essential because they are concerned about whether the building is safe by looking at its design and construction to ensure that they are sound. Building approvals will also evaluate issues such as the safety of the building in terms of fire safety and pests or its level of drainage and sewerage. For such reasons, it's important to be informed on a few things concerning building approvals in order to know how best to be involved in the process or how to help make it a success.

Therefore, here are a few important things you should know about building approvals.

How Do You Get A Building Approval?

There are various ways of getting a building approval including the following:  

  • You can appoint or choose a licensed building surveyor to be your building certifier.
  • You can also apply for a building approval from relevant authorities such as your local or city council.
  • You can do it on your own but you will have to be licensed, which is usually referred to as an owner-builder licence.

What Can The Building Certifier Do And What Are They Not Responsible For?

There are some tasks that a building certifier like Thomas Independent Certification will do and those that they won't. Some of the common tasks performed by a building certifier include assessment and approval of plans of the building, inspection of the construction work at different stages, and issuing of the reinforcement notices whenever required.

On the other hand, a building certifier is not responsible for supervision of the job site or ensuring the compliance of a builder with the contract.

What Is The Timing Of The Inspection?

A building certifier will state in the building approval the inspections required at different mandatory stages of the construction. For instance, some of the stages where inspections are required include the site inspection stage itself prior to commencing construction activities, the excavation and foundation stages, the slab stage, the frame stage, and the final stage. Inspections are done in each of these stages to determine the safety level of the building.

Who Is Responsible For The Quality Of The Building Work?

Since building approvals are all about quality and safety, it's important to understand parties responsible for supervision and quality. As the property owner, you together with the contractor have a shared responsibility to ensure proper supervision of the building approval as well as construction process to so that the building is of the acceptable standards.  


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