#031 Full and Advance Check List for Construction Work

1. Earth moving and Excavation Works Check

• Is the hole for excavation staked out correctly?
• Are the walls vertical and even?
• Has it gone to the correct depth?
• Are all cut earth faces supported and ‘cut in’ – especially important where this can impact on neighbouring properties?

2. Retaining Walls Checklist

Excavation work inevitably means retaining walls.

• Remember, retaining walls must be included in the building consent and signed off.
• Is the ground supported during construction (only if necessary)
• Ensure the wall is drained behind and waterproofed/tanked (if waterproofing is necessary

3. Drainage and Underground Plumbing

• While not the most exciting of items in the construction process, good drainage is absolutely essential to the long term integrity of your home.
• Are the pipes in the correct position, e.g. are they not located where you may want to put paths or gardens?
• Are the drain holes or pipe vents in locations that will interfere with future use of the grounds, e.g. are they where you may want to put paths or entertaining areas?
• Are the vents in the right position?
• Will the drains carry sufficient water?
• Does your drainage system meet with the building code – e.g. do you need retaining tanks

4. Footing and Foundation works

• The base upon which your home is established is of prime importance in its building. The footings need to be straight and correctly positioned, though the finish doesn’t have to be smooth.

5. Concrete Slabs Work
The concrete is laid on top of several things put in beforehand. There is a layer of compacted base course, a polythene vapour barrier, plumbing pipes and pipes taking electrical and other cable, in-floor heating and polystyrene insulation if required. The concrete needs to be cured and cut. There are additives that can be applied to the concrete to reduce cracking during or following curing; the concrete can be coloured, polished and/or ground.

• Ensure the floor is fully laid in one pour and there is no lag between deliveries.
• Ensure the concrete is cured properly under advice from your builder.

6. Wooden Flooring Works

• Wooden floors are laid on floor joists. These need to be level and solid.
• Are the floor joists even and solid?
• Has the flooring timber been evenly laid?
• Has the timber been sufficiently seasoned (the right moisture content)?
• Are the plywood/chipboard panels secured properly and are they even – is there any movement or squeaks?
• Underfloor foil insulation is the minimum level of insulation you require under the Building Act but never shy away from increasing your level of insulation.

7. Framing Works
This is one of the most exciting moments in the project as the frames go up quickly and it looks like everything is happening. Bear in mind, however, that not much seems to change rapidly from here even though plenty of work continues on.

• Are the nogs level with each other?
• Are the uprights evenly spaced (note there will be some variation due to doors and windows)?
• If using timber, is the timber sufficiently dry?
• Is the timber of the correct preservative treatment?
• Are the doors and windows correctly positioned and of correct sizes?
• Are the bracing elements in place?

8. Brick and Block Layout

• Have they been laid even and straight?
• Is there a satisfactory level of quality finish – no evidence of mortar splashes?
• Are there ventilation gaps at the bottom and not blocked with excess mortar?

9. Scaffolding works

• Is the scaffolding secure?
• Are there safety barriers?

10. Roofing works
Roofing is another critical element of the project.

• All roofing must be laid straight and true and fixed correctly.
• Fixings (screws) must be evenly and neatly set out.
• All flashings, barge boards and ridge cappings must be in place.
• Do you have a guarantee with the roof?
• Have you supplied the roof shout?!

11. Windows Joining works

• Are the windows and sliders the correct size and design on delivery?
• Have they been fitted with sufficient waterproofing?

12. Plumbing Works

• Is the hot water source close enough to the kitchen/bathroom taps to minimise time lag?
• Check the correct filters are in place for pipe size and water pressure.
• Have you worked with your plumber to ensure you will have adequate water pressure – discuss with your plumber, designer and bathroomware supplier together if you can – water pressure is a major source of confusion on installation so get everyone’s input.
• Are the gas pipes all installed in the correct position?
• Do you have sufficient outdoor taps for hoses wherever you may need them?
• Is the bathroom plumbing correctly positioned?
• Have you worked with your plumber to ensure the pipes will not be heard?

Website to visit for more information:
Master Plumbers www.masterplumbers.org.nz

13. Exterior Cladding works

• Is the cladding handled and installed as per manufacturer’s instructions and there are no damaged panels used?
• Are the flashings done correctly and properly waterproofed?
• Are the joins in panels even and level and regular?
• If using flat panels, is there sufficient protection from the rain to ensure weatherproofing?
• Are battens used to aid in drainage for water that gets behind the cladding?
• Is the cladding finished properly and the job looks neat?

14. Whethertightness work

• Avoid decks enclosed by solid walls with a lack of drainage and perhaps a handrail attached to the top of the top of the wall – water cannot drain and the weather proofing skin may have been pierced by the handrails.
• Avoid wall cladding materials finished hard down onto a deck surface or paving or paths: the cladding will absorb water from the surface it’s finished onto.
• Avoid wall cladding that extends below ground level or landscaping materials, including mulch, are built up against the wall – materials that are continuously damp will quickly deteriorate.
• Avoid decks that are constructed to the same height as the internal floor, with no fall for drainage, compounded by an outlet that can get blocked.
• Ensure suspended timber floors have space below the floor for ventilation to remove moisture evaporating from the ground.
• Avoid using silicon sealant instead of properly designed flashings.
• Ensure head and sill flashings are installed over windows and joinery.
• Ensure parapet walls have cap flashings.
• Kick-outs or diverters to apron flashings where roofs abut a wall surface are necessary to ensure that water flows into the gutter and not down inside walls.
• Ensure monolithic claddings and tiled finishes have movement control joints that allow building movement to occur without cracking the materials.
• Ensure adequate detailing on junctions between materials.
• Check the difference in levels between the surface outside and floor inside and/or that there is good drainage – without these the building may well fail to meet the performance requirements of the Building Code in regard to external moisture provisions.

15. Insulation work
Insulation has a huge impact on the comfort in your home: in winter it helps keep your home warm, in summer it helps keep your home cool. Different products abound here, as well. The measurement of efficiency is rated in ‘R’s – the higher the better.

• There are minimum levels but paying a small amount here to increase the R rating can make a dramatic difference to your comfort levels in the long run.
• Have you got the correct R (heat retention) levels or better?
• Has it been correctly installed – as per manufacturers’ specifications?
• Ensure there are no gaps – these can reduce efficiencies by as much as 40%

16. Wiring and Lightining

• Do you have sufficient powerpoints through the house and in the right positions?
• Are the powerpoints, light switches, intercom boards installed evenly with each other and other elements on the wall?
• Is your home entertainment system hard wired into the walls (no more tripping over wire spread around the floor)?
• Have you future proofed for new light fittings, appliances or heating units and installed appropriate wiring (think outdoor heating, stereo speaker wire, outdoor lights, etc…)?
• Have you installed computer, security and stereo or other home automation cabling (better to do it now than rip holes in walls later)?
• Are they all protected from each other – are electrical cables of sufficient distance from data and audio cables?
• Are the transformers correct for the types of lights you have installed (if required)?
• Are the lights selected correct for the specific job you want them for?
• Are the light fittings in the correct position on your plan, taking into account the tasks you wish to undertake, or the ambience you wish to achieve?
• Has the electrician created holes for the lights in the correct position as per your plans?
• During installation, has the electrician installed the correct lights in the right places in the right way?

17. Gutters and Downpipes
More than an afterthought – gutters are the edging of a roof and can add to the look or detract.

• Do the gutters have the correct fall to ensure no pooling of water?
• Are the gutters installed correctly with overflow relief in the event that blockage or heavy rain does not flow into wall cavities?
• Have you chosen a colour that complements the roof and external colour of the house, and has the correct colour actually been installed?
• Are the correct downpipes installed – colour, materials, profile (shape)?
• Are they secure?
• Are the downpipes in the correct location so they don’t interfere with external gates or the lines of your home?

18. Interior Linings
No sheet lining material has a surface that is perfectly flat and totally free of minor imperfections.  However, by paying careful attention to the design, the materials used, the lighting conditions and installation of the framing, linings, paint and wallpaper, small imperfections can be minimised.

• Ensure framing is dry and straight.  The use of thicker 13mm plasterboard with metal ceiling battens helps provide a straighter ceiling that is less likely to result in problems. 
• Walls sheets should be fixed horizontally as a horizontal joint is less likely to be visible. 
• To reduce the visibility of any imperfections use light colours and flat paints or textured wallpaper and avoid critical lighting -   light striking a wall at a shallow angle. 
• Use light shades or recessed downlights and position windows away from the edges of walls and ceilings or use shades.
• Plastering of the joins is critical, especially in ceilings in open plan living areas – a single large ceiling is almost impossible to get completely flat but a poor job will be obvious – and bug you for years.
• Do you have the correct panels for specific rooms; e.g. waterproof in the bathroom, fire-rated in the kitchen, sound proofed in the bedrooms?
• Are they even and undamaged?
• Is the plastering even and sanded correctly

19. Heating and Air Conditioning

• Do you have sufficient heating units for your new home?
• Have they been correctly installed as per manufacturers’ specifications?
• Is the gas flued to reduce moisture build-up inside?
• Have you considered the trade off between price to purchase and the ongoing cost of running the units?

20. Interior and Exterior Painting works

• The finishing is all important but the preparatory work is critical to the quality of the end product.
• Ensure correct paints are used in specific areas like kitchens and bathrooms, doors and window frames.
• Look for sloppy work and make sure it’s cleaned up. Ensure angles are cut in to keep lines sharp.
• The quality of paint has no impact at first, but over time, better quality paints maintain their sheen and finish where cheaper paints fade and chip more readily.
• Is the preparatory work of a sufficient standard – filling holes, touching up plaster sanding, use of correct undercoats?
• Are the paints being used the brands you specified or cheaper alternatives?
• Have the painters got the correct colours as specified?

21. Kitchen works

• Is the benchtop the correct size? If not, negotiate with your kitchen manufacturer to replace or discount.
• Are cupboards installed above the bench fitted properly to the ceiling and/or walls (if relevant)?
• Are powerpoints installed at correct locations and with fittings that minimise intrusion onto benchspace or tight spaces?
• Ensure workmanship on joinery is an acceptable standard, with well fitted joins and hardware.

22. Bathroom Works

• Don’t forget ventilation and heating – especially underfloor heating (very nice in the winter!) - the room must be able to be fully dry within 30 minutes.
• The waterproofing is essential – check to make sure sufficient waterproofing is done.
• Ensure all glass is of correct NZ standard.
• Check tiles for chipping after laying and after other major items installed so damaged tiles can be replaced by the appropriate company.

23. Fencing Works

• Has the correct grade of timber been used (where relevant)?
• Are the vertical posts installed solidly and evenly?
• Is the fence the correct height or do you need to get building consent?
• Have you discussed the fence with your neighbour?

24. Decking and Paving Works

• Drainage is an important component of this stage and needs to be considered early in the planning process.
• Is the drainage sufficient?
• Check where decks attach to walls to ensure the proper procedures are followed and weathertightness is achieved.
• Have attachments to walls been done properly?
• Is the deck rated to hold sufficient people?

25. Rubbish Removal Work

• ]Now that the building work and possible the landscaping work is all finished, you may well find that there is a certain amount of detritus left behind from assorted tradespeople and sub-contractors.
• It is important to dispose of this correctly and in an environmentally sound manner.
• There are specialist companies who can do this work for you and we encourage you to make contact with them to ensure your home is finished properly to your complete satisfaction.

Finishing Works: final inspection and code compliance certificates

• You, as the owner, must advise the BCA when work is completed and book a final inspection. When this inspection has been passed you must  apply for a code compliance certificate (CCC), (although in reality this is likely to be delegated to your builder or project managerThe BCA will then issue you with a CCC if satisfied on reasonable grounds that the completed work complies with your consent documentation.
• A new licensing system will come into effect on 30 November 2011. From that date licensed building practitioners (LBP) will be required to carry out or supervise significant building work, such as new buildings, extensions, major alterations or changing the use of a building.  When completed, this work will need to be certified by the LBP that it complies with the building consent.
• If a notice to fix is issued you are legally required to make sure the work on the notice is corrected and advise the council when everything is done. You may have to go back to your contract with your builder and see who is responsible for the work that needs fixing. The council will inspect and consider whether or not a CCC can be issued once you advise it that you have fixed the problems.
• There is a considerable emphasis on getting a CCC under the 2004 Building Act and there are benefits, as well:
• Should you want to sell your house, not having a CCC could be a major obstacle – sale and purchase contracts are often conditional on a CCC having been granted.

You will have the peace of mind of having the ‘final sign off’ on the  finished building in compliance with the Building Consent.

As nice as it would be, it never finishes here! There are always things to be done – touchups to work, things that didn’t get fitted into the original budget, changes to what was done originally, repairs to items that have broken in the meantime.

Enjoyment and Ongoing Maintenance

Maintenance Checklist
Ensure you maintain your house, now your home, regularly:

• Check and clear gutters regularly. The last thing you want to be doing is standing on a slippery aluminium ladder in a storm at 2am with buckets of water coming down while clearing out your overflowing gutter (you really don’t want to be doing this).
• Painting needs to be regularly done – timing is dependent on materials, colour, quality of paint and exposure to weather but get it done, even if you have to listen to the cricket while you paint.
• Decks and paths, especially where shaded, can grow moss and this can be slippery and dangerous. Clean regularly.
• Check drains to make sure they’re clear.
• Check filters in the water system to ensure steady pressure.
• Clean your septic tank regularly if you have one.
• Check your roof – it’s what keeps you dry – replace cracked or broken tiles or monitor condition of the steel.
• Ensure plenty of mulch or bark goes on your garden a couple of times a year – it’ll save a heap of time on weeding.
• Make sure little jobs around the place get dealt to – studies have shown that taking care of these can add three years to your life (it’s true!)
• Get your chimney cleaned regularly – some insurance policies won’t cover chimney fires unless you can prove it’s been cleaned.
• Clean the outside of windows – you’ll be surprised what a really wonderful difference it can make inside.

I hope you enjoy it, read it carefully, for any kind of suggestion, your comments are invited below

Er. Jayant (B.Tech Civil)