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This is the 2nd Article about Access into our buildings. We now look at what we can do to make it easier for every person to use, live or work inside our buildings. The story so far In the previous article, we brought you Part 1 of the Access Rules which showed us that there are … Continued
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Publisher Jeff Patchell recently caught up with columnist Jerry Tyrrell to discuss how his acceptable Construction practice diagrams can be seriously embraced by the industry and benefit the sector on a national scale. Let’s begin with some background on our driver first. Jerry is the founder of the Institute of Building Consultants and co-founder of … Continued
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The RULES project that Connection Magazines and I are preparing is intended in part as a valid alternative to the sometimes confusing and expensive Australian Standards. I’m confident it’s only a matter time now before this clear and concise option will be the default way everyone will access building knowledge in Australia… You all know … Continued
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Jerry Tyrrell shares a couple of contrasting case studies that highlight the good, bad and the ugly when it comes to building products and customer service in this country. I’m hard (but fair) on manufacturers who give us products that are not fit for purpose or have installation rules that contractors are unaware of. … Continued
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Builders have shaped everything beautiful in the civilised world. We need to make sure that our work is treasured and admired by generations to come – not only in terms of construction, but also in the design of a building. I hope you have had a great year to add to the past fabulous … Continued
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In mid-September Jerry presented a paper at the ABCB’s Building Australia’s Future Conference. The following is an extraction that highlights some of the most important points of discussion. It was good to talk to industry leaders at the recent Building Australia’s Future Conference and I thank the ABCB for the opportunity to air my views. … Continued
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Jerry Tyrrell explains what ‘we’ need to do… because no else will. I’ve been watching our industry for nearly 50 years. Mistakes cost us a fortune every year. I reckon we waste over $5b on rectification or maintenance work we don’t like doing. This money could be spent on schools and hospitals. Most … Continued
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WATERPROOFING RULES: PART 1 looked at the main principles of waterproofing we all should know or be able to find quickly. This second part by Jerry Tyrrell delves further into the detail… My 40th article in the past 10 years will be short. My key point is: read Part 1 again – and don’t be … Continued
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The Australian Building Codes Board has made the NCC available for free online, so what about standards? Jerry Tyrell believes it could be a winning formula. The Australian Building Codes Board provided the NCC (the BCA) for free earlier this year (Yay! Yippee! Woohoo!) and after speaking at September’s Building Australia’s Future Conference the last question from … Continued
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Jerry Tyrrell explains how the fundamentals of science can be applied to the building industry when it comes to conflict prevention and solution. Next year my colleagues and I will inspect our 100,000th building. We have seen millions of surprisingly stupid mistakes and defects. And, in so many cases, the cost of doing the work … Continued
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Jerry Tyrell continues his RULES project by focussing on windows and doors. Windows and doors The National Construction Code (NCC) tells us we must construct a building ‘to provide resistance to moisture from the outside that could cause unhealthy or dangerous conditions, loss of amenity for occupants or undue dampness or deterioration of building elements.’ … Continued
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I realised this year that everything we need to know to build properly is even simpler than what I’ve been saying. All the Australian Building Codes Board, who administers the NCC, needs to do is deliver easy to find code compliance and promote industry best practice. They will do this when they: 1. Publish one … Continued
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The man on a mission, Jerry Tyrrell, emphasis the fact that builders need easily accessible and understandable regulatory information, and they need it now. Builders are ‘terrorised’ daily by excess information. They are too busy, confused or intimidated to fight back against the incessant ‘barrel bombs’ of unnecessary words from government, association and industry bureaucrats. … Continued
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Reasons for using NSW’s only ISO accredited Building Consultancy Comparison of Property and Timber Pest Inspections Comparison of Property and Timber Pest Inspections tyrrells.com Others Full crawl of roof interior and subfloor* Yes Sometimes Expert, trained building consultants (not part-time builders) Yes Sometimes Professional Indemnity Insurance Yes Sometimes Full inspection of safely accessible roof exterior* … Continued
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When you live in Australia, termites are a fact of life. However, there are only three species which do real damage to timbers in your home and in all cases, the damage will only occur if you neglect basic maintenance or do not carry out regular timber pest inspections. Undetected termite activity is scary and … Continued
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Builders are working hard to build well but there are so many groups gouging and obstructing what they do. The main problems are confusing and inaccessible rules and standards; conflict based processes to solve disputes; and fragmented associations who look after their own interests. In this article published in Building Connection Magazine, Jerry Tyrrell proposes a … Continued
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Are you considering building your new dream home? If so, I’m sure you have done the rounds looking at display homes, checking out magazine and internet articles, talking to friends and neighbours and have found ‘the look’ you want your house to have. A lot of current home designs tend to incorporate a decorative parapet … Continued
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DYI Inspections It’s tempting to think that with some sort of checklist you can do a pre-purchase inspection on a property yourself. STOP and reconsider! Yes, in the short-term you might save a few dollars but it is likely that you will miss some issues that in the long-term could be costly to fix. Any … Continued
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Asbestos Compliance Owners Corporations face on the spot fines of up to $33,000 per breach in relation to asbestos in buildings constructed prior to 1 January 2004.* The Work Health Safety legislation says the person responsible is the owner who must select a competent inspector to identify risk, eg asbestos. For Strata Schemes to comply the … Continued
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Fire isolated stairs are constructed mainly for use in emergencies. The Building Code of Australia (BCA) Performance Requirement DP2 requires all stairways be constructed to provide safe passage in relation to the nature, volume and frequency of likely usage. BCA DP2 also requires suitable balustrades but allows concessions where use is for emergency purposes or … Continued
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Termites (or white ants) usually operate as a colony. Termites live in nests made by worker termites who seek food away from the nest and destroy timber by chewing and hollowing it out into little tunnel-like galleries. Nests need a constant source of moisture and take many years to develop. The most susceptible buildings are … Continued
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Did you know that Tyrrells has an architectural division? Tyrrells Architects, Plans & Approvals can provide you with quality design advice, and prepare all your documentation for approval and construction. Terrigal townhouses Let us take you through the maze of red tape to get all the approvals you need for your next renovation or new building project. Call us on … Continued
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Some building work is more complex than others, and the more complex it is the more costly the mistakes. Building below ground level throws up more technical problems than you may think. In this article published in Building Connection Magazine, Jerry Tyrrell suggests that builders should look to become experts on basement construction. Click here … Continued
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Every year thousands of home owners take on the task of renovating their homes. Sometimes they do it as owner-builders/home renovators and sometimes they engage a licensed builder. If you decide to go the home renovator route, before you start you need to have a firm grip on the basics of building. You also need … Continued
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Although fire safety is a fundamental component in constructing a safe building, very few people understand the reasoning behind it. Jerry Tyrrell explains the finer details. In my three articles on the Building Code of Australia (winter, spring, and summer 2006) I mentioned how it handles fire safety. Besides explaining jargon and definitions in these … Continued