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Introduction Tens of thousands of building projects go wrong every year. Most of the trouble starts from a combination of errors and omissions in the plans, a bad relationship with the contractor, mistakes and mismanagement by the contractor and your failure to make sure the building quality is OK. Building projects should go right. They … Continued
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Buying at Auction If you are planning to buy at auction thorough preparation for each purchase is essential. If you plan to bid you must do all the research before the auction day. Even when you know the vendor may choose to withdraw the property prior to the auction, you must still carry out all … Continued
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Buying Off the Plan A popular way to buy a new unit, townhouse or strata commercial property is to purchase it before building work is even started. This is called buying ”off the plan” and means you have to: make a judgement on the location of the unit and it’s parking within the complex read … 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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Complaints about the above items come up regularly and many cases have been tested at NCAT, with the outcomes ranging from no defect, to the builder being ordered to remove and relay waterproofing and tiles. As a result of yet another ‘falls in floor tiles’ exercise, for an expert report, relevant Codes and Standards … Continued
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After quite a lot of searching you and your partner have found a house to buy. It looks pretty sound and is around the right price. Your Uncle George who’s a builder, has offered to have a look at the house for you to check that it’s structurally sound. The question then arises – Do … Continued
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Most owners and builders are reasonable people. They do not want to be involved in a building dispute on a new home or renovation. Both parties usually start off trusting each other and want the project to proceed to completion with a minimum of stress. This is difficult to achieve when you consider the … 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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Thursday, May 26, 2016 – updated 19 March 2020 This is the transcript of a recent interview between Stephen Ransley, General Manager of Tyrrells Property Inspections, and Lisa Tremolada from Maddisons Real Estate. For more details about our Pre-purchase services please click here. Lisa: Today our industry expert is Stephen Ransley, and Stephen is the general … 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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Building in Bushfire Areas Are you considering developing your land or buying a property close to bushland, open fields or even wet lands? If so, do you know what level of bushfire protection your development will need so it will comply with Council and Rural Fire Service (RFS) requirements? Councils and the Rural Fire Service … 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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Firstly, the Building Consultants assess and report on the condition of buildings and quality of building work. In practice, this requires objectivity, extensive knowledge of common faults and the ability to identify unexpected or likely failures in many different types of buildings. To prepare authoritative advice, Consultants consider their client’s instructions and the perspectives of … Continued
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Termites are a concern in the Australian building industry, but separating popular beliefs from hard facts can sometimes be diffi cult. Jerry Tyrrell offers his thoughts on the best ways to reduce risk. Some fears help us avoid injury or death. For instance, we know to take cover in lightning storms. We shouldn’t touch spiders … 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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Incorporating fire safety measures into a renovation or new build is essential in order to safeguard against the potential threat of a house fire or bushfire. Every building site needs their safety systems to be fully operational from the start of the job. And, more particularly, every fire safety product needs to be identified and … 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
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Builders can add value to their work Building contractors have a very special place in most clients’ hearts. Builders can be the ‘keepers’ of so many good things. If you do the right thing by your clients, they will always look to you for wise advice about their future building problems. In this article published … Continued
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Tyrrells Plans & Approvals On 31 August 2012 at the BDA (Building Designers Association) Design Awards 2012, Tyrrells Plans & Approvals received commendations in the categories of ‘Commercial Alterations & Additions’ and ‘Non-residential Interiors’ for their work on The Salvation Army project in Auburn. You can read about the 2012 awards in Winning Design 2012, … Continued
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Building Consultancy for All Your Property Needs We’ve come a long way since Tyrrells co-founder Peter Ellis carried out Australia’s first ever pre-purchase inspection in 1976 (in Caulfield, Victoria) and Jerry Tyrrell did the first property and timber-pest inspection in Redfern in 1984. Then (1991): Back row (far left) Peter Ellis, Tim Tyrrell; (far right) Jerry Tyrrell, … Continued
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Did you know that Tyrrells can advise you on Emergency Management? Australian Standard AS 3745 – 2010 ‘Planning for emergencies in facilities’ requires building owners to have procedures in place for the controlled evacuation of buildings, structures and workplaces in the event of an emergency. A Building Consultant from Tyrrells, who is trained in emergency … Continued