FAQ | L2L HOMES

FAQ - FRAME STAGE INSPECTION

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WHY DO I NEED FRAME STAGE INSPECTION?

Frame stage is the most important stage in the construction of the new house. In the brick veneer structure the timber or steel frame bear all the structure loads like gravity load, wind load etc. Any minor defect said post bolt not been tightened to slab can cause structure member connection failure and the house unsafe to occupy. Wall framing not square and out of plumb before it gets covered up by plasterboard can often have a flow-on effect that can impact on other things such as walls and ceilings being bowed, or tiling being out of square. Make no mistake on this stage because once plaster done it is significantly more difficult and costly to rectify these defects at later stage and it is no like the cosmetic defects you can easily just patch or repaint.

WHAT ARE THE COMMON DEFECTS IN FRAME STAGE?

Bottom plates that overhang the edge of the concrete slabs by more than 10mm.This does happen quite often due to slab set out issues. The overhang wall can cause the wall to rotate and need to be rectified as per engineering design
Post or wall frame deviate from vertical by more than 5mm over a 1.8 m height
Wall frame deviate from plane (horizontal or vertical bow) by more than 4 mm in any 2 m length of wall
Bracing missing or not installed correctly as per engineering design
Floors that squeak or bounce by a person walking normally in a trafficable area
Missing lintel on non-load bearing wall opening wider than 1800mm
Structure member material or dimension not as per engineering design or not been installed correctly

WHAT IS SHEAR WALL AND PURPOSE IN LOW RESIDENTIAL BUILDING?

In the residential framing stage, you will come across either metal or plywood bracing fixed to the wall and you would wonder what they are? In structural engineering, a shear wall is a vertical element of a seismic force resisting system that is designed to resist in-plane lateral forces, typically wind and seismic loads. Australia is considered a stable continental region and historical seismicity in the Melbourne has been relatively low. So these metals or plywood bracing fixed to the wall is called shear wall in the residential building designed to resist wind load to ensure the frame not deformed under wind pressure.

HOW LONG DOES FRAME STAGE INSPECTION TAKE?

The frame stage inspection normally takes 1 hour and may vary depend on the size of the home and the number of defects noted. Your presence is certainly welcome but not essential. We highly recommend you wear the personal protective equipment to avoid any injury on site if you choose to attend. We will send you and your builder the report within 24 hours. You may also wish to book a second inspection to make sure all the defects been rectified before proceed to next stage at a discount price.