New Build Stage Inspections, Independent and Engineer-Led
Your builder's site supervisor is employed by the builder, not by you. BINM's Chartered Engineers and Licensed Builders give you independent oversight at every stage that matters, footing to handover.
New Builds Are Where Defects Are Easiest to Fix, and Easiest to Miss
Every new home has a builder-employed supervisor checking the work as it goes. They are not independent — their employer is the builder, not you. When something is borderline, the incentive runs in one direction.
Most defects in new construction are easiest to fix, and cheapest to resolve, before they're hidden behind plaster, cladding or flooring. BINM starts every stage inspection with a Chartered Engineer, priced the same as a standard market inspection. If something more is found, you do not pay for a second visit — we escalate the same inspection data to a formal engineering or dispute-ready expert report.
One inspection at every stage. Every pathway covered. No second fee.
One Core Service. Every Stage Covered.
New Build Stage Inspection (Engineer-Led)
A market-priced inspection at the stage of your choosing, footing through to handover, delivered by a Chartered Engineer rather than a builder-employed supervisor. If nothing structural is found, you get a clear, plain-English report. If something is found, your inspector already has the qualifications to take it further, on the spot.
Five Stages, One Independent Engineering Standard
Not every build needs every stage inspected. Footing, frame, and Practical Completion carry the highest defect risk if budget requires prioritising.
Footing / Slab Pre-Pour
Inspection before concrete is poured. Reinforcement, footing depth and site preparation are easiest to verify now and impossible to check once covered.
Frame Inspection
Structural frame checked against approved plans and engineering specifications before it's enclosed.
Waterproofing / Pre-Plaster
Wet area waterproofing and rough-in services checked before walls are closed up, the last point these are visible.
Fixing / Lock-Up
Final structural and compliance check before fixing trades complete their work.
Practical Completion (PCI) / Handover
A full inspection before you accept handover, with a finished-floor baseline recorded for any future reference.
Tiered Upgrades and Add-Ons
Every stage inspection can be extended with the following, individually or combined.
Single-stage or full 5-stage package — book one stage, or the full footing-to-handover sequence.
Drone roof video and images — for roof areas that are inaccessible, steep, or hold safety risk to inspect on foot.
Drawing review — approved architectural and structural plans reviewed against as-built condition.
Engineering-level report — deeper causation and risk analysis beyond the standard stage report.
Finished-floor baseline survey — recorded at handover for any future reference or dispute.
Dispute-ready expert report upgrade — if a defect becomes contested, your data is already escalation-ready.
If a Defect Is Found, What Happens Next
Scope
A clear, itemised scope describing exactly what needs to be fixed and why.
Costing
Engineer-prepared estimates so you know what you are negotiating or budgeting for.
Procurement
Help sourcing and briefing the right trade or contractor for the rectification.
Project Management
Oversight through the rectification process, so the fix matches the recommendation.
Verification
A follow-up inspection to confirm the rectification was completed to standard.
Inspect. Report. Protect.
Three steps from booking to a report you can act on.
Inspect
Book online or call 1800 796 776, with your build's stage schedule from your builder. A Chartered Engineer is matched to your job with same-week availability.
Report
Inspection at each agreed stage, with photos, measurements and observations captured to a standard that supports engineering escalation if required.
Protect
Receive your stage reports. If an issue is identified at any point, upgrade to an engineering or dispute-ready report, no second site visit required.
Stage Inspection Pricing
Pricing depends on number of stages selected, build size and location. All pricing confirmed before booking.
Renovating instead of building new? See Renovation & Extension Inspections for projects involving an existing structure.
New Build Stage Inspection FAQs
Everything you need to know about new build stage inspections.
You can book a single stage, most commonly Practical Completion at handover, or select multiple stages, or the full five-stage package. If budget requires prioritising, footing, frame, and Practical Completion carry the highest defect risk.
Your builder's site supervisor is employed by the builder, not by you. They check the work, but they aren't independent of the business that benefits if a problem is overlooked or minimised. BINM's engineers report only to you.
Because every BINM inspector is a Chartered Engineer, your inspection data can be escalated to a formal engineering assessment without a second site visit, so there's no need to pause the build to bring in a separate engineering firm.
This service covers a new home built on a vacant block or as a full knockdown-rebuild. Our Renovation & Extension Inspections service is built around the old/new interface, where new structural work ties into an existing building, which carries different risks. If your project involves both, let us know when booking and we'll confirm the right scope.
Yes. New build stage inspections apply regardless of builder size, project home, volume builder, or custom build.
Yes. Because every stage inspection is engineer-led, the data collected can be escalated to a formal engineering report or a dispute-ready expert report prepared to the standard required by your state's building tribunal, without a separate inspection.