Building Surveying: How Certification Works (and Why Builders Should Care)
Building surveyors (or certifiers, depending on jurisdiction) exist to verify compliance with the NCC and referenced standards. A strong relationship with the certifier is not about “getting things through”—it’s about avoiding rework, delays, and failed final inspections.
1. What Surveyors/Certifiers Actually Do
- Assess documentation: drawings, specifications, performance solutions, energy reports.
- Nominate inspection stages: points where evidence must be provided before progressing.
- Verify essential safety measures: especially in commercial buildings (fire safety systems and ongoing maintenance requirements).
- Issue occupancy documentation: when compliance evidence is complete.
2. The Builder’s Success Pattern
- Engage early (before construction) to clarify inspection points and evidence expectations.
- Maintain an evidence pack: photos of concealed works, test certificates, and product compliance sheets.
- Book inspections with enough notice and ensure the workface is safe and accessible.
3. Common Pitfalls
- Concealing work before inspection (bracing, waterproofing, fire-stopping).
- Substituting products without compliance evidence (especially fire and energy items).
- Assuming “we’ve always done it this way” equals compliance.
4. Treat Certification as a Project Workstream
On well-run projects, certification is planned like procurement:
- Pre-start alignment: confirm inspection stages, evidence expectations, and notice periods for bookings.
- Hold point discipline: no close-up before inspection or sign-off (especially waterproofing, fire stopping, structure/bracing).
- Evidence capture: photos of concealed works, batch numbers where relevant, test sheets, and certificates stored by area/date.
- Change management: when details change, confirm whether approvals/amendments are required before building it in.
5. Builder Tip: Make It Easy to Say “Yes”
Certifiers are risk managers. The more organised your evidence and site readiness, the faster inspections go and the fewer arguments you have at the end of the job.