Is a Building Inspection Worth It on a New Home? The Honest Answer
It's a reasonable question. You're paying a premium for a brand-new home. Your builder has their own quality control process. A building certifier has inspected it. Why would you pay another $660 for an independent inspector?
Here is the honest, data-backed answer — based on what VG Inspect actually finds.
What We Find on New Homes
VG Inspect finds an average of 15 to 30 defects per new home PCI across SEQ. That's the average — not the worst case. On the lower end, we find 8 to 12 items. On the upper end, we have identified more than 60 defects on a single home.
These are not all minor cosmetic items. Across all inspections, defects fall into three broad categories:
- Cosmetic or finishing defects — paint, grout, minor seal gaps — that the builder should have addressed but didn't. These make up the bulk of the items on a typical report.
- Compliance defects — waterproofing height, drainage falls, roof fixing — that require specific rectification against Australian Standards.
- Significant or structural defects — missing bracing, termite barrier gaps, slab non-compliance — that have long-term consequences if not rectified.
That last category is what makes the inspection essential. Significant defects found after handover, after you've signed the certificate, are your problem to argue about — not your builder's obligation to fix at their cost.
What the Defects Would Cost to Fix Without an Inspection
If you skip the PCI and move into a home with non-compliant waterproofing, the typical timeline is 18 to 36 months before moisture damage becomes visible. By that point, you are outside the 12-month defect liability period and potentially outside the practical range for a warranty claim.
Waterproofing rectification requiring full tile removal is a substantial multi-thousand-dollar project. Structural bracing rectification after plasterboard installation is a major reinstatement exercise. Slab termite barrier reinstatement after the pour involves excavation, partial slab work or chemical supplementary treatment.
An inspection costs $660.
The Builder's Quality Control Is Not a Substitute
Your builder's site supervisor performs internal checks. The private building certifier inspects at mandatory hold points. Neither of these parties works for you. When they find defects, they manage the information in the builder's interests.
When VG Inspect finds defects, we document them in a report that you own and control. You decide how to use it.
The Answer
Yes. An independent building inspection on a new home is worth it. Not because builders are dishonest — most are not — but because defects occur in volume construction regardless of intent, and an independent inspector is the only party in the process whose job is to find them for you.
Book before you collect the keys. QBCC licence 1318443.