Building Inspection Glossary
The Australian Standards, building forms and terms that matter to Queensland new-home buyers — explained in plain English. Each entry covers what the term means, where it applies in your build, and what an independent inspection checks against it.
- AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS 3740 — Waterproofing of Domestic Wet Areas
AS 3740 is the Australian Standard that sets out how wet areas — showers, bathrooms, laundries and the like — must be waterproofed in a home. It defines where membranes are required, how high they must extend and how junctions must be sealed.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS 1684 — Residential Timber-Framed Construction
AS 1684 is the Australian Standard for residential timber-framed construction. It specifies how timber wall frames, floors and roof framing must be sized, spaced, braced and tied down so a home can resist the loads and wind it will face.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS 2870 — Residential Slabs and Footings
AS 2870 is the Australian Standard for residential slabs and footings. It links the reactivity of your site's soil to the slab and footing design needed to support the home and limit movement as the ground swells and shrinks.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS 3660 — Termite Management for New Buildings
AS 3660 is the Australian Standard for protecting new buildings from subterranean termites. It sets out the accepted systems — physical and chemical barriers — and how they must be installed and documented so termites cannot reach the structure undetected.
Read definition - BUILDING FORM
Form 16 — Inspection Certificate / Aspect Certificate
Form 16 is a Queensland building certificate used by a competent person to certify that a particular aspect or stage of building work has been inspected and complies with the relevant requirements. It is a building block of evidence the certifier relies on.
Read definition - BUILDING FORM
Form 21 — Final Inspection Certificate
Form 21 is the Queensland final inspection certificate. Issued by the building certifier at the end of a build, it confirms the building work is complete, complies with the development approval, and is suitable to occupy.
Read definition - INDUSTRY BENCHMARK
QBCC Standards and Tolerances Guide — 2026 Reference
The QBCC Standards and Tolerances Guide is the Queensland reference that defines what counts as defective building work. It sets the acceptable limits for finishes, surfaces and elements, and the timeframes within which a builder is responsible for defects.
Read definition - BUYER GUIDE
QBCC Defects Guide — Common New-Home Defects in Queensland
A plain-English guide to the building defects most commonly found in new Queensland homes, how each is assessed against the QBCC Standards and Tolerances Guide, and when in the build to catch them.
Read definition - CONSTRUCTION CODE
NCC Volume 2 — The National Construction Code for Houses
NCC Volume 2 is the part of Australia's National Construction Code that applies to houses and other Class 1 and Class 10 buildings. It sets the performance requirements a new home must meet for safety, health, amenity and sustainability.
Read definition - BUILD STAGE
Practical Completion — What It Means for Your Build
Practical completion is the point at which a new home is finished enough to be used for its intended purpose, with only minor defects or omissions remaining. In Queensland it triggers the final payment and the handover process.
Read definition - BUILD STAGE
Defect Liability Period — Your Window to Have Defects Fixed
The defect liability period is the time after practical completion during which your builder remains responsible for rectifying defects in the work. It is a defined window for raising and resolving issues without dispute.
Read definition - INDUSTRY BENCHMARK
NASH Standard — Residential Steel Framing
The NASH Standard is the deemed-to-satisfy design pathway for cold-formed (light-gauge) steel house frames in Australia. It plays the same role for a steel frame that AS 1684 plays for a timber frame — a recognised recipe a builder can follow to meet the National Construction Code.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS/NZS 4600 — Cold-Formed Steel Structures
AS/NZS 4600 is the engineering design standard for cold-formed (light-gauge) steel structures. It is the calculation basis that underpins the NASH Standard used to design steel house frames.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS 3600 — Concrete Structures
AS 3600 is the Australian Standard for the design of concrete structures. On a new home it works alongside AS 2870, governing the concrete and reinforcement in the slab and footings.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS 4200 — Pliable Building Membranes (Wall Wrap)
AS 4200 is the Australian Standard for pliable building membranes — the wall wrap and sarking behind your cladding and under your roof. Part 1 covers the materials; Part 2 covers how they must be installed.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS 3999 — Bulk Thermal Insulation Installation
AS 3999 is the Australian Standard for installing bulk thermal insulation in homes. It governs how batts and blankets must be fitted so the insulation actually delivers the thermal performance it was designed for.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS 4349.0 — Inspection of Buildings
AS 4349.0 is the Australian Standard for the inspection of buildings. It sets out the general requirements for how a property inspection is carried out and reported — the framework a professional building inspection report is built on.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS 3610 — Formwork for Concrete
AS 3610 is the Australian Standard for formwork — the temporary moulds that hold wet concrete in shape until it sets. On a house slab, correct formwork is what gives the slab its set-out, edge shape and level.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS 3798 — Earthworks and Fill Compaction
AS 3798 gives guidelines for earthworks on residential and commercial developments — including how engineered fill under a slab should be placed, compacted and tested. On a cut-and-fill lot, it underpins the ground your slab sits on.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS/NZS 4671 — Steel Reinforcing Materials
AS/NZS 4671 is the standard for the steel reinforcing used in concrete — the bars and mesh inside your slab. It sets the grade and properties of that steel, which the slab design relies on.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS 1289 — Methods of Testing Soils
AS 1289 is the standard for the methods used to test soils for engineering purposes — including the compaction and classification tests that determine how your site is prepared and how your slab is designed.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS 4055 — Wind Loads for Housing
AS 4055 is the standard that gives your home a wind classification — N1 to N6 in normal regions, C1 to C4 in cyclonic ones. That class drives the bracing and tie-down your frame needs to stay put under wind.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS/NZS 1170 — Structural Design Actions
AS/NZS 1170 is the standard for the loads (actions) a structure must be designed to resist — permanent, imposed, wind, snow and earthquake. For housing, its wind part sits behind the simpler AS 4055 wind classification.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS 1163 — Structural Steel Hollow Sections
AS 1163 is the standard for structural steel hollow sections — the square, rectangular and circular hollow steel members (SHS, RHS, CHS) used for posts, beams and lintels in homes.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS/NZS 4680 — Hot-Dip Galvanised Coatings
AS/NZS 4680 is the standard for hot-dip galvanised zinc coatings on steel articles — the corrosion protection on brackets, connectors and structural steel, which matters most in coastal and humid environments.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS/NZS 1554.1 — Structural Steel Welding
AS/NZS 1554.1 is the standard for welding structural steel. It governs the quality of the welds joining steel members — the connections a steel structure depends on.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS 3566 — Self-Drilling Screws (Corrosion Class)
AS 3566 is the standard for the self-drilling screws that hold a steel frame together. Its corrosion classes (Class 3 and Class 4) matter because a steel frame is only as durable as the screws fixing it.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS/NZS 1397 — Coated Steel Sheet
AS/NZS 1397 is the standard for continuous hot-dip metallic-coated steel sheet — the coated steel that cold-formed frames and roofing are made from. Its coating designations (such as Z, AZ and AM) set the corrosion protection.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS/NZS 3500 — Plumbing and Drainage
AS/NZS 3500 is the plumbing and drainage standard — water services, sanitary plumbing, and stormwater drainage. On a new home it governs the drains cast into your slab and the stormwater that carries water away.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS/NZS 3000 — Electrical Wiring Rules
AS/NZS 3000, the Wiring Rules, is the standard for electrical installations. Electrical compliance is certified by licensed electricians — a building inspection covers building work, not electrical certification.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS/NZS 5601 — Gas Installations
AS/NZS 5601 is the standard for gas installations. Like electrical work, gas compliance is certified by licensed gasfitters — it sits outside the scope of a building inspection.
Read definition - AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS 4440 — Nail-Plated Timber Trusses
AS 4440 covers the installation of prefabricated nail-plated timber roof trusses — how they must be handled, erected, braced and fixed so the roof structure performs as designed.
Read definition
Have a question about your build?
From $660 · Same week availability. A VG Inspect QBCC-licensed inspector attends every inspection across Brisbane and SEQ. QBCC Lic. 1318443.