Advice - Engineer Says Inspections with Opt-Out are NOT mandatory?

[biscuit_or_cake]

Hi,
Am building a house soon, with savings and credit union loan, so no mortgage.
Engineer says site inspections aren't mandatory but we could get them for peace of mind if we wanted.
Is this true? Does not getting inspections mean you don't get a certificate of compliance/completion?
And does this have any negative effect on getting house insurance in the future or being able to sell house on/claim back some stamp duty fee/claim back council contribution fee?

Tnx

 

[Leo]

You need to ask that engineer how he proposes to provide certificate of compliance that he's prepared to risk his insurance on without inspections.

 

[biscuit_or_cake]

You need to ask that engineer how he proposes to provide certificate of compliance that he's prepared to risk his insurance on without inspections.

Hi, thanks for your reply, am I right in saying you don't receive a certificate of compliance if you opt out?

 

[clinteastwood]

Hi,
Am building a house soon, with savings and credit union loan, so no mortgage.
Engineer says site inspections aren't mandatory but we could get them for peace of mind if we wanted.
Is this true? Does not getting inspections mean you don't get a certificate of compliance/completion?
And does this have any negative effect on getting house insurance in the future or being able to sell house on/claim back some stamp duty fee/claim back council contribution fee?

Tnx

Sounds risky, penny pinching. Are you qualified yourself to ensure the build which you will live in or own will meet the building regs /specifications - otherwise how will you know ?. Would you get a qualified mechanic to inspect a car before you purchased, or take the word of the seller ?

 

[time to plan]

Do you know how much the inspection would cost?

 

[Leo]

Hi, thanks for your reply, am I right in saying you don't receive a certificate of compliance if you opt out?

What did you hire the engineer to do? Just provide specs to the builder for some elements of the construction or to oversee the construction and sign-off that all is in compliance?

You need someone competent to ensure all is up to standard, first of all to ensure you are getting what you paid for and the work is of an adequate quality, but also to produce a cert of compliance that you will require to sell in the future. If you are financing the build with a mortgage the lender will require a copy of the cert before issuing the final stage payment.

 

[biscuit_or_cake]

Sounds risky, penny pinching. Are you qualified yourself to ensure the build which you will live in or own will meet the building regs /specifications - otherwise how will you know ?. Would you get a qualified mechanic to inspect a car before you purchased, or take the word of the seller ?

Thanks for your reply. I'm definitely not qualified. We do have very detailed construction drawings and specifications and good builders lined up. The engineer charged €5,000 for the drawings and our budget is tight. So trying to figure out what is essential.

 

[jpd]

If you want/need to sell the house at some point in the future, then the availability or not of certificates of compliance would be very important but if you are sure that you will live in thew house forever and and happy to leave the problem to whoever inherits the house afterwards, then no they are not essential

 

[clinteastwood]

If you want/need to sell the house at some point in the future, then the availability or not of certificates of compliance would be very important but if you are sure that you will live in thew house forever and and happy to leave the problem to whoever inherits the house afterwards, then no they are not essential

again, aside from any future owners, wouldnt the OP wish to enjoy and have the satisfaction of living in a new house built to the specifications of 2024, and not some builders interpretation. This forum AAM is full of owners who are dissatisfied with the comfort of their homes. A recent thread covered a person buying a 1M Euro house, only to be didled by the finding of double-glazed housing compared to expectation of triple glazing.
And so on and so forth.

5-10k is alot of money , but in terms of the project, its relatively small. Perhaps cutback on some of the finishes instead or leave garden unlandscaped unfinished if the pot is fixed - or take on some of the tasks e.g. painting, which is very expensive.

Take Leos advice, he has engineering knowledge in regard to building regs and has retrofited at least one house according to recent posts .

 

[Leo]

You didn't mention whether you are financing with a mortgage, if you are, certification will be required or the bank won't release the final stage payment and may even be entitled to seek early repayment.

An engineer supervising the build will ensure the builder doesn't cut corners, and vital details like insulation that get covered in later stages of the build are done correctly. Spending a few k might end up saving you much more in the long run.

 

[lff12]

again, aside from any future owners, wouldnt the OP wish to enjoy and have the satisfaction of living in a new house built to the specifications of 2024, and not some builders interpretation. This forum AAM is full of owners who are dissatisfied with the comfort of their homes. A recent thread covered a person buying a 1M Euro house, only to be didled by the finding of double-glazed housing compared to expectation of triple glazing.
And so on and so forth.

5-10k is alot of money , but in terms of the project, its relatively small. Perhaps cutback on some of the finishes instead or leave garden unlandscaped unfinished if the pot is fixed - or take on some of the tasks e.g. painting, which is very expensive.

Take Leos advice, he has engineering knowledge in regard to building regs and has retrofited at least one house according to recent posts .

As someone said, even if you decide you can live with this, your children or other family will inherit the problem.
I lived in an apartment that turned out to have planning issues: builder/developer had decided to build a 1 bed apartment and 2 bed duplex over it without getting planning, somehow got a retention that didn't fully explain the discrepancy, and then couldn't sell it. So developer sold at a discount for cash to his elderly father, and later on it was inherited by a family member who then spent over 5k on architects, planning fees, appeal fees etc only to discover that you cannot fix apartments in retrospect. Basically both units, in an area they could otherwise have achieved 500k-600k under market circumstances are stuck with two units that are in cash buyer only discounted territory, and potential issues in the future because of the councils view that the 1 bed apartment is "substandard" as well as other minor issues relating to the build quality that are now more difficult to fix.
Remember that standards change and if you don't certify now, it could be judged on the standards of 30 years from now, not 2024. I'd spend that figure and get it properly done now.

 

[biscuit_or_cake]

Do you know how much the inspection would cost?

Hi there, it would be €2,000

What did you hire the engineer to do? Just provide specs to the builder for some elements of the construction or to oversee the construction and sign-off that all is in compliance?

You need someone competent to ensure all is up to standard, first of all to ensure you are getting what you paid for and the work is of an adequate quality, but also to produce a cert of compliance that you will require to sell in the future. If you are financing the build with a mortgage the lender will require a copy of the cert before issuing the final stage payment.

Hi Leo, thanks for that. He gave us a variety of options for what he could cover in the build. We aren't getting a mortgage. I'm not sure you recieve a certificate of compliance if you opt out as we have? Thanks for your advice.

 

[clinteastwood]

Hi there, it would be €2,000

Hi Leo, thanks for that. He gave us a variety of options for what he could cover in the build. We aren't getting a mortgage. I'm not sure you recieve a certificate of compliance if you opt out as we have? Thanks for your advice.

thanks very little to spend, for most people a house build is a mostly a once, twice or rare three times life-changing event. Paint the upstairs yourself to cover the cost!

 

[biscuit_or_cake]

You didn't mention whether you are financing with a mortgage, if you are, certification will be required or the bank won't release the final stage payment and may even be entitled to seek early repayment.

An engineer supervising the build will ensure the builder doesn't cut corners, and vital details like insulation that get covered in later stages of the build are done correctly. Spending a few k might end up saving you much more in the long run.

We are not getting a mortgage. Thanks for your advice

 

[Leo]

I'm not sure you recieve a certificate of compliance if you opt out as we have?

If you opt out of having an engineer certify the build, then you won't get one. As you're not relying on a mortgage you don't absolutely need one right now.

I agree with Clint though, €2k is very little to have someone competent ensure that the build is according to both the planning granted and the building regulations, and have the benefit of the engineer's insurance to claim off if something goes wrong.

 

[biscuit_or_cake]

If you opt out of having an engineer certify the build, then you won't get one. As you're not relying on a mortgage you don't absolutely need one right now.

I agree with Clint though, €2k is very little to have someone competent ensure that the build is according to both the planning granted and the building regulations, and have the benefit of the engineer's insurance to claim off if something goes wrong.

Ok, we have decided to go with the inspections. The engineer did say we could receive a certificate of compliance whether we received the inspections or not but we've decided it would be safer to go with them. 2K is not a lot but the final engineer bill is quite significant. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Brendan Burgess]

Does the Local Authority not require a Certificate of Compliance with planning permission?

Maybe they don't or maybe they do but don't actually enforce it.

Brendan

 

[Leo]

Good luck with the project.

 

[picorette]

Does the Local Authority not require a Certificate of Compliance with planning permission?

Maybe they don't or maybe they do but don't actually enforce it.

Brendan

If, at Commencement Notice stage, a homeowner opts out of the requirements for statutory certification , then they do not have to register a Certificate of Compliance on Completion with the Local Authority.

However, they still have to comply with all Building Regulations for their build ( there is no opt out for that) , and any Solicitor for a future purchaser would require Certification from a construction professional ( Architect, Structural Engineer or Surveyor ).