Practical Completion Inspections (PCI)

Don't rush to sign off on your newly built home.

Building a new home takes time. As anyone who has been through the process will tell you, it sometimes feels like it will never end.

While it’s tempting to breeze through handover just to get those precious keys, cutting this final corner could be costly in the short term and could hurt the resale value of your house down the track.

We can’t stress enough that doing this final inspection, often called a Practical Completion Inspection (PCI), is essential.

Report available within 24 hours

What is a practical completion inspection (PCI)?

Practical Completion is a building term for when a build has reached the stage that it is ready for its intended purpose and, other than a few minor items, is essentially complete.  By definition, it should be fit for occupation, even if some works are still required.  If the house could not be lived in, it has not reached Practical Completion.

A PCI, is a thorough visual property assessment carried out by an expert building inspector to check on the workmanship, structure and finish of a newly built home.

What do you look for when doing a pci?

We are checking the workmanship and finish of the building works. We all would like perfect – but this is not possible in this world. We assess the works with reference to the Western Australia Guide to Standards and Tolerances 2019. This government publication has been developed for use by builders and building owners as a convenient reference for acceptable standards of workmanship in residential building construction.

We check the entire build which will include:

Roof cover, roof void, insulation, venting, exterior finishes, plumbing operations, electrical operations (please check appliances yourself so you know how they work), walls, doors, windows, ceilings, iron monger, painting, plastering, flooring, skirting, cabinetry of kitchens, bathrooms and laundry. Alfresco areas, garages, driveways, fencing, retaining walls, paving, paths, drains, gutters, downpipes – you get the idea.

Who carries out the inspection?

Andrew and/or George carries out all practical completion inspections and prepare all property inspection reports.

Most often the homeowner does attend this inspection as it is a great time for the builder to also hand over the workings and operations of the home. As long as we have access to the building, we do not need anyone else to be there to allow us to complete our checks. If you cannot be on site at the time we have available for your inspection, please arrange a separate visit with the supervisor if at all possible.

When Should I Book my PCI?

Please take the advice of your builder. They have experience in the process, along with an understanding of when they have finishing trades booked. Just because you want or need to move in sooner does not mean this key milestone will be reached any sooner.

When your builder mentions they are ready to book the final inspection, please get in touch with us to get the time and date reserved.

Once you have a booking, we do not make any other appointments at the time. We ask that you respect our time and confirm these details as soon as possible with your builder. Changes without adequate notice will incur a charge and may affect our ability to reschedule an appropriate time.

Pricing and Payment

We price each inspection individually based on the size and nature of the build.  Please send a set of plans to admin@proconsult.com.au to allow us to give you a quote.  

We are starting to see builders and clients rushing to book Practical Completion Inspections, only to have them cancelled or rescheduled at the last minute.  This has been causing disruption to our bookings processes and we now require a deposit to book your PCI time and date.  This prepayment will be deducted from your final bill if all goes ahead as planned.

The deposit will become a non-refundable call out/admin fee if the booking is changed with less than 5 business days’ notice.

Your final invoice will be sent the week following the inspection and we have a two week payment period.