Jim Georgiou

A comparison of defects in houses constructed by owners and registered builders in the Australian State of Victoria

The lack of attention to quality control by house builders in the Australian State of Victoria has been a contentious issue for more than two decades. In an attempt to improve the quality of housing, various mechanisms have been adopted and discarded by industry‐based organisations and government legislation. While builders are encouraged to improve construction quality, little is known and published about the quality of housing produced by owner builders. This paper presents findings from an ongoing research project that compares the defects in houses built by owner builders with those of registered builders. The initial findings suggest that there is no significant difference between the quality of housing procured by owner builders and registered builders. The functional elements within a house where defects are likely to occur are identified and discussed. The paper concludes by suggesting that the use of a registered builder’s management expertise does not necessarily guarantee a better quality product.

A review of builder registration in the state of Victoria, Australia

Builders have a long history of a public perception of poor image and low quality products. Political and administrative demands for builder registration and tighter control of entry into the industry have been seen to be the solution to these problems. However, progress towards registration and control has proved elusive. Recently, the state of Victoria in Australia introduced mandatory builder registration under its Building Control Act 1993. Further reform for the housing industry was introduced in 1996 through the Domestic Building Contracts and Tribunal Act 1995. As the first legislation of its kind in Australia, the Victorian experience provides a case study for similar developments elsewhere. This paper reviews the history of builder registration in Victoria and identifies the major provisions of the 1995 Act, including the organisations established to regulate and supervise the implementation of the legislation. The perceived drawbacks and benefits of the new system are also analysed following the limited experience since the introduction of the legislation.

Procurement of construction facilities: a case study of design management within a design and construct organisation

As clients have become more aware and demanding of the construction industry, they are also becoming less tolerant of the problems and the risks involved in the delivery of major projects. Presents a case study of design management within a design‐construct organization on a large residential apartment project. Identifies and analyses issues concerned with the organization, responsibilities, relationships and stages of development in a typical design‐construct project.

Auditing construction costs during building design: A case study of cost planning in action

Building cost planning was originally developed in the framework of traditional procurement methods with conventional documentation, tendering and administration processes. With the advent of alternative forms of procurement with more fluid approaches to design stages and documentation, the need for sound cost planning does not appear to diminish. As a process established on solid theoretical foundations, cost planning should be robust enough to adapt and flourish in a variety of procurement environments. However, little documentation and analysis of transformed and adapted forms of cost planning appear to have been made. This case study of a design‐construct company in Melbourne, Australia, presents and explores a contemporary form of building cost planning integrated into a design cost management approach adopted by a construction company experienced in alternative forms of procurement. The article traces this process on a design‐construct project from inception to the end of the design development stage and tender. Whilst the fundamental framework of cost planning remains intact, the focus and detail in each of the stages are guided by the companys priority for greater financial control over the cost and value implications of design and other decisions. This recently established working model of design cost management in this company has been designed to deliver added value to the client through a better balance of time, cost and quality in each project.

A benchmark study on housing defects in Victoria, Australia

Abstract The construction industry consists of many small businesses employing less than five people. A challenge to the construction industry is to ensure that the many small firms and sub-contractors keep producing quality housing to meet the needs of their customers and clients. In attempts to continually improve the quality of housing various policies and mechanisms have been adopted. These have included industry sponsored quality programs and industry administered builder registration. However, these attempts have failed because of consumer mistrust of industry-sponsored programs. In 0addition, these mechanisms have been introduced in isolation and not as a part of an integrated industry initiative that includes education and training from the trade to tertiary level construction management courses. This work contributes to knowledge through a detailed on-going study of housing quality and defects. This research identifies the common forms of defects, which occur in housing and their incidences. The overall aim of this paper is to report the identification of defects in housing and the establishment of benchmarks (or a baseline) for the incidence defects in various functional elements within a house. It also suggests the areas where defects are likely to occur. From the knowledge gained from the study, industry and governments may make informed decisions of where resources may be directed to the areas where it will be most beneficial both to the house builder and the end user (customer). For this to occur the findings of this research will be disseminated into the housing industry and eventually integrated into tertiary courses in building and construction management.