Problem
A builder was presented with an owners corporation defect list on a recently completed apartment project, comprising planter and podium leaks, balcony door threshold ingress, and cladding interface items raised by the owners corporation’s engineer. The builder required the list to be closed out conclusively, with its warranty exposure protected in respect of items that were not attributable to its work.
Diagnosis
Each item was verified by testing rather than accepted at face value. Flood testing isolated the planter leaks to membrane terminations, a design detail documented as such. Threshold ingress was traced to missing door-sill flashings, and the cladding items were confirmed against as-built records. Three claimed items were established by testing not to be defects, and were declined on that evidence.
Method
Rectification was executed against each verified item: membrane terminations re-detailed and re-tested, sill flashings retrofitted with water testing before reinstatement, and fire-stopping items rectified using certified systems with photographic records. Each closed item was delivered as an evidence pack setting out cause, method, test result and warranty, formatted for the certifier and the owners corporation’s engineer.
Outcome
The full list was resolved at first submission with no items re-opened. The builder has since engaged us on two further defect liability packages.