The National House Building Council (NHBC) plays an important role in maintaining the quality of new build homes across the UK. One of the most important aspects of their work is the inspection process that every new home must undergo to achieve the Buildmark warranty. This inspection regime is designed to prevent defects and maintain a consistent focus on quality throughout the construction process. In this post we’ll talk about the key inspection stages carried out by NHBC inspectors and explore how these contribute to the overall quality of new build homes.
Before we dive into the specific stages of inspection, it’s crucial to understand why these inspections are so vital. The construction of a new home is a complex process, involving numerous trades and countless individual tasks. Even with the best intentions and skilled workers, mistakes can happen. The NHBC inspection process serves as a critical quality control measure, ensuring that potential issues are identified and rectified at the earliest possible stage.
These inspections not only protect the homebuyer by ensuring they receive a high-quality product but also benefit the builder by maintaining standards and reducing the likelihood of costly remedial work after completion. The NHBC’s approach combines scheduled key stage inspections with risk-based assessments, providing a comprehensive overview of the construction process.
Key Stage Inspections for Housing Plots
The NHBC aims to inspect every plot at key stages of construction. Builders are required to give at least 24 hours’ notice when a key stage inspection is needed. For individual housing plots, the key stages are:
- Excavation: This initial inspection occurs before any concrete is poured. The inspector checks the depth and width of foundations, ensuring they meet the required specifications for the soil type and building design.
- Superstructure: This stage involves inspecting the main structural elements of the house, including walls, floors, and roof. The inspector checks for proper construction techniques, appropriate materials, and adherence to building regulations.
- Pre-plaster: Before the walls are plastered, the inspector examines the internal structure, including electrical and plumbing installations, insulation, and ventilation systems.
- Pre-handover: This final inspection occurs just before the property is handed over to the new owner. It’s a comprehensive check of all aspects of the finished home, ensuring everything meets the required standards.
- Drainage: For sites where NHBC is carrying out Building Control, there’s an additional inspection of the drainage systems to ensure they’re correctly installed and functional.
Key Stage Inspections for Blocks of Flats
When it comes to blocks of flats or apartments, the inspection process is slightly different to account for the more complex nature of these buildings. The key stages for block inspections are:
- Excavation: Similar to individual plots, this involves checking the foundations before concrete is poured.
- Basement (where applicable): For blocks with basements, this inspection ensures proper waterproofing and structural integrity.
- Plot pre-plaster / fire safety inspection: This stage is crucial for ensuring that each individual apartment within the block meets the required standards before plastering.
- Block (common parts): The inspector checks the communal areas of the building, ensuring they meet safety and quality standards.
- Means of escape (per core): This vital inspection ensures that fire escape routes are properly designed and constructed.
- Plot pre-handover: As with individual houses, this final inspection occurs before residents move in.
- Drainage: Again, this is carried out where NHBC is responsible for Building Control.
It’s worth noting that apartments often require additional inspections due to their more complex nature. These typically include extra pre-plaster checks and regular inspections of the façade and common areas.
Risk-Based Inspections
In addition to the key stage inspections, NHBC also conducts risk-based inspections. These are carried out on specific parts of the construction that present additional risks of defects. Examples include bay windows, render, cavity trays, or dummy chimneys. These risk-based inspections provide an extra layer of scrutiny for elements that are known to be potential problem areas if not constructed correctly.
Site Record Book and Reportable Items
Throughout the inspection process, the NHBC inspector records their findings in a site record book. This includes notes on which key stages have been passed and any issues that have been identified. All defects found during any type of inspection (key stage, risk-based, or intermediate) are recorded as Reportable Items. This approach allows for the application of Quality Common Scoring across all inspections.
The NHBC uses a system called Quality Common Scoring for all key stage and risk-based inspections. This scoring system, which ranges from 1 to 6, is the same one used for the Pride in the Job awards and Construction Quality Reviews. A score of 4 indicates compliance with NHBC Standards, while 1 is very poor and 6 represents outstanding work.
For each key stage inspection and risk-based inspection, a Quality Benchmark Report is produced. This report includes photographs and commentary, a score from 1 to 6, and highlights both good practices and any defects found. This benchmarking process helps to maintain consistent standards across different sites and builders.
Technology-Assisted Inspections
In keeping with technological advancements, the NHBC has introduced Technology Assisted Inspection (TAI). This approach allows builders to upload photographs for online inspection or re-inspection by the NHBC team. In some cases, this can avoid the need for an in-person inspection visit, streamlining the process and saving time for both builders and inspectors.
The NHBC’s key inspection stages form a robust and comprehensive system for ensuring the quality of new build homes. From the initial excavation to the final pre-handover check, these inspections provide multiple opportunities to identify and rectify any issues that may arise during the construction process.
For homebuyers, these inspections offer peace of mind, knowing that their new home has been thoroughly checked at every stage of construction. For builders, the process provides valuable feedback and helps maintain high standards of workmanship.
At New Build Inspections, we understand the importance of these NHBC inspections. However, we also recognise that an additional, independent snagging inspection can provide an extra layer of assurance for homebuyers. Our detailed inspections complement the NHBC process, focusing on the finished product from the perspective of the end-user.
By combining the rigorous NHBC inspection regime with our own expert snagging service, homebuyers can be confident that their new home meets the highest standards of quality and craftsmanship. After all, a new home is a significant investment, and every buyer deserves the assurance that their property has been built to last.