# Forum More Stuff Owner Builders Forum  Wrong Supervisor Number

## Jemma

As part of my paperwork for the council, they required a licensed supervisors number which I provided them.
I have since found out that that license is ONLY to supervise & verify that the roof was installed correctly & the trusses loaded etc properly & does NOT cover the other trades like gyprock, brickwork, water proofing etc. 
I received the final approval today so I'm confused. Surely they would have realised that when they went through all my paperwork?
Now I'm trying to figure out if I need to hire another supervisor OR can a Building Inspection be done at the various stages that need to be signed off on?
Does anybody know that has done this before?
I am in SA & can't starts works until I figure this out  :Frown: 
Thanks. :Confused:

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## barney118

It will tell you on your DA what is required in terms of inspections either through council or private certifier. The supervisor can supervise other trades, the truss manufacturer should have given you paperwork submit to council to say it complies etc. You dont need approval for gyprock for instant, you could DIY and certifiers check at stages to make sure the job is to code, i.e bracing in place and correct look at framework, steelwork before concrete etc which you could have done yourself, im not up to speed on what you can tackle yourself in SA, but hopefully its spelt out on your DA. You need to check with your supervisor what you are covered for on insurances, and they should take out home warranty insurance for you as part of the build.
Are you an owner builder? or is the supervisor managing the whole job and now changed their mind?

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## Jemma

> It will tell you on your DA what is required in terms of inspections either through council or private certifier. The supervisor can supervise other trades, the truss manufacturer should have given you paperwork submit to council to say it complies etc. You dont need approval for gyprock for instant, you could DIY and certifiers check at stages to make sure the job is to code, i.e bracing in place and correct look at framework, steelwork before concrete etc which you could have done yourself, im not up to speed on what you can tackle yourself in SA, but hopefully its spelt out on your DA. You need to check with your supervisor what you are covered for on insurances, and they should take out home warranty insurance for you as part of the build.
> Are you an owner builder? or is the supervisor managing the whole job and now changed their mind?

  I'm an owner builder as all the companys I had come out to quote were either too expensive or not licensed to do the work in some way or another.
I'm covered for public liability of $20,000,000 as standard under my home & contents policy also. 
I found an 'inspection' company that will come out & give me a report after 6 inspections at various stages for $275 per visit.
WAY better than the $5500 people are trying to rip me off for  :Smilie:

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## barney118

If you are OB then you need to do a course and not use someone license number? Your house warranty won't cover you for the work.  
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## Farmer Geoff

It would pay to check whether your normal house and contents public liability policy would cover activity on your building site. Mine didn't. I paid about $1,700 total for public liability and to cover damage or loss to the building in progress. Talk to a broker or agent to see what's usual in SA. 
Yes your DA should cover inspection schedule plus other stuff like site safety, security, drainage, amenities for workers, signage, etc. Generally inspections are to ensure structural integrity and safety so they won't care if your gyprocking is crook. 
Some OBs look for a local builder or carpenter (often retired) who will visit once a week/month to look at what's been done since last visit and plan ahead and mark out for the upcoming activities all within the big grand plan. Even $100 for a short visit would often be money well spent. They are also a good source of hints on which local tradespeople will suit your job and your style. 
Best advice I received was to build backwards, ie to always keep in mind how you want it to look when you are finished and build a skeleton that your final skin will easily and attractively fit onto. Plus try to incorporate liveable housing design, eg wide doorways, no sharp narrow corners, beefed up studwork that will later accept handrails in bathrooms, etc. This sort of stuff can be done as you go - fine tuning of internal wall placement, door widths, etc is usually okay as long as it meets standards and as long as it fits with the plumbing you installed in the slab months ago! 
Good luck!

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## barney118

Id be more concerned in using someones license number and not use their services. This is the wrong way to go about an OB job.

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## Jemma

> If you are OB then you need to do a course and not use someone license number? Your house warranty won't cover you for the work.  
> Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk

  I'm in South Australia & we don't need to do a course to owner build.
As long as I hire fully qualified & licensed tradesman & have their work signed off by a supervisor or in my case, inspector with a full supervisors license.
I'm not doing any of the work - I'm paying tradesman to do it. 
What state are you in? Do you have to do a course to hire tradies??

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## barney118

In SA it says the contractor needs to take out indemnity insurance at some point for the works over $12 k. The supervisor should be able to inspect the whole job not just the roof. In NSW you need to do a course which outlines all this plus more and your CC is not given until your OB number is on application unless you have a builders one. It sound like you need to check your tradies insurances will cover your job and look into the other insurances in case they go belly up or don't finish your job   
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## Jemma

[QUOTE=barney118;940400]In SA it says the contractor needs to take out indemnity insurance at some point for the works over $12 k. The supervisor should be able to inspect the whole job not just the roof. In NSW you need to do a course which outlines all this plus more and your CC is not given until your OB number is on application unless you have a builders one. It sound like you need to check your tradies insurances will cover your job and look into the other insurances in case they go belly up or don't finish your job  
Each tradie has to provide me with a copy of their indemnity & public liability insurance before they can start work on my house if their job with be LESS than $12k. If more then I need my own but so far each trade is UNDER thankfully.
The inspector I found & license checked, has a full supervisors license to cover all trades & provides a written report at 6 stages of my job for my council, to prove it has been built to building code.
All the builders we looked into, were either dodgy or their licenses didn't check out, hence why we've gone down the path of OB. 
I have a 5-6inch file folder FULL of quotes, plans, reports, bank stuff etc. I've been working on this for about 8 months so have learnt a butt load of info.
It's now a matter of tying it all in together.

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