Four missing tie down bolts on one suburb's jobs

In short: Tie down bolts absent from bracing, recorded four times.

What the chain is

The run of fixings from roof to top plate, plate to studs, studs to bottom plate, bottom plate to slab, resisting uplift.

What we recorded

Tie down bolts missing from the bracing on four separate occasions across the Marsden Park jobs.

Why one link matters

Each bolt was sized for a load. Remove one and the chain is only as strong as what remains at that point.

Why they get left out

They are small, numerous and installed at pace by people working to a schedule.

Timing

Frame stage, while the frame is open and the carpenter is still on the job.

Written by the Owner Inspections team from inspections carried out in Marsden Park. Licensed building practitioners, NSW Fair Trading licence 366177C.

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A barrier that stopped at the slab edge

One continuous layer, or no layer at all.

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Eleven pinholes, and none visible from the doorway

The most repeated finding in this suburb's set.

Questions Marsden Park owners ask about this

Is it dangerous now?

A structural non conformity rather than a hazard today. Its consequence appears in the wind loading it was engineered against.

Where does the requirement come from?

From your tie down schedule, derived from the wind classification for your lot.

Is it expensive to fix?

No, which is exactly why it is worth catching at frame.

Are the items rechecked?

At lock-up, and each is marked done, partly done or still open.