Lock-Up & Pre-Plaster Inspection Melbourne
The Last Look Inside Your Walls
Lock-up is when your home is closed in: roof on, external walls finished, and windows and external doors installed. It’s also the last chance to see inside your walls and ceilings before plasterboard hides the insulation, wrap, plumbing and electrical rough-ins for good.
A BuildInspect Melbourne lock-up / pre-plaster inspection checks the building envelope and everything behind the plaster against your plans and the National Construction Code. Any damage done to the frame by trades, and any gaps in insulation or sarking, are found while they’re easy to fix. You get a photo report before you pay the lock-up stage progress claim.
What Our Lock-Up Inspection Covers
The building envelope and everything that’s about to be hidden behind plaster.
- What We Check
Inspected against your plans, the NCC and relevant Australian Standards.
- Roof covering, flashings, valleys and gutters
- Brickwork: bond, mortar joints, weep holes and ties
- Wall cladding installation and junctions
- Sarking and wall wrap installation and laps
- Window and external door installation and flashings
- Insulation type, coverage and gaps in walls and ceilings
- Plumbing rough-in and pipe fixings
- Electrical rough-in clearances to framing
- Frame damage from notching or drilling by trades
- Moisture barriers and damp-proof courses
- When to Book
Book once the home is closed in but before plastering starts.
- After roofing, external walls, windows and external doors are complete
- After plumbing and electrical rough-ins and insulation
- Before plasterboard is installed
- Before you pay the builder's lock-up stage progress claim
- Common Lock-Up Defects We Find
Issues that disappear behind plaster if they aren’t caught now.
- Gaps or missing batts in wall and ceiling insulation
- Torn or poorly lapped wall wrap and sarking
- Blocked or missing weep holes in brickwork
- Studs and plates over-notched by plumbers or electricians
- Poorly sealed window flashings
- Roof flashings and valleys not finished correctly
- Your Inspection Report
Clear, easy to read and delivered fast.
- Detailed report with photos of every issue found
- Each defect referenced to the relevant standard or plan
- Plain-English explanation of what needs fixing
- Report usually delivered within 4 hours of the inspection
- Easy to forward straight to your builder
- Free lifetime phone support to talk through the findings
- Pricing
Clear, fixed pricing. All prices include GST.
- Single storey home: from $330 per stage
- Double storey home: from $350 per stage
- 5-stage package (pre-slab to handover): from $2,000 single storey / $2,200 double storey
- Free lifetime phone support with every inspection
- Other Stage Inspections
Book individual stages or save with our 5-stage package.
Why a Lock-Up Inspection Matters
Your last chance to see inside the walls before plaster goes up.
Insulation gaps cost you in energy bills for the life of the home.
Picks up frame damage caused by trades during rough-ins.
Checks the roof and walls will keep water out.
Gives you leverage before you pay the lock-up progress claim.
Your building surveyor doesn’t routinely inspect at lock-up. We do.
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We Cover All of Melbourne
All Melbourne, Covered
We cover the entire metropolitan Melbourne area.
Key suburbs we service in this area:
- Inner Melbourne
- Inner North
- Inner East
- Eastern Melbourne
- South East Melbourne
- Bayside Melbourne
- Western Melbourne
- Caroline Springs Region
- Northern Melbourne
- Outer Northern Growth Corridor
Lock-Up / Pre-Plaster Inspection FAQs
What is the lock-up stage?
Lock-up is when the external walls, roof covering, windows and external doors are installed, so the home can be locked. In most Victorian building contracts it’s a progress payment stage.
Why inspect before plastering?
Once plasterboard goes up you can no longer see insulation, wall wrap, plumbing or electrical rough-ins, or any damage done to the frame. A pre-plaster inspection is the last chance to check them without cutting into walls.
Does the building surveyor inspect at lock-up?
Lock-up isn’t one of the building surveyor’s standard mandatory inspection stages. An independent inspection is the main way to check this stage on your behalf.
Do you check insulation?
Yes. We check that insulation is installed throughout the walls and ceiling with no gaps, compression or missing batts, and that it matches what’s specified in your plans and energy rating.
Is BuildInspect Melbourne insured?
Yes, it holds both professional indemnity insurance and public liability insurance.
How much does a lock-up inspection cost?
Lock-up / pre-plaster inspections start from $330 for a single storey home and $350 for a double storey home, including GST. It is also included in our 5-stage package from $2,000.
What qualifications do your inspectors have?
All of our building inspectors are Registered Building Practitioners, licensed carpenters, building surveyors and qualified timber pest inspectors in Victoria, with over 30 years experience in residential and commercial construction. They are trained in Tramex moisture detection and thermal imaging equipment.
Book an Inspection
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At BuildInspect Melbourne, we pride ourselves on delivering honest advice, detailed reporting, and reliable service you can trust.
Contact us today to arrange your pre-purchase building and pest inspection and ensure you know exactly what you’re buying before you commit.