Frame items that are still open at lock-up, and how to stop that happening
Why the lock-up visit on a Truganina build rechecks the frame report, and what a cut top plate, slack bracing and missing tie-downs have in common.
In short: Frame defects reported in good time can still survive to lock-up if nobody confirms they were fixed. Lock-up is the last look before plaster.
The gap between report and repair
A frame report goes to the supervisor, who passes the items to the carpenter. Most are fixed. Some are not, usually because the trade has moved on or the item was misunderstood. On a Truganina lock-up in October 2025 a set of frame items was still open weeks after the frame report.
Typical carry-over items
A top plate cut for services and not reinforced to AS 1684. Strap bracing installed but left slack, so it cannot reach its rated capacity. Tie-down straps missing where upper floor studs bear through the frame below. None of these show once the walls are lined.
What lock-up adds
At lock-up we go back through the frame report item by item and record each as fixed, partly fixed or not fixed, with photos. That list goes in the lock-up report beside the new lock-up findings.
Ask for evidence
Ask the builder for photographs of each frame repair before plaster is ordered. It is a reasonable request, and it gives both sides a record.
When an item cannot wait
If a structural frame item is still open at lock-up, raise it in writing before plaster arrives. Once lined, the only way to check it is to cut the plaster out again.
Written by our local inspection team from work carried out in Truganina. Licensed building practitioners, Building & Plumbing Commission registration CDB-U 53425.
