Stonebank reviewing material samples and drawings on site

Independent eyes on site

Construction Quality Advisory gives owners an independent line of sight into what's actually happening on site — separate from the builder's and design team's own reporting. Because we hold no commercial relationship with the builder, our findings are reported without conflict of interest.

Issues are identified early, while they remain visible and inexpensive to rectify — protecting build quality, programme and budget before problems are covered up by subsequent trades.

What this service covers

Independent site inspections and quality audits

Defect identification and early rectification advice

Specification and compliance verification

Owner-facing reporting, independent of builder interests

Issue tracking through to resolution

1500+Apartments
$1bn+Construction Value of Works Inspected
1000+Quality Issues Resolved
The Problem

Construction quality is a material asset risk.

Builders deliver. Consultants design. Superintendents administer. On most developments, no one is independently checking whether what's being built will actually perform, until it's too late.

Defects driven by construction execution, not design

Reliance on 'tick and flick' QA processes

Impacts asset performance and operating costs

Creates long-term remediation risk

A missing governance layer

Current project roles do not provide independent oversight of construction quality aligned to long-term asset performance.

Builders deliver

Consultants design

Superintendents administer

There is no independent quality function.

Where We Focus

The areas that matter.

Our services focus on ensuring quality of the areas of your project that are covered up during construction but cause the largest latent defect issues.

Basement Construction

Retention, shoring and water control

Structure

Concrete, steel and timber

Façade

Cladding, glazing and building envelopes

Terraces and Roofs

Roof systems, membranes and drainage

Passive Fire Systems

Fire rating and compartmentation

Acoustics

Sound insulation and transmission

Waterproofing

Membranes and wet-area detailing

Services

Mechanical, electrical, hydraulics and fire

Our Services

Four ways we provide independent oversight.

Clerk of Works

Regular, on-site quality inspection and audit. Most projects have no independent check on this until it's too late.

Design Review

Review of design for future quality issues. Issues caught on paper cost a fraction of the same issue found after construction starts.

Defect Management

Leadership of defect rectification on complex or distressed projects. Without dedicated leadership, defects and costs compound while responsibility stays unclear.

Investor Representative

Periodic inspection and reporting aligned to investor's requirements. Many investors rely solely on the builder's own reporting.

What We Do

Portfolio level.

Construction Quality Standard development

Defect trend analysis

Continuous improvement

Portfolio-wide consistency

 

Project level.

Monitor delivery

Design review

Clerk of Works

Risk-based inspections

Prototype and mock-up review

Completion and handover support

How We Work

Catch it before it's covered up.

01

Engagement & Scope

Agree inspection frequency, standards and reporting lines directly with the owner.

02

Site Verification

Independent inspections against drawings, specification and applicable standards.

03

Issue Reporting

Clear, evidenced reporting to the owner — while items are still economical to fix.

04

Resolution Tracking

Track rectification through to close-out ahead of practical completion.

Case Study

VMCH St. Clare, Kew

103 Apartment Luxury Retirement Living Development

St. Clare has set a new benchmark for retirement living, in quality, service offering and sales records. Stonebank has been intimately involved in the project since its inception, and in addition to other roles on the project, were appointed to provide Clerk of Works services as the Principal's Construction Advisor.

Stonebank provided regular inspections, championed plans for key activities such as the creation of a project specific waterproofing management plan and provided oversight over benchmarking and prototyping.

Key successes include the overall built quality of the development, and the buy-in from the construction contractor, Hacer.

Outcome

530+ construction issues identified and resolved before completion, and zero latent defects at handover.

"It filled an obvious gap in the meticulous approach we had taken to every other aspect of the project."

— Liz Hickey, Chief Retirement Living Officer, VMCH

Related Services

Project Management

Quality verification alongside programme and cost governance.

View service

Development Management

Protect the original business case through construction quality.

View service

Want an independent set of eyes on site?