In short: The finishes inside get the attention at handover. The details where wall meets ground decide whether water stays out for the next twenty years.
Weep holes too close to the ground
At a Kalkallo handover in December 2025 the weep holes sat less than 150mm above the ground beside them. Paving and soil had been finished too high.
And weep holes full of mortar
At another job they were blocked with mortar and render from the bricklayer. A blocked weep cannot drain the cavity behind the bricks.
Joints left open
Expansion joints in the brickwork were unsealed and still holding mortar, and pipes passing through external walls had no caulking. Each is a small path for water into the wall.
Paths poured hard against the slab
One house had no isolation joint between the path and the slab, which invites cracking where the two meet. All of these are the builder's to fix before the keys change hands.
Written by our local inspection team from work carried out in Kalkallo. Licensed building practitioners, Building & Plumbing Commission registration CDB-U 53425.
