There are few industries that exemplify the saying “time is money” better than the construction industry. This is an industry where even slight delays can be very costly, and everything you can do to speed up the completion of a project without compromising on quality is effort well spent.
Getting your Section J report is one of those things that can sometimes take time to do. A big factor in this is whom you choose as your assessor. Choosing us (Section J Reports Australia-wide) is a very good idea, because we can usually get full reports completed within three business days, and sometimes even less.
Our name pretty much says it all about what we do. We’re the number one Section J report assessment team in the business, because we’re dedicated to Section J reporting. We’re also client-oriented, so we’re always doing our best to get your reports returned to you in the fastest time and complete in every detail.
Choosing us is not the only step that can help speed up the process, however. There are some additional steps you can take in advance that will make the preparation of your Section J report even faster than usual.
1. Apply for the right class of building
There is no simple structure to Section J reporting that can be applied to different building types. Each class of building has specific requirements that must be met. You need to identify the correct class and make sure you’re getting a report for the right class.
You don’t need a Section J report for a Class 1, Class 2, or Class 10 building in Australia. For classes 3 through 9, you do need one.
The classes of buildings are:
- Class 1 – A detached or semi-detached house.
- Class 2 – A block of 2 or more separate units.
- Class 3 – A residential building other than Class 1 or Class 2 used for transient accommodation (hotel, boarding house, detention centre, etc).
- Class 4 – Special class for a dwelling constructed within a higher class, provided it is the only dwelling built in that higher class of building.
- Class 5 – An office building that doesn’t qualify for a higher class.
- Class 6 – A shop selling directly to the public.
- Class 7a – A car park building.
- Class 7b – A showroom or warehouse.
- Class 8 – A building used for manufacturing or as a laboratory (excluding schools).
- Class 9a – A building intended for use in the healthcare industry (may include a laboratory).
- Class 9b – A building within a school which is used for assembly, trade workshop, or laboratory.
- Class 9c – A building intended for use as an aged care facility.
- Class 10 – Uninhabitable dwellings, divided into three subclasses.
2. Apply for the right type of assessment
Unless you already know you need a JV3 assement or you have been specifically told to obtain one, you should request a DTS assessment. The advantage of DTS assessment is that it can be completed more quickly.
3. Provide detailed building plans
This is an obvious step, as it will help the assessor get a solid understanding of what your architect has in mind for the project, and it will also show the locations of key assets and plant, orientation of windows and doors, locations of ventilation outlets and air conditioning ducts, and all that kind of thing. It’s the very best guide you can give your assessor.
4. Provide a detailed materials list
If you can accurately provide a list of the materials that will be used (including brand names whenever possible), it will help a lot. Many manufacturers list the R-values of their products, and in the cases where there are no brand names but simply common substances, the average R-values are usually available.
With this information, we can streamline the production of the Section J report because we can give very accurate values in the materials section.
5. Do not purchase anything until you’ve received the Section J report
The whole point of getting your Section J report at the design stage is so you don’t waste money or time. Purchasing any of the items on your materials list before they’re assessed as compliant for your specific project is potentially a waste, so don’t do that.
5. If you follow certain standard procedures, provide a description
Knowing the methods you are intending to use in your construction can help get the Section J report completed faster. We can accurately describe the methods in the report, which streamlines the DTS assessment.
We can help with more than just reporting
We are energy rating experts and we can help with planning energy efficient construction, sourcing energy efficient materials, NatHERS assessments, and project management of DA applications.
Choose us when you want a speedy and accurate result, free from errors or omissions, and that helps you get your project up and running as quickly as possible.
