Services
Remedial engineering, end to end.
DEFEX provides the consulting spine of a remedial project: establishing what is wrong, designing the fix, and administering the contract that delivers it. Engage one service or the full sequence.
Defect investigation and diagnostics
A defect report is only as good as its diagnosis. Investigations begin with the symptoms — water ingress, cracking, spalling, movement, failed finishes — and work back to cause through close inspection, targeted opening-up and testing where warranted. Findings are photo-evidenced, keyed to the relevant Australian Standards and NCC provisions, and reported with a clear statement of cause, consequence and recommended action. Reports are written to be read: by owners, committees, insurers and, where necessary, courts.
Remedial design and declared designs
Rectification that lasts starts with design, not with a contractor’s quote. DEFEX prepares remedial designs and specifications for concrete repair, waterproofing, façade elements and associated structural work. For Class 2 buildings in NSW, regulated designs are prepared and declared under the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 by a Registered Design Practitioner, ready for lodgement.
Specifications and tender
A precise specification is what makes contractor prices comparable and the finished work enforceable. DEFEX prepares technical specifications and scopes of work, assembles tender packages, invites and levels tenders, and reports with a clear recommendation — so the decision to award is an informed one.
Superintendency and contract administration
Once works begin, someone independent has to hold the contract. DEFEX acts as Superintendent under AS 4000 and AS 4902 contracts: assessing progress claims and variations, ruling on extensions of time, directing and inspecting the works, and certifying practical completion. The role is administered impartially, with the paperwork to show it.
Expert and litigation-support reporting
Where defects become disputes, DEFEX prepares expert reports for use in court and tribunal proceedings, written in accordance with the Expert Witness Code of Conduct — including Scott schedules, reports in response, and conclave participation. Opinions are confined to what the evidence supports.
Façade and waterproofing assessment
Façades and membranes are where Sydney buildings most often fail, and where the cost of guessing is highest. DEFEX assesses façade condition, cladding, balustrades, balconies, planters, podiums and below-ground waterproofing — establishing the state of the element, the risk it presents, and the remediation pathway, with priorities an owners corporation can actually budget against.
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