ACT Certification

🛠️ The Friday Compliance Check Issue #2

Incorrect Balustrade Heights

They're meant to keep people safe on stairs, decks and balconies. But balustrade height is one of the most common non-compliance issues we come across on site. 🪜

👀 What we often find
A balustrade that might look ‘about right’ but then comes in under the required height once measured.

❌ Why its is a problem?
A balustrade isn't just a design feature, it's a fall-prevention barrier, and there's a minimum height it must meet. Once floor finishes like tiles, decking or carpet go down, the effective height can drop below the minimum requirement without anyone realising.

The scary part? A balustrade can look structurally sound and still fail a compliance check, often only picked up at inspection, well after it's been installed and fixed in place.

✅ How to avoid it
Confirm the required balustrade height with your certifier before installation, not after. Factor in your finished floor level when setting out the balustrade, and double-check the height once finishes are complete rather than assuming the measurement will hold.

💡One Practical Tip
It's not just about height, gap spacing matters too. Openings need to be small enough to prevent someone slipping through, so it's worth checking your balustrade design against the relevant standards before installation, not after.

🔎The ACT Certification Take
A balustrade that's a little short doesn't just fail an inspection, it fails at the one job it has. Getting it right the first time saves you the cost and hassle of rework later.

People always say to us 'oh, you guys do what that guy on Tik Tok does when he goes around showing all the defects in a house build?'

Well.......not exactly.

So we've decided we are going to start 🛠️ The Friday Compliance Check with a new post each and every Friday. As a way of highlighting and educating what compliance elements we look at during construction from a Building Certifier perspective.

So here we go.......

🛠️ The Friday Compliance Check Issue #1

Bathroom Niches
These have become one of the most popular features in modern homes. But they're also one of the most common places we see waterproofing failures. 💧

👀 What we often find
A bathroom niche that wasn't correctly waterproofed before tiling.

❌ Why its is a problem?
A bathroom niche creates multiple internal corners, joints and penetrations, all areas where water can find its way behind the tiles if waterproofing hasn't been installed correctly.

The scary part? You often won't know there's a problem until water damage starts appearing in the walls or adjoining rooms. By then, the only solution may be removing tiles and repairing the waterproofing system.

✅ How to avoid it
Don't treat the niche as 'just another part of the wall.'

Ensure your waterproofer follows the manufacturer's installation requirements, correctly reinforces all corners and appling the waterproofing membrane continuously throughout the niche before any tiles are laid.

💡One Practical Tip
In the ACT, waterproofing isn't routinely inspected by the Building Certifier. Instead, the licensed installer must provide a compliant Waterproofing Certificate confirming the work has been completed in accordance with the relevant standards.

In NSW, waterproofing is required to be inspected during the construction process as part of the certification process and documentation is also provided as a part of the certification process.

No matter where you're building, good waterproofing is something you should never assume has been done correctly.

🔎The ACT Certification Take
Great building compliance isn't just about what you can see, it's about making sure the parts hidden behind the walls are done right the first time.

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The Official photos from the 2026 SPASA ACT Awards of Excellence. That pink suit sure is a great conversation starter! Perhaps it might need another outing on the Gold Coast at the National Awards in a few months time!

Last night we attended the 2026 SPASA ACT Awards of Excellence. We are so excited to share with you the ACT Certification Team were named Best Professional Service Business. We’ll be packing away the formal attire for a few weeks and bringing it back out again as we head to the Gold Coast in August as finalists in this category at the 2026 SPASA Australasian Awards of Excellence! Also a shout out to our Managing Director Scott who was named as a Finalist in the Pool & Spa Barrier Inspector Award Category.