Scope
What the report covers
Render, paint and precast: cracking, drumminess, delamination and anything loose enough to fall.
Concrete: spalling, exposed reinforcement and rust staining that points at something behind the surface.
Sealant joints, control joints and window perimeters, which is where most water actually gets in.
Glazing: cracked or holed panes, failed double glazed units, damaged balustrade glass and loose fittings.
Metal cladding, flashings, handrails and balustrade fixings, including corrosion at the fixing rather than on the face.
Signage, light fittings, awnings and anything else bolted to the facade that could work loose.
A photograph of every defect with its exact location, so the next contractor can find it without a second inspection.
A suggested timeframe against each item: now, this budget year, or monitor and re-inspect.
Process
How an inspection runs
01
Brief and history
We ask what has been reported, what has been repaired and where the leaks are. An inspection that knows the building's history finds more than one that starts blind.
02
On the ropes
Technicians work every elevation from the top down, close enough to tap render and press a sealant joint rather than judging it from a photo.
03
Make safe
Anything that could fall comes off the building the same day, before we leave. It is recorded and it is not a variation argument afterwards.
04
Report
You get the written report within the week, defect by defect, with photos, locations and timeframes. Quotes for the rectification are offered, not pushed.
Method
Three ways to look at a facade
Each of these finds different things. The mistake is paying for one and believing you have had the others.
On rope
Hands on the facade: render tapped, joints pressed, fixings tested by hand.
Finds the defects that have no visual signature yet, which are the cheap ones to fix.
Whatever is loose comes off the building on the same visit.
Slower and more expensive per square metre, and the only one that produces a defensible defect list.
By drone
Covers a whole facade quickly and captures far more area than a person can in a day.
Excellent for mapping where the problems are, and for the elevations nobody can safely reach.
Still a camera. It cannot tap render, press a joint or lift a flashing to see behind it.
Best used to target the rope inspection rather than replace it.
From the ground
Cheap, fast, and genuinely useful for spotting the obvious: staining, missing panels, an awning hanging off.
Cannot see the top of a ledge, the back of a flashing or the inside of a joint.
Drummy render looks identical to sound render through a lens.
Fine as a first pass. Not a document to set a maintenance budget against.
Photos
On site
Why us
Why building managers call us back
Abseil Pro has been working Brisbane buildings since 2017. This is what that actually buys you.
Certified and insured
IRATA certified technicians on every job, supervised by a Level 3.
$20 million public liability and $10 million professional indemnity.
Work carried out to the Australian Standards for rope access and height safety.
SWMS, JSA and a job specific rescue plan in your hands before anyone arrives.
One crew, many trades
Rope access plus real trade tickets: arborist, painter and height safety installer.
Cleaning, gardening, painting, repairs and inspections from the same crew on the same ropes.
One mobilisation instead of four, which is where most of the saving actually comes from.
The same faces each visit, so nobody has to relearn your building.
It all gets documented
A free photo inspection at the end of every job, not just the big ones.
Anything we notice on the facade, flagged with a photo and a location.
Fixed prices, with variations quoted before the work rather than after it.
A fixed price with the assumptions written down, and a free on-site consult if you would rather we looked first.
FAQ
Questions building managers ask
How often should a facade be inspected?
Every three to five years for most Brisbane residential towers, and sooner if the building is over twenty years old, sits near the river or the bay, or has had render or concrete come off it before. In between, every glass or facade clean we do includes a free photo inspection, so nothing goes unlooked at for five years. Buildings coming to the end of a defects liability period should be inspected well before it expires, while the builder is still liable.
What does a facade inspection cost?
A free photo inspection comes with every clean, so most buildings never pay for one. A detailed inspection with a written report is generally only needed on a targeted problem area, or where a committee needs something firm to budget against. That is priced in technician days, at $2,400 a day for a team of two. A targeted area is usually part of a day and a whole building runs one to two days. We quote after a roof walk so the day count is real rather than optimistic.
Is this an engineering report?
No, and we are careful about that distinction. This is a visual condition report by IRATA certified technicians who can get to the facade. It records what is there, where it is and how urgent it looks. Where an item needs a structural cause diagnosed or a repair designed, the report says so and recommends an engineer.
Something is loose right now. Can you come out?
Yes. Make safe work is the one thing we treat as urgent. We can usually get a crew out to remove loose render, a hanging panel or a failing fixing within a day or two, document it, and report the rest afterwards.
Do we have to use you for the repairs?
No. The report is written so any competent contractor can price off it, which is the point of photographing and locating every defect. We will quote what we can do if you want us to, but the report is yours either way.
Can you inspect while you are here doing something else?
Every window or facade clean already includes a photo inspection, so you get the photos and any defects we noticed at no extra cost. A full inspection is the step up from that: the crew works every elevation item by item and you get the written report. If we are already on your building cleaning the glass or the facade, that inspection is a fraction of the cost of mobilising for it on its own.
How do we get a price?
Start with the free quote, or book an on-site consult if you would rather we looked at the building first. Most jobs can be quoted without a site meeting. Either way you get a fixed price with the assumptions written down, usually within two business days, with no charge and no obligation.
What areas do you cover?
Brisbane and south east Queensland, from the Sunshine Coast down to the Gold Coast, which is where the great majority of our work is. We travel further for portfolio clients and for buildings that are hard to get anyone else onto, including interstate. If you are not sure whether your building is in range, ask.
