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Throwing caution to the wind: WA builder fined $25k over roof failure
A Perth building contractor has been fined a total of $25,000 after a string of construction issues caused parts of a home’s roof and frame to blow onto a neighbouring home.
A Perth building company and its supervisor have been fined a total of $25,000 after parts of a roof and frame lifted off a home and landed on a neighbouring house during a storm.
The now-deregistered Buildsmart WA Pty Ltd and its nominated supervisor, Michael Peter Adams, faced disciplinary action for failing to properly manage and supervise a building service.
In State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) proceedings, which concluded this month, Buildsmart WA was fined $15,000, and Adams was fined $10,000 under the Building Services (Registration) Act 2011.
In September 2023, a two-storey home in Scarborough was under construction by Buildsmart WA when a large part of the roof and the top-level wall framing detached during a storm, blowing onto a neighbouring house.
The incident was caused by construction issues and deviations from approved plans that should have been detected by Adams.
A number of building defects were also discovered following an inspection by the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety.
The issues included a flooring system using timber instead of metal trusses, no steel beams connected to the upper floor’s primary structural columns, and other missing column connections.
Due to the absence of beams and column connections, there was no continuous steel loop in place to lock the upper floor to the building’s foundation and resist vertical uplift.
According to agreed facts, if construction had followed the approved plans, the building should have withstood winds up to 160km per hour, while gusts of only 90km per hour were recorded during the storm.
The accepted mitigating factors during mediation included Buildsmart WA’s immediate attendance to repair the storm damage.
Additionally, there had been weather reports indicating a strong cold front with windier conditions “likely to produce the kind of weather that is only seen around twice per year”.
Buildsmart WA Pty Ltd has been deregistered since 31 July 2026, when the SAT affirmed the Building Services Board’s refusal to renew its registration on financial grounds.
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Building commissioner Phil Payne said it was fortunate that the detached parts of the house did not cause serious injury or damage.
He said the case highlighted that failing to oversee building work and follow approved plans, particularly for significant structural elements, was unacceptable and dangerous.
“The conduct fell far short of the standards for registered builders as set out in law and rightly expected by the community,” he said.
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