Councillor Don Palmer Providing Local Leadership & Working for You
Your home is not at risk of major failure as a result of the construction works being undertaken by DPTI at the Goodwood Junction, or elsewhere along the rail corridor as the rail infrastructure is being revitalised and electrified.
Does this mean your house will not suffer some form of damage? NO! The construction works can and will impact on your house to varying degrees. Cracks may appear, plaster may fall off the wall etc.
Whatever your understanding of what DPTI’s consultant said at last night’s CAG meeting I aim to bring some perspective to it for you here.
Referring to my earlier post tonight the question not answered by DPTI at last night’s meeting is what impact will the various rail projects have on my home and WILL DPTI ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY for rectification of the damage. In this earlier post I suggested this question was not answered by DPTI. The answer given was, the works will not impact significantly on your home.
Firstly! I am a building inspector when not fulfilling my obligations as a Councillor for the Goodwood South ward of the city of Unley.
As a building inspector, and with 44 years’ experience in the building industry I can say to you that the construction works being undertaken by DPTI, in my opinion, will not structurally compromise your house in any major way and that you do not have to worry that your house will become structurally deficient and collapse.
That said the construction works will more than likely be responsible for defects that may appear when certain construction activities take place.
Notwithstanding the comments made by DPTI’s experts last night about vibrations, buildings of different age, different construction detailing, and different engineering WILL react differently to the same level of vibration.
A home built 100 years ago with bluestone footings will react differently than a house built only 2 years ago with today’s engineering knowledge. A home with drummy plaster (which is common of older homes) will be more prone to plaster falling off the wall than a home with plaster that adheres to the wall as can be expected today.
Damage can and will occur to some homes. This is why DPTI have offered dilapidation surveys on some homes, homes they believe are likely to be impacted by the works. They would not have conducted these surveys otherwise.
The level of damage will not be structurally compromising however, so please, please do not panic that your home is going to collapse.
I have every faith that, once the project is complete, that DPTI will conduct further surveys and they will repair defects that, unless the defects that have appeared can be attributed to clear and identifiable outside factors, has appeared during the period of the project. I trust they will do likewise to other houses they did not conduct dilapidation surveys too.
That said, the repairs needed to your home, whilst they may be significant, will not at the end of the day be major, even though you may think otherwise. Major defects are those that will impact on the structural integrity of your home.
My advice to you is to ensure that DPTI do inspect your home at the completion of the project. In so doing be clear to them that you believe the defects are the result of the construction within the rail corridor.
Please note also that defects that may appear well after the project has been complete are unlikely to be as a result of the construction works. In my experience the defects will appear immediately or very soon thereafter.
If you wish assistance or advice with this I am happy for you to contact me via my business email [email protected].

And my advice to DPTI! May I respectfully suggest that you talk to people where they are and that means not blinding them with science. Last night I believe was a waste of time for you in public relations.