The bolt that was not there
A fifteen dollar item at the centre of the uplift chain.
In short: A bracing tie down bolt recorded missing on a Gledswood Hills frame.
What the bolt does
It anchors the bracing to what is below it. Bracing resists racking, tie down resists uplift, and the bolt is where those two jobs meet the structure underneath.
What we recorded
An M10 or M12 bracing tie down bolt absent from a Gledswood Hills frame, on a connection the bracing schedule specified.
Why one missing bolt matters
The schedule sets a spacing because the load is shared between fixings. Take one out and its neighbours carry more than they were sized for, indefinitely.
The cost curve
At frame stage this is a drill, a bolt and five minutes. After lining it is a plasterer, a carpenter and an argument about who pays for both.
How to use the finding
Send the photograph and the schedule reference together. A missing bolt is a binary fact, not a matter of opinion, which makes it one of the easiest items to have rectified.
Written by the Owner Inspections team from inspections carried out in Gledswood Hills. Licensed building practitioners, NSW Fair Trading licence 366177C.
