Structural Cracks or Movement Found in your Melbourne Home?

Get a Structural Building Engineer Report to assess the cause, likely repair costs and give you clear steps on what to do next.

Not ready for a consult yet? Learn more

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About Home Toolkit

Residential Building Inspections

CPEng

Chartered Professional Engineer
Registered Building Practitioner

Professionally insured under the National Engineers Register & VBA Endorsed Building Engineer.

PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION • REGULATORY COMPLIANCE • INSURED PRACTICE

5,000+

Building Inspections
Structural Building Engineer

Engineer inspections focusing on building structure, make safe works and forensic investigation.

FORENSIC INSPECTION • STRUCTURAL HOME REPORTS • BUILDING & PEST

1,000+

Engineering Designs
Residential Structural & Civil

Timber & steel framing, masonry walls and foundation design for homes, extensions and renovation works.

STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS • AUSTRALIAN STANDARDS • BUILDING CODES

Professional Industry Experience

$1B+

Assessed Flood Damage
Lead Engineer (Victoria)

Structural building and infrastructure inspections for Emergency Response Victoria flood make-safe program.

FORENSIC STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING • MAKE-SAFE • BUILDING & INFRASTRUCTURE

$500M+

Risk Based Costings
Infrastructure & Buildings

Estimating repair costs and prioritising remediation works to guide major spending decisions.

RISK MODELLING • COST FORECASTING • CAPTIAL PLANNING & REPAIRS

15+ yrs

Construction Supervision
Trades to Engineering

Residential construction to engineering supervision, how homes are actually built & repaired.

RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION • RENOVATIONS & EXTENSIONS • REMEDIAL WORKS

Book a Free Consultation and speak with a Building Engineer to identify the key risks your home

We don't need to tell you...

Buying a home is a huge investment for today, and for your future

  • So it’s important that you know that Contractors and Building Inspectors will only give you short term solution of what needs fixing today.

  • Does not address root cause of the problem

  • Incomplete biased advice

  • Unregulated industry

  • Not qualified to diagnose structural risk or causation

  • Same tick-box checklist for every home

  • Inspection report = simple list of visible defects

Shows you only the condition today
  • While a Building Engineer can give you an expert diagnosis with independent risks and costs so that you’re in control of what happens in the future.

  • Structural cracking of walls, ceilings and floors

  • Foundation floor movement

  • Roof and wall structural failure

  • Stormwater drainage, wet area leaks and moisture issues

  • Retaining wall movement and unstable slope conditions

  • Planning issues related to renovations

Gives you a plan for the future

The Expensive Problems We Find
(and Others Miss!)

When things go wrong, homeowners and insurers don’t call Contractors or Building Inspectors, they call Engineers like us to investigate.

Hidden Building Repair Costs

$25,000 - $80,000

Not covered by insurance. Missed by building inspectors.

Foundation Underpinning & Drainage

Structural Building Movement (Eltham VIC)

Book a Free Consultation and speak with a Building Engineer to identify the key risks for your home

Meet The Founder

CLICK BELOW TO WATCH

Chris Dafter (Founder, Home Toolkit) | Chartered Engineer (CPEng, NER)
Registered Building Practitioner (RBP, RPEng)

For over a decade, I was a forensic, structural and civil engineer.
I inspected thousands of Melbourne homes under major insurance claims. And I saw the same gut-wrenching scene again and again. Families stressed out and facing massive repair bills (typically $40,000 to $150,000+)! Why? Because nearly every claim I investigated was rejected by the insurer as “pre-existing damage.” No cover and no help.

I was always called in too late. Most families in trouble, had done everything “right” and hired a standard building inspector or contractor to "fix" the problem.
But skipping straight to the fix nearly always misses the critical issues. Like structural problems, foundation movement, or the things that cause the big expensive failures. I saw the unfair playing field clearly: insurers protect themselves by sending chartered engineers to fight claims, whilst homeowners get sent in with a checklist. That never sat right with me.

So I walked away from the insurance work and built something different.
A comprehensive building engineering service that puts homeowners on the same footing as the insurers.

Our team are Chartered Professional Engineers and Registered Building Practitioners.
Our job is to give you the facts. We tell you what’s really going on and what it will cost, then give you a clear plan for exactly what to do next.

Book a Free Consultation and speak with a Building Engineer to identify the key risks for your home

Frequently Asked Questions

How is your assessment different from a typical inspection?

Our background is in building engineering, structural design and consulting. Unlike building inspectors, we can diagnose the root cause of issues and give you a plan for the future. You’re not just getting an opinion; you’re getting an expert evaluation from chartered professional engineers.

Do I still need a building inspection if I choose your engineering service?

Our Building Engineer Report includes a full Structural Engineer and Building Inspection plus a lot more. You’re not paying extra; you’re just getting more.

What happens if you find major issues?

If we find something serious, we’ll break it down for you in plain English. We will work with you for as long as it takes, to ensure that you are confident with the next steps.

How long does the assessment take and when do I get the report?

We’re typically on-site for 3-4 hours, depending on property size. You’ll receive a full written report with findings, photos, and recommendations within 1 week. Faster turnaround time can be arranged if needed.

What kinds of properties do you inspect?

We specialise in established residential homes. No apartments or high-rises. We service Melbourne suburbs from Greensborough and Eltham through Heidelberg, Kew, Balwyn, Box Hill and Doncaster, across to Ringwood, Croydon and Glen Waverley, and down to Brighton and Cheltenham. We also service Bayside and Mornington Peninsula.

Do you offer advice after the inspection?

Absolutely. We don’t leave you with just a report, we include a 1-on-1 phone debrief to answer your questions and guide your next steps. We are committed to helping you understand the condition of your home.

What if I have more questions?

Feel free to book a call with Chris. You can also contact us at [email protected] or call us on 0492 909 191 for questions, quotes or advice.

Book a Free Consultation

Submit the form below to speak with a Building Engineer. Chris will respond same business day.

We are currently taking Homeowner enquiries only. (No capacity for Pre Purchase at this time)

We never share your details with third parties.

We Give You Everything That's In A Structural Engineer Report Plus More

Work with Homebuyers Toolkit and we’ll provide a Building Engineer Report that covers everything you would receive from a Structural Engineer, plus a Registered Builder and Forensic Civil Engineer, plus a lot of other good stuff to help you fix the problem with confidence.

What You Get (Our Service):

Building Inspection

  • On-site inspection (we inspect for 3-4hrs, where others average 1hr)

  • Building defect catalogue (structural and building defects)

  • Moisture readings (visible leak detection)

  • Thermal imagery (heat & moisture patterns)

  • Subfloor crawler (robot inspection under the building)

  • Roof drainage & condition imagery (drone imagery)

PLUS Structural Forensic Engineering

  • Structural engineer assessment (registered building engineer)

  • Damage causation report (diagnosing the root cause of the problem)

  • Foundation & floor monitoring (digital level survey, footing assessment)

  • Load bearing assessment (sag, loads, structural elements)

  • Site & drainage classification (civil engineering assessment)

PLUS Other Good Stuff!

  • Remediation plan (prioritised with sequenced next steps)

  • Specialist referrals (incl. to licensed building professionals)

  • Land & planning report (zoning, overlays, easements)

  • Cost guidance & risk assessment (repair & maintenance cost ranges)

  • Renovation feasibility advice (preliminary options review)

  • Post-inspection debrief meeting (engineer walk-through of all the findings)

  • On-demand phone support (get your questions answered, even after moving in)

And if you are not clear on what to do next,
we will keep working with you until you are!

Book a Free Consultation and speak with a Building Engineer to identify the key risks for your home

We Service Greater Melbourne

We service Melbourne suburbs from Greensborough and Eltham through Heidelberg, Kew, Balwyn, Box Hill and Doncaster, across to Ringwood, Croydon and Glen Waverley, and down to Brighton and Cheltenham. We also service Geelong, Bayside and Mornington Peninsula.

Melbourne Building Engineers

Morrison Crescent, Kilsyth VIC 3137

ABN: 36 697 857 113

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