Client Profile: Chris Easton, Cornerstone Building Certification

Who is Chris Easton, and what led you to a career in Building Certification?

I’ve been in the certification industry for the past 15 years now and started my career at Building Certification Group (BCG) as a cadet. I gained my accreditation while working with Complete Building Certification, and from there, I started my own business, Cornerstone Building Certification.

Before building certification, I was in the metal and trades industry, where I worked across a range of areas, from acoustic engineering to dust extraction, so I have a lot of knowledge and experience from my background in trades.

Tell me about Cornerstone. What year did you start, and how much have you grown?

I started Cornerstone with Bec in February 2015. Initially, it was just the two of us, but we have grown since then. Currently, we have four certifiers and five administration staff. Some of our team members work remotely, and we have one based in Canberra. We are planning to hire another cadet to join our team of nine. We are looking forward to expanding further in the near future.

What geographical region do you cover?

We are local to the South-East corner of Queensland, as this is our area of expertise. Although we could work across the entire state, we don’t actively seek work in areas further afield.

I believe it's important to respect other certifiers who are established in their own region across the state, especially when we already have enough work to do where we are.

I notice that your son has joined the business as a Cadet Certifier. Is he following in his Dad’s footsteps?

Yes, my son Kye has completed the initial stages of his studies and is expected to obtain his Level 3 accreditation early this year, which is exciting news for us. Kieran is also working towards obtaining his accreditation this year. Bec continues to play a vital role in the management of the business, while her brother Nathan handles our marketing and website-related tasks. As a result, Cornerstone is truly a family business.

What is a typical day in the life of a building certifier?

It can be a very complicated or cruisy day here at Cornerstone. It’s always different. Sometimes, we spend the entire day on the road conducting inspections from Samsonvale to the Gold Coast, while on other days, like today, we work in the office, processing a lot of information and helping our clients with their building applications.

At Cornerstone, we believe in a collaborative approach where everyone is involved in multiple aspects of the business. Although some administrative tasks are handled solely by the Administration team, all our certifiers conduct inspections, prepare quotes, assess projects, issue development approvals and more. Today is one of those days where I am focusing on emails, checking follow-ups in VA, processing urgent applications, and keeping an eye on the workflows.

How do you plan your Inspection schedule?

We adjust the allocation of tasks based on where the inspections are booked. For example, if there are a number of inspections scheduled for the South Side, Ryan will handle those to avoid unnecessary travel time. We try to group inspections by location, but we need to be flexible based on the builder's schedule.

I’m curious to know which aspects of the job you find most enjoyable.

That’s easy, an empty inbox, but I haven’t had one of those in years!

Actually, one of the most satisfying aspects of my job is watching our processes run smoothly and efficiently. It is important for us to ensure that our processes are well-suited to our client base and that we touch each job only once before finalising and sending it out the door, as opposed to working a job over and over again. I find it satisfying to work towards better efficiencies, refine our processes, and witness growth. While I do enjoy going out and seeing nice houses, sometimes they can all start to look the same. However, it is always exciting to come across something unique. Ultimately, what I find most enjoyable is establishing a good workflow that minimises stress and prevents people from taking on more than they can handle.

What are some of the challenges you face as a regional certifier?

Resources are currently our biggest challenge. Having the right people to perform building approvals and inspections is crucial for our job. However, finding new certifiers is challenging as they are scarce. To address this, I spend considerable time training people to develop their skills. This process takes time, but it is essential to develop our own certifiers and ensure we have skilled personnel who can efficiently perform their duties.

Another challenge is that we can be in an environment where apples are not always matched with apples. Certain elements try to cut costs by not following proper procedures, which can make our services appear more expensive. However, when we demonstrate our value to our clients, the cost becomes less of a concern. This often arises when trying to attract new clients and grow our business. We endeavour to provide a quality service that protects both us and the builder from potential problems. Sometimes, builders have to adjust their plans to meet the regulations, and we are required to inform them of this. It can be a fine line between being seen as a necessary evil or an asset to their business. Ultimately, our success is determined by our ability to prove our value to our clients.

How does technology help you in your role?

It is vital. As we move forward with changes in the industry, technology becomes more and more essential. During my time as a cadet with BCG, we were still reliant on paper for everything. The staff required to manage all that paper was substantial, and the cost of storing it took up valuable floor space. VA was still being developed at that time, and I think we were using version 4.

As the industry progresses, we need to become more agile and remain compliant, which is where automation, consistency, and technology come in. When we started this business, we made a decision to go completely paperless. We are so committed to this that we ask, "What's that noise?" when we hear the printer. Going forward, it's important to keep up with the changes in technology, as the next generation of certifiers and clients just expect it to be a part of their interaction with our business.

Cornerstone specialises in residential development. What are your thoughts about improving housing availability?

Yes, we primarily focus on residential building certification, but we do have a commercial certifier starting to expand that aspect of the business.

Housing availability is a hot topic at the moment, and it requires people on the ground, resources, and an efficient process from start to finish. The building approval process involves a lot of legislation, which can cause delays and expense, especially when dealing with relatively benign residential developments.

Providing incentives to those working on the ground is crucial, as training and retaining staff can be costly. Overheads, insurance, and other expenses are constantly increasing, meaning we have to account for them in our business costs. For instance, PI insurance premiums have increased significantly, and with my investment in PI Insurance, I could put on another staff member. There are several things that the government could do to make the certification process easier for us, but it is a complex and multi-layered topic that requires further discussion.

How can one prepare for a career in building certification?

It is a great industry full of opportunities for the younger generation. We encourage anyone interested in this field to come and experience what a certification office is like to work in. This means you can get a taste of what we do, how we do it and why we do it. We want to offer our cadets first-hand experience by working in the office and then going onsite to work with clients. Other options are available through the study route, but we believe it is better to get hands-on experience to engage with the industry.

 To encourage more people to seek certification as a career, we should elevate the profession with the school career cohort. Some don't view our work as a profession, although we are required to understand multiple layers of legislation, interpret technical data, manage workflows, and deal with clients. Our job requires a lot of knowledge and skills. It's important to understand that we are a profession, and our work is all-encompassing. By promoting our profession, more people can understand what we do and the value we bring.

 We would be happy to collaborate with local schools to encourage students to consider a career in certification. Many of the original certifiers who started with the council are reaching retirement age, and we require younger individuals with proper training and certification to take their place. We are currently losing a significant amount of knowledge, experience, and qualifications. These skills are hard to replace and take time to develop. 

In your opinion, what are the primary challenges facing the construction industry over the next 12 to 24 months?

Again, resources or manpower are at the forefront of challenges for the industry. The supply chain is stabilising, but it is now crucial to develop more resources for the sector. This applies not only to the builders on the ground but also to professionals like us or to engineers who are currently overwhelmed with work.

 It's important to provide support to any profession associated with the construction industry to ensure that the government's proposed targets are achieved. Without adequate resources, work may be rushed, resulting in poor building outcomes. Such outcomes are not beneficial to anyone and will only lead to more problems in the future.

 We have witnessed high volumes of work being carried out as quickly as possible, and one of the first things to go is supervision. This happens because people are back on the tools and lack the time to supervise apprentices or conduct final checks. Sometimes, work is assigned to contractors, and the builder may not be present on site. Although it's possible to achieve good building outcomes using this approach, we’ve noticed some people rely solely on a program that tells them to send someone to complete a job without ensuring that the preceding elements have been appropriately addressed. 

Leaving building certification aside, what do you like to do in your spare time?

I like doing all sorts of things. I enjoy tinkering with my restoration project car, although I don't get much time to work on it. My family and I reside on a 12-acre property, so there is always something to be done around here. 

What would you like to do if you weren’t a building certifier?

I used to work as a tradie and thoroughly enjoyed building things. However, as I grew older, the physical demands of the job took its toll, which is why I eventually moved away from it. Despite this, I still find myself drawn towards trade work. The process of building and creating is incredibly satisfying for me, which is why I love my project car in my shed.

Lastly, would you be willing to share a few words about your experience with Visual Approvals software and how it has contributed to the growth and success of Cornerstone Building Certification?

I've used VA in two companies, firstly when I was a cadet at BCG and later when I started my own business. VA is the workhorse of our business, as everything runs through it. As VA evolves, we find that we gain new efficiencies, particularly with the new technologies that are coming on board. We understand that developing these new technologies takes a lot of effort, which is why we're excited to see new opportunities to do things differently.

I really enjoy using the Inspector App because it allows me to utilise the voice-to-text and the iPad Pen. It's amazing how we no longer have to rely on pen and paper as we did back in the day at BCG. Now, while on-site, we can take videos and photos and send reports immediately. We can also catalogue a large number of photos, mark them up on a plan, and have everything recorded and secured back onsite. What's even more amazing is that all of this can be done by just one person. It's truly a game-changer.

I am excited about the changes that Development is introducing, such as the new Xero Integration. We used to do things one way, but now we have a completely new way of doing them, which is great. Additionally, VA allows us to address our compliance requirements, which is crucial in today's litigious environment. Having all the necessary information at our fingertips, regardless of location, is fantastic. I can access it whether I am in Samsonvale QLD 4520 or sailing down the Danube River on holidays, which I have done, and we have the photo to prove it.

Cornerstone has evolved alongside VA, and we continue to do so. VA is our workhorse, enabling us to complete a lot, and I mean a lot, of work more efficiently. We are always exploring ways to capitalise on these efficiencies. It's great to be able to call VA's staff and discuss our ideas with them. They are always helpful in suggesting ways to develop our ideas further. In some cases, they have already anticipated our needs and provided us with suggestions on how to implement them. Overall, we have a good working relationship with VA.