Expert building evidence that holds together under cross-examination.
Forensic investigation and expert reports for building and construction disputes in New South Wales, prepared by a single named expert who inspects the building, forms the opinions, writes the report and defends it at hearing.
For instructing solicitors
- A conflict check before any material is exchanged
- A written scope, fee estimate and delivery date before work starts
- A report structured to NCAT Procedural Direction 3 and UCPR Schedule 7
- The same expert at the conclave, the joint report and the hearing
Expert building evidence, scoped to the forum it will be tested in.
Every engagement is scoped to the issues in dispute and to the tribunal or court that will test the evidence. The aim is not the longest report. It is the report the matter actually needs.
Expert witness reports
Code-compliant expert reports for NCAT and the NSW courts, including the expert's acknowledgment of the applicable code of conduct, a clear statement of instructions, assumptions, facts observed, reasoning and opinion, and the qualifications relied on.
DetailForensic defect investigation
Root-cause investigation of building defects and failures. Investigation begins non-destructively; where cause cannot be established without it, invasive investigation or testing is recommended and scoped in writing before it is carried out.
DetailRectification quantum and schedules
Independent costing of rectification works, built from a defined scope of works rather than a lump-sum allowance, so each item can be traced to the defect it answers and tested line by line.
DetailConclaves, joint reports and hearings
Participation in expert conclaves and preparation of joint reports, and oral evidence at hearing. The expert who inspected the building attends, so the reasoning in the report is defended by the person who formed it.
DetailPreliminary and merits advice
Early, unpublished technical advice on whether a defect case is worth running, what evidence would be needed, and where the technical weaknesses sit, before the cost of a full report is committed.
DetailSpecialist assessments
Assessments in the areas the principal's standards and committee work draw on directly, including waterproofing, concrete, swimming pools and foundation movement.
Detail
One named expert. No delegated reports.
John Cunniffe has worked in construction since 1973 and personally managed fifty-four new house builds before moving into building consultancy in 2014. He has prepared expert reports and given evidence in building disputes since then, and founded this practice in 2019. Every engagement is led personally by him, so the person whose name appears on the report is the person who inspected the building, analysed the evidence and will answer for the opinions in the witness box.
- Licensed Builder NSW 310240 and ACT 2023299
- President, Australian Society of Building Consultants
- Standards Australia Committee BD-002-11
- EN 1504 Working Group Committee, ACRA
- NSW Committee, Concrete Institute of Australia
- Reports and evidence in NCAT, the Supreme, District, Local and Land and Environment Courts of NSW, and the County Court of Victoria
The duty is to the tribunal, not to the party who pays the fee.
An expert report is only as strong as the reasoning behind it. Reports from this office are written so that the observations, the assumptions, the standards applied and the reasoning are all visible on the face of the document. Where the evidence does not support the case that instructed it, that is said plainly and early, while it is still cheap to know.
An expert's opinion is only as good as the reasoning that supports it. My job is to make that reasoning clear enough to survive cross-examination.
What happens when you make contact
Conflict check
Send the parties and the site address. Independence is confirmed before any brief or sensitive material changes hands.
Scope and fee estimate
A written scope, an hours estimate against the questions to be answered, and a delivery date, so the cost is known before work begins.
Investigation and report
Site inspection, analysis against the contract documents, the NCC, Australian Standards and accepted practice, then a report in the form the forum requires.
Areas serviced
Based at Rouse Hill in north-west Sydney. Site attendance across New South Wales by arrangement.