In short: An uneven gap around a door is one of the most visible finishing defects and one of the easiest for a builder to dismiss. The standard settles it.
There is a number
Door leaf to frame clearances have a specified range. A gap outside it is a defect, not a preference, and once it is measured and referenced there is nothing to debate. We record uneven gaps between door leaves and frames on Tarneit handovers regularly.
What it often indicates
A door that has gone out of square may be the door, or may be the frame moving because the house is moving. On reactive clay in Wyndham, a door that was fine at lock-up and binding at PCI is worth a second look rather than a plane.
Getting it fixed
Before handover it is an adjustment. After handover it is a warranty conversation, and the builder has every reason to attribute it to seasonal movement. Same defect, entirely different conversation.
Written by our local inspection team from work carried out in Tarneit. Licensed building practitioners.
