Building Checks – What We Look For
Structural Problems Including:
Structural Cracking and Movement to:
- Roof Structure: Concrete roof slabs
- Wall Structure: Masonry; external render and stucco; internal solid plaster; internal lath and plaster, plaster sheet and plasterboard
- Floor Structure: Reinforced concrete construction
Deformation of:
- Roof Structure: Roof framing and roofing
- Wall Structure: Framed and masonry construction
- Floor Structure: Suspended concrete slabs, suspended timber ground floors, timber upper floors, stairways
Dampness in:
- Wall Structure: Ceilings, internal walls, external walls
- Floor Structure: Suspended floors, slab-on-ground construction
Structural Timber Pest Damage in:
- Roof wall and floor structures caused by chemical delignification, fungal decay, woodborers, and termites
Conditions Conducive To Structural Damage Including:
Defective Plumbing and Defective Roof Plumbing and Flashings including:
- Non-existent rainwater goods including flashings, gutters and down-pipes
- Lack of general storm-water drainage
- Faulty, decayed or lack of parapet / chimney flashings
- Cracked or decayed roof cladding
- Inadequate pitch / lap of roof cladding / no sarking
- Faulty / decayed vent / flue flashings
- Decayed ridge cappings, gutters and down-pipes
Defective / Bridge Damp Proof Course including:
- Non-existent damp-proof course in masonry walls
- Failed / defective damp-proof course
- Bridged damp-proof course by: earth, mulch, path, floor, rendering, re-pointing and additions
Shoddy Work including:
- Construction which is obviously unsatisfactory / even dangerous
- Construction which has been built without regard to any recognised standard
- Repairs to the building structure of a superficial / makeshift nature
- Materials unsuitable for the purpose for which they were intended
Significant Defects In Secondary and Finishing Elements Including:
Internal:
- Ceilings and cornices for sagging, nails popping, defective lining, cracking, damp damage
- Internal wall finishes (load bearing and non-load bearing walls) for bulging, nails popping, out of plumb, cracking / crazing, loss of adhesion, blowing and pitting, cracked glass blocks / glazed partitions
- Floor finishes (e.g. polished wood, terrazzo, ceramic tiles or slates, but not a floor covering) for surface cracking / crazing, cracking at doorways, lifting, damp damage
- Floor coverings (linoleum, cork, carpet etc) for wear and tear, lifting, damp damage
- Paintwork for blistering, flaking, cracking, peeling, mould growth
- Windows / window elements for grazing putty, failed glazing seals, broken glass, sash operation, sash fittings and hardware, water staining, rotting wooden frames, corroded metal frames
- Door / door elements for defective door hardware, damaged doors, binding doors, loose / badly fitting doors, corroded / rotted frames
- Fly-screens for fixing, damaged frames, damaged screens
- Architraves / skirtings for fixing, damp damage
- Fireplaces / chimneys for broken / missing grates or inserts, damaged timber / stone surrounds, damaged hearth tiles, smoke stains on fireplace openings, water stains on chimney breast
- Kitchen bench tops for lifting, damage, water damage
- Kitchen cupboards for fixing, fitting / operation of doors, drawers and hardware, water damage
- Kitchen pantry for defective doors and shelves
- Kitchen tiles for cracking, being drummy / loose, missing / cracked grouting / sealant
- Kitchen paintwork for blistering, flaking, cracking, peeling or mould growth
- Kitchen sink / taps for leaking trap and waste pipe, damage, operation, incomplete assembly, leaking traps
- Bathroom floor finish for imperviousness, grade to floor waste, water damage
- Bathroom wall sheeting for fixing, watertight joining, damage
- Bathroom tiles for cracking, being drummy, fixing, missing or cracked grouting / sealant
- Bathroom paintwork for blistering, flaking, cracking, peeling, mould growth
- WC cistern and bidet for cracking, leaking, fixing
- Taps for operation, leaking, incomplete assembly
- Bath and spa for being adequately sealed and properly recessed at junction with wall, damage
- Shower for screen, leakage, leaks and water damage around cracks and shower rose, broken glass
- Vanity for water damage, fixing, leaking trap and waste pipe
- Washbasin for fixing, cracking, leaking trap and waste pipe
- Laundry floor finish for imperviousness, grade to floor waste, water damage
- Laundry wall sheeting for fixing, water tight joining, damage
- Laundry tiles for cracking, being drummy, fixing, grouting and sealant
- Laundry paintwork for blistering, flaking, cracking, peeling, mould growth
- Laundry washtubs / taps for leaking trap and waste pipe, operation, corrosion of cabinet, incomplete assembly, leaking taps
External:
- Masonry walls ( incl. face brickwork, block work, external render or stucco) for bricks fretting and spalling, mortar eroding, blocked / obstructed weepholes, cracking brickwork, corrosion of embedded steel, arch bars or lintels and associated cracking, movement, crazing and surface cracking, sheet spalling.
- External cladding for wind damage, rotted weatherboards, warping / splitting and corrosion
- Damp-proof course / flashing for fixing, damage, corrosion, being loose, dislodged / deteriorated
- Windows / window elements for gaps to wall structure, sealing to junction between frame and wall, state of glazing putty, weathering, rotted timber, corrosion
- Door steps for damage, cracking, thresholds cracked due to bad bedding practice
- Slab floor finishes (balconies and patios) for damage, lifting and cracking
- Paintwork for effect of lack of painting on watertightness of external walls and parapets, blistering, flaking, cracking, peeling
- Chimneys for lack of chimney support, continuity and intactness within roof space, intactness above roof line, missing chimney pots / cowls, dislodgement or deterioration of flashings, mortar erosion, metal flue corrosion
- External joinery (e.g. barge boards, gable ends etc) for fixing, badly weathered or rotted timbers
- Garage doors for fixing, badly weathered or rotted timbers, corrosion, damage
- Underside of roofing for corrosion, deterioration, watertightness
- Roofing for corrosion, secureness of fixing screws, lifting, damage, watertightness, pointing, state of ridge tiles, shell ends, barge tiles
- Skylights for leaking, damage
- Valleys for fixing, corrosion
- Flashings for being loose, dislodged or deteriorated, damage
- Rainwater goods ( including gutters, downpipes, and rainwater tanks) for fixing, damage, corrosion
- Eaves linings for fixing, damage
- Roof insulation for fixing, damage
- Roof sarking for fixing, damage
- Vermin proofing / birdproofing (mesh and plates) for fixing, damage, corrosion
- Termite shields for fixing, damage, corrosion
- Small retaining walls (non-structural) for cracking, movement, tilting
- Paths and paving for cracking, breaks, evenness
- Driveways for cracking, breaks, evenness
- Stairs and handrails for corrosion, rotted timber, safety
- Steps for cracking, breaks, evenness, safety
- Fences for fixing, being plumb, cracking & movement, badly weathered or rotted palings, corrosion, damage
- Site drainage for defective piping, possible drainage problems if the inspection is conducted during a prolonged dry spell