Before you buy or sell a building, you should be fully aware
of any and all building defects. This means you need to do an inspection before
you purchase or sell. In some cases, you may have inherited a property and need
to know what issues it has. If that’s the case, then you’ll need to make sure
you do a building defect diagnosis and come up with all the issues that need to
be remedied.
What is a Building Defect Diagnosis?
When you need to know the condition of a building, you can
hire a chartered building surveyor
to go through the
property and determine what issues it has. These will all be written up for you
in a detailed report, which you can then use to determine whether you wish to
buy the property or not.
If the building is your own, the list will give you plenty
of details on what you must fix before you consider selling or using it. This
type of survey is done to ensure the building is safe and secure for the next
person to live or work in.
However, the defect survey will not just tell you what is
wrong with the property. It will also attempt to determine the cause of the
problem and suggest a way to fix it. This can be quite helpful when you’re
attempting to solve the issue. If you know why there’s water damage, for example,
it’s much easier to remedy the situation than if you simply find water damage
and are unsure of where it’s coming from.
Common Building Defects
There are a number of building defects that appear in a
large number of homes that are surveyed. You’ll want to be aware of these, as
they may be a problem in your structure. These include:
Damp Penetration
Water damage is one of the main issues that is found in a
home. It may be due to a wide variety of problems, including a leaking pipe
inside the wall or floor, poor drainage, broken gutters, or even porous bricks
or concrete. It may even be as simple as rain coming in under a window or door.
Water coming through the walls, floor, or ceiling can cause
serious damage. It’s likely to ruin any plaster in the space and cause
watermarks on the surfaces it affects. Any wood will be more likely to crumble
and decay and it can also cause deterioration of brick structures.
As you can imagine, water damage is potentially very bad for
your building, and it can be costly to repair. In many cases, the actual cause
of the water is a simple repair, but the damage is has done is not.
Condensation
Perhaps the most common type of dampness in the UK is
condensation damp. This affects roughly a fifth of the homes inspected and is
due to condensation forming on the walls or windows and dripping down. This
occurs when there’s a large amount of moisture in the air that touches a cold
surface, such as a window or door and then condenses and drips.
The water damage from condensation is much like any other
water damage, but it does tend to be localised to the area where the
condensation formed. You’ll frequently notice mould growing on the areas below
the window.
In most cases, repairing this issue simply involves reducing
the amount of moisture in the home and ensuring that the windows are properly
insulated. However, the water damage is the main issue and can be extremely
difficult to clean up and repair.
In some cases, condensation forms inside the wall, creating
what is called interstitial condensation. The danger here is that the water
damage is usually inside the walls and may not be noticed until far more damage
has been done. Many times, interstitial condensation goes unnoticed until you
have a breakthrough of mould or water damage that comes through the wall.
Mould
Another potentially dangerous issue with many homes
is mould. It tends to grow in areas
that are warm and dark, as well as moist. When looking for mould, you should
check in cupboards, particularly those under the sink, and in the basement. If
there is any condensation in the home, the chances that you have mould are
high.
Many people find that mould causes them to sneeze and cough
more than usual. If you have allergies, they may be worsened by the presence of
mould spores and it’s possible to make asthma worse, as well. For some, the
spores may also cause respiratory infections. It can be quite dangerous to
those who have weakened systems.
As soon as the surveyor finds mould, it must be dealt with,
preferably by professionals. You don’t want to stir up the spores and the home
must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. You’ll need to deal with the root
cause of the problem, too, but it’s important to eliminate the mould as quickly
as possible.
Sound Penetration
While sound penetration may not be as dangerous as mould or
water damage, it can still be a serious problem. For most people, the noise can
be difficult to sleep with and this may include a range of issues including
neighbours blaring music, a factory nearby, or a train that runs past your
building.
While you cannot completely eliminate sound in most cases,
you can certainly reduce how much gets into your home by insulating the home
well, using double glazed windows and sealing the doors. You may choose to
install acoustic windows, which dampen the sound, as well.
Interior furnishings, such as heavy drapes, thick carpets,
and soft furniture will also help mute the sounds that are coming in. Add
plenty of insulation in the attic to prevent too much sound from getting
through the roof and you will help your heating bill, too.
Subsidence and Other
Movement
When the ground beneath the building settles or shifts, this
can cause movement throughout the structure. It has devastating effects,
including cracks up the walls and across the floors. This is a very common
issue, particularly in homes with poor drainage around the home. You’ll need to
keep trees away from your home and ensure that any water coming off the roof or
from drainage pipes is routed away from the home to prevent the soil from
becoming too saturated and causing movement.
In some cases, the foundation may be levelled out and
repaired to prevent further shifting, but this isn’t always the case. There’s
not much point in repairing cracks if they’re just going to get worse over
time.
Distorted and Bulged
Walls
If the surveyor finds walls that bulge out or are bowed,
they will try to determine the cause of this issue. It may be due to excessive
weight on the upper floors of the building or the walls may not be properly
attached with a lateral restraint. It may be something you can fix with
additional strapping and support for the walls.
The surveyor will examine the thickness of the wall, as well
as how high it is and how it is built. The older the building, the less likely
it is to have the proper restraints. In some cases, this is not repairable, and
you may need to redo the entire wall.
Where to Find Chartered Building Surveyors
The right building surveyor will have the knowledge
necessary to not only identify the problem in the building, but also to find
the cause of the problem. Whether you’re trying to buy a property or just want
to know what you have to add to your list of things to do with a relative’s old
home, you have plenty of choices.
Ideally, you’ll want to look for a chartered building
surveyor firm that offers several different surveyors. This ensures you will
have someone available to you and someone with the necessary experience. The
firm will check before they hire someone, and this can be a good way to get the
best results from your survey.
Once you know what is wrong and why it’s happening, your
next step will be making the necessary repairs. Once the building is safe, you
can move on to either sell it or use it yourself.
Are you looking for a chartered building
surveyor? At Simon Levy, we have the experts you need.
Contact
us now
for an appointment.
