How Safe Is Your Older Home?

Is your home safe or is it hiding a host of potential issues behind its walls? While new builds can have problems, you’re far more likely to find them in older homes, particularly those with charm. However, if your home was built and then ended up having structural issues that have led to other problems, you need to take steps to rectify the situation.

First, you need to determine what the problem is, then how to fix it, and finally, you need to look at how to prevent the situation in the future. Here’s all you need to know.

Common Building Defect Signs

There are a lot of potential issues that can occur in an improperly built home but some of the most common include:

Damp: Water getting into places it shouldn’t is a big issue and can cause a lot of damage, not only to your home but to your belongings. This may occur on upper levels where the roof is not properly sealed, or if a pipe has broken loose, but it most commonly is found in the basement or ground level floor.

Mould: Due to dampness, you’ll find that mould sets in rather quickly. It’s a big issue and one that can have you and your family feeling quite ill, depending on the type of mould. However, once it is treated, the initial problem must also be fixed.

Structural movement: Whether you’re noticing the foundations of your home sinking, cracks in the floors and walls, or some other type of movement, you should be aware that this may be due to improper construction or a broken pipe that is soaking the ground and causing the house to sink. There are a few reasons it could happen, but an improper build is often the main issue.

Sound: Can you hear your neighbours breathing? Then you probably have a poorly built building. The walls should be far more soundproof than they are, which often means a partial rebuild. You’ll usually find that some step has been left out, such as insulation, allowing all sound to get through the wall easily.

Condensation: Do you notice condensation on your walls or windows every day? This could also be due to a structural error. Condensation does occur naturally, but if it’s trapped inside your home, it can cause water damage and mould problems.

Building defects can be a big issue, but most of them are fixable. The trick is to catch them early enough. With Simon Levy , you can find building defects early and get them fixed long before they cause you any issues at all.