Property Inspections & Building Inspections Perth

Pre purchase building inspections

Perth Property Inspection

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Buying a house is a serious investment decision. Choosing the right home to buy can be stressful for a potential home owner. Many future home owners make the mistake of not taking the time to have a complete property inspection completed before buying their home. It’s true that building inspections in Perth can be costly, but skipping this step can cost you more over the long run if the house you choose to buy has issues.

It is not mandatory for sellers to disclose any structural damage. They are not required to hire a building inspector in Perth to assess their home’s condition. The buyer is left with the choice of asking for a property inspection. Taking in consideration that repairing any eventual building defects would be left in your responsibility, hiring a building inspector before purchasing seems as a very good idea. Even if the building inspection would find some potential issues, a property can still be a good investment, depending of the extent of the damage and how much would be the estimate for the repairs budget.

There are many good services for building inspections in Perth. Before purchasing a house in Perth you may read our online feedback and reviews of previous clients of those services and choose a trustworthy building inspector. They will provide you an unbiased advice and a professional assessment of the home you plan to buy. A building inspector will make a comprehensive pre-purchase inspection of your chosen house and will report to you any areas of concern. They can also give you digital photos of the problem areas to help you in a quick identification and an informed decision.

Using the services of professional building inspectors will give you the peace of mind that your house purchasing decision is correct before committing further with the transaction. The building inspections in Perth should meet at least the requirements AS4349.1-2007 that are the Australian Standards for building inspections. Many building inspection services are going even in deeper details and exceed those standards.

A basic building inspection will usually check for any possible interior and exterior damages of the house, including the sub-floor space and the roof area. A comprehensive building inspection service will check more details of the house, such as the fencing, stairs, insulation, plumbing, electrical fittings, paint finishes, waterproofing, fixtures, cabinets, kitchen appliances, hardware, and the driveways.

If you build a new home then you also should use the professional services of a building inspection service. By law, if the building contractor made any mistakes and your new home has any defects, than you benefit of a defect liability period of four months. The builder is responsible to rectify the house defects without any additional costs for you, as a homeowner.

Building inspections in Perth are truly necessary for many reasons. All buildings should meet the Building Codes and Standards, and if the house does not meet those standards you as a homeowner are responsible for repair costs. Inspecting a property is also a safety measure to protect you and your family. Many safety issues are uncovered in our comprehensive reports like trip hazards, fall hazards, incorrect balustrade and handrails.

Chemical Delignification

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What is Chemical Delignification?

Prior to the early 1990's chemical Delignifaction was referred to by many as Hairy Timber.

Chemical Delignification describes the deterioration in it's true form, the lignin in timber is damaged by airborne chemicals.

Lignin is the natural glue that holds the fibres of wood together and is therefore a major component of any wood. When the lignin is broken down or damaged the fibres then detach from each other creating a visible hairy surface to a section of the timber, as the delignification progresses the structure of the timber section is weakened and therefore Chemical Delignification is regarded as a structural pest of timber in service.

Chemical Delignification damage is most commonly found in timber sections used as roof tile battens of buildings that are located in close proximity to the sea, large chemical factories or major arterial roads that have heavy traffic.

Chemical Delignification generally will not occur to timbers in service that are sealed, painted or well oiled as the lignin is protected from airborne chemical substances.

When chemical Delignification is found in roof tile battens or rafters then it is recommended not have persons walk on the roof as collapse may occur and therefore a fall could cause bodily injury.

The photo below is a great example of how Chemical Delignification can affect the timber roof battens found supporting the roof tiles.

Roof Struts

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Roof struts support underpurlins in your roof which in turn support the rafters that your roof covering is nail or screwed to. Therefore it is important that struts are in place to transfer the load of the underpurlin to the foundation of the house.

All to often we see that struts are missing from the roof structure as can be seen in the photo below. When these struts are missing the rafters can fail and cause sagging or total collapse in your roof line.

Perth Property Inspections can help you by completing a comprehensive inspection of your house. For all your Pre Purchase Structural Building Inspection needs call us today.

Water Leaks

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Water leaks potential can cause a lot of damage and expense if not picked up on straight away. Typical water leaks can be found in the bathroom usually as a result of a water proofing problem associated with the shower base. Also cracked roof tiles or poorly fitted flashings can let water enter into your roof space.

In the photo below you can see a typical stain and sagging of the plasterboard ceiling that indicates a water leak. In this instance this was located below the upstairs shower. Obviously there is a problem with the water proof membrane in the shower.

Perth Property Inspections can provide you with Professional Advice in relation to water leaks and any other questions you might have in relation to pre-purchase property inspections.

Timber Maintenance

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Timber maintenance should be conducted on your home on a regular basis. As you can see in this photo the paint has blistered and peeled away from the timber barge board. Left untouched the bare timber will absorb moisture and then dry out, the continuing wetting then drying will eventually lead to timber rot. Once this happens the barge board will need to be replaced. Simply sanding this section back then re-painting the area will avoid this happening. So check the external timber on your house regularly to minimise expensive repairs. Check out Perth Property Inspections for a list of our services.

Metal Roof Construction

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In April 2016 the Western Australia Building Commission published a comprehensive report on how well sheet metal roofs were being constructed in WA. The main reason for this report was an analysis of all wind damage in the metropolitan region which indicated because of the change in material and construction practice in Perth that many metal clad roofs do not meet the performance requirements as set out in the Australian Standards, Building Codes and National Construction Code.

The design and construction of a house with a metal clad roof must allow for wind 'up-lift' forces. This basically means that the design of the roof structure needs to allow for the roof to stay attached to the house structure where there is a high wind event like a significant storm or cyclone. In a conventional roof construction there are many timber joints where the rafters attach to the ridgeboard, rafters attach to the underpurlin and external wall plates, struts attach to the underpurlin and the wall plates or strutting beams and beams attach to wall plates. ALL of the joints need to meet certain 'up-lift' forces which usually means that these joints need a mechanical anchor or strapping.

The Building Commissions report revealed that many of the inspected roofs had not effectively linked together all the related tie down elements within the roof structure from the ridge down to the wall plates. The reasons for this came down to a lack of understanding of the Australian Standards and requirements of the building code by the relevant trades. Additionally there was a lack of documentation by the builder and engineers to clearly show details on how to meet the applicable performance standards. There was also a lack of or ineffective supervision by the builder to sufficiently focus on the key components of the buildings roof. Also, the permit authoritys (local council) monitoring, investigation and enforcing of compliance with applicable building standards was shown to be ineffective.

The Building Commission inspected 123 houses throughout the perth metropolitan area and in the south west as part of their investigation of this issue. Out of those homes they found that only two homes were found to be satisfactory across all the relevant inspection points. They found that 14 of these houses had zero satisfactory relevant inspection points!

What does this mean for you the home owner? If you have a metal clad roof on your home it is very likely that it does not meet the criteria as set out in the Building Code or relevant construction standards. Perth Property Inspections can inspect your home with these standards and inform you of any non compliance issues that may be present in the roof structure. The usual course of action from then if problems are identifiend is to contact the builder and inform them of the issues, they should then inspect the structure and provide an engineers letter if they believe it has been done correctly or they need to complete work to make sure the structure complies.

For further advice call Perth Property Inspections on our free call number 1800 781 251 or check out our website at Perth Property Inspections

Highly professional building inspections in Perth

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If you want to enjoy great peace of mind when moving into your newly purchased or built home, we are the guys that have got your back. This is because we offer highly professional and friendly building inspection Perth services that you will love. We have vast experience when it comes to conducting inspections for both new and old residential buildings. You will get a detailed report of the condition of the house to know clearly what you are getting into. This lets you avoid all the numerous traps that are laid out for unsuspecting individuals when buying or building a new home.

To make certain that you are working with a reputable building inspection Perth firm, it is important that you note that our building inspector is a registered builder. We are also members of various professional bodies thus you can be assured that we offer top notch services that meet industry standards to make sure that you end up getting nothing but the very best. We also work with professional indemnity insurance that lets you know that you are in great hands. Most of the time the services offered normally exceeds customer expectations.

All the reports are made available within the shortest period of time where clients can access them usually within 24 hours as a PDF document that is emailed directly to the customer. They are also confidential and can’t land in third parties hands without your consent. The reports normally include summary, colored photos and they are normally user friendly meaning that they are very easy to view and read. In case you have any questions, you can contact us any time you want to get clarification on the report. This will definitely allow you to move into the house with confidence knowing that you know its current condition. It is also possible to attend the inspections with the building inspection Perth professionals if you feel like you want to be part of the process. This way, you can be able to confirm that the materials as well as workmanship used on the building are up to par.

You do not have to worry about getting exploited when seeking our services as we go out of our way to offer competitive prices that the clients love. This usually depends on the age, size and location of the home unit as well as the type of report that you want from building inspection Perth. You can also get a free quote from our site to enable you to budget and plan for a successful inspection.

Some of the services that you can enjoy with our company include basic building inspection, comprehensive building inspection, special purpose reporting, verbal building advice, under construction reporting and practical completion inspections among many others. This gives clients the liberty to pick the building inspection Perth services you need the most. You can also read some of our clients testimonials that we have worked for before to know some of the reasons why we come highly recommended.

Plasterboard Ceiling Collapses

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Ceiling collapses can cause serious injury to occupants and damage the contents of the room. Sometimes there are no warning signs that the ceiling is about to fail, it should be expected that once a ceiling is installed it should last the lifetime of the home.

The Building Commission has conducted inspections of homes where large sections of ceilings have collapsed and in all of these circumstances it was noted that the plasterboard ceiling sheeting had not been installed as per AS 2589 and the plasterboard manufacturers specifications. The one constant factor that was in ALL cases was noted to be poor application of adhesive.

The following practices need to be applied and supervised effectively:

Ceiling framing members: On completion the ceiling framing members need to be true and flat, undulations should not exceed 4mm over a 1.8m straight edge. Bowed and twisted joist need to be straightened or replaced. The ends of the joists need to be well secured to minimize any lateral movement. Ensure full edge support around all openings including vents, access hole and air conditioning. Make sure there is no dirt or dust on the joist prior to placement of adhesive.

Fastening systems: Ensure the correct mechanical fasteners are used, AS 2589 states that a 30mm screw is required. The heads of screws or nails are not to be overdriven through the paper of the plasterboard. The adhesive dab needs to be 25mm in diameter and 15mm high, the dab needs to fully spread across the joist and be seen on both sides. Ensure correct placement of adhesive dabs, there should be a minimum of 200mm separation from the fasteners and the board edge with a maximum distance of 230mm centres between adhesive dabs.

Installation of Equipment in the roof space: Manufacturers specify a load of around 2kg per square meter directly onto 10mm thick plasterboard. Air-conditioning and ventilation equipment including flexible ducting is to be fully supported up off the ceiling framing and sheeting. (Refer to AS 4254 2012) Heavy fittings such as ceiling fans and large light fittings are to be supported from the ceiling framing and nnot supported by the plasterboard sheeting.

Perth Property Inspections provides building inspection services to all areas of the greater Perth region. Please call us on our free call number 1800 781 251 if you have any questions or require a building inspection. Visit our website at Perth Property Inspections

Masonry Cracking

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Cracking in brickwork is a common issue in Perth homes. The type of construction in Perth is different to other parts of the country where the use of brick veneer and timber framing is more the norm. Most of the cracking seen in Perth homes is usually due to settlement of the structure over time. The loads placed on internal wall because of a conventional roof system also plays a part in the settlement process.

The Australian Standard for Pre-purchase Building Inspections 4349.1 categorizes cracks in masonry walls into 5 Categories. Anything over a category '2' should be inspected by an engineer.

0-Hairline cracking, less than 0.1mm,

1-Fine cracks that do not need repair, less than 1.0mm,

2-Noticable cracks, yet easily filled 1mm -5.0mm,

3-Cracks that can be repaired and possibly some of the wall sections will need to be replaced. Note weather tightness can be impaired, 5.0mm-15.0mm,

4-Extensive repair works required involving breaking out and replacing these sections. Walls can become out of plumb and fall and causes reduced bearing capacity, 15.0mm -25.0mm.