How you can carry out your own basic Building Inspection

How you can carry out a basic Building Inspection

There are areas that can be inspected before an official building inspection and pest inspection is done.  This helps to inform you on your property’s condition and even know whether repairs will need to be made after you buy it. If you come across some problems, you can get Aegis Building Inspections to do the building inspection and pest inspection to ensure you get a quality inspection. The building inspection report you will get will help you in asking for discounted price on the home which basically can be translated into a free building inspection.

Required tool for you building inspection

• Ladder – to be used when inspecting the roof and roof space. Take care when climbing to the roof especially if you have tiles, to prevent  them from breaking under the weight of your body.  Dampness and wind are also dangerous factors to consider.
• Moisture meter – helps in detecting falling or rising dampness that might cause problems especially in wet areas. You can hire this depending on the type of property as buying one is expensive.
• Torch – for use in inspecting roof space and even basement.

There are many areas for the property that you can inspect yourself.  You should take your time and be careful when doing the internal or external inspection of the property.

Internal building inspection

1.     For 25 year old homes or older you should check for water pressure, water color, delivery rate of hot water and even if the water hammer has leaks.
2.     Check the floors for levelness which will indicate if there are any foundation problems. For instance, when assessing the condition of the rooms – check if there is a gap between the floor and the walls.  If there is a gap this can indicate that there is an issue with support or framing in the walls.  In addition, that can indicate that the home could have been re-stumped but was never levelled.  This will add more costs.
3.     Check showers for problems. For instance check for swollen timbers against the shower, it indicates leaks requiring repairs.
4.     Check the fuse box for residual current device (RCD) whether it is installed or not. If the home is older it indicated that there was an upgrade probably 2 years prior.
5.     Check for safety switch for power points.
6.     Check for replacements of skirting boards and timber architraves.  Probably the replacements were because of termite activity.
7.     Check doors and windows functionality.  If there is binding it basically means there was movement under the areas which needs investigation.

External building inspection

1.     Check if there is timber rot to the windows and even external doors. These are normally expensive to repair or even making replacements.
2.     Check downpipes and gutters for paint bubbles or rough surface. If the gutters are rusty, painting can be done to make them look new.
3.     In checking gutters look inside by using a ladder. It is not a must you get to the roof; you just need to stand on your ladder. An average cost of more than $2000 may be needed in a single storey home for replacing downpipes and gutters.
4.     Check surfaces on your property to ensure they are not falling towards the building and its drainage. Bad drainage can cause problems in the foundation.
5.     Check the large trees around the property closely and determine if they are moving towards the external walls. You may need a root barrier system put between the property and trees. The barrier is usually a deep trench that is filled with concrete which helps in cutting off present roots as well as stopping others from growing towards walls of the property.
6.     Check for any paint blistering to the external walls. This means there is a damp issue rising.
7.     Check external taps if there is any rusty water. You can turn on the tap to know. There can also be galvanized pipes somewhere even if you are not able to see copper pipes.
8.     On the roof check the roof line for wavy, low spots which could mean the roof structure has problems and even foundation problems.
9.     Check timbers to out building for any termite activity or rot. Termites popularly reside in garages, sheds where timbers are low to the ground.

Building Inspection of under the property – stumps

• Check packing on top of concrete stumps. This means a problem with foundation soil in the stumps or under it.
• Check for leaks or water marks to timbers or flooring under the bathroom.
• Check for dampness or wetness on the ground. This is an indication of drainage problem or even leaking pipes.
• If timber stumps are used check for mobility – whether they move at ground level. In addition, check for decay to the stumps above ground it indicates rot is underground.

Roof inspection

• Check for insulation if it is present in your ceiling or the under roofing material. Insulation high as ceiling joist 100mm is good insulation.
• Check if there is any rust under the roofing iron particularly in areas with joins of sheets.
• Check for presence of black electrical cable which basically means the cable is old and needs replacement.
• Check for ducting. Ducting means the roof is old and is deteriorated.
• Check for pressure of hot water system, unit for rust. This lets you know whether a replacement if needed.
• Check for insulation, if it is not there check the ceiling if it is hard up to the joists and they are not dropping.

These are important areas that are covered in the building inspection. They ensure that you have a good home and you also know everything about the home prior to buying the property. With the building inspection report, you will know how to proceed with your home buying quest. You can start to bargain with the seller in the light of the report from the building inspection. This helps you get a convenient and fair price for the home if you decide to go forward with the acquisition. On the other hand, you can decide to abandon buying the home if the repairs and replacements according to the building inspection prove to be more expensive and to great a liability.