Description
Purchasing your dream home is full of excitement and anxiety. You are excited as a new home means a new beginning and a new beginning means happiness. On the other hand, making a number of decisions for the biggest financial decision of your life make you anxious. Making informed decisions can help you with joy and anxiety. Building and pest inspection is one of the tools that can provide you with information about the condition of the building. It warns you about the many major and minor building defects that can cost you thousands of dollars down the time. Following are 7 secrets revealed by building and pest inspection:
1. Internal Water Leaks:
Internal water leaks are the most common building defects found during the building and pest inspection. Almost half of the houses have these problems. With this probability and high cost to fix internal water, leakages make it more threatening. Even a small water leak in the washroom can cost you $15,000 to fix and the average cost is $30,361 as per claims.
Building inspectors are trained to identify any water leaks even when concealed with help of fresh paint or coverings.
2. Cracking To Internal Or External Structures:
It is the second most found building defect during building and pest inspection. 41% of properties have been found to contain this defect. Some of the cracks are just superficial on the surface level while other cracks can be indicators of serious issues.
Small cracks are due to seasonal contraction and expansion of building elements. Major cracks could be due to foot movement, pest infestation or water damage. Building and pest inspection help you with structural crack before your make your final decision.
3. Water Penetration From Outside
2 out of every 5 houses have water penetration from the outside. This is a natural phenomenon caused by above-average rainfall and floods. Basic indicators of water penetration are peeling paint, mold, and musty odor. The main reason for external water penetration is failed waterproofing. Damage due to termites and many other reasons.
Building and pest inspection use the moisture meter to detect the water penetration from outside and warn you of potential problems.
4. Termites & Other Pests
According to CSIRO, almost 1 in every 3 houses (32%) in Australia have pest and termite problems. A humid environment attracts termite infestation. Termite can damage anything in the house and can make your house uninhabitable. Termite can attack footing, floor, structure, doors and furniture.
Building and pest inspector uses Termatrac to detect the termite infestation and help you avoid purchasing a problematic property.
5. Structural Issues:
The building and pest inspector conducts a thorough inspection of the structure of the building. This is the backbone of the building on which the whole building is based. The inspector scan the building for issues like structural damage, movement of footing, and poor construction. Loose or missing structure elements are common defects found in buildings. These defects weaken the building and make it fatal for occupants. Many structure problems are irreparable and need reconstruction of the building.
The building inspector provides detailed information about these defects to the buyer to make an informed decision.
6. Mould & Rotting Timber
Rotting timber and mold is another serious problem found in the building during building and pest inspection. Rotting timber can weaken the structure, floors, doors, and footing of the building whereas mold can cause serious health issues. These problems are indicators of water damage in the building.
The building and pest inspector reports these problems and the extent of the damage in the report for the buyer to have a clear understanding of the issues.
7. Safety & Compliance
A building inspection will check for any safety and compliance issues that can be fatal for your family. Almost 1 in every 6 houses have poor or defective fire safety measure. Some of the examples are inappropriate fire exits, inferior fire safety equipment, and poor testing. Other common safety issues are electrical defects and loose railing or balustrades.
Building and Pest inspectors list all safety concerns in the report to warn about the potential threats to you and your family.
As there is a saying, “Prevention is better than cure”. This saying perfectly applies to the building inspection scenarios. The small investment in building and pest inspection pay itself many times. It protects you from nasty surprises in form of making a disastrous investment decision.
Building Inspection Council is a not-for-profit community service that helps Australian property buyers with expert building inspectors in your area. For 3 free expert quote, click here.