Building Inspections Ipswich
If your home is in the Ipswich area and you are concerned about the mine collapses, you should have your building inspected for damage.
Your home is one of the biggest investments you will depend on, and if you are worried about any cracks forming or it might be worth you peace of mind to book an inspection with us now.
A building inspection involves a thorough inspection of all accessible areas of the building to determine its overall condition and defects. Each building inspection is undertaken by experienced professionals to ensure that the client has a detailed knowledge of the structural adequacy and condition of the property.
You will be supplied with a comprehensive building report after each inspection. For pre-purchase reports it is a good reference for later repairs and maintenance and covers areas that are not normally inspected by a purchaser at an open house, such as the roof void and sub-floor area (if access panels are provided). Building reports also check for problems that might be covered over, or not noticeable, such as rising damp.
For more information on the mine collapses in Ipswich see ABC News or the Australian story on Ipswich homes and buildings
Australian Building Inspections Check for the following Structural Problems, including:
Structural Cracking and Movement to
- Roof Structure: Concrete roof slabs
- Wall Structure: Masonry, external render & stucco, internal solid plaster, internal lath and plaster, plaster sheet & plasterboard
- Floor Structure: Reinforced concrete construction
Deformation of
- Roof Structure: Roof framing & roofing
- Wall Structure: Framed & masonry construction
- Floor Structure: Suspended concrete slabs, suspended timber ground floors, timber upper floors, stairways
Dampness in
- Wall Structure: Ceilings, internal walls, external walls
- Floor Structure: Suspended floors, slab-on-ground construction
Structural Timber Pest Damage in
- Roof wall & floor structures caused by chemical delignification, fungal decay, woodborers, and termites
Conditions Conducive To Structural Damage, Including:
Defective Plumbing & Defective Roof Plumbing & Flashings
- Non-existent rainwater goods incl. flashings, gutters & down-pipes
- Lack of general storm-water drainage
- Faulty, decayed or lack of parapet/chimney flashings
- Cracked or decayed roof cladding
- Inadequate pitch / lap of roof cladding / no sarking
- Faulty / decayed vent / flue flashings
- Decayed ridge cappings, gutters & down-pipes
Defective/Bridged Damp Proof Course including
- Non-existent damp-proof course in masonry walls
- Failed/defective damp-proof course
- Bridged damp-proof course by: earth, mulch, path, floor, rendering, re-pointing, & additions
Untradesmanlike Work including
- Construction which is obviously unsatisfactory / even dangerous
- Construction which has been built without regard to any recognized standard
- Repairs to the building structure of a superficial / makeshift nature
- Materials unsuitable for the purpose for which they were intended
Major Defects in Secondary and Finishing Elements
Internal
- Ceilings and cornices for sagging, nails popping, defective lining, cracking, damp damage
- Internal wall finishes (load bearing and non-load bearing walls) for bulging, nails popping, out of plumb, cracking / crazing, loss of adhesion, blowing & pitting, cracked glass blocks / glazed partitions
- Floor finishes (e.g. polished wood, terrazzo, ceramic tiles or slates, but not a floor covering) for surface cracking / crazing, cracking at doorways, lifting, damp damage
- Floor coverings (linoleum, cork, carpet etc) for wear & tear, lifting, damp damage
- Paintwork for blistering, flaking, cracking, peeling, mould growth
- Windows/window elements for grazing putty, failed glazing seals, broken glass, sash operation, sash fittings & hardware, water staining, rotting wooden frames, corroded metal frames
- Door/door elements for defective door hardware, damaged doors, binding doors, loose / badly fitting doors, corroded / rotted frames
- Fly-screens for fixing, damaged frames, damaged screens
- Architraves/skirtings for fixing, damp damage
- Fireplaces/chimneys for broken / missing grates or inserts, damaged timber/stone surrounds, damaged hearth tiles, smoke stains on fireplace openings, water stains on chimney breast
- Kitchen bench tops for lifting, damage, water damage
- Kitchen cupboards for fixing, fitting / operation of doors, drawers & hardware, water damage
- Kitchen pantry for defective doors & shelves
- Kitchen tiles for cracking, being drummy / loose, missing / cracked grouting / sealant
- Kitchen paintwork for blistering, flaking, cracking, peeling or mould growth
- Kitchen sink / taps for leaking trap & waste pipe, damage, operation, incomplete assembly, leaking traps
- Bathroom floor finish for imperviousness, grade to floor waste, water damage
- Bathroom wall sheeting for fixing, watertight joining, damage
- Bathroom tiles for cracking, being drummy, fixing, missing or cracked grouting / sealant
- Bathroom paintwork for blistering, flaking, cracking, peeling, mould growth
- WC cistern and Bidet for cracking, leaking, fixing
- Taps for operation, leaking, incomplete assembly
- Bath and Spa for being adequately sealed and properly recessed at junction with wall, damage
- Shower for screen, leakage, leaks & water damage around cracks & shower rose, broken glass
- Vanity for water damage, fixing, leaking trap & waste pipe
- Washbasin for fixing, cracking, leaking trap & waste pipe
- Laundry floor finish for imperviousness, grade to floor waste, water damage
- Laundry wall sheeting for fixing, watertight joining, damage
- Laundry tiles for cracking, being drummy, fixing, grouting & sealant
- Laundry paintwork for blistering, flaking, cracking, peeling, mould growth
- Laundry washtubs/taps for leaking trap & waste pipe, operation, corrosion of cabinet, incomplete assembly, leaking taps
External
- Masonry walls ( incl. face brickwork, block work, external render or stucco) for bricks fretting & spalling, mortar eroding, blocked / obstructed weepholes, cracking brickwork, corrosion of embedded steel, arch bars or lintels & associated cracking, movement, crazing & surface cracking, sheet spalling.
- External cladding for wind damage, rotted weatherboards, warping/ splitting and corrosion
- Damp-proof course / flashing for fixing, damage, corrosion, being loose, dislodged / deteriorated
- Windows / window elements for gaps to wall structure, sealing to junction between frame and wall, state of glazing putty, weathering, rotted timber, corrosion
- Door Steps for damage, cracking, thresholds cracked due to bad bedding practice
- Slab floor finishes (balconies and patios) for damage, lifting and cracking
- Paintwork for effect of lack of painting on watertightness of external walls & parapets, blistering, flaking, cracking, peeling
- Chimneys for lack of chimney support, continuity & intactness within roof space, intactness above roof line, missing chimney pots / cowls, dislodgement or deterioration of flashings, mortar erosion, metal flue corrosion
- External joinery ( e.g. barge boards, gable ends etc) for fixing, badly weathered or rotted timbers
- Garage doors for fixing, badly weathered or rotted timbers, corrosion, damage
- Underside of roofing for corrosion, deterioration, watertightness
- Roofing for corrosion, secureness of fixing screws, lifting, damage, watertightness, pointing, state of ridge tiles, shell ends, barge tiles
- Skylights for leaking, damage
- Valleys for fixing, corrosion
- Flashings for being loose, dislodged or deteriorated, damage
- Rainwater goods ( including gutters, downpipes, and rainwater tanks) for fixing, damage, corrosion
- Eaves Linings for fixing, damage
- Roof insulation for fixing, damage
- Roof sarking for fixing, damage
- Vermin proofing / birdproofing (mesh and plates) for fixing, damage, corrosion
- Termite shields for fixing, damage, corrosion
- Small retaining walls (non-structural) for cracking, movement, tilting
- Paths and paving for cracking, breaks, evenness
- Driveways for cracking, breaks, evenness
- Stairs and handrails for corrosion, rotted timber, safety
- Steps for cracking, breaks, evenness, safety
- Fences for fixing, being plumb, cracking & movement, badly weathered or rotted palings, corrosion, damage
- Site drainage for defective piping, possible drainage problems if the inspection is conducted during a prolonged dry spell
