If you’re looking to cut corners as you buy or sell a home, make sure you continue to prioritise a building inspection. Why? Because a house is almost certainly your biggest investment, and the structural integrity of a property is absolutely fundamental to keeping your asset and your family safe.
If you’re still not convinced, here at the top five issues that routinely crop up when professional building inspections are carried out:
1. Structural defects
Moving into a home without realising its basic structure is flawed is not something you want to risk. We’re talking about building defects, wear and tear, leaks and problems due to roofing, plumbing and ventilation problems, environmental damage to rafters, joists, foundations, walls and everything in between.
2. Roof damage
Many people believe that because a roof has a long shelf-life, and because it looks visibly sound, a quick glance can be enough. But even the highest quality roofs can be masking problems that are not easily visible and, before too long, can lead to huge repair bills and significant damage due to leaks.
3. Drainage
It might not be something you’ve even considered, but one of the most common issues on building inspection reports is drainage. The inspectors will not just look at the building integrity, but also the land itself to determine the risk of water and foundation damage due to grading and drainage problems. Luckily, most issues can be easily fixed with new gutters, downpipes and some re-grading.
4. Plumbing
The plumbing system really is something that is difficult to inspect yourself, but problems identified by building inspectors can be serious. Regularly, inspectors find old, weakening, poorly repaired or installed or incorrectly fixed pipes, as well as issues with waste lines and fixtures.
5. Ventilation
Bad ventilation might not seem like a big deal, but it is. And the amount of problems detected by building inspectors is only rising, given that many homes are tightly sealed for greater energy efficiency – but too tight a seal can be at the cost of reduced air flow, ventilation and the retention of structurally-damaging moisture, rot, water damage and mould.
For more information about Building Inspections Adelaide you can call us at 1300 155 688.
