Common problems found by building surveys

Drainage is one of the most frequent defect in today’s household. Unfortunately as well as being the most frequent, it can be the most destructive. Bad drainage is not always easy to see as generally the drainage is out of view but could be damaging the homes foundations.

There are many different ways that your house can be affected by bad drainage and these can be caused by nature;

• tree roots,
• ground movement,

by faults in the pipelines such as;

• cracked joints,
• leaking joints,
• blockages,

and there are also design faults such as;

• inadequate soak-away size,
• lack of support bellow external walls,
• poor materials.

Bad electrical wiring is also a common problem when being inspected. Wiring is an important part of modern day life as people are buying more electrical gadgets and the demand for electricity in the house is soaring. Therefor its important that bad wiring is discovered and replaced as this eliminates the worry of hazards such as fires. There are a lot of ways that a house can be a victim of bad wiring and these can be faults such as;

• unprofessional work not meeting standards
• overloading circuits,
• old aluminium wiring,
• RCD protection,
• incorrect fuses.

Damaged roofs can leave you extremely vulnerable as they cause leaks, heat loss, unexpected visitors, falling debris and other problems. In the short term it can be inexpensive and easy to repair however this can prove to be a false economy. The roof is the part of a house the inspector wont miss and despite the various types of roof they know what the are looking for.

There are many different problems an inspector can look for and apart from the obvious an inspector will look for;

• surface water,
• surface crazing,
• ripped felt,
• cracked/slipped/missing tiles,
• insect infestation,
• corrosion,
• leaks,
• chimney defects,
• undersized timber support.

The homes heating system is the main source of warmth, key in keeping the house at a bearable temperature and the water hot. It can come from a gas boiler or an electric heating system, both of which have their potential faults. Problems that can arise are defects such as;

• chimney blockages,
• broken controls,
• unsafe fume circulation,
• cracked heat exchangers.

These problems can be potentially hazardous and can damage the health of and residents. They can all be repaired at varying expense, however modern day heating systems are more fuel efficient and in the long term will be more cost effective.

There are three main types of structure in every house that are vulnerable to damage over the years, and are particularly important to be checked in older homes. These three structures are the;

• walls,
• floors,
• roofs.

Most of the time they are seen as easily repairable, if treated as soon as possible, however it would become a small fortune to replace a wall once its fallen down.

All the types of structure in a house are exposed to cracking which overtime can become a big problem. Cracking could be caused by a number of things such as;

• temperature expansion or contraction,
• drainage defects,
• tree roots,
• settlement,
• cavity wall tie failure,
• roof spread.

Cracking is the most common problem to a buildings structure but with professional work the risk can be easily reduced.

The walls of a house can be infected by defects inside and outside the property. The walls need to be free of any dangerous elements as they hold up the weight of the house. If there are any problems it's wise to get them fixed quickly. The brickwork on the outside of the house needs to be strong enough to withstand whatever mother nature can throw at it. Weathering is one of the biggest problem any house can experience. Weathering can cause problems such as;

• cracks,
• thermal movement,
• tree roots/branches,
• drainage,
• algae,
• frost,
• acid rain,
• severe weathering.

The main four types of wall; bricks, stone, concrete and timber are all potential victims to weathering and also vulnerable to actions from poor quality fitting, or poor quality materials. The problems found in walls can be classed as hazards as soon a the smallest cracks appear, therefore its sensible to get it checked out before it becomes potentially dangerous.

The floors of a house need to be strong as they hold the weight of furniture and in some cases walls. Therefore its important that floors are looked after and inspected for damage as often as necessary. Different types of floor are susceptible to different types of defects. A suspended timber floor is open to disturbance in the woods structure from such effects as rot, insect infestation and lack of ventilation. A concrete floor is also vulnerable to many different problems such as inadequate foundations or corrosion. All types of floor can also be compromised by poor build quality.

The roof is one of the most common parts of a house that is a victim to damage. There are many reasons for this and its difficult to tell that there is damage to your roof until you get rain water leaking down walls or a nasty dent in your car bonnet from a loose tile. An inspector would look for any problems concerning health, safety, damage or any other problems that could, in time destroy walls, ceilings, foundations and other parts of the build. Like most problems a simple fix could turn into an expensive problem if the situation is not dealt with.

There are a number of different problems a roof can have and there are also many different types of roof. The three main types of roof are asphalt, bituminous felt and a pitched roof. The pitched roof is most common in modern day houses but dispute this there are problems it can witness. Common problems are;

• broken/missing/loose tiles,
• corrosion,
• leaks or gaps,
• insect infestation,
• cracked/corroded chimney.

As well as these effects from time and weathering there is also the problems that occur because materials were not fitted properly or the wrong materials were used. These problems are often lack of cross roof ventilation, inadequate insulation to pipework, undersized timber and other faults. The two other type of roof can be victims to the same faults. The bituminous felt and asphalt can have problems such as;

• surface crazing,
• surface water,
• splits and fractures,
• wearing,
• poor fitting.

Plumbing defects are another common problem found during an inspection. A problem with plumbing can generally be easily fixed and at a reasonable price. Its also a problem which, in most cases, can be evident quite quickly as a leaking dishwasher or leaking gas wont go a miss. Plumbing problems can arise from gas or water leaks so there are two sets of defects to look out for. The gas supply is prone to;

• leaks of pipework,
• corrosion of pipework,
• earthing to meter,
• lack of testing, servicing and certification.

The water supply can have the following problems;

• leaks of pipework,
• corrosion of pipework,
• inadequate stop cock,
• inadequate pressure to appliances,
• no shelter to piping,
• obsolete lead pipes.

All pipe work and appliances to water and gas are prone to mistakes from installation and unprofessional fitting or the wrong equipment.

The exterior of the house is the part of a property which either invites someone inside or means it doesn't even get a look. As well as having a nice appearance the exterior of the house is responsible for keeping out the damage caused by water and air penetration.

Doors, windows and the walls of a property are the areas which are at risk and there are different problems to avoid regarding the materials they are made from. A timber frame could suffer from;

• rotting,
• corrosion,
• lack of lintel support,
• broken sash cords,
• failed double glazing,
• lack of cavity closers during installation.

The defects of PVC are;

• failed double glazing,
• U.V. Light deterioration to frames,
• lack of lintel support,
• lack of cavity closers during installation.

The defects of metal exteriors are;

• corrosion to frames and hinges,
• condensation to reveals and single glazing.

A good ventilation system is a good, cost effective, way of keeping your home fresh, however when you over ventilate your home you put it at risk of getting excessive interior moisture. The effects of moisture can cause rotting and premature failure of structural and non- structural elements. The effects of poor ventilation can be seen mainly in the bathroom as this is where there is a lot of water activity. The moisture can cause damage to plaster, mould and can cause allergic reactions if the room is not properly ventilated.

There are many different defects your house can have that can put off potential buyers. All the common house problems can be fixed and in some cases this is easily done with a few minutes of hard work, however in other cases a professional team will need to take control. The longer a problem goes unnoticed the bigger the problem can become so its wise to check for these problems every so often to avoid that large repair bill. Overall it can only take one of these defects to put off potential buyers so by looking after your house and putting in some time to clean and check around, it could make the difference between you getting the top price or being left with a dud.