If you are looking for a professional building inspector in Perth with excellent attention to detail and customer service to assist with your pre purchase home inspection, you have arrived at the right place. Our experienced team can assist with your pre purchase building inspection needs as well as offering professional structural engineering services.
In this short article, we would like to provide some tips that will assist with your initial inspection of a property:
It is very important to verify with the Seller that the property is free of easements or caveats. Reviewing the property title is a good starting point. If there are easements of caveats ensure that you obtain the referenced documents and that you understand very clearly what they mean;
Spotting on floors and walls, or loose carpets and tiles can be an indication of water ingress;
Cracks in the walls can be structural or non-structural. We have previously written an article on this topic titled Structural and non-structural cracks you might find in Perth -a home building inspection perspective which the reader may find very informative;
Visually assess retaining wall for signs of failure such as cracking or leaning as these structures can be quite expensive to remediate. For more information refer to our post titled Retaining walls inspection, design and structural engineering guidance.
Spotting on walls and windows could indicate mildew which could be serious a health hazard;
In older houses, you should check for cracked glass window panes to ensure that they can be opened and closed without difficulty;
Ensure that there aren't any gaps or missing waterproofing in the tiles;
Check the outside areas of the building and examine what maintenance and improvements have been done by the previous owners;
If possible, check that there is enough water pressure with each hot and cold taps, and that the drainage is adequate;
Confirm if the property has a sewer connection or septic tanks. Verifying the sewer connection can be done by visiting mywater and doing a quick property search;
Confirm if the property that you are about to purchase contains unauthorised structures. For example, if the property contains a carport, swimming pool, retaining walls, screen walls, patio and sheds you should contact the local council to check if these structures have been approved. It is possible with the assistance of a structural engineer to obtain council approval for unauthorised structures and for more information, check out our article on Retrospective approvals for unauthorised building works.
And lastly, if you plan on renovating the home prior to moving in, consider the presence of asbestos and how this might influence your buying decision and renovation budget.
With older homes, you should expect more maintenance and a good rule is to set aside 1 percent of the value of the home to spend on maintenance every year. For example, if the home is valued at around $500,000 you should allocate on average $5,000 on maintenance per year.
If you have any questions about your planned building inspection in Perth, get in touch with us to discuss your requirements and to obtain a free quote. Blog image courtesy of Pinterest.
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