31 Aug 2018

Important Tips For Building A New Property

Everybody enjoys a rendered finish on their home, but unless done correctly it can quickly become a costly & ugly nightmare.

Cracked cement sheeting
Are you building a new property?
When investing all your hard earned money into building your dream home, a builder or contractor who does not take pride in or is not up to an acceptable standard can make your journey and final outcome a nightmare.
There is many procedures that if done incorrectly can be disastrous for your building in the future often after your warranty has passed.
Cracked cement sheeting close up
This is a cement sheet and rendered finish which is a very common process now days. If done incorrectly it simply tears itself apart as you can see.
This is caused by not having any expansion joints to allow for expansion and contraction when exposed to different weather elements. The issues you can see here are clear. Small cracks all over the wall at every joint. These will become severe. 

How To Make Sure You Don’t Get Caught Out!

  • Staged Building inspections
  • Performed at certain stages during the build
  • Quickly identify these potential issues
  • Rectify any potential problems during the early stages of development

A2Z have extensive experience in working with property developers and builders and ensuring that their work is up to industry standard. Phone Aaron today to discuss your options when building.

PHONE 0401 953 057 NOW

INVEST WITH CONFIDENCE!
17 Jul 2018

How To Prevent Water Damage Around Home

Cause of moisture damage around home

Moisture!

When performing pre purchase building inspections in Adelaide, I always perform the critical task of inspecting for moisture, plus I always look at the home and it’s immediate surroundings.
With the common soil in Adelaide and with Large pockets of Biscay soils in the Southern suburbs of Adelaide are typically not the best conditions for natural drainage. This can lead to foundation (Slab) movement and structural wall cracking etc. we can help this by having footpaths around the perimeter of the house to divert water (rain etc) away as much as possible.
For example: The area next to your property that you will not walk down will still benefit from a footpath to divert water away from the wall and foundation.  Footpaths serve more than one purpose. I have over 20 years building expertise so I can often see a future major issue often before any symptoms come to light. 
Feel free to call if you have any questions regarding building issues, pre purchase building inspection, pre auction inspections and new build staged inspections.
INVEST WITH CONFIDENCE!
19 Jun 2018

How Do Brick Walls Get Cracked?

Brighton Pre-Purchase Property Inspection - structural wall damage
A good time to take note of the condition of your foundations and external structural walls is during a period of weather change, particularly in the colder & wetter months.
The absence of the sun and warmer days often presents problems with moisture around properties as the water does not get a chance to dry off and is further compounded by (usually) wet weather conditions at the same time of year. Paying close attention to water run off & storm water is essential in preventing damage caused by moving foundations, among other potentially costly structural issues.
A Pre purchase building inspection of a property in Brighton, Adelaide found some clearly visible external wall cracking.
Minor movements in the foundations can cause cracking. This often is caused by  changing weather conditions, insufficient diversion of storm water away from the foundation and or the surrounding perimeter of the dwelling.
When I perform a pre purchase building inspection I always pay attention on what direction storm water may be likely to travel and will give you a recommendation if needed to help you avoid and future issues like this.
A preventive solution is cheaper and better than fixing damage caused.
INVEST WITH CONFIDENCE!
16 May 2018

Pre Purchase Inspection Victor Harbor

A2Z Building Inspections has had the privilege to inspect some stunning fully renovated houses lately which have been completed to a pristine standard.
When you open the front door the houses impress. Fresh paint, new carpets, wow factor every angle you look. Straight away you are blinded and in love with the property.
This often happens but there can can be some defects that aren’t clearly visible. This is why a Pre Purchase Building Inspection on your biggest investment pays for itself ten fold.
A newly renovated unit in Victor Harbor on the Fleurieu Penninsula was immaculate inside and out but up on top lays a future headache.
Renovated Home Inspection

Rusted ridge caps and roof sheeting in places. 

Renovated Home Inspection

This highly maintained 1980’s built home in Adelaide’s Southern Suburbs of Reynella has early signs of some ridge cap maintenance being needed to eliminate future issues.

Early signs of damaged ridge cap

Renovated Home Inspection

Glued tile needing replacement

 

02 May 2018

Pre Purchase Inspection Uncovers Fungal Rot In Balcony

Pre purchase building inspection performed at Encounter Bay in Adelaide’s southern suburbs is a renovators delight.

One of the main defects that was found was in regards to the large entertaining balcony. From time to time you hear on the news that a balcony has collapsed and several loved ones were hurt or worse.

Regularly check over your balcony or have a experienced building inspector inspect it. Issues that can lead to injury are timber rot from lack of painting maintenance etc. balustrades that do no comply with Australia standards.

This balcony in particular suffers from timber fungal rot.

Pre Purchase Inspection - broken and rotten timbers Pre Purchase Inspection - broken timbers 2 Pre Purchase Inspection - broken timbers

17 Apr 2018

Hidden Safety Hazards Around The Home

Hidden Safety Hazards At Home
Even though this house is in pristine condition, the purchaser wanted to get a pre-purchase building inspection performed for piece of mind.
Luckily for this family we were able to identify a serious potential hazard, especially for those with young children.
A safety issue was found with the upstairs bedroom and lounge room windows. They were below 700mm from the floor height- easily reachable by toddlers. When opened too far these windows allowed an opening greater than 125mm, which fails to comply with the Australian standards.
125mm is the largest gap allowed for balustrades also. This can be dangerous if overlooked- if you have infants or toddlers falling from the 2nd level, needless to say the consequences are catastrophic.
INVEST WITH CONFIDENCE- arrange a building inspection today.
Safety Hazards At Home
29 Mar 2018

Here is a few reasons why you should always have a Independant building inspector perform a pre purchase building inspection before you purchase any property.
insufficient balustrade rail fixing and incorrect timber used causing fungal rot in the timber

Insufficient balustrade rail fixing and incorrect timber used causing fungal rot in the timber

Adelaide’s southern suburbs of victor harbour this high end property has insufficient balustrade rail fixing and incorrect timber used causing fungal rot in the timber. This particular balustrade was unstable and a fall height of over 3 meters will result in injury’s or worse.

split silicone sealant to a box gutter

This Esplanade property in Encounter Bay was viewed for a pre purchase inspection. The customers were already renting the property and were concerned about prior issues of water running down the walls. A previous inspector said that there was no issue.
Upon inspection I have found some split silicone sealant to a box gutter. Once down pipe resivoir is half full water seeps through the split and causes capillary attraction which sucks the water through like a straw. If this issue was not found the damage over time would have been huge and very costly to fix.
28 Feb 2018

Inspection Of Leaking Gutter Reveals Rotten Timbers

Rotten timbers needing replacement

Timber rotted right through due to moisture damage

Maintenance is key!

Timbers showing severe fungal rot

Timbers showing severe fungal rot

This is the aftermath of a slightly leaking/rusted gutter in a property I am working on in Glenelg, South Australia.

After years of turning a blind eye to a slightly leaking gutter, problems did eventually arise for these residential home owners and unfortunately it was much worse than a roof gutter.

If the problematic gutter was replaced earlier it would have been a cheap problem to fix. Instead now, not only are we replacing the defective gutter but we are also replacing timber fascias which have severe fungal rot in them. Rectifying this issue will require a substantially greater amount of materials and is also very labour intensive compared to what it could have been.

Preventative maintenance is key.

Are you unsure about potential problems around your property?

A2Z can help.

Our property inspector Aaron has extensive experience in the building inspection industry and will easily identify for you any potential risks that have arisen from a lack of maintenance.

INVEST WITH CONFIDENCE with A2Z Building Inspections in Adelaide. CALL NOW.

06 Feb 2018

Australian LPG Bottle Standards

lpg cylinder placement

We often find in our pre purchase building Inspections here in Adelaide, South Australia that When using bottled  LP gas for the home often Australian standards are not met. There are minimum distances to openings, power switches, internet boxes and light gauge chains needed to avoid toppling over.
If the Australian standards are not met these issues can be dangerous, even deadly, and even void your insurance if the unfortunate does happen.
INVEST WITH CONFIDENCE!
Here is a great article by Elgas on the issue, read here >
24 Jan 2018

Beware the DIY Home Reno NIGHTMARE

Improper decking construction resulted in rotten timbers

In the day and age of DIY jobs around the home due to everyone getting exited with THE BLOCK etc I often find issues like this!

It is now more important than ever to get a pre-purchase property inspection in order to identify potential problems like this. Sure, it might be easy to spot some old timbers or fixtures that are already rotting, but what about a recently completed renovation? You know, the type of jobs that are rushed through quickly in order to make a great impression with a minimal cost?

It’s these types of ‘upgrades’ that home buyers really need to watch out for. The use of incorrect materials or improper installation are easily masked by the ‘wow factor’ these botched up renovations can create. You owe it to yourself to invest in a professional, somebody who can see past the smoke and mirrors of a property presentation and get straight down to what’s important – how valuable or how much of a liability is this property you are considering investing in!

This was at a property in Morphett Vale, south of Adelaide, South Australia.
Incorrect materials for certain jobs will not last when exposed to the elements of weathering and moisture etc.
These are just some of the issues that can be found with a pre purchase building inspection.
INVEST WITH CONFIDENCE with your biggest asset.

Improper decking construction resulted in rotten timbers

Repairs to this decking could've been costly

Repairs to this decking could’ve been costly