Is your house cracking up?
Is your house cracking up?
A long, spidery vein is inching its way across the dining room wall. It seems to be spreading even as you stare at it! You’re sure it wasn’t there yesterday! So what does this mean and how can it be fixed?
Don’t...
Read moreDue Diligence for Home Buyers
Literal meaning of Due diligence is doing a comprehensive appraisal of any buying task undertaken by a prospective buyer, especially to establish its assets and liabilities and evaluate its potential.
It is utmost important to do your due diligenc...
Read moreA Good Building Inspection Is Better Than An Expensive Cure
Put yourself in Hao’s shoes. He buys his dream home only to discover a buyer’s worst nightmare: most of his buildings are illegal.
As the Whittlesea Council says: His bungalow was constructed without a permit. And to add insult to financial in...
Read moreThe Dirty World Of Termites
This summer it’s time to think pests. "Generally the soil moisture is high, that makes a big difference to termites. Termites are really just organised cockroaches," says Dr Ewart to The Age in an article titled: Hungry termites marching on Melbour...
Read moreWHAT’S THE MOST COMMON BUILDING INSPECTIONS SIGNIFICANT DEFECT?
Over the past two years, the most common Significant defect found, is the damp shower. Modern showers are aesthetically pleasing and appear to be installed to the highest standard. However, countless showers have been found this year to have damp cor...
Read moreRe-stumping red flags
A guide to Re-Stumping
Re-stumping - or re-blocking as it's known in Victoria - is big business in Australia and can be a very costly exercise, particularly if you don't know what you're looking at and you don't understand what you've bought into....
Read moreThe first signs that a home could have rotten or sinking stumps
If you are buying your dream home or investment property, it should be remembered that if the property is showing signs of stump damage, it is important to get a professional building consultant to have a look at your property. A house may appear q...
Read moreWhat Does Jim Know About Building Inspections Anyway?
ACTUALLY, QUITE A BIT MORE THAN WE EVER REALISED!
We recently discovered that Jim Penman’s dad was a forensic engineer.
From an early age Jim’s father was investigating materials, structures and their components which failed o...
Read moreDo you think that property you are looking to buy has asbestos?
If the house you are looking to buy was built or renovated before 1990, it is likely that it will contain some form of asbestos-containing materials.
Did you know that approximately one-third of homes built in Australia contain asbestos products?
...
Read moreThe Politics Of Smoke Alarms
From 1993 to 2015, CSIRO conducted tests on smoke alarms but the public is yet to read the findings. This comes at a time when activists want ionised smoke alarms banned due to alleged issues with response times to common fires. In America, the alarm...
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