Building Inspection Services

Looking to purchase a new property? It goes without saying that a pre-purchase inspection of the property by a license building and pest inspector is vital to making sure you don’t buy a whole lot of hassle and heartache. Below you can see some of the areas we will check during visual building inspections.

Internal Building Inspection

• Ceilings and cornices for sagging, nails popping, defective lining, cracking, damp damage.
• Internal wall finishes (load bearing and non-load bearing walls) for bulging, nails popping, out of plumb, cracking/crazing, loss of adhesion, blowing and pitting, cracked glass blocks/glazed partitions.
• Floor finishes (e.g. polished wood, terrazzo, ceramic tiles or slates, but not a floor covering) for surface cracking/crazing, cracking at doorways, lifting, damp damage.
• Windows/window elements for grazing putty, failed glazing seals, broken glass, sash operation, sash fittings and hardware, water staining, rotting wooden frames, corroded metal frames.
• Door/door elements for defective door hardware, damaged doors, binding doors, loose/badly fitting doors, corroded/rotted frames.
• Architraves/skirting for fixing, damp damage.
• Fireplaces/chimneys for broken/missing grates or inserts, damaged timber/stone surrounds, damaged hearth tiles, smoke stains on fireplace openings, water stains on chimney breast.
• Kitchen bench tops for lifting, damage, water damage.
• Kitchen cupboards for fixing, fitting / operation of doors, drawers and hardware, water damage.
• Kitchen tiles for cracking, being drummy / loose, missing / cracked grouting / sealant.
• Kitchen sink / taps for leaking trap & waste pipe, damage, operation, incomplete assembly, leaking traps.
• Bathroom wall sheeting for fixing, watertight joining, damage.
• Bathroom tiles for cracking, being drummy, fixing, missing or cracked grouting / sealant.

External Building Inspection

• Masonry walls (incl. face brickwork, block work, external render or stucco) for bricks fretting and spalling, mortar eroding, blocked/obstructed weep holes, cracking brickwork, corrosion of embedded steel, arch bars or lintels & associated cracking, movement, crazing and surface cracking, sheet spalling.
• External cladding for wind damage, rotted weatherboards, warping/splitting and corrosion.
• Damp-proof course/flashing for fixing, damage, corrosion, being loose, dislodged / deteriorated.
• Windows/window elements for gaps to wall structure, sealing to junction between frame and wall, state of glazing putty, weathering, rotted timber, corrosion.
• Slab floor finishes (balconies and patios) for damage, lifting and cracking.
• Paintwork for effect of lack of painting on water tightness of external walls & parapets, blistering, flaking, cracking, peeling.
• Chimneys for lack of chimney support, continuity and intactness within roof space, intactness above roof line, missing chimney pots/cowls, dislodgement or deterioration of flashings, mortar erosion, metal flue corrosion.
• External joinery (e.g. barge boards, gable ends etc.) for fixing, badly weathered or rotted timbers.
• Garage doors for fixing, badly weathered or rotted timbers, corrosion, damage.
• Underside of roofing for corrosion, deterioration, water tightness.
• Roofing for corrosion, secureness of fixing screws, lifting, damage, water tightness, pointing, state of ridge tiles, shell ends, barge tiles.
• Skylights for leaking, damage.
• Valleys for fixing, corrosion.
• Flashings for being loose, dislodged or deteriorated, damage.
• Rainwater goods (including gutters, downpipes, and rainwater tanks) for fixing, damage, corrosion.
• Eaves/linings for fixing, damage.
• Roof insulation for fixing, damage.
• Roof sarking for fixing, damage.
• Termite shields for fixing, damage, corrosion.
• Small retaining walls (non-structural) for cracking, movement, tilting.
• Paths and paving for cracking, breaks, evenness.
• Driveways for cracking, breaks, evenness.
• Stairs and handrails for corrosion, rotted timber, safety.
• Fences for fixing, being plumb, cracking & movement, badly weathered or rotted palings, corrosion, damage.
• Site drainage for defective piping, possible drainage problems if the inspection is conducted during a prolonged dry spell.

Book An Inspection Now

Make sure the property you’re interested in purchasing won’t cause you a mountain of issues in costly repairs or stress down the track. Combine your pre purchase building inspection with a visual pest and termite inspection so you can make an informed decision about the property in question. We service Brisbane and the Gold Coast – call us on 0434 373 589 or book online today.