Residential Building Inspections are important in Melbourne
It’s important that you get your building inspection prior to signing any legal contracts. Doing so prior to signing gives you the opportunity to back out of a sale that you don’t want to carry on with, which can save you money in the long run or you may be able to renegotiate the price.
We abide by all Victorian building authority guidelines during our building inspections and pre auction building inspections in Melbourne, Building Inspections Melbourne do i need one is always answered with a yes or should be as it will protect the purchaser from buying a property that is riddled with defects..
I have inspected so many homes after the clients have purchased that are riddled with so many defects that required thousands to rectify if they had conducted pre purchase building inspection prior to purchase they would have saved thousands yes building inspections are important.
A Building and Pest Inspection costs approx between $450-$700 depending on the size of the property and location ,a pest inspection on its own costs approx $300 so a Building and Pest Inspection at $500 is good value and the inspection most preferred by clients
Building and Pest Inspection is different to just a Building Inspection as during the inspection no inspection will be conducted looking for live termites or damage by termites to any structure of the building therefore the building that you are looking to buy may have substantial termite damage that you wont now exists therefore costing you thousands to rectify once moving in to your new home, its always wise to have a termite inspection for the small cost involved
For the amount of destruction termites can do to a property its always essential to include a termite inspection as part of the building inspection.
By getting a home inspection completed, you will also find that you may have more bargaining power and can renegotiate the price down if you find that there are defects that need to be repaired.
Property pre purchase inspections are essential for a number of reasons and can save you significant issues in the long run. When you’re spending hundreds of thousands on a property, a few hundred dollars is “nothing” in the grand scheme of things.
When you get a property pre purchase inspection, you will be able to identify structural or other issues that may either be costly to repair, or could pose a serious risk to you later on.
A pre purchase inspection will give you the opportunity make one of two decisions.
There are over 1000 items of a property that are inspected below are some of the areas and items that are inspected fort any defects.
- Proper grading of site water not going to foundations, drainage away from house
- No evidence of blocked drains
- Trees and walkways in good condition
- No branches or bushes touching house or overhanging the roof
- Exterior structures (fences, sheds, decks, retaining walls, detached garages) in good condition, no evidence of termite damage or rot to any timbers
- Railings on stairs and decks are adequate and secure with no movement
- Driveways, sidewalks, patios, landings in good condition, and falling away from property
- Down pipes drainage directed away from the house
- Ridge and fascia board lines straight and level
- Sides of house appear straight, not bowed or sagging
- Window and door frames appear square (especially bowed windows)
- Visible foundation in good condition – appears straight, plumb, with no significant cracking to any areas
- Masonry brickwork in good condition,no cracks evident
- lintels OK with no rust visible
- Exterior surfaces such as Windows, Doors and Wood Trim are ok with no rot
- No gaps between walls and window juctions
- No broken glass panes or damaged screens
- Flashing to windows OK
Roof
- No evidence of broken tiles or rust to metal decks
- No debris into gutters
- Valleys and flashings ok
- Roof line level with no dips
- Ridge capping ok
- Soffits and fascias not showing any signs of rot to timber.
- No plumbing penetrations through brickwork that have not been sealed
- No rust to Gutters, are they secured with no sagging or evidence of ponding.
- Insulation ok to internal roof joists, any sisalation to tiles
Interior Rooms
- Floors, walls and ceilings appear straight and plumb
- No stains on floors, walls or ceilings
- Flooring/tiling in good condition
- No cracks to walls or ceilings
- Windows and exterior doors operate easily and latch properly, no broken glass, no sashes painted shut, no decay; windows and doors have weather-stripping,
- Interior doors operate easily and latch properly, no damage or decay, locks working as intended
- Paint, wall covering, and wall panels in good condition with no termite or borer damage
- Light switches operating as intended
- Heating and cooling units working
- Exhaust fans in good working order
- Stoves and cook tops working as intended
- Dishwasher working ok, draining ok
- No leaks below cabinets in bathrooms, laundry, kitchen
- No water hammer with adequate water pressure
- Cabinets in good working order
- Sinks bathtubs and showers drain as intended
- No sign of rusting to metal laundry cabinets
- Toilets operation ok,no blockages noted
- Toilet secured as required and caulked
- All caulking to tile junctions ok with no voids
- Garage door opening and closing as intended, evidence of motor
- Evidence of moisture internally or in roof space and sub floor
- Foundations ok
- Stumps in sub floor ok ,no rot at base
- Bearers and floor joists ok no termite damage
- Soil not damp, no debris to sub floor
- Roof space
- Rafter and ceiling joist ok ,no defects noted
- No termite damage to any structural timbers
Not many people realize that there is no requirement for building inspectors doing pre purchase building inspections in Melbourne to be registered with the VBA so its very important that you check you your building inspectors credentials before hiring him, read his reviews as this always give you a good indication of the workmanship of the practitioner.
There are many people who call themselves consultants as well and they have the knowledge to conduct pre purchase inspections as they were Registered but have decided to no longer work as builders as they may be semi retired or don’t want the constant rigours involved with building-there are many great building consultants that are no longer registered with the VBA
