Blog ~ Building inspection tips for home buyers
As a qualified and licensed carpenter, specialising in residential renovations I wanted to share my top tips of things to look for during a building inspection when purchasing an older house. A lot of my friends and family ask me for advice as they don’t know where to start and I’d like to think that anyone with no background in building could use these tips to identify any potential maintenance issues when going to a house inspection.
I certainly advise getting a building inspection undertaken as they will conduct a thorough inspection, however it is good to have some general knowledge on home maintenance to know whether a house is worth pursuing.
A few things you need to consider include:
· Age of the house
The older the house, the more likely you will have to fork out more money eventually on essential maintenance. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it is just something to be aware of compared to purchasing a more modern home. For instance, cracked exterior and internal walls or asbestos (generally houses built in Australia between 1940’s and 1980’s) …… just to name a few.
· Costs associated with structural changes
If the house is old and you intend to live there for a long time you need to think structural not cosmetic, as structural changes are more important in older house. For a tiled roof, from ground level inspect the roof from all angles to identify whether it looks level and flat. Tiled roofs carry more weight so there is the potential for it to be sagging in certain areas, putting strain on the timber roofing structure.
· Water staining or rust around the gutters
Inspect the condition of the gutters to identify if they look old and whether there are visible signs of water staining, leaks or rust. Find out where the downpipes lead, they could be connected to stormwater, rainwater tanks or not connected to anything at all. Water management is important to ensure water runs away from your house as over time this may cause damage or movement in the foundations.
· Rotting timber
The timber behind the gutter known as the timber fascia is another point for inspection, checking for rotting on their external joins. Replacing timber fascia’s can be expensive to repair as they generally join to the eave sheets and guttering, meaning more labour is involved to fix these items. Check the exterior of the windows for rotting timber by feeling the window seals on mainly the weather facing windows to check for rot. Inspect any exterior timber posts, rot usually starts at the bottom of post where it sits on the metal stirrup or near dirt where water sits.
· Electrical and plumbing
It is difficult to determine when the plumbing and electrical services will reach the end of their life. A building inspector will be able to give a more detailed report on the status of these services in older houses, however often unforeseen issues arise that require maintenance and investment. For instance, rewiring the house or replacing the hot water service.
There you have it, my top tips that will help you choose the right home for you, especially if you’re the kind of person that just wants to move in to your new home without any hidden costly maintenance surprises.