What are some common problems with buildings?

Floors and Sub-floors:

  • Insufficient sub-floor ventilation
  • Issues with pile foundations
  • Rotting foundations and sub-floor framing
  • Excavations carried out under the house which have compromised the foundations
  • Non-compliant alterations to foundations and sub-floor framing
  • Issues with sub-ground retaining walls
  • Ground level too high in relation to the finished floor levels
  • Issues with surface water
  • Issues with water-feed and waste pipes
  • Excessive borer damage

Roofs:

  • Poor general condition of roofing material
  • Roof pitch too low for the type of roofing material used
  • Poor flashing details
  • Roofing material poorly fixed/secured
  • Internal gutters poorly formed, including rainwater outlets and overflow outlets
  • Downpipes poorly formed and installed
  • Inadequate cladding clearances in relation to roofing
  • Issues with skylight flashings and similar penetrations through the roofing

Exterior Joinery:

  • Poor general condition of joinery
  • Poor general condition of joinery hardware
  • Joinery poorly installed
  • Issues with flashing details around joinery items
  • Weather-seals on joinery items in a poor condition

Exterior Walls:

  • Openings created or enlarged for new joinery items
  • New rooms added or existing areas converted into living rooms illegally
  • Possible ground movement causing cracking on the exterior cladding
  • Exterior cladding in poor condition
  • Poor flashing details on cladding/wall junctions
  • Incorrect cladding clearances in relation to landscaping, paving, decks etc
  • Lack of control joins to allow for expansion and contraction of cladding
  • Poor roof to wall cladding junction flashings and similar details
  • Fixing of decks, pergolas etc to the exterior of the house
  • Finishing of electrical meter box, gas meters, light fittings, vents, taps and similar penetrations through the exterior cladding
  • Finishing of the exterior cladding around joinery items

Decks:

  • Decks which form roofs over living areas below
  • Finishing and flashing of these decks, including balustrading
  • Penetrations through membrane decks
  • Rainwater outlets and overflow outlets on the decks
  • Height of decks in relation to the finished floor level of the house
  • Connection of decks to the house
  • Non-compliant balustrading
  • Non-compliant construction of the deck
  • General condition of deck and associated steps/stairs

Interior:

  • Upgrading of service rooms- plumbing and electrical work carried out which requires compliance documentation
  • tiled wet areas upgraded, including waterproofing membrane, where producer statements and possibly building consents are required
  • Walls removed or altered, compromising load bearing and/or bracing walls
  • Rooms added
  • Evidence of moisture ingress
  • Cracking in wallboard linings and possible causes
  • Excessive borer damage
  • Scrim Wall linings on older types of homes

Site General:

  • Any obvious drainage issues
  • Flood path issues
  • Condition of retaining walls, fences, driveways, paths etc
  • Risks regarding sloping sites
  • Possible illegal site work carried out



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