Integrity House Inspections
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Work photos
  • Whats in my report?
  • Useful links and asbestos related articles
  • Blog

Choosing your inspector

27/6/2021

0 Comments

 

Do you know that anybody can call themselves a building inspector, you do not require any qualifications, training, insurance or knowledge. This is an issue you should uncover before deciding on an inspector.

Choosing an insured, qualified, licensed inspector with experience means looking further than the flashy and cheap pricing often seen with online advertising.
It's your choice, however the rush of the limited cooling off period often entices quick and poor decisions when you suddenly find a great house.
Did your last inspection report explain the faults, so you knew if the repair was a simple fix or did it just put you off the purchase and kept you searching for that perfect house that may not exist.
I am often referred by past clients, Real Estate agents and Mortgage brokers to their buyers, as my reports are an honest representation of the condition of the house. I am not trying to sell you anything other than to provide you with an accurate report of the condition of the house.
As I also do timber and pest reports at the same time, this is an additional time saving.
Check out my web page for my qualifications, training and insurance.
https://www.integrityhouseinspections.com/about.html
​

I recommend you check out the SA Government advisory webpage when purchasing a property to assist you in making an informed decision.
https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/housing/buying-a-home/ways-to-buy/inspecting-a-property
Building inspections
It is strongly recommended that you make the sale of a property subject to receiving a satisfactory building inspection report. You should organise for this to be conducted by a professional. Surveyors, architects or building consultants can carry out a building inspection.

The building inspection report will detail any potential repairs or maintenance that may be required and give an estimate of how much these are likely to cost.

If you suspect that the property shows evidence of termite activity you can make the sale subject to a satisfactory report from a licensed pest inspector.

If you suspect there are serious structural problems you can make the sale subject to a satisfactory report from a structural engineer.

If the property has recently been renovated or extended you can contact the local council to ensure that planning permission was given and that these additions are legal.

Any illegal building work, including additions and alterations, will become your legal responsibility if you buy the property
0 Comments

Coastal Living

19/6/2021

1 Comment

 
Near coastal living has many benefits, however it does also provide for a near ocean house or shack a challenging environment with high maintenance issues. Structural hot dipped Galvanised steel products are the bare minimum that can survive within a high salt air environment within 500m of the coast and stainless steel is recommended if your property is situated on the sea front. These requirements are for structural, sheeting and fastening materials.
Colorbond Ultra is the only Colorbond steel wall sheeting product that can be used between 500m to 1km away from the waters edge, or if closer, stainless steel roofing and wall sheeting is your only choice. If your looking at buying standard Colorbond sheeting, you will need to be at least a kilometre away from the surf for the sheeting to survive. The same guide lines will apply to fencing products too.
Termites and Asbestos related problems are an expensive issue, that cannot be ignored when looking at a shack to purchase. Termites can make your shack unsaleable and the repair costs can be extreme. Your insurance company will generally classify termite damage as preventable and therefor a maintenance issue, hence no cover. Asbestos containing older houses and shacks built prior to 1984-1985 have the added issue of requiring specialised removal and dumping requirements if any maintenance or renovation work is done to the eaves or wet areas of the dwelling. Considering most houses are likely over time to renovate the bathrooms, this is another expense that needs to be thought of. 
If you require further information to the suitability of steel cladding and the environmental implications of near coastal living, I recommend you contact the manufacturers of these products prior to obtaining quotes for building work. The cheapest quote for work, probably does not include the correct recommended sheeting or fasteners.
My web page below has important warnings regarding handling asbestos areas.
 https://www.integrityhouseinspections.com/useful-links-and-asbestos-related-articles.html
1 Comment

Termite Inspections can save you a lot.

7/6/2021

3 Comments

 
Picture
As a pest inspector, I have the qualifications and experience to locate issues within the house that is being inspected.
My pest training was completed in 2018, consisting of the training courses CPPPMT3008 Inspect for and report on timber pest and CPPPMT3010 Control timber pests.
I have been trained and certified to operate my Termatrac radar unit, that is used to locate termite movement in walls. This is an expensive piece of equipment, that is carried to every house inspection.
This unit is calibrated yearly, to ensure its efficiency.
Pest inspections are best done while doing the building inspection, as every part of the house is accessed that can be. 
The photo above, is of a termite damaged wall that has already been replaced by a builder, however termites have returned and are still attacking the window and wall framing.
I am not Pest Management qualified, as I do not wish to spray or treat termites, my only interest is to advise a home purchaser of issues such as shown above.
If you choose to purchase the house after termites or termite damage has been found it is your choice, as is how the situation is to be managed. It can be baiting, spraying, trench soaking, foams or powder poison treatment.
I will often recommend in my reports that an invasive inspection be done, to the purchaser. This consists of further inspections done by removal of sections of the wall or ceiling, however the home owner must give permission.
This may be done by the Vendor at his cost, as he may want to show that the termite issue is minor for the sale to go ahead with you. Or you may simply pull out of the sale at this point during your cooling off period.
I do not perform invasive inspections, as termites should be treated immediately once discovered, if immediate treatment is not done, the termites may retreat back into the ground and move to a new location within the house.
The choice of paying and additional $150 for a pest inspection is money well spent.



3 Comments

    Author

    Steve McLeod 

    Archives

    March 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    December 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    June 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    June 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    June 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly

Posted by: Integrity House Inspections

Contact information: [email protected].