​Have you wondered why your concrete paving looks damaged?
Concrete paving consists of cement, sand, fine rock aggregate and water that has been press formed in a mold. The concrete cures when the water in it has evaporated. Being a medium strength concrete product and depending on your paver choice, it can be as low as a 10mpa strength product, meaning that the paving has the ability to transfer water. Even in the construction of bridges, using 50mpa strength concrete will still require additives to be waterproof, so the weaker paving blocks are never going to be a water-resistant product, basically no concrete is without additives. The constant presence of water will weaken the bond of the surface materials. Once that surface has weakened and begins to wear off, it then allows the concrete to have further rapid failure.
Moisture can transfer from the ground upwards if there was a plumbing or drainage problem. Especially if the rubble base and the coarse river sand bed was not adequately prepared prior to paving being laid, as water can be held by the clay subsoil and then wick up through the paver.
Alternatively simply due to a lack of adequate drainage or fall in the paving surface, can cause water to pool and then be absorbed into the paver. 
In the photos attached you can see the concrete paved areas have lost all its durability. The paving surface is crumbling and the paving requires full replacement. Inspection of the base is recommended as the paving may have been installed directly to the soil. No drainage was noted in the area and guttering overflowing issues have also attributed to this issue.
The house slab edge was not adequately protected from the moisture issues and the moisture has transferred into the slab edge causing concrete spalling. The render under the sliding doors has also been damaged due to this moisture transfer.
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Sometimes locating termite activity can be easy, however it is often very difficult to adequately assess, without the correct inspection tools.
Termite mud tracking can be easy to notice if the house has adequately exposed concrete around the perimeter, such as the suggested 75mm by the Building Code of Australia.
Garden beds against the house slab can often hide the mud tracks, as can the garden vegetation itself.
The issue to understand is termites are attracted to damp moist timber and inadequate drainage away from the house can increase the chances of termites. Garden and lawn beds are watered for the plants health, however this too is simply attracting termites to the house.
Another interesting point is that soil types also change the amount of fall required for pathways around the house, with clay type soils requiring far greater fall away from the house, than sandy type soils. Unfortunately most DIY pathways are inadequately sloped away from the house. This is a great concern when concrete pathways are installed, often with no or little consideration for drainage allowances and can be a great expense to replace.
Termites however are happy to live in most soil types.
In most building and pest reports, this area of concern will be highlighted as a significant issue that needs rectification.
When researching a property prior to purchase, consider an additional expense such as removing paving and relaying if often not thought of. But then again neither is additional costs of replacing structural walls or flooring members. 
I inspected a 9 year old home this week and found enough issues for the purchaser to pull out of the sale. This buyer had bothered with a building and pest inspection, you should seriously think about having one done too.
Below are some images of the mud tracking into the house and the Termatrac radar unit locating movement within the wall above the mud tracks. The Tramex moisture meter is at maximum damp readings here and all along the inside wall of the house when inspected. ​

Chemical Delignification can occur to timbers within the ceiling space and the damage can be minor or quite the opposite if the timber becomes defibrated.
It can appear to look like hairy timber and often occurs under old terracotta roof tile battens but can be seen on other structural timber within the roof space. The photo below shows a timber purlin under a metal roof in Port Adelaide.
The lignin, which is the natural glue that holds wood fibres together, can break down due to moisture ingress, or by the chemical environment due to the air quality of the area over time, or just from proximity to the ocean.
When the fibres begin to detach the timber begins to look hairy or defibrated.
Often the hairy timber is just surface damaged and not a structural issue, I have also however in some roof areas, been able to crush the timber with my hand and pull off chunks of timber.
Chemical delignification is not a termite or pest issue, so may not be noted in a termite report, but a good building inspector should note it on a building report, if they fully inspect the ceiling space.
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​Most hot water systems with a glass lined steel tank will generally only last between 8 to 10 years once installed, the reason for the failure is normally due to corrosion of the tank walls, because the sacrificial anode has been depleted. The anodes are steel core rods surrounded with either magnesium, aluminium or zinc and are suspended inside at the top of hot water tanks. Due to a process called electrolysis, the sacrificial anodes are designed to corrode before the steel tank. The anodes should be changed over every 3 to 5 years and the steel tank life may be extended to around 20+ years, but hardly anyone knows that this can be done. Anodes only cost between $50 to $90 to buy and DIY install or a plumber may charge around $150 to supply and install them. It is worth noting that some hot water systems have two anodes, not one. Before attempting to replace the anodes, read the documentation relevant to your heater for instructions and be aware you may void your warranty unless you are a licensed plumber.
Most stainless steel tanks still require a sacrificial anode, even Solahart units have them and recommend servicing them regularly to prolong the useful life of the hot water system.
Finding out the age of the hot water system is often difficult as most companies have a different serial number code system, although some manufacturers have it listed on the pull out panel where you can relight the burner on a gas unit. Often external electric units have a label that has faded or peeled off, due to sunlight or just the weathering of the unit.
Rinnai hot water systems often have a 10 figure serial number, the first two digits are the month, the next two are the year, Rheem can be shown the same way, but this may differ on some models. Thermann show the year first then the month of manufacture. So often it is difficult to work out the date of manufacture. Older houses rarely have the original hot water service and if they do, they probably require replacing.
Instantaneous units have no tanks and should last 20 years minimum. Most houses that have replaced the original tank systems, install an instantaneous system as they are cheaper to run, purchase and do not run out of hot water.
The external wall mounted instantaneous systems also often have no label to show the date of manufacture, as they have peeled off or faded.
So its best to allow for a hot water replacement in your plans, if you're buying an older established home and a hot water tank is still in use.

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

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.

Termites are often found in CCA treated timber sleeper walling, that is found in most properties on the market.
CCA (copper-chromium-arsenate) Treated timber sleepers are treated to H4 level for in ground use and should last up to 40 years and often longer once installed. H4 treatment has been used as a timber treatment for about 70 years and is suitable for in ground and above ground use, in direct weather. Other treatment levels are available upon request, such as H5 for fresh water positions and H6 for salt water conditions. H4 is not intended to be used in water although often is.
The treatment type used is classified as envelope treated, meaning it was treated to a minimum of between 2mm to 10mm deep. The centre of the timber is not treated, so care must be taken if cutting.
The issue with termites occurs after the timber has been cut, exposing the heart wood and then used in ground. Such as for pergola posts, and specifically retaining walls.
Buying a spray on or brush able treatment to treat cut ends will assist to maintain the protection, although this is rarely done.
The retaining wall that is built by most house owners, if under 1000mm high requires no council development approval and therefore no engineering in most cases.
Most are built without the required treatment to cut ends and unfortunately are quite expensive to repair.
This can however usually be identified by a building and pest inspector prior to you purchasing the property, if you have it inspected.

​Poor installation of insulation is a common problem seen during house inspections.
Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon sight, as the free insulation offer provided by the Government, provided the opportunity for many trades people to enter the insulation market.
The photos shown here are however from a new build that I inspected recently and demonstrate a sub standard installation that is not up to the regulations.
House insulation must be installed to Australian standards AS 3999-2015. The batts should be snugly placed between the joists or between the trusses. Gaps of 50mm from flues or vents is recommended.
Where recessed lighting is installed in an accessible roof space, a permanent and legible warning sign must be installed in the roof space adjacent to the access panel in a position that is visible to a person entering the space. 
The sign must comply to AS 1319, Safety signs for the occupational environment, and contain the words shown  as on the photo above.
Installation of batts require that you leave a clearance of 50mm from the body of heat emitting fixtures such as downlights and flues.
A hole should be cut in the batt to suit the location of the fixture. The transformer should be placed above the insulation.
Importantly, do not use small pieces of batts to form part of the barrier around a fixture as these pieces could dislodge and cover the fixture
potentially overheating/faulting the device (as determined by AS 3999 appendix B)