Home > Our Publications > Australian Outlook> 2004 > November

Get house checked could save big money

IT'S vital to prevent your dream home in Australia turning into an expensive nightmare.
One of the best ways of doing this is to have a professional building inspection made - before you even sign the contract.
Australian building conditions are often far different to those in the UK.
For instance, torrential continued rain can cause land slips or subsidence.
In Queensland many inner-city houses are made of wood. Excellent insulation material but small bugs called white ants love it. If you have those in the walls you could have to spend thousands of dollars.
There are specialised building inspection firms in all major cities and towns and you are advised to spend a few hundred dollars getting their qualified staff to inspect your intended property.
Experience homebuyers will be checking the walls for cracks, studying the ceilings and wondering whether that fresh coat of paint hides a mould problem.
About one quarter of home buyers are opting for a pre-purchase inspection by building a pest specialists.
Detailed, written reports are provided outlining any problems and an estimate of how much it will cost to fix them.
A qualified architect or builder or sometimes both, with overalls ladders, torch and damp meter, goes through a house from top to bottom.
Another important role of the building inspector is to assess potential of a house for renovations or expansion.
If you have these wonderful improvements in mind, such as adding an extra room to the back of a house, you need to know whether a council law is likely to prevent that extension, or whether the house is not structurally sound enough to take it.
Building inspectors examine everything from the state of the roof tiles and ceiling linings, to abnormal wall movement and mildew on walls and ceilings.
Alarm bells start ringing with a good building inspector when a house has been freshly painted. Building inspectors must be very inquisitive, almost like a detective because home owners tend to camouflage defects. Sometimes they don't do it intentionally, they just want to freshen the place for sale.
The inspectors advise prospective buyers when a building was not worth repairing, when it would be cheaper to demolish it and build a new structure.
Commonplace tips are to check whether the floor moved, whether there were salt stains or other marks on the walls or cracks big enough to stick your fist in.
* Look around doors and windows to see if there have been any alterations to the original plaster, as this is where buildings typically crack.
* Examine the junction of floor and wall tiles in the shower for mildew. Mildew can indicate a leaking shower Boor which can cost $1,000 to correct.
* Check whether plants and shrubs surround the external walls of a house, as excessive watering could cause subsidence and cracks.
* Look for old, cracked or badly sagged ceilings.