What are four steps to an inspection?
- Consider personal safety
- Inspection of local area
- External inspection - start with roof and work downwards
- Internal inspection
What should you consider when inspecting the local area?
Location, amenities
Contamination, environmental hazards, flooding, high voltage power lines, electricity substations
Comparable evidence, local market conditions, public transport
What to look for in an external inspection?
Aspect, business vibrancy, transport
Method of construction
Repair and condition
Car parking, access, loading arrangements
Defects - structural movement
Check site boundaries - eg OS map or title plan
Age the building - ask client, research planning consents, Grade Listed etc, ScotLis, historical records, architectural style
What to look for in an internal inspection?
Layout and specification - flexibility and obsolescence
Repair and maintenance
Defects - structural movement
Services - age and condition
Statutory compliance - eg asbestos, building regulations, health and safety, accessibility, fire safety
Fixtures and fittings improvements
Compliance with lease obligations
In terms of ‘valuation’, what is the purpose of an inspection?
To understand factors influencing value
Eg location, tenure, aspect, construction, defects, condition, occupation, etc
In terms of ‘property management’, what is the purpose of an inspection?
If occupied - check lease compliance, statutory compliance, state of building, requirement for repairs/ redecoration, user and details of actual occupier
If unoccupied - check statutory compliance, state of building, repair and maintenance issues, security arrangements, risk of vandalism and damage to building
For an Agency, what is the purpose of an inspection?
Consider current condition of building
Repair and maintenance issues
Statutory compliance
Services
Flexibility of accommodation
Marketability
Can you tell me a bit about four common types of foundations?
- Trench/ strip footings. Generally used in residential dwellings for closely spaced walls/ columns
- Raft. Slab foundation over the whole site, spreads load for lightweight structures. Eg for a conservatory or a workshop.
- Piled. Long and slender, reinforced steel columns into the ground to deeper strata for poorer soil conditions and high loads.
- Pad. Slab foundation under individual or groups of columns so column load is spread evenly, used for large purpose-built structures such as warehouses.
What is ‘solid wall construction’?
Normally two bricks thick
In patterns such as ‘Flemish bond’ (headers and stretchers alternating’ and English bond (row of headers, row of stretchers)
Can you tell me about ‘cavity wall construction’?
Two layers of brick tied together with metal ties, with cavity that may be filled with insulation
Headers not used
Evidence of cavity tray, air bricks, or weep holes may be seen
What is ‘efflorescence’?
White marks caused by hydroscopic salts in brickwork
Formed when water reacts with natural salts in bricks and mortar
Water evaporates on outer surface of wall depositing salts
What is ‘spalling’?
Damage to face of brickwork as a result of freeze/ thaw action during saturation in winter months
What are the ‘Institutional Specifications’ for shops?
Most new shops constructed of steel/ concrete frame
Services capped off
Concrete floor and no suspended ceiling
Let in shell condition with no shop front for retailers specification
What are the ‘Institutional Specifications’ for offices?
Most new offices constructed of steel/ concrete frame
Steel frame offices usually have larger span floor plans and less columns
Concrete frame offices usually have more columns, lower floor heights and a shorter span between columns
Check architect’s plans or building manual if you cannot determine construction type on site
Can you tell me some of the British Council for Offices Guide to Office Specifications (2019)?
Full accessed raised floors with floor boxes
Approximate ceiling height of 2.6 to 2.8m
Passenger lifts
1 cycle per 10 staff
A.C. and double glazing
Can you tell me about some types of air conditioning systems?
VAV - variable air volume (highest capital cost but most flexible)
Fan coil - usually 4 pipe (lowest capital cost and good flexibility, but higher running cost)
VRV - variable refrigerant volume (lower capital costs but higher running and maintenance costs)
What are the different types of fit out?
Shell and core - common parts completed but office areas are shell for occupier fit out
Category A - such as grade A specification
Category B - complete fit out to occupier’s specific requirements, such as cellular office spaces and enhanced finishes, etc
Grade A - brand new building with high spec, excellent benefits of location
Grade B - no longer new, may be out of city centre
Grade C - poorer quality, usually 20 years older or more
Current institutional specification for industrial/ warehouse space
Minimum 8m clear eaves with 10% roof lights
Plastic coated steel profiled cladding with brick or blockwork walls to approximately 2m
Full height loading doors
3 phase electricity power
Current institutional specification for industrial/ warehouse space
Minimum 8m clear eaves with 10% roof lights
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What are some types of building defect?
Inherent defect - defect in design or material which has always been present
Latent defect - fault to the property that could not be discovered by a reasonably thorough inspection of the property
What four steps should you follow if you identify a defect?
- Take photographs
- Try to establish cause
- Inform client of your investigations
- Recommend specialist advice from building surveyor or structural engineer
What are three common causes of defects?
Movement
Damp
Condensation
Tell me more about ‘movement’
Subsidence - downward movement of building foundation caused by loss of support of soil/ change in soil conditions
Heave - expansion of ground beneath part or all of building. Could be caused by tree removal and subsequent moisture build up in soil
Horizontal cracking in brickwork - could be due to cavity wall tie failures
Shrinkage cracks - often in form in new plasterwork during drying out
Other cracks - may be caused by differential movement such as settlement cracks
Thermal expansion / movement can also cause cracks
Tell me more about ‘damp’
Wet rot - caused by damp and timber decay. Signs include musty smell, wet and soft timbers, visible fungal growth, high damp meter
Dry rot - caused by fungal attack. Signs include fungal spores (fine, fluffy white strands and large orange mushroom-like bodies), strong smell, cracking paintwork, crumbing timber
Rising damp - usually up to 1.5 metres above ground level
Condensation - can be caused by lack of ventilation, and background heating. Signs include mould and condensation on windows/ walls
