HOME MAINTENANCE MADE EASY - THE BUILDING INTERIOR
by Dwell Building Services | August 2020 | Building Inspections Tweed and Gold Coast
Once you’ve gone around outside of your property the natural thing to do is go on in. The main things we building inspectors look for inside the property are MOISTURE and MOVEMENT related.
MOVEMENT: Movement is common to most buildings – you hear people call it “settling” and it happens over time with the changing of the seasons. Slowly. Where you’re looking for movement is to the plasterboard walls around the door and window frames in the form of cracking. Sometimes it also affects the ability for your sliding doors or windows to close properly (adjust with a screw driver and some WD40). Some cracking is OK, but if the cracks get to be around 3mm+ wide you should think about getting a structural engineer in to let you know if your walls have become un-stable. Some cracking is natural – but more than a hairline crack is not. The fix for cracked plasterboard is easy – re-seal and paint over and it’s dealt with, but a word to the wise – get a plasterer. Doing it yourself does not usually yield the result you want.
It’s important with home maintenance to remember that you want to avoid “defacing” your own house – it’s no big deal to live with a bodged up fix yourself (everyone’s done it), but if you go to sell or rent your house, you’ll get some raised eyebrows for sure. Ensure your maintenance actually improves your property and if you’re thinking about moving on, it’s not a bad idea to get a building inspector or trusted builder in to give you a few pointers, for example what you could improve to achieve the best price at the lowest cost to yourself. There is no point in carrying out cosmetic fixes that cost a lot if there are underlying structural issues that could potentially cost you a sale.
The flexible sealant in your bathroom can wear out within a few years. You don’t need a whole new bathroom, just refresh your seals!
MOISTURE: As mentioned before, moisture is your houses’ #1 enemy and can do more damage quicker than anything else. Moisture comes from 2 main sources, of course – the outside and the internal pipework.
Checking around for moisture coming in from the outside would have already been started by your external inspection. You might have noticed a cracked window pane, cracking to a roof tile etc. but having another look from the inside can give you a heads up to serious leaks. If the moisture has made it inside and in such quantities as to have caused damage to walls or the base of doors, you’re dealing with a major or re-occurring leak. Checking your pipework for leaks is easy enough on a superficial level however, be mindful that there is plenty of pipework behind walls and out of view which a building inspector might be able to help you with. Have a look under your kitchen and bathroom cabinets for drips.
While you’re in the bathroom, take a good close look at the sealant around your shower base, basin and tub. If it’s looking ratty and you can’t remember when it was originally applied (or you don’t know when it was applied because it was before you owned your house), this is a good cue to strip it back and refresh it.
And remember that if you’re ever in doubt, call in the experts. Remember, building inspectors see these issues every day and know what they are looking for!
