Building Patholgy

Question 1

What typical building defect are you expect to see on a Victorian residential property?

Answer 1

I would expect to see rising damp timber decay wet rot dry rot asbestos roof issues structural movements

Question 2

How would you identify rising damp in a property?

Answer 2

I would look for low-level tide marks
possibly musty smell

Question 3

How would you identify condensation in a property?

Answer 3

I would look for visual signs, water droplets, and damp patches, peeling wallpaper and mould

Question 4

If a property was suffering from dry rot, what might you expect to see?

Answer 4

I would expect to see cuboidal cracking, brown crumbly wood across the green, musty smell, the spreading of Spurs hi-fi

Question 5

What is nail fatigue?

Answer 5

Nail fatigue occurs when there is corrosion of nails typically on all the properties and can cause slip toes

Question 6

What are the problems associated with high alumina cement?

Answer 6

It was used after World War II for building quickly, a chemical reaction also known as conversion occurs and a gel is created which causes corrosion and cracking.

Question 7

What is the cause of concrete carbonation?

Answer 7

CO2 in the atmosphere reacting with the calcium hydroxide in the cement

Question 8

What testing can be done to test for concrete carbonation?

Answer 8

Laboratory test can be done and on site diet testing also known as fennel phenolphthalein

Question 9

Explain how you test a masonry wall for the possible presence of damp and differentiate the differences between the types of damp to be present

Answer 9

I would look for rising damp, penetrative damp and damp from leaks

Moisture reading testing can be done
Salt testing can be done as well
PH test can be done for rising damp
Rising damp has high scopic salts and a consistent dab line
Penetrative damp has localised patching

Question 10

When investigating structural cracking to brickwork caused by Jason trees what recognise standard would you refer to?

Answer 10

Bre digest 298

Question 11

Give me some examples of high water content trees

Answer 11

Ash, oak, Poplar

Question 12

What do you understand by the phrase tree root moisture extraction?

Answer 12

This is the process where the tree absorbs water from the soil through their system. This can reduce moisturing the soil and cause clays shrinkage.

Question 13

Give me some examples of the likely causes of penetrating damp

Answer 13

Slipped tiles, blocked gullies, missing mortar, broken hoppers, defective chimney stacks, window and doorframe defects

Question 14

What is the recommended moisture content range for bricks?

Answer 14

5 to 12%

Question 15

In building pathology, you say there was rising damp in the bedrooms were these on the ground floor

Answer 15

So this was a terminology error. The bedrooms were on the second floor and the rising damp was actually damp rising with capillary reaction and it wasn’t the actual rising damp itself.

Question 16

At whiskey shopping centre explain how the issue identified was the result of expansion

Answer 16

Caused cracking due to movement within the movement joint

Question 17

What significance did the debonding at West Quay shopping centre of the expansion joints have?

Answer 17

There was movement in between the joints which caused debonding to the expansion joints

Question 18

Whiskey shopping centre, why was the strengthening of existing concrete considered?

Answer 18

Ross scanning was carried out and existing O&M demonstrated the lack of reinforcement bar

Question 19

I whiskey shopping centre why would the expansion joints need a new fire resistant product?

Answer 19

This was because the previous joint had deep ended and the expansion gap goes into a tenants demise so adequate fire protection is needed

Question 20

In Hillingdon with the parapet wall, what was the significance of the storm in This defects?

Answer 20

The high winds of the storm contributed to the collapse however this was a long-term defect on further investigation

Question 21

How did you arrive at the diagnosis for wall ties?

Answer 21

If there was evidence of existing failure of the wall ties and they were corroded, this was proved by carrying out borescope investigations

Question 22

Remedial works of the parapet wall collapse

Answer 22

I advised my client to immediately check the rest of the parapet wall and in the long-term install aluminium powdered copings and removing of the existing parapets due to the building being demolished in three years time

Question 23

What document or guidance could you use for wall tie failure?

Answer 23

Bre digest 401