Case Study Flashcards
What due diligence did you do prior to inspection?
Planning use, environmental checks, boundary checks. building regulation checks
Given age what type of asbestos where you expecting to find?
Crocidolite (blue and Amosite (brown were banned in 1985. White Chrysotile was banned in 1999. The property was first occupied in 2000, therefore, it was on the edge of the ban. The builders may of had the materials on site and still used them.
What was included in your dynamic risk assessment.
DRA is The continuous process of identifying hazards, assessing risk, taking action to eliminate or reduce risk, monitoring and reviewing, in the rapidly changing circumstances of an operational incident.
I walked around the property to ensure it was empty, checked for potential risks, the timber slip risks, reviewed how busy the road will be.
Working alone vacant property-ensure my safety
Notified the office on arrival. Ensure my phone had full battery and adequate signal. Ensured that it was empty. Kept it locked when working internally.
Why use IPMS3A
Client requirements
Ongoing issue or drying out
On-going issue
Differences between wet and dry rot, what would I expect to be their considering location and circumstance.
Dry Rot-
Most destructive type
To grow needs source, oxygen and cellulose (timber)
Moisture 20-40%
Temperatures 18-23c
poorly ventilated area
Indicators
Silky cotton wool mass
Timber broken down and shrinks- darker in colour- cuboidal cracking
Wavy effect to timber
When prodded will peneatrate
Fruiting bodies may appear brick red spores
Wet rot-
excessively wet for most of the timer 28-40%
Very dark brown
Longitudinal cracking
timber brittle
damage the heart
Wet rot found in wetter location, leaks
Therefore would suspect wet rot here if formed.
Vendors questionnaire
No key inspection, no contact information.
Building regs for conservatories always required?
Not necessary
Conservatories are normally exempt from building regulations when:
They are built at ground level and are less than 30 square metres in floor area.
The conservatory is separated from the house by external quality walls, doors or windows.
There should be an independent heating system with separate temperature and on/off controls.
Glazing and any fixed electrical installations comply with the applicable building regulations requirements.
The conservatory is single storey.
This had a radiator from the main heating system.
You are advised not to construct conservatories where they will restrict ladder access to windows serving rooms in roof or loft conversions, particularly if any of the windows are intended to help escape or rescue if there is a fire.
Any new structural opening between the conservatory and the existing house will require building regulations approval, even if the conservatory itself is an exempt structure.
Did you rule out other causes of movement
Due to the location, I suspected a few issues may of caused the movement. Settlement of the structure as it may be differing foundation levels and not tied into the wall just mortared. Thermal The drying out of mortar and bricks could of caused the movement.
Subsidence characteristics
Cracks internal and external in close proximity
Damage below DPC
Tapered cracks wider at the top (can be bottom f sags from the middle)
normally diagonal- vertical moisture or thermal
Thermal movement
Thermal movement is related to seasonal temperature and weather changes.
Every building will shrink and expand as the temperature, moisture and humidity (the
amount of moisture in the air) changes throughout the year. The various materials in
the home respond differently to these seasonal changes, and these small movements
can cause minor cracks to occur where the different materials meet one another.
These cracks aren’t structurally significant but, if not attended to for a few years,
they could become bigger if moisture gets into the cracks and freezes or dirt gets in
to the cracks and prevents the materials from returning to their original position.
It’s common to find thermal movement cracks where an external wall joins an internal
plasterboard wall, or where boards are joined together on a plasterboard ceiling. They
can also be found around a concrete or steel lintel (above a window or door opening).
Changes in temperature and moisture levels can cause timber to shrink, expand, twist
and distort. This can lead to small cracks or gaps appearing at the joints and corners
of skirting boards and architraves, and hairline cracks appearing on ceilings
underneath the joists. Doors and windows can also get stuck in their frames.
Some building materials are more susceptible to thermal cracking because they’re
brittle and less able to accommodate thermal shrinkage and expansion. These include
materials such as concrete blocks, reconstituted stone building blocks, mortar, render
and concrete lintels.
Thermal movement cracks in walls are usually vertical and a constant width (normally
less than 2mm wide), and they can open and close as the temperature, moisture and
humidity levels change throughout the year.
Impact of the movement have an impact on valuation
The movement was considered to be longstanding due to the dull edge, with thermal movement being the strong possibility- but the possibility that it was caused by a possible leaking drain due to it being localised to one side of the conservatory. due to a drains report being required the lender required a current valuation. I explained the implications to the client in the opinion of value and stated they should provided me a copy of the reports as I may alter my valuation.
results of drainage report
No, the clients pulled out of the purchase as the vendors were unwilling to compromise.
How did you select comparable properties
I looked for similar sized properties of a similar age and type that have sold recently in the same general area.
