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APC Revision ---- > Inspection 1. > Flashcards

Inspection 1. Flashcards

1
Q

How do you date a building?

A

Ask client, check planning consent, land registry, or local records.

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2
Q

What is a cavity wall?

A

Two layers of brick tied with metal ties, with a cavity often filled with insulation.

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3
Q

What is a solid wall?

A

Solid brick wall, usually one brick thick with different bonding patterns like English Bond.

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4
Q

What is Efflorescence?

A

White marks from hydroscopic salts in brickwork.

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5
Q

What is Spalling?

A

Crumbling brickwork due to freeze/thaw action after saturation.

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6
Q

What action would you take if you spotted a defect?

A

Take a photo, investigate on site, inform the client, and recommend specialist advice.

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7
Q

What is an inherent defect?

A

A defect in the design or material that has always been present.

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8
Q

What is a latent defect?

A

A fault that couldn’t be discovered by a reasonably thorough inspection.

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9
Q

What are the common causes?

A

Movement, water, and defective materials.

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10
Q

How does inspection contribute to the valuation of a property?

A

Contributes by assessing factors like location, condition, construction, and occupation.

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11
Q

What is the size of a brick?

A

215mm x 102.5mm x 65mm.

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12
Q

What are the four types of foundations?

A

Trench/strip, raft, piled, pad foundations, depending on ground and building load.

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13
Q

What is the construction of a new shop like?

A

Steel/concrete frame, concrete floor, and let in shell condition for retailer fit-out.

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14
Q

What is the construction of a new industrial like?

A

Steel portal frame with insulated steel cladding, brick to 2m height, 8m clear eaves, roof lights.

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15
Q

What is woodworm?

A

Wood-eating larvae of beetles.

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16
Q

What are the signs that woodworm is present?

A

Small round exit holes, powdery dust, crumbly edges, weak timber.

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17
Q

How is this treated?

A

Non-severe cases require surface treatment, severe cases may need chemical treatments or timber replacement.

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18
Q

What is dry rot?

A

Fungal decay spreading in hidden areas, needs moisture of 20%, causes damage in roof trusses and behind skirting boards.

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19
Q

What is wet rot?

A

Wet rot occurs with direct and sustained water contact, wood feels spongy and looks darker.

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20
Q

What is condensation?

A

Moist air condensing on walls, worsened by poor ventilation.

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21
Q

What are the signs?

A

Water droplets on windows, dark mold, bad smell.

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22
Q

What is rising damp?

A

Ground water moving up through walls or floors, usually stopped by damp proof course.

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23
Q

What are the signs?

A

Damaged skirting boards, peeling paint or wallpaper, white marks on walls.

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24
Q

What is penetrating damp?

A

Caused by water leaking through walls, often due to faulty guttering or wall cracks.

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25
Q

What is subsidence?

A

Ground collapse or sinking affecting foundation, causes diagonal cracking internally and externally.

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26
Q

What is heave?

A

Upward ground movement pushing the foundation up, often due to clay soil shrinkage or tree roots.

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27
Q

What does horizontal cracking signify?

A

May indicate cavity wall tie failure or differential movement like settlement cracks or thermal expansion.

28
Q

What are deleterious materials?

A

Dangerous to health or causes building failures.

29
Q

Can you give me an example?

A

Examples: high alumina cement, wood wool shuttering, calcium chloride, asbestos.

30
Q

What are hazardous materials?

A

Materials harmful to health.

31
Q

How is the control of asbestos enforced?

A

You can be fined up to £5,000 or imprisoned for up to 2 years if you allow contaminated waste to spread.

32
Q

What is contamination?

A

Contamination can result from heavy metals, radon, methane, diesel, oil, and chemicals.

33
Q

What are the signs of contamination?

A

Signs include chemicals, oils, oil drums, subsidence, underground tanks, and bare ground.

34
Q

What legislation governs contamination?

A

Environmental Protection Act 1990 and RICS guidance on Contamination, Environment, and Sustainability 2010 (3rd edition).

35
Q

What does this document say?

A

Surveyors must understand their obligations, know their responsibilities, and comply with the law.

36
Q

What is the general principal with regard to contamination?

A

The polluter or landowner pays for remediation.

37
Q

What does a desk top study do?

A

Considers site history, local history, and planning records.

38
Q

What are the three phases of investigation?

A
  • Desktop study and site inspection
  • Soil investigation using bore holes
  • Remediation report with design and monitoring requirements.
39
Q

What should you do when instructed to value a site with contamination?

A

Do not advise until a specialist report is commissioned. Provide caveated advice and deduct remediation costs from value.

40
Q

What is Land Remediation Relief?

A

Tax relief allowing companies to claim 150% Corporation Tax deduction for remediating contaminated or derelict land.

41
Q

Methodology

A

Inspection methodology varies, but should include logical building walkthrough, checklist, and due diligence.

42
Q

Wet and Dry Rot

A

Fungi causing wood decay, wet rot needs high moisture (50%), dry rot needs less (20–30%).

43
Q

Why is Japanese knotweed a problem?

A
  • Can cause structural damage to substantial buildings such as dwellings;
  • Treatment is expensive, disruptive and time consuming;
  • Affective ground cannot be developed without taking special precautions to remove contaminated soil by appropriately licensed operators;
  • Can cross property boundaries and result in expensive legal action;
  • Can affect saleability of land & property.
44
Q

Key features of japanese knotweed?

A
  • purple speckled stems;
  • smaller zig-zag stems;
  • shield shaped leaves with flat base.
45
Q

Different types of asbestos?

A
  1. Amosite (Brown)
  2. Crocidolite (Blue)
  3. Chrysotile (White)
46
Q

Asbestos Regs

A

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012

47
Q

Size of standard brick

A

215mm x 102.5mm x 65mm

With repeated stretcher bond and 10mm joints, ratio is 3:2:1 - 225mm length & 75mm height.

48
Q

Names of proper brick bonds

A

Stretcher - all stretchers;
Header - all headers;
Flemish - alternating headers & stretchers in each course;
Flemish Garden Wall (Sussex bond) - one header to three stretchers in each course;
English - alternating rows of headers and stretchers;
English Garden Wall - one course of headers for every three course of stretchers.
English Cross - alterating headers and stretchers with every stretcher course offset by half a brick

49
Q

Different types of foundation

A
  • Strip;
  • Trench;
  • Raft;
  • Pile.
50
Q

Risks of spray foam insulation?

A
  • Roof leaks - decay in roof timbers;
  • Condensation - blocked ventilation;
  • Fire risks - most types of foam are flammable;
  • Not compatable with listed building consent.
  • Higher risk of not being able to secure mortgage until its removed.
51
Q

RICS guidance on spray foam?

A

RICS Consumer Guidance: Spray foam insulation.
March 2023

52
Q

Steps to take if defects identified on inspection?

A

Take notes and seek advice of competent professional as it it outside expertise.

53
Q

Importance of surveying safely 2nd Edn guidance note?

A

Provides overview of best practice for surveyors, including corporate and personal responsibilities relating to health and safety.

54
Q

What has suveying safely 2nd edn introduced?

A
  • The Safe Person Concept
55
Q

What is the ‘safe person concept’?

A

Each individual assumes individual responsibility for their own, their colleagues and others health and safety whilst at work.

56
Q

10 ways to ensure personal safety on site?

A
  1. Take charged mobile phone and personal alarm
  2. Plan an escape route
  3. Implement a call back system with the office
  4. Make your daily schedule available to colleagues
  5. Be careful in roof voids adn when using ladders
  6. Park your car close by and keep your keys on you
  7. Make sure you know who you are meeting
  8. Follow your gut instinct
  9. Understand the site rules for construction sites
  10. Be aware of agressive occupants and dogs
57
Q

10 ways to ensure safety of your personal property

A
  1. Keep personal property safe and with you at all times
  2. Don’t leave possessons on view in your car
  3. Don’t leave possessions lying around on site
  4. Register electronic devises with Immobilise
  5. Back up photos and phone numbers
  6. Keep confidential information safe
  7. Use a cross-shredder for personal data no longer needed
  8. Remove shoes when entering property
  9. Take care of other’s personal items when in confined spaces
  10. Leave accomodation as you found it
58
Q

Name two important regulations with regards to inspections?

A
  1. Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012
  2. Legionnaries’ disease and the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015
59
Q

What are the valuation significant factors that may impact the market value as per VPGA 8 (para 1.2)?

A

a. Characteristics of the locality and surrounding area, adn availability of communications, services and facilities that affect value
b. Charactertistics of the property and its use
* dimensions, areas and use(s) of consituent elements
* age, construction and nature of buildings or structures
* accessability both for occupiers and visitors
* installations, amenities and services
* fixtures, fittings and improvements
* plant and equipment that would normally form an intergral part of the building
* apparent state of repair and condition
* hazardous materials kept on the property.
c. Charateristics of the site
* natural hazards - ground instability, mining, mineral extraction, risk of flooding
* non-natural hazards - ground contamination from historic or current uses
* potential for development or redevelopment, if appropriate
* any physical restrictions on further development.

60
Q

What are trench/strip foundations for?

A

Generally for residentail dwellings and closlely spaced walls/coloumns.

61
Q

What are raft foundations used for?

A

Slab foundation over whole site to spread load for lightweight structures – conservatory or workshop.

62
Q

What are piled foundations used for?

A

long and slender reinforced columns into ground to deeper strata for less good soil conditions and high loads.

63
Q

What are pad foundations used for?

A

slab foundation under individual or groups of columns so load is spread evenly.

Used for large purpose-built structures like warehouses.

64
Q

Types of cladding?

A
  • Load bearing masonry & stone veneers - early steel frames (20s & 30s)
  • In-fill panels - post WW2
  • Pre-cast concrete (60s - 80s)
  • **Curtain Walling
  • Profiled metal sheeting**
    *** Brick panel
  • Modern brick panel
  • Insulated render
  • Rainscreen**
65
Q

What type of cladding was used in Grenfell Tower?

A

Rainscreen cladding

Problem with vented cavities is potential for fire, smoke and heat to be transferred within that cavity.

66
Q

Three types of curtian walling cladding?

A
  1. Stick construction - grid of mullions (vertical) and transoms (horizontal) support infill panel.
  2. Unit construction - sections are prefabricated and delivered with joints sealed on site.
  3. Structural glazing - large sheets of glazing are fixed to building.
67
Q

What is rainscreen cladding?

A

Overlapping panels form the outer skin/rain protection whilst ventilated air gap between this and inner layer allows for rain penetration to be evaporated or drained away.

Used for medium to high rise buildings.

APC Revision ---- (17 decks)

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