Inspection Flashcards

1
Q

what are the 4 steps when undertaking inspection

A

personal safety
inspection of local area
external inspection
internal inspection

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2
Q

what should you take on inspection

A

mobile phone
camera
tape measure/laser
file, plans and other supporting documents
personal protection equipment
pen and paper

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3
Q

what to consider when in the immediate area

A
  • location
    aspect
    local faculties
    public transport
    business vibrancy
    contamination
    environmental hazards
    flooding
    high voltage power lines
    electricity substations
    comparable evidence
    local market conditions
    agents boards
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4
Q

what should you look for on external inspection

A
  • method of construction
    repair and condition
    car parking/access/ loading arrangements
    defects/structural movement
    check site boundaries
    ways to date the building including asking the client, researching the date of planning consent
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5
Q

what do you need to look our for on an internal inspection

A

layout and specification- flexibility and obsolescence
repair and maintenance
defects
services - age and condition
statutory compliance = eg asbestos, building regs, H&S, Equality act 2010, planning
fixtures and fittings
compliance with lease obligations

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6
Q

what are the different purposes for inspection

A
  • Valuation - understand what can impact valuation eg location tenure aspect form of construction defects current condition occupation details
  • property management
    If occupied - lease compliance, stat compliance, state of building, requirement for redecoration, user
    if unoccupied - stat compliance, state, repair, security arrangements, landscaping, risk of vandalism
  • agency - condition, repair, stat compliance, services, presentation of accom, flexibility, marketability
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7
Q

what are the 4 common forms of foundation

A

Trench or strip footings (resi mainly)
Raft - slab foundation of whole site to spread load for lightweight structures eg sandy soil conditions
Piled - long and slender reinforced concrete cylinders in the ground to deeper strata when less good load bearing ground conditions/high loads
Pad - a slab foundation system under individual or groups of columns so that the column load is spread evenly

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8
Q

what are the different types of brickwork

A
  1. solid wall construction - simplest type with solid brickwork with headers
  2. cavity wall construction - two layers of brickwork are tied together with metal ties with a cavity that may be filled with insulation - no headers used - might see weep holes
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9
Q

what is efflorescence

A

white marks caused by salts in the brickwork - formed when water reacts with the natural salts
water dissolves the salts and then they are carried out and deposited onto the surface by the natural evaporation

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10
Q

what is spalling

A

damaged brickwork where it starts to crumble because of freeze thaw action

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11
Q

What is the institutional specification for a shop

A
  • steel or concrete frame
    = services capped off
  • concrete floor and no suspended ceiling
  • let in shell condition with no shop front, ready for T fit out works
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12
Q

what is the institutional specification for an office

A

steel or concrete frame
steel = less columns and wider span between columns
concrete = more columns, lower floor heights and shorter span between columns

As defined by the British Council for Offices Guide - office specification may include the following features:
- full access raised floors with floor boxes
- approximate ceiling height of 2.6-2.8m
- ceiling void of 350mm and raised floor void of 150mm
- approx floor loading of 2.5 - 3 kN/sq m with an allowance of up to 1.2 kN/sq m partitioning
- AC and double glazed windows
- passenger lifts
- planning grid 1.5m x 1.5m
- maximum depth of 12m to 15m shallow plan or 15m-21m deep plan to allow for natural light to the office area
- 1 cycle space per 10 staff and 1 shower per 100 staff
- 8m2 -10m2 general workspace density

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13
Q

what are the different types of A/C units

A

VAV - variable air volume (highest cost but most flexible)
Fan coil - usually 4 pipe (lower initial cost and good flexibility but higher operating costs)
VRV - Variable refrigerant volume (lower capital cost but higher running costs)
Static cooling - chilled beam (natural approach to climate control but less flexibility)
mechanical ventilation - when fresh air is moved around the building
comfort cooling - simples form of air cooling system

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14
Q

what are the different types of specification

A

shell and core
cat a
cat b
cellular offices

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15
Q

what is the specification of an industrial unit

A
  • basic construction is steel portal frame with insulated profile steel cladding walls and roof
  • minimum 8m clear eaves height with 10% roof lights
  • minimum 30kN/sqm floor loading
  • plastic coated steel profiled cladding brick or blockwork walls approx 2m
  • full height loading doors (electric)
  • 3 phase electric power
  • 5%-10% office content and WC facilities
  • main services capped off
  • approximate site cover 40%
  • LED lighting
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16
Q

what is a latent and inherent defect

A

Latent defect in the design or material which has been present

Inherent - fault to the property that could not have been discovered by a reasonably thorough inspection of the property

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17
Q

if you identify any building defects what is the process

A
  1. take a photograph
  2. try to establish the cause of the damage
  3. inform your client of the investigations
  4. recommend advice from a building surveyor or structural engineer in the case of movement
17
Q

what is snagging

A

identifying and flagging to your builder any minor imperfections

18
Q

what are the 3 common causes of defect

A

movement
water
defective / non-performance / deterioration of building

19
Q

what are the different types of movement of a building

A

subsidence - vertical downward movement of a building foundation caused by the loss of support of the site beneath the foundation. eg change in underlying ground conditions
heave - the expansion of the ground beneath part or all of the building - this could be caused by tree removal and the subsequent moisture build in the soil

20
Q

what are the different types of cracking

A

horizontal cracking - in brickwork may indicate cavity wall tie failure
shrinkage cracking - occurs in new plasterwork during the drying out process
other cracks may be due to different movement such as settlement cracks
thermal expansion/movement can also cause cracks

21
Q

what are wet an dry rot

A

wet = caused by damp and timber decay - signs include wet or soft timber, a high damp meter reading, visible fungal growth and a musty smell

dry = caused by fungal attack - signs include fungus which spreads across wood in fine fluffy white strands and large mushroom like fruiting bodies, strong smell and red spores, cracking paintwork and cuboidal cracking/crumbling of fry timber

22
Q

what height does damp usually stop at

A

1.5 m

23
Q

how can damp be caused

A

condensation can be caused by lack of ventilation and background heating - signs include mould and streaming of water on the inside of the widows

leaking plumbing/air conditoning units

24
Q

what are the common defects for period and modern buildings

A

period - dry rot, wet rot, tile slippage on the roof, death watch beetle, damp penetration at roof and ground floor level, water ingress around door and window openings and structural movement / settlement

modern office buildings - damp penetration at roof and ground level, water damage from burst pipes or air conditioning units, structural movement, damaged cladding, cavity tie failure and efflorescence and poor mortar joints in brickwork

modern industrial - roof leaks around roof lights, damaged cladding, cut edge corrosion, blocked valley gutters, water damage from poor guttering/burst pipes and settlement /cracking in brickwork panels

25
Q

what is the key legislation relating to contamination

A

Environmental Protection Act 1990

26
Q

what is the RICS Guidance note relating to contamination and what does it say

A

Contamination, the Environment and Sustainability, 2010 (3rd edition)

  • polluter or landowner pays for remediation
  • a desktop study should be carried out

3 phases of investigation
- review of site history with a desktop study and site inspection and investigation
- investigation to identify nature and extent of contamination with detailed soil samples taken using boreholes
- remediation report setting out remedial options with design requirements and monitoring standards

27
Q

what are the signs of contamination

A

chemicals, oils, oil drums, subsidence, underground tanks, bare ground

28
Q

if contamination was found on site and you were undertaking a valuation what steps would you take

A
  • do not provide advice until a specialist report is commissioned
  • caveat the advice provided with an appropriate disclaimer highlighting the issue/use of a special assumption
  • deduct the remediation costs from gross site value
29
Q

what tax relief relates to contaminated or derelict land

A

Land Remediation Relief (LRR)
companies can claim up to 150% corporation tax deduction for expenditure in remediating certain contaminated or derelict sites or those affected by Japanese Knotweed

30
Q

what are deleterious materials

A

materials that degrade with age causing structural problems

31
Q

what are tell tale signs to potential problems with deleterious materials

A

brown staining on: concrete, concrete frame building’s and 1960s 1970s buildings and in modern buildings

32
Q

what are some deleterious materials

A

reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete - susceptible to deterioration which can lead to structural issues

high alumina cement
woodwool shuttering
calcium chloride

33
Q

what are hazardous materials

A

harmful to health
- asbestos
- lead piping /paint
- radon gas

34
Q

what are the ways of water disposal

A

surface water run off - soak away or storm drain
foul water drains from soil pipes into sewerage system
statutory undertakers - own private sewer from the boundary of the property

35
Q

what is Japanese knotweed

A
  • invasive plant which can damage hard surfaces such as foundations and tarmac
  • not easy to control, costly to eradicate and a specialist company mist remove and dispose of it
  • great concern to property lenders who may refuse a loan if it is present or nearby to a property
36
Q

how would you notice japanese knotweed

A

Purple/green hollow stemmed with green leaves

37
Q

how do you remove it

A

chemical treatment, digging it out aand removing it from site to a licensed ladfill site in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act 1990

38
Q

what is the professional standard relating to Japanese knotweed

A

Japanese Knotweed and residential property 2022

states best practice for knotweed and most up to date research about assessment of it and ensure that members provide the best advice to users of valuation and condition reports

39
Q

what penalties could you face if you let Japanese knotweed spread

A
  • criminal offence under the wildlife and countryside act 1981
  • magistrates court can fine a maximum fine of 5000 or prison for 6 months
  • crown court - unlimited fine or 2 years prison
  • local authorities - Community Protection notices or fines up to 2500
40
Q

what are the other types of invasive plant

A

hogweed and Himalayan Balsam