Inspection Flashcards
What’s the difference between a pre-acquisition and condition survey?
Condition survey:
- Defects only - source, remediation.
Pre-acquisition:
- Purchasing a property.
- Broader scope - leases, fire, H&S.
How did you determine the extent of the brickwork repairs?
- Measured crack widths - BRE Digest 251.
- Photos, notes.
- BRE Good Repair Guide 3.
How are brickwork repairs fixed in place?
Using mortar.
What is the relevant guidance note for brickwork repairs?
BRE Good Repair Guide 3.
What is the lone working policy?
- No confined spaces.
- Always have your phone.
- Tell team member of inspection and inform them when you leave site.
How do you assess the immediate and long term repairs discovered on-site?
- Depends on defect.
- Assess extent of defects e.g. width and depth of cracks, severity of water ingress.
Can you give an example of an inspection and the outcome?
Quarry Wood - recommended structural engineer for crack to floor slab.
Can you tell me about something you read about in the Surveying Safely Guidance Note?
- RAMS should be carried out before going to site [to understand the risks and mitigate these].
- Lone working procedures.
- PPE should be considered.
What safety considerations might you review prior to carrying out an inspection alone?
- Lone working procedures i.e. informing your manager when you arrive and leave site.
- Keep your phone on you at all times.
What is a borescope? What are the limitations of its use?
- A tool that can look behind the initial surface and see what’s behind.
- Destructive.
- Can only see the short distances.
The Dixon Hotel, London – How did you measure the property? What special factors did you come across?
- Laser measurer on-site.
- Ornate detailing such as a portico and cornices to the doors.
Beckton Gateway Retail Park - How would you prepare to carry out a Building Survey?
- Work methodically.
- Typically work from top-down or from one side of the site to the other.
- Take photos and notes.
You have experience inspecting industrial buildings. How do you inspect the roofs?
With a cherry picker or drone.
When undertaking an inspection of a flat roof, what is the minimum height a parapet must be before edge protection/man safe system, etc. is required?
1.1m.
Lone working: Before going on site, can you talk me through the process you would take?
RAMS, email admin/manager before and after leaving site, take mobile with me.
What does RICS Surveying Safely say about risks/inspecting sites?
- RAMS.
- Emergency procedures (lone working, mobile phone).
- PPE.
What is asbestos and when was it banned?
Hazardous mineral previously used in construction.
Blue and brown banned 1985, all banned 1999 (to include white).
There is a large tree next to a building. How might this impact construction?
It can cause subsidence or heave through soil movement.
What is the specification of a prime office unit in the area? What is the difference between Grade A and Grade B specification?
- High floor to ceilings.
- Premium finishes.
- AC.
- LED lighting.
Grade A: High quality, prime location.
Grade B: Basic finishes, outskirt areas.
What are typical causes of water ingress?
- Degraded roof covering e.g. cracking to asphalt.
- Poor detailing to upstand (gap in lead work).
[- Penetrating damp (solid walls)].
Can you tell me a type of defect you are likely to find in an industrial unit?
- Cut edge corrosion.
- Soiled rooflights.
- Impact damaged cladding.
How do you conduct an inspection? Talk me through the steps as you arrive on site.
- Meet site contact.
- Start at the roof and work down the levels internally, elevations, externals.
- Photos and notes.
What information do you typically gather on an inspection?
- Layout of the property and site.
- Building fabric.
- Condition.
- Compliance with regulations.
What do you take on an inspection?
- Phone (with camera).
- Notebook.
- Laser measurer.
- Torch.
- Damp meter.
- PPE.
Inspection - Beckton Gateway Retail Park:
- Details of instruction (service, spec, contract value/claim amount etc)?
- Issues encountered?
- TDD (pre-acq).
- Captured information from photos and notes.
- Recommended investigating insulation spec within insulated render, respraying cladding.
Inspection - Quarry Wood Industrial Estate:
- Details of instruction (service, spec, contract value/claim amount etc)?
- Issues encountered?
- TDD.
- Crack to concrete floor slab.
- Advised that crack appeared to have arisen from historic water damage, so posed no structural risk (SE advice).
- Advised localised repairs (SE advice).
Quarry Wood Industrial Estate - What localised repairs did you recommend for the cracking to the slab?
- Structural engineer recommended repairs in their report.
- Polyurethane resin/epoxy resin.
