Inspection Flashcards
What are the four types of foundation?
Trench - generally for residential - walls and closely spaced columns
Raft - slab foundations over whole site to spread load for lightweight structures
Piled - long and slender reinforced concrete cyclometers
Pad - a slab foundation system under individual or group of columns so that the Collin load is spread evenly
What are the dimensions of a brick?
215mm long, 102.5 mm wide and 65mm high
What are three types of brick work?
Solid wall construction - simplest type of wall, normally one brick thick and bricklayer in different patterns tied together with headers
Cavity wall construction - two layers of brickwork are tied together with metal ties. Cavity filled with insulation
Brick - a brick laid horizontally flat with the long side of the brick exposed on the outside face of the wall
What are some shop specifications?
• steel or concrete framed construction
• services capped off
• shell condition ready for a tenants fit out works
• concrete floor with no suspended ceiling
What is the key legislation and RICs guidance note surrounding contamination?
Environmental protection act 1990 and RICs Guidance Note Contamination, the Environment and sustainability 2010 (3rd edition)
How can you spot contamination ?
Signs of contamination to look out for include evidence of chemicals, oil, drums, subsidence, underground tanks and bare ground
What is a latent and inherent defect?
Inherent defect - defect in the building design
Latent defect - fault to the property that couldn’t have been discovered through a reasonably thorough inspection
What do you do if you identify any building defects on inspection?
- Take a photo
- Try to establish the cause of any damage whilst on site
- Inform your client of your investigations
- Recommend advice from a building surveyor or in case of movement a structural engineer
What are the three causes of defect?
- Movement
- Water
- Defective / non- performance / deterioration of the building materials
What are the different types of movement?
Subsidence - vertical downward movement of a building foundation caused by loss of support beneath foundations.
Heave - expansion of the ground beneath part or all of the building.
Horizontal cracking - in brickwork may indicate cavity wall tie failure
What are the different types of damp?
Wet rot - caused by damp and timber decay. Signs include wet and soft timber, a high damp meter reading, visible fungal growth and a musty smell
Dry rot - caused inside by a fungal attack. Signs include fungus which spreads around the wood in fine and white fluffy white strands and often orange mushroom like fruiting bodies, a strong smell and cracking paintwork
Rising damp - usually stops at 1.5m above ground
Condensation - caused by lack of ventilation. Signs include mould and streaming water on the inside of windows
What is RAAC?
Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete
It’s a deleterious material, it can degrade with age and cause arrival problems.
Tell tale signs to potential problems include brown staining on concrete.
What is Japanese Knotweed and what must you do?
It’s an invasive plant that can cause structural damage to a property if left untreated.
It is green and purple hollow stemmed with green leaves.
It must be removed by a specialist with chemicals by law in accordance with the Environmental Act 1990
Failure to remove it is a criminal offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Court can impose a maximum £5000 fine or a maximum prison sentence of 6 months
