Surface Water Drainage... the hidden defect!
Most clients arrive at their building inspections unsure of what their inspector will be looking and what will be identified as a defect or maintenance issue.
Allied Home Inspections look at some of the main defects, which include the following:
- Cracking to the external brickwork
- Water tightness of Wet areas
- Cracking to the internal plastering
- Inadequate surface water drainage
According to Allied Home Inspections, inadequate surface water drainage is the most common defect.
Sometimes the drainage problem can be easily rectified by the owner prior to settlement. The more serious defects may require further inspection and rectification by a licensed drainer.
If left unrectified, the more serious cases can cause damage to the dwelling and its foundations and could be costly to repair.
Recently Allied Home Inspections have been seeing cases, where the owners of a property had modernised the landscaping ready for the sale.
Stones and concrete stepping stones placed over old or existing surfaces are often seen. While these areas may look fresh and attractive to a prospective purchaser they could also be covering up some serious surface water drainage problems.
Pavers laid over existing surfaces may have drainage grate installed at the top level of the pavers. While it may appear that the surface water drainage problem has been taken care of, this type of drainage is actually useless.
When it rains, the water will still flow down through the pavers to the surface they are laid on and not flow into the drainage grate at the top of the pavers.
The surface water could then start to pool underneath the pavers. This pooling may not be visible, but could cause some serious damage to the dwelling or its foundations.
The building inspector will identify these and other hidden surface water drainage defects for the building owners.
12-Aug-2008