Monthly Archives: August 2012

Building stage inspections vs pre final inspection only, comparison

Some people will not pay for building stage inspections because they think they will save money and if they are lucky they will be right. However it is a risky strategy and more often than not job that is not … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

House frame inspection, almost perfect but?

Today I inspected house frame that was well built and by a competent team of framers. You would be excused for thinking: why waste money on frame inspection, this looks so good? However my client wanted peace of mind and … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Foundation failure, is this engineer builder’s lap dog?

Recently I had displeasure of inspecting failed dwelling, this is what I reported: Summary of the Report Findings: This dwelling is subject of foundation subsidence manifesting in uneven concrete slab, internal cracking and internal brickwork corner separation between the dwelling … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Building insurance claim, Is your insurer dicking you around?

Last week I was called to a home storm damaged on 25th December last year and then again 2nd May this year. Elderly and frail owners were having problems with insurer’s builders constantly trimming back the scope of repairs and … Continue reading

Posted in Building Defects, building insurance claims, Building Reports | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Shower leak detection with thermal imaging

Building defects are sometimes hard to prove, especially when there is builder’s denial. Finding water leaks can be difficult and may require opening up of walls. This is where thermal imaging camera can be handy. Under normal conditions it can … Continue reading

Posted in Building Defects | Tagged , , , , | 24 Comments

Asbestos risk in your home, it can be deadly!

Thousands of homes in Melbourne constructed before 1985 have asbestos cement sheets in and around home in various products. Today I came across a situation in which plumber had broken cement sheets in the laundry whilst fixing water leak. Not … Continue reading

Posted in Building Advice, Building Reports, Home Safety | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Buying a home from owner builder? Beware,Beware, Beware!

In principle I have nothing against owner builders but the fact is that many owner builds are badly built, dreadfully finished and some are downright dangerous. Why? It is because many owner builders think that it’s easy to replace professional … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Pre Purchase Building Inspection, there is no business like repeat business!

The first rule of sale is to sell, the second is to make your customer want to come back for more. Here at Building Expert we work very hard to make your experience the best there is. From the moment … Continue reading

Posted in Pre-Purchase Inspections, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Pre purchase building inspection, slab causing rising dampness.

Why should we worry about regulations and standards? It’s because we want to preserve the quality of our built environment by setting at least the minimum acceptable standards. Australian Standard is the minimum default standard. Some of the most experienced … Continue reading

Posted in Building Advice, Pre-Purchase Inspections | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Pre purchase inspection, it’s what your customers think that matters!

In my other blogs I have talked about how impressed I was with Apple, in fact so much that I have set it up as “The benchmark” for everything I do in business. It is a tough call to be … Continue reading

Posted in Pre-Purchase Inspections | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment