Pre purchase inspection, dampness could cost you a sale!

Recently I inspected a million dollar home and it looked it but there were problems which ultimately resulted in my client walking away from the purchase. So what was it?

The home was owner built (read trouble) and was cut into the hill at a lower level where the height site cut was the height of the room. This would normally require meticulous waterproofing and drainage to prevent dampness coming through. The problem is that owner builders don’t understand the systems of waterproofing , they rely on the contractors “doing the right thing” and the water is intolerant and unforgiving of lapses in workmanship.

So it was in this case, we had bedrooms, where you sleep one third of your life breathing in mould spores in the air caused by dampness coming through stone walls. It is not healthy of course and may cause allergies or respiratory problems.

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Further complicating the issue is the fact that there was no quick and convenient fix. It would require excavation down the side of the dwelling and re doing drainage and waterproofing. If you had more than a million to spend on the house would you bother?

So it was, my client walked and a week later found and purchased another home.

 

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