Building surveys and reports: 3rd

Preface to Second Edition xii Preface to Third Edition xiv Acknowledgements xv 1 General Principles and Responsibilities 1 1.1 What is a building survey?, 1 – 1.2 Housing quality initiatives, 3 – 1.3 The purpose of the survey, 6 – 1.4 Building condition assessment, 9 – 1.5 Surveyor’s responsibilities, 9 – 1.6 Contracts and fees, 14 2 Procedure and Equipment 20 2.1 Basic survey methodology, 20 – 2.2 Preliminary operations, 27 – 2.3 Property risks, 28 – 2.4 Equipment for measured drawing surveys, 32 – 2.5 Equipment for examining defects, 33 3 Measurement of Existing Buildings 41 3.1 Preliminaries, 41 – 3.2 Internal measuring, 43 – 3.3 Roof space, 47 – 3.4 External measuring, 47 – 3.5 Levelling, 51 – 3.6 Plotting the survey, 52 4 Surveys of Historic Buildings 54 4.1 General considerations, 54 – 4.2 Medieval churches, 62 – 4.3 Church towers, 63 – 4.4 Church bells and fittings, 64 – 4.5 Measured drawings, 65 5 Foundation Failures 66 5.1 Introductory, 66 – 5.2 Causes of failure, 66 – 5.3 Differential movement, 68 – 5.4 Inadequate foundations, 69 – 5.5 Overloading, 69 – 5.6 Unequal settlement, 69 – 5.7 Effect of tree roots, 71 – 5.8 Shallow foundations, 72 – 5.9 Building on sloping sites, 74 – 5.10 Building on made up ground, 76 – 5.11 Diagnosis, 76 6 Defective Walls and Partitions Above Ground 77 6.1 Type of failure, 77 – 6.2 Bulging and leaning walls, 77 – 6.3 Overloading, 81 – 6.4 Thermal and moisture movement, 82 – 6.5 Failure in arches and lintels, 84 – 6.6 Defective materials and chemical action, 85 – 6.7 Failures in bonding and defects at junctions, 88 – 6.8 Frost failure, 88 – 6.9 Cavity walls, 89 – 6.10 Built-in iron and steel members, 90 – 6.11 Tile and slate hanging and weatherboarding, 90 – 6.12 Partitions, 92 – 6.13 Assessment of cracks, 93 – 6.14 Natural stone masonry, 94 – 6.15 Sedimentary rocks, 95 – 6.16 Igneous rocks, 96 – 6.17 Metamorphic rocks, 96 – 6.18 Defects in stonework, 96 – 6.19 Cast stone, 99 – 6.20 Recording defects, 101 7 Reinforced Concrete, Cladding Materials and Structural Steelwork 102 reinforced concrete 7.1 Description, 102 – 7.2 Corrosion and cracking, 102 – 7.3 Aggregates, 105 – 7.4 High alumina cement, 105 – 7.5 Thermal expansion, 106 – 7.6 Frost damage, 106 – 7.7 Electrolytic action, 106 – 7.8 Lightweight aggregates, 106 – 7.9 Deflection, 107 – 7.10 Diagnosis, 107 – 7.11 Brick wall panels in RC frames, 107 – 7.12 No-fines concrete housing, 108 – 7.13 Autoclaved aerated concrete, 109 cladding materials 7.14 Description, 112 – 7.15 Cladding defects, 113 – 7.16 Joint problems, 114 – 7.17 Metallic fasteners, 116 structural steelwork 7.18 Description, 117 – 7.19 Diagnosis, 117 8 Damp Penetration and Condensation 118 8.1 Description, 118 – 8.2 Damp courses, 118 – 8.3 Diagnosis, 119 rising damp from the ground 8.4 Solid walls with DPC absent or defective, 120 – 8.5 Stone walls in older buildings, 122 – 8.6 Basement walls and floors, 122 – 8.7 Heaped earth or paving against walls and bridging of rendering, 123 – 8.8 Internal partitions, 123 – 8.9 Rising damp in ground floors, 124 – 8.10 Rising damp in old timber framed buildings, 126 penetrating damp through walls 8.11 Locating damp penetration, 126 – 8.12 Parapet walls, 128 – 8.13 Cavity walls, 129 extraneous causes 8.14 Leaks in plumbing systems, 131 condensation 8.15 Description, 131 – 8.16 Causes, 132 – 8.17 Diagnosis, 132 – 8.18 Problems with flues, 134 vi Contents 9 Timber Decay and Insect Attack 135 9.1 Introduction, 135 dry rot 9.2 Description, 135 – 9.3 Diagnosis, 136 wet rot 9.4 Description, 138 – 9.5 Diagnosis, 138 beetle attack 9.6 Description, 139 – 9.7 Diagnosis, 140 – 9.8 Conclusion, 142 10 Roof Structures and Coverings 144 roof structures 10.1 Introduction, 144 – 10.2 General investigations, 150 – 10.3 Defects from natural causes, 150 – 10.4 Timber pitched roofs, 150 – 10.5 Timber flat roofs, 152 – 10.6 Steel trusses and lattice girders, 152 – 10.7 Older type roofs, 153 – 10.8 Services and other fittings in the roof space, 154 – 10.9 Electrical installation, 157 – 10.10 Roof insulation, 157 – 10.11 Party walls in roof space, 158 roof coverings 10.12 Introduction, 158 – 10.13 Types of slate, 160 – 10.14 Ridges, hips and valleys, 160 – 10.15 Examination of a slate roof, 160 – 10.16 Tiled roofs, 161 – 10.17 Bituminous felt and polymeric sheet roofing, 163 – 10.18 Asphalt, 166 – 10.19 Copper, 168 – 10.20 Lead, 169 – 10.21 Zinc, 171 – 10.22 Aluminium, 172 – 10.23 Stone slates, 173 – 10.24 Asbestos cement and translucent roofing sheets, 175 – 10.25 Asbestos cement slates, 177 – 10.26 Corrugated iron, 177 – 10.27 Thatch, 178 – 10.28 Wood shingles, 180 – 10.29 Roof lights, 180 – 10.30 Duckboards, 183 – 10.31 Metal profile sheeting, 184 11 Fireplaces, Flues and Chimney Stacks 187 11.1 Introduction, 187 – 11.2 Domestic fireplaces and flue entry, 188 – 11.3 Down-draught due to external conditions, 189 – 11.4 Flue investigation, 192 – 11.5 Flues serving gas fires, 193 – 11.6 Flues serving oil-fired boilers, 194 – 11.7 Hearths, 194 – 11.8 Old fireplaces, 194 – 11.9 Rebuilding, 195 – 11.10 Chimney stacks, 195 – 11.11 Industrial chimney shafts, 198 12 Timber Upper Floors, Floor Coverings, Staircases and Ladders 200 12.1 Introduction, 200 – 12.2 Structural timber floor defects, 201 floor coverings 12.3 Introduction, 205 – 12.4 Boarded floors, 205 – 12.5 Chipboard flooring, 207 – 12.6 Hardwood strip flooring, 207 – Contents vii 12.7 Wood block, 208 – 12.8 Floor screeds, 208 – 12.9 Granolithic paving, 208 – 12.10 Terrazzo, 209 – 12.11 Cork tiles, 209 – 12.12 Linoleum, 209 – 12.13 Rubber flooring, 210 – 12.14 Thermoplastic PVC and vinyl asbestos tiles, 210 – 12.15 Clay floor tiles, 210 – 12.16 Concrete tiles, 211 – 12.17 Magnesite flooring, 211 – 12.18 Mastic asphalt and pitch mastic paving, 212 – 12.19 Rubber latex cement flooring, 212 – 12.20 Metal tiles, 213 – 12.21 Slate, 213 – 12.22 Marble in tile or slab form, 213 – 12.23 Conclusion, 213 staircases and ladders 12.24 Timber staircases, 214 – 12.25 Metal staircases and ladders, 215 – 12.26 Reinforced concrete stairs, 215 13 Finishes and Joinery Externally and Internally 216 13.1 Introduction, 216 plaster 13.2 Types of plaster, 216 – 13.3 Plasterboards and wallboards, 217 – 13.4 Metal lathing, 217 – 13.5 Plaster wall and ceiling defects, 218 – 13.6 Old plaster ceilings, 219 sheet linings 13.7 Types of board, 220 – 13.8 Common defects, 222 wall tiling 13.9 Types of tiling and fixings, 222 – 13.10 Common defects in finishes, 223 lightweight and demountable partitions 13.11 Types of partition and finish, 224 joinery 13.12 Doors and windows, 224 – 13.13 Skirtings, architraves and picture rails, 227 – 13.14 Cupboard fitments, 227 – 13.15 Ironmongery, 228 – 13.16 Examination of defects, 228 external rendering and pointing 13.17 Introduction, 230 – 13.18 Rendering defects, 231 – 13.19 Pointing, 233 painting and decorating 13.20 Defects due to poor application or unsuitable backgrounds, 234 – 13.21 Interior finishes, 235 – 13.22 Exterior paintwork, 236 – 13.23 Metal surfaces, 237 – 13.24 Historic buildings, 237 glazing and leaded lights 13.25 Introduction, 238 – 13.26 Symptoms and defects, 238 14 Services 240 14.1 Introduction, 240 cold water supply 14.2 Types of pipework, 240 – 14.3 Guide to checking cold water installations, 242 – 14.4 Old lead pipes, 243 viii Contents hot water and heating installations 14.5 Direct and indirect systems, 243 – 14.6 Oil-fired boilers, 245 – 14.7 Gas-fired boilers, 245 – 14.8 Wall mounted water heaters, 246 – 14.9 Gas fires, 247 – 14.10 Items to check, 247 – 14.11 Immersion heaters, 248 – 14.12 Storage heaters, 248 – 14.13 Boiler flues, 248 central heating 14.14 Introduction, 249 – 14.15 Common defects, 250 sanitary fittings 14.16 Materials, 252 – 14.17 Wash basins and shower trays, 252 – 14.18 Baths, 252 – 14.19 Bidets, 253 – 14.20 Sinks, 253 – 14.21 Taps, 253 – 14.22 Water closets and cisterns, 254 – 14.23 Urinals, 255 waste and soil pipe installations 14.24 Introduction, 255 – 14.25 Types of soil and waste disposal systems, 256 – 14.26 Pipes, 257 – 14.27 Common defects, 259 electrical installations 14.28 Introduction, 260 – 14.29 Wiring systems, 261 – 14.30 The ring circuits, 261 – 14.31 Testing and inspecting installations, 262 – 14.32 Regulation of electrical installation work in dwellings, 266 gas installations 14.33 Introduction, 267 – 14.34 Checking defects, 267 – 14.35 Gas meter location, 268 lifts and hoists 14.36 Introduction, 268 – 14.37 Lift pit, 269 – 14.38 Lift shaft, 269 – 14.39 Machine room, 271 – 14.40 Prevention of damage, 272 – 14.41 Small service lifts, 272 – 14.42 Hand power hoists, 273 – 14.43 Stair lifts, 273 ventilation and air conditioning 14.44 Natural ventilation, 274 – 14.45 Mechanical ventilation, 274 – 14.46 Air conditioning, 275 15 External Works 276 soil and surface water drainage 15.1 Introduction, 276 – 15.2 Property erected before 1900, 276 – 15.3 Property erected after 1900, 278 assessment of the condition of existing soil drains, gulleys and inspection chambers 15.4 Sketch plan of the system, 280 – 15.5 Pipes and fittings, 280 visual inspection and testing 15.6 Drainage defects, 282 – 15.7 Testing, 283 – 15.8 Water test, 283 – 15.9 Air and smoke test, 285 – 15.10 Adjoining owners’ drains, 286 Contents ix inspection chambers, interceptors, covers and frames 15.11 Inspection chambers, 286 – 15.12 Deep inspection chambers, 287 – 15.13 Back-drop chambers, 288 – 15.14 Interceptors, 289 – 15.15 Access covers and frames, 289 gulleys and grease traps 15.16 Gulleys, 290 – 15.17 Inspecting and checking gulley defects, 291 anti-flood devices, petrol interceptors and drainage channels 15.18 Anti-flood devices, 292 – 15.19 Petrol interceptors, 292 – 15.20 Drainage channels and gratings, 293 other means of soil and waste disposal 15.21 Cesspools/cesspits, 293 – 15.22 Septic tanks, 295 – 15.23 Pumping stations, 296 surface water 15.24 Disposal systems from roofs, 296 – 15.25 Disposal of surface water from paved areas, 298 – 15.26 Soakaways, 299 repair processes 15.27 Recommendations, 300 pavings and carriageways 15.28 The function of carriageways, 300 – 15.29 Flexible paving, 300 – 15.30 Concrete paving, 301 – 15.31 Blocks and slabs, 301 – 15.32 Tiles and setts, 301 – 15.33 Gravel and hoggin, 301 – 15.34 Examination of pavings, 301 boundary walls, fences and gates 15.35 Introduction, 303 – 15.36 Ownership of fences and walls, 303 – 15.37 Brick and stone boundary walls, 306 – 15.38 Retaining walls, 307 – 15.39 Timber and metal fencing, 307 – 15.40 Types of fencing and their defects, 308 – 15.41 Gates, 309 outbuildings and other miscellaneous items 15.42 Introduction, 310 – 15.43 Inspection and checking defects, 310 refuse collection 15.44 Small domestic dwellings, 311 – 15.45 Large blocks of flats, 312 – 15.46 Lightning conductors, 314 – 15.47 Trees, 314 16 Fire and Flood Damage 315 16.1 Introduction, 315 effects of fire 16.2 Preliminary investigation, 317 – 16.3 Brickwork, 318 – 16.4 Concrete structures, 319 – 16.5 Stonework, 319 – 16.6 Steel beams, columns and roof trusses, 320 – 16.7 Timber, 320 – 16.8 Roof structure, 320 – 16.9 Pitched roof coverings, 321 – 16.10 Flat roof coverings, 321 – 16.11 Floors, 321 – 16.12 x Contents Internal and external finishes, 322 – 16.13 Services, 323 – 16.14 Recording the defects, 323 flood damage 16.15 Causes, 323 – 16.16 Preliminary examination, 323 – 16.17 General effects of flooding, 324 – 16.18 Foundations, 324 – 16.19 Ground floors, 325 – 16.20 Suspended ground floors, 325 – 16.21 Floor finishes, 325 – 16.22 Wall finishes, 325 – 16.23 Metal finishes and fastenings, 326 – 16.24 Drainage systems, 326 – 16.25 Pavings, 326 – 16.26 Recording defects, 326 17 Report Writing 328 17.1 Introduction, 328 – 17.2 Presentation, 328 – 17.3 Report writing criteria, 329 – 17.4 Arrangement of information, 330 – 17.5 Format, 331 – 17.6 Valuations, 332 18 Legal Aspects 333 18.1 Introduction, 333 – 18.2 Negligence defined, 333 – 18.3 Duty of care, 334 – 18.4 Breach of duty, 335 – 18.5 Damages, 336 – 18.6 Accuracy of estimates, 336 – 18.7 Brief reports, 337 – 18.8 Parties in tort, 337 – 18.9 Type of survey required, 338 – 18.10 Professional negligence relating to surveying buildings, 338 – 18.11 Recent negligence cases, 339 – 18.12 Disclaimers and limitation periods, 341 – 18.13 Trespass, 342 – 18.14 Party structures, 343 – 18.15 Indemnity insurance, 343 Appendices Appendix I Definitions of Inspections and Surveys of Buildings (CIC Explanatory Leaflet) 345 Appendix II Sample Extracts of Survey Schedules 350 Appendix III Checklist for Property and Site Surveys 352 Appendix IV Checklist for Building Surveys 354 Appendix V Surveying Safely (Based on RICS 2004) 357 Appendix VI Report on Roof Defects (Village Hall) 363 Appendix VII Report on Property to be Purchased 368 Appendix VIII Glossary of Building Inspection and Related Terms 380 Bibliography 387 Index 412