To support our APC candidates during the season, we’ve been showing the most common defects found in inspections and asking any wannabe gumshoes for their ideas and analysis. Some of our surveying staff kindly put us out of our misery and gave their own comments.
Scroll through the defects that our team found onsite, and click through to see what our staff thought of them.
Roger Watts, London City’s executive director, on foundation failures:
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The issue of cracking in buildings is complex. Firstly, you need to assess what the ground conditions, then the foundations. Given the age and material of the property, I suspect it’s a shallow trench and a hardcore type/stone footing. |
Lauren Nelson, Glasgow’s assistant building surveyor, on wet rot:
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For wet rot to flourish in the first instance there must be a constant source of moisture to the timber. In this case, there had been a historic leak in the toilets directly above. Whilst the pipework had been replaced to fix the leak, the leaked water had been trapped within the building fabric at ground floor level and never fully dried out. (in older buildings with thick masonry walls this can take many months). |
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Phillipa Burgin, London City’s building surveyor, on dry rot:
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The photos show “fruiting bodies” – soft, fleshy fungus, with an orange-ochre surface and an unmistakable indication of dry-rot. There was red spore dust around the fruiting bodies, and when the timber skirting boards were removed we uncovered a network of white mycelium strands which is effectively the “roots” of the fungus. |
Pritesh Patel, Birmingham’s building surveyor, on congested gutters:
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Vegetation growth in this building’s box gutter has caused rainwater to overflow, resulting in stains to the cladding. The static water created by congestion can cause rainwater to penetrate the roof and let water in, damaging internal finishes and fixtures. |
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Billy Thorpe, Manchester’s assistant building surveyor, on nickel sulphide inclusions:
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Nickel sulphide inclusions occur when undetected nickel particles react with sulphur, which over time grow and eventually impart enough stress to cause spontaneous failure. The glass fractures can occur due to a number of reason such as design flaw, vandalism and poor manufacturing techniques. |
Pete Ewbank, Manchester’s senior associate director, on steel corrosion:
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Most metals are susceptible to rust and corrosion by water penetration. When a boat is submerged, or has been capsized at sea, the saltwater breaks down the protective oxide layer on the steelwork, allowing corrosion to occur. |
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