Building Pre purchase Report
19 Arthur Street,
Unit 1, Te Aro,
Wellington.
Ph (04) 384-4635
Building Report at
Adelaide Road, Apartment
Newtown
Wellington
This pre purchase building report is based on what can be visually seen at the date of the report. No testing is carried out or wall linings removed. This report does not cover what is underground. No outstanding legal or local authority matters are covered. We recommend looking at the local authority records building folder to check for outstanding building permit or building consent issues. You can usually do this for free.
The building is judged on the basis of the acts, regulations, bylaws and installation instructions enforced at the time of the building built or services installed.
Not every fault will be listed if we believe it is of an insignificant nature. This building report does not cover valuation, land surveying and land geology. This report is a list of faults that can be seen. There are faults that are not possible to see if it has been raining such as dampness outside. Some faults are more of a maintenance issue such as small spots of flaking paint or scratches. It is unlikely that you can renegotiate the price after the first offer on items of a small nature e.g. a cracked light switch, a moldy patch on the carpet or scratch on a door.
Qualifications of our staff – There are four registered or licensed trades in the building industry. These are drainage, gas fitting, plumbing, and electrical. We have license in all these trades. Registered builder refers to the membership of an association, and not a qualification, like in the licensed trades.
E. O. E. Trading as Southern Consulting Ltd
General
Rot and Borer
Some buildings contain rot and borer inside wall linings. If it is inside the wall lining, we cannot determine whether there is little or no evidence of it in other parts of the house. There is always some risk when buying a property.
Not all timber is easy to access, thus we check a random sample for borer in the roof space and under the floor. There may be an isolated pocket of timber that has borer, so you should allow carrying out repairs if it happens. The longer you are in a building the more you see once you own it. It is not economic to check every piece of timber. Light borer is fine as it can be treated, unless it has got to a point where the timber has failed completely. In this case replacing that timber will solve the matter. We can carry out fumigation to halt borer at that point. Even new houses can have borer if the builder gets his boxed timber mixed with the construction timber.
Stucco and Plastered Buildings
Houses built in the 40s-60s with a cement plaster or “Stucco” exterior cladding are prone to rot and borer between the walls. It is impossible to see until we remove wall linings. In recent times stucco or plaster, known as monolithic cladding now, is popular again and rot has appeared in new buildings as well. We cannot see it until it appears as mould sometimes shows no signs in early stages.
Period Buildings, Old Codes or Regulations
Period buildings like the houses build more than 50 years ago are usually not built to any code. In fact some buildings were built with the partitioning timber from the hold of the sailing ships. You cannot judge a period house on the basis of the current Building Codes, as they would all fail. You have to expect some work to raise them to today’s building standards. There are things that could be classified as a fault e.g. woodworm marks and floors out of level that make up the character of the house.
Most old homes and even some new homes are little out of level or have a bouncy floor. On older homes, equalizing building level is an expensive task. It can mean that windows and doors no longer work or they have to be altered to a great extent. In this case it is often recommended that the house is not re-leveled after repiling to protect the character of the house. The walls will often be torned during repiling and this is another reason that the house is not re-leveled. After a house is repiled, it is not possible to see the quality of the job. All the work is underground i.e. the state of the ground before they poured concrete. It is also difficult to see bounce or level when furniture is installed as the bounce is often lessened by furniture. It may be possible to strengthen a bouncy floor but replacing all the timber is not recommended. Unless they are rotten or borer ridden as the house may get most of its value from its originality.
The extent sellers go to cover faults from prospective buyers and pre-purchase report inspections:
- Heavy items positioned so faults cannot be seen. E.g. out of level, rot, bounce etc.
- Paint applied over faults e.g. rot, rust, etc.
- Paneling installed over borer and other faults.
- Doors locked so that area cannot be inspected.
- Babies sleeping in rooms to make them out of bounds.
- Access holes restricted or nailed shut.
- Limitations place on inspector e.g. no touching.
- People positioned in places so we cannot stand there.
- House only sold during time of year when the problem does not exist.
- Unrealistic time limits placed on inspector and buyer to limit the amount of time an inspection can be undertaken.
- Delicate furniture placed in positions to hide faults. Moving the items may break them.
There is a limit to the amount of checking or access to a building for sale. We cannot move all the furniture, as this is not acceptable to the seller.
Engineer’s Reports
If your bank requires an engineer’s report let us know as we can provide this. There is an extra charge.
R E P O R T
Date of Inspection – 2/12/12
Time of Inspection – 9am
Weather at time of Inspection – Fine
Instructions Given – Pre purchase building report
Access Provided – Builder
Person in attendance – Doug Brennan
Type of Inspection – Visual / Instrument Based / Destructive / Look and View
Reason for Report – Pre Purchase – Pre Sale – Pre Tender
Incomplete Parts of the Inspection – under floor
Sources of Information – Marketing Document from Agent
Recommendations – Engineer – Geo Technical – Drainage Specialist – Surveyor- Valuer
Note:
The building underwent conversion from church hall to apartments using the existing structure. The hall has been divided and partitioned. The work is almost complete. This report is being done before issuing the Code Compliance Certificate. It does not cover what the Building Inspector would see before linings are fitted. Also note that this building is not a new building. The existing structure is brick, built in 1902. The roof, roof structure, under floor structure and floor is from same time. These areas are not visible as they were lined with GIB.
There is a possibility that the building inspector may have seen these areas, but there is going to be a gap in what the WCC Building Inspector can pass judgment on. E.g. the building inspector will only pass judgment on new things and not the existing parts, which are now covered. It means that he can not pass judgment on the existing areas as they are not visible. Body corporate maintenance figure seems a bit low. E.g. what if the roof needs replacement in 10 years. It would cost about $15,000 that’s 15 years of the maintenance levy assuming nothing else needed doing. What if the piles need doing as they are not visible, or the timber under the floor need borer treatment. The spouting at the front needs replacement and this will be more than the maintenance amount. The maintenance amount should exceed the yearly expenditure to allow for large items that will fail in the future so that the current owners pay a little of the depreciation. With the maintenance figure at $1000 if the current owners leave after 5 years they will have paid nothing toward future replacement costs. The building report does not cover the common areas. The common areas are still under construction. But I will raise a few things. Someone will need to clear out the sumps. The concrete retaining wall at the front right of the driveway has steel rods sticking out. It could have been tidied up before painting.
WCC Building Inspector Questions to ask – Has he seen the under floor area and roof structure? Are there any outstanding issues?
Grounds
- Trees checked – none
- Gates checked – new
- Fences checked – new
- Sheds checked – concrete block still under construction
- Paving checked
- Power lines overhead checked – still to be done
- Existing drains – probably original. Because it is not a new building the Territorial Authority does not insist on new drains. This may also impact on the maintenance expenses for the body corp.
Exterior
- Exterior cladding is all brick. The bricks will need maintenance due to their age. Eg., mortar.
- Window flashings checked.
- Doors checked – ok.
- Fish oil can be used to get paint off bricks.
- Range hood vent not water proof – a small hood over the outlet would be a better solution. The spouting has rusted through at the front, all needs replacement. The spouting at the back needs cleaning out. One new return end around the rear roof light is falling backwards. There are no visible hose taps. The water heater is partly obstructed with the veranda. The design seems to have missed the correct positioning of the water heater in relation to the rear porch roof. No position seems ideal because of the close proximity of the porch roof. The current situation probably does not comply with the installation instructions. The water heater could be put above the roof to comply or the roof repositioned.
- Roof
- Corrugated iron rusted in places.
- Needs wire brushing spot painting with rust converter and repainting.
- Plumbing vent cowls missing lead heads on roof nails are missing in places.
- Remove nails and renail.
- Membrane roof on rear roof light is unsightly, something has been split on it.
- Roof is a different colour.
- Recommend repainting.
- Under the house
- No access found how will maintenance be done under the building? Which apartment is to provide access, or could a hole be cut in the left side. Piles??? Bearers and joists may have rot and borer which is common for a house of this age.
- Ceiling Space – this space is only for plumbing access to the bulk head.
- Access off the laundry cupboard.
- No old timbers visible – all replaced with new.
- Plumbing checked – all new.
- Polybutylene identified.
- Poly is prone to leakage and rodent attack.
- Vent pipes checked.
- Joists checked.
- Rafters checked.
- Struts and supports checked.
Interior
Hall
- This area starts from the front door and goes to the upstairs loft.
- Cupboards checked.
- Catches checked.
- Door checked.
- Ceiling checked.
- Switches checked.
- Front door checked.
- Alarm no instructions given.
- The handrail on the stairs does not go to the bottom of kitchen. Some one could walk off the stairs 800mm off the floor.
Bed 1
- Adelaid road side window checked – top flashing not sealed.
- Door checked.
- Catch checked.
- Light switch checked.
- Floor covering checked.
- Cupboard checked.
- Cupboard Door checked.
- Catch checked.
- Front shelves not painted. Kind of looks out of place considering the rest of the place.
Bed 2
- Shelves need painting.
- Door needs cleaning.
Ensuite
- The en-suite bathroom fittings have labels on them.
- Trap pulls when basin of water let go.
- Cover missing from shower waste.
Bed 3
- Loft area view over the lower roof identifies patchy paint job.
- The ceiling is popping in places.
- The top stair tread has a chip that needs filling.
Laundry
- Tub checked
- Taps checked
- Washing machine checked but it is not connected.
- There is no ventilation for the dryer provided. E.g. the moisture will discharge into the apartment if it is a front venting dryer.
- There is no opening window in this ground floor area. A rear venting dryer will need to be used with a hole drilled through to the outside to allow for venting or an opening window fitted.
Bathroom
- The basin water pipes through floor not sealed.
- Electric hot point is it an RCD? It is not marked.
- Fan is not going.
Kitchen Dining
- Holes – several in pantry left side.
- Electric oven, not fixed to cupboard.
- The dishwasher is not hooked up.
- Holes not drilled for pipes.
- There are no opening windows in the kitchen dining area including laundry.
- The flooring is original. It has been sanded but the holes have not had the plaster cleaned out of them before polyurethane has been applied.
Garage and storage
- Not finished but what is done is ok.
- No wiring yet.
General
No final payments should be given until the Building Consent Code Compliance Certificate is given. When the occupation takes place some commissioning will need to take place.
Major Remedial Costs Associated With This Report
Notes – the cost indicated here are approximate only and depend heavily on the extent to which repairs are carried out, the quality of the work done and the timing of the work.
These repairs may be of varying importance to some prospective purchasers.
The total repairs may not always be deducted from the purchase price of the house as the seller may have already priced the house to sell. We recommend a valuation report.
Most of these items are not required under the Building Act but you will agree are faults. There are faults that are Building Consent items that the inspector will pick up. Eg.:
Stair rail $ 400
Dryer vent to outside $ 200
Ceiling popping – may need screwing instead of nailing sand and paint $ 400
Lengthen stair rail $ 150
Paint or polyurethane shelves $ 400
Replace section of spouting at front $ 100
Clean out spouting at rear $ 1000
Renail roof after wire brushing rusted areas under nails and priming $ 300
Install hose tap in yard $ 1000
Repaint roof $ 50.