Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Sep 08, 2012 4:18 pm Hi I have found a house im interested in buying im just a bit worried about some cracked brickwork at the bay windows. You can see the damage externally on the brickwork and internally on the wooden window frames. It has me a bit worried as the house is for auction, im still most probably going to get building inspector to inspect it but thought I would get some opinions seeing I have been doneover before on a building inspection. Please see pictures below for damage http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz26 ... G_0420.jpg http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz26 ... G_0421.jpg http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz26 ... G_0422.jpg http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz26 ... G_0425.jpg http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz26 ... G_0426.jpg http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz26 ... G_0427.jpg http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz26 ... G_0428.jpg http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz26 ... G_0430.jpg The house has been recently rendered so im worried about possible other coverups. I noticed cracked brickwork at 2 other spots in the house vertical lines probably less than 2mm wide and approx 20 cm in length. Also cracking at RHS beam for double garage was evident with probably crack less than 1mm wide and spanned 20cm approx. the bay window has me a bit worried as there is obviously movement in the frame as well could someone with enginering experience please advise. The meter box in the house had a termite inspection sticker for 2001 so im assuming the house was built in 2000 which is a good guesstimate. Also house has a pool anything else I should be wary of. thanks your help is greatly appreciated Re: Cracked brick work at bay windows help please 2Sep 08, 2012 5:19 pm Hi Brianf123 There is no substitute for competent pre purchase inspection and you should get building inspection and a timber pest inspection. There may be other issues you cannot see and if you don't get the inspection you are taking a huge risk. Buying is risky! Even with pre purchase inspections it will reduce your risk and not eliminate it completely because of inspection limitations. Also it is not just about the inspection, finding and reporting issues it is also about knowing what to do and to give you comfort and confidence about dealing with the issues (if any). It's all about the quality of advice. You mention you have been done over the building inspection, that is why you have to be careful about the selection. You will find info what to look for when choosing pre purchase inspector on my blog. I don't know where you are but Melbourne wide building and timber pest inspection is under$600 for average size home I have inspected over 5000 homes and some of the pre purchase issues we find are on my blog. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Cracked brick work at bay windows help please 3Sep 08, 2012 6:06 pm Hi Thanks for your reply. I bought a house which the building inspector told some big porkies and the house had some major brickwork/settlement issue. In various spots we had major brickwork cracks which was a combination of general settlement and a clay soil which retains moisture and made the slab move/ fracture th brickwork. Legally we didnt have a leg to stand on and anfterwards we found out the bulding inspector was related to the original owner. I dont want to make the same mistake twice and living in a small town with a limited number of building inspectors I was hoping to get a 2nd opinion. Does this look sinister???? Even though I have had a bad experience before I will still get a building inspection done but basically what im after is a 2nd opinion here so I can compare it to the actual report I pay the money for. the house we purchased which had problems was $540,000 so i really want re assurance im not going to get done over again. the main problem we have now is that we cant sell the $540,000 house as allbuilding inspectors pick up the problems with it and we have even dropped the price to $399,000 and people still wont touch it with a 10 foot pole. Really really cant afford to make the same mistake twice and was hoping for a 2nd opinion as you must understand due to being tricked before I now do not have much faith in the system. Regards Re: Cracked brick work at bay windows help please 4Sep 08, 2012 7:08 pm There are several issues here: Firstly, did your inspector have professional indemnity? If so you can make claim against him. If not you can still take him to VCAT (if in Vic but you will have to spend money to get there) and get a judgment of damages (provided he can pay) Secondly, you should consider whether you can rectify the problems with your home in cost effective manner and maintain it's value. As much as I want to help I cannot give any meaningful advice without seeing the job and no one else in their right mind will. Finally, you have to choose carefully your next inspector, do your homework. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Cracked brick work at bay windows help please 5Sep 10, 2012 2:32 pm Can anyone offer some kind of info regarding the pictures its not something Iam going to hold anybody to just would like to get a general idea on what may have caused this and maybe if just by looking at it someone can say no way dont go there steer well clear away from that etc. Re: Cracked brick work at bay windows help please 6Sep 23, 2012 4:20 pm looks like movement in the slab. For the age of the home, the slabs werent as good as they are now. The timber frames could be warping also, causing windows and doors to move, causing cracking. Builders tend to use cheap timber frames which, when cured, warp, twist, rot and crack. Could be cheap doors and windows? You problems will relate to one of these issues. I wouldnt touch it because you cant fix it. Plumbers 'can be' plumbers, made all the worse by self certification which the building surveyor invariably accepts as proof of compliance! The good thing is that you know know. 3 4873 DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair Hi there, I just recently received my new house from my builder. We handed the house to another company to deal with the… 0 8915 DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair could be the footing or being hard up against the other wall with no expansion joint or both. You could try again with brick mesh and use some sticky back foam against the… 1 1105 |