What Building and Pest Inspections Indicate to Prospective Home Owners
Buying a new home is a big decision, and as a prospective homeowner, you will need to be well-informed about the condition of the home you intend to buy first to avoid making a regrettable decision. This is why both building and pest inspections are very important.
These inspections, performed by professional companies like Jeffrey Hills and Associates, are designed to reveal any defects associated with a new or existing residential property so that your safety is guaranteed and investment is protected. In many cases, building and pest inspections are usually provided concurrently. However, it is crucial to recognise that residential building inspections differ from residential pest inspections as explained below.
Residential building inspections
A residential building inspection service is meant to check the quality of a residential structure. It will make sure that any existing and potential defects associated with the property are detected prior to buying. All accessible trouble areas of the property will be examined so that any issues can be identified and categorised as minor or major in a report submitted to you.
Major structural issues such as rising damp can render the property unsafe to live in, while others such as large cracks on the interior and exterior walls may also cost too much in repair costs. Minor defects such as faulty water pipes, on the other hand, can be rectified rather easily and may not cost a lot. Therefore, you will be better-informed to make a decision on whether to buy the property or look for another one.
Residential pest inspections
While building inspections will often help to visually diagnose signs of pest attacks such as termite infestations in a home, they won't look for sources of pest activity. Therefore, it is essential to have a pest inspection carried out alongside a building inspection before committing yourself to buy any home.
Most home pest inspections are done to detect timber-destroying pest incursions because the presence of timber-eating pests such as termites, wood borers, and fungal decay poses the greatest risk of structural damage to a building if not detected early enough. Pest inspectors will reach all timber and structural areas of a home building that many building inspectors usually don't assess, ranging from basement areas and crawlspaces to timber roof frames, joists and rafters.
They will also look for pest invasion on the exterior parts of the property, including tree stumps, so that pests can be prevented from reaching the property, e.g., using termite bait systems, in case it is bought. This way, you will be aware of those unseen structural damages that a building inspection alone can't reveal.
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