Why do I need a home owner/occupier inspection?
Home owner/occupier inspection and consultation provide property owner/occupiers with the information and recommendations required to effectively maintain their property to a standard that ensures maximum long term value.
From the day that they are built the structures that we own and live in can suffer the consequences of poor workmanship, they are subject to deterioration from weathering, and even more significantly, they are subject to attack by timber pests.
Poor workmanship can, in some instances, be apparent from the day a structure is completed. In others, poor workmanship may be hidden within the structure and its effect not felt for some time. Poor workmanship can accelerate deterioration and elevate the risk of a structure being attacked by timber pests.
Weathering can, over time, cause significant deterioration of structures. Generally weathering occurs on building elements that we can see over a long period of time. Unfortunately, rectification of deteriorating elements is not undertaken regularly and so it goes on to cause significant damage and can have huge economic consequences.
In South East Queensland attack by timber pests is a likely and regular occurrence. The climate allows decay, borers and termites to prosper. All three have the potential to cause massive financial loss, they are all around us in the natural environment and for the most part go completely unnoticed.
For the home owner a detailed assessment of the structures’ surrounding environment and the structure itself by a trained, qualified and experienced inspector is highly recommended.
By engaging Moreton Bay Building and pest inspections to conduct an home owner/occupier inspection you have access to an inspector who is formally trained and licenced as a carpenter/joiner, builder and pest management technician and who has 28 years experience in the building and construction industry.
To the untrained eye termites in South East Queensland are not often seen in their natural environment however closer observation reveals huge numbers even in urban environments. Termites don’t naturally live in structures. They use the structures we live in as food. Food gathered from our structures is transported back to their nest to feed the rest of the colony.
Without thorough understanding and assessment of termite’s ecology and biology within close proximity to an inspected property it is entirely possible that an accurate management plan will not be developed.
What does the inspection do?
At Moreton Bay Building and Pest Inspections we use a thorough, scientific approach to assessing all properties that we inspect.
The inspection and report is the first and, possibly, most important step in managing the deterioration and the risk of attack from timber pests.
The process behind managing the risk of structure deterioration and attack from timber pests is simple:
Inspect:
- The structure – Inspecting the structure gathers information about the structures’ level of deterioration or its potential deterioration.
- The environment that surrounds the structure – Inspecting the environment that surrounds a structure gathers information about environmental conditions that surround the structure that may increase the risk of the structure deteriorating and/or being attacked by timber pests. The inspection should also reveal the intensity of timber pests in the vicinity of the structure.
Report:
- Building report – The building report summarises the information gathered during the inspection.
- Timber pest report – The timber pest report summarises the information gathered during the inspection.
Assess the risk:
- Risk rating – Assessing the risk and rating its severity in relation to both building deterioration and timber pest attack is required prior to the development of a management plan.
Management plan:
- Low risk – A structure considered low risk may have a management plan as simple as more frequent inspection.
- High risk – A structure considered high risk may require a complex management plan consisting of frequent inspections, a perimeter barrier and in some areas, monitoring and baiting stations.
The combination of 28 years of building and construction experience, the most up to date training, high quality equipment and instruments along with the latest inspection and report information gathering technology means Moreton Bay Building and Pest Inspections can provide you with the information required to effectively manage the condition of your property in order to maximise its long-term value.