Cap-It-All Building Inspections

As cement comes into contact with water, a chemical reaction known as hydration occurs. It is important to control the amount of moisture loss during cement hydration, as moisture loss will often lead to loss of strength for the finished concrete member. The process of controlling moisture loss within concrete is known as curing.

Impermeable-membrane curing
Formwork is an efficient and cost-effective method of curing. In hot weather timber boards should be moistened and plastic sheeting may also be used to cover exposed surfaces.

Plastic sheeting is probably the most common form of concrete curing here in Perth. Their effectiveness is very much reduced if the sheeting is not kept securely into place, and colour selection of the plastic should reflect the temperature at the time of concrete placement. For example, in hot weather white or lightly coloured sheets are preferable, whereas in cooler weather black plastic may be selected.

Membrane-forming curing compounds are another cost-effective method of curing concrete surfaces. However, their effectiveness is very much reliant upon the timing and even distribution of the compound.

Internal curing compounds may also be incorporated into the concrete as an admixture. These compounds have not been extensively tested in residential construction.

Water Curing
Ponding is a method whereby a ‘dam’ or ‘dike’ is erected around the edge of the slab and water is added to create a shallow pond. Ponding is a quick, inexpensive and effective form of curing when there is a ready supply of good ‘dam’ material (e.g. clay soil), a supply of water, and the pond does not interfere with subsequent building operations. When ponding is properly undertaken, the slab has the added advantage of maintain a constant surface temperature, therefore reducing the risk of early age thermal cracking.

Sprinkling or fog curing can be an efficient method of supplying additional moisture for curing, and reduce the temperature of the concrete surface during periods of hot temperature. However, constant supervision is required for this method as environmental conditions such as high winds may prove the system to be ineffective.

Wet coverings such as hessian or materials such as sand can be used like a ‘mulch’ to maintain water on the surface of the concrete. Any coverings must be kept damp at all times to ensure that they do not have the opposite to the desired effect and actually draw moisture from the slab itself.

How will my building inspector assess the effectiveness of the curing of concrete?
Unfortunately it is difficult to accurately assess the effectiveness of concrete curing from a visual only inspection. However, certain defects may be attributable to improper concrete curing, such as early age drying shrinkage. Other factors may have contributed towards early age drying shrinkage cracking and as a result it is best practice to monitor these cracks throughout the building process to ensure that they do not extend in width.

Discolouration of the concrete slab surface may also be an indication of inadequate concrete curing, and as such your building inspection report may act as evidence should it need to be proved in the future that the concrete did not reach the maximum strength desired.

Contact Cap-It-All Building Inspections Perth for a comprehensive pre-purchase building inspection carried out by an experienced and knowledgeable building inspector.

Plan

– What can you afford? The best thing to do firstly is to create a budget to determine exactly how much disposable income you have after paying out your expenses.

– What can you borrow? Next you will need to speak with a mortgage broker or lending institution so that you know how much you can borrow.

– Set your goals. Having clearly defined goals is important – are you buying the property so that you can lease it to tenants down the track? Do you want a block that could potentially be subdivided in the future? Or are you looking for your dream home that you plan to live in for years to come?

– Pre-Approval. Obtaining pre-approval for your finance from your bank/lending institution can give you a considerable advantage over other purchasers when you’re ready to submit an offer.


Research

– Which suburb do you want to live in? Do your research and understand which amenities are important to you. You may want to live in an area with great schools for your kids. Maybe you want to live in a trendy suburb with plenty of shops and restaurants/cafes?

– What type of property do you want to purchase? Think block size, orientation, age and maintenance responsibilities of the property. An agent brief sheet can help local agents in the area you want to purchase understand what type of property you desire so you can be contacted first when your perfect property comes on the market.

– Consider using a buyer’s agent. A buyer’s agent can be paid a fee to do all the hard work of finding you the perfect property. This can be particularly convenient for interstate or overseas buyers.

Offer

– What should be considered when viewing a property? Take extra care when viewing a property to ensure you note any minor defects that you will have to take on if purchasing the property. Does the property have extra appliances such as a dishwasher and air conditioning?

– What will the property cost? Don’t forget to consider additional costs such as stamp duty, registration fees, settlement agent fees, lender’s mortgage insurance and removalist costs that you may not be able to add to your loan.

– Engaging a settlement agent. You will need to engage a conveyancer/settlement agent to act on your behalf and transfer the property title into your name. A settlement agent acts for you so they can offer you any necessary advice about the purchase and should follow up issues like whether council approval is held for necessary structures and whether an electrical safety certificate has been supplied in relation to smoke alarms and RCDs.

– Placing an offer. Ensure that you understand what is written in the sale contract and add any special conditions that may be in your best interest. Don’t forget that the real estate agent is acting on behalf of the seller and not you.

Settle

– Settlement Day. Before settlement takes place you will need to organise insurances, relevant amenities such as gas, electricity and telephone connection and removalists. Don’t forget that if the seller is living in the property you are buying, they technically have until midday the day after settlement to provide you with all access devices for the home.

The above is just a condensed/simple guide for buying property in Perth, but luckily Cap-It-All Building Inspections Perth have created a website which provides Perth home buyers with a detailed guide of the process from start to finish. Not only can the website provide you with free advice and tools that will aid you in purchasing the perfect property, it can also put you in touch with experienced, reliable professionals who will work in YOUR BEST INTERESTS such as mortgage brokers, buyer’s agents and settlement agents.

Visit www.buyingpropertyperth.com.au to see what the team at Cap-It-All Building Inspections Perth have put together to help you make the best decisions when purchasing property in Perth.

What makes a business the best at what they do? 

The answer lies within an optimum mix of being efficient and being effective.

What’s the difference between efficiency and effectiveness?

To be efficient is to maximise productivity in a systematic, organised fashion – in other words to achieve outcomes as quickly as possible without it affecting the quality of your product.

Effectiveness is a measure of producing the best possible outcome.

In the building inspections Perth industry, there are many franchises and independent businesses which have created an efficient system (through an iPad/iPhone App or something similar) but the quality of the report suffers since there are only certain items the Perth building inspector can click/report on. Comparable to this, many inspectors use a “tick box method” in which they only have predefined boxes to tick and do not investigate any further than this which may result in less defects being uncovered or less understanding as to why the defect has been caused and what can be done to remedy it. It is important to recognise that if a Perth building inspector claims they will send your report to you straight from the property, it is likely that they’re efficient in what they’re doing, but their report may not be as detailed or as well-understood by the inspector as it could be.

At Cap-It-All Building Inspections Perth the inspector will always return to the office after completing the inspection and discuss any possible defects with other experienced members of staff, so that together the team can determine the exact circumstances of a defect, how the defect can be remedied and who is liable to fix the defect. Cap-It-All Building Inspections Perth have a point of difference in comparison to other Perth building inspectors as each member of the team possess different skills and experience, so by effectively communicating with each other the team can determine the best possibly solution for your situation. As well as this, inspectors are on site for an average of 2-3 hours (for a building and pest inspection Perth) which based on the team’s feedback from real estate agents and sellers, is much longer than most other inspectors. If your Perth building inspector is on site for less than one hour when producing your building inspection report they may not be providing you with as much information as possible.

Additionally it is important to the Cap-It-All Building Inspections Perth team that you understand every aspect of your report and have all of your queries answered. This is why we follow up with a phone call when it is convenient toYOU and not immediately from the property before you’ve had a chance to read your report.

If you’re looking for a thorough, comprehensive building inspector but would also like to receive your report within 24 hours of the inspection taking place, contact Cap-It-All Building Inspections Perth now.

1. Select a well ventilated area for mixing, although be sure not to mix in a windy area or an area where the acid may come into contact with other hazardous materials.

2. ALWAYS ADD THE CONCENTRATED ACID TO THE WATER.

3. Only use earthenware, glass, or heavy duty plastic containers

4. Whilst mixing be sure to wear appropriate PPE, including goggles and rubber gloves. PPE should be tight to the skin, to minimise the risk of acid coming into skin contact in those areas.

5. Avoid splashing of acid into water and be aware of your surroundings. Not only may there be hazardous substances in your surroundings, but there may be materials such as concrete masonry that may be attacked or discoloured as a result of spillage. Polished stone and metal surfaces are likely to become permanently defaced should they come into contact with acid. Brick acid should never be used on limestone products or in instances where vanadium removal is necessary.

Different bricks will require a different mixing ratios. For example, bricks that are lighter in colour or particularly sensitive to high concentrations of acid will require a water to acid ratio of 20:1. It is recommended that this mix is initially used in all circumstances. For darker bricks or particularly tough stains, the ratio may be increased to 10:1.

Upon mixing of the solution, the following steps should be taken:

1. Wet down the bricks prior to applying the solution. Failure to do so may lead to staining of the bricks known as acid burn, as acid will soak into the brickwork and dissolve the iron within the brick.

2. Apply the solution using a thin bristled brush. The use of stiff bristles may damage the masonry itself as opposed to removing the excess mortar.

3. Wash the affected area clean with water.

Other acids & cleaning compounds
Other acids & cleaning compounds may be available to clean excess mortar from brickwork. Care should be taken when selecting these products. Some of these products are not suitable for masonry and may even cause destruction of the masonry units via salt attack.

High pressure cleaning
High pressure water may be used to remove excess mortar from affected brickwork, although the incorrect selection of nozzle or incorrect use of the jet may lead to damage of the masonry product. The following precautions should be observed:
(a) Use a maximum pressure of 7000 kPa.
(b) Use a wide fan spray nozzle (15° to 20°).
(c) Keep the nozzle about 500 mm from the wall and never closer than 300 mm.
(d) Test the procedure first on a section of wall that is less noticeable.

In all instances of cleaning it should be noted that the excessive use of water may contribute to moisture problems as well as increase the likelihood of efflorescence. If you have any concern, please contact a suitably qualified professional.

How important is it to compact a concrete slab?
Proper compaction of concrete is essential to maintain the structural integrity of the slab, and to assist the concrete slab in achieving its ultimate strength. Benefits of proper concrete compaction include:

• Increased ultimate strength of concrete
• Enhanced bond between concrete and reinforcement
• Increased abrasion resistance and general durability of concrete
• Decreased permeability of concrete, lessening the likelihood of concrete spalling (concrete cancer)
• Minimisation of shrinkage characteristics
• Minimisation of other forms of cracking

When first placed, normal concretes will contain between 5% and 20% of entrapped air. This entrapped air has a huge effect on the finished strength of the concrete. For example, the strength of concrete containing 10% of entrapped air (air voids) may be as little as 50% that of the concrete when fully compacted.

How is concrete compacted?
Generally there are two types of vibrators common on building sites, immersion vibrators and surface vibrators. Sometimes a combination of the two may be utilised to achieve maximum compaction.

How is poor concrete compaction identified?
Many specifications for the placement of concrete state caution against over-vibration of concrete. However, it is under-vibration that is found to be more common and therefore a greater problem when conducting building inspections in Perth.

Your Perth building inspector will understand the processes involved in the placement of concrete and as such will identify signs that your concrete slab has not been adequately compacted. Cracks identified may be the result of poor concrete compaction, or concrete honeycombing may indicate areas where poor compaction is evident.

When cracks are identified during a Perth building inspection they will be reported as per AS 2870, and your building inspector will monitor the cracking throughout the build process to ensure that movement is not prevalent.

When concrete honeycombing is identified during a Perth building inspection, your building inspector will have to make an educated assumption based upon the location and nature of the honeycombing as to whether it is a structural or cosmetic issue. For example, if the honeycombing exposes any reinforcement then it should be rectified to reduce the likelihood of concrete spalling. In all instances of concrete honeycombing identification during a building inspection, monitoring should be undertaken to ensure it is not a result of poor concrete compaction.

At Cap-It-All building inspections Perth we have over 40 years of industry experience, and are well acquainted with building techniques in Perth. For further information on our services including building and pest inspections please visit our website. Alternatively you can visit our Cap-It-All Building Inspections Perth homepage.

To be eligible for the grant the below criteria must be met:

• You are purchasing an established home for less than $400,000 (this amount is subject to change, please visit the Department of Commerce’ website for up to date figures.

• This is your first purchase of property in Australia (if you are purchasing the property with somebody who has already purchased property within Australia you may be entitled to a part-payment).

• You are purchasing the home through a licensed real estate agent and establishing a mortgage through a lending institution (i.e a bank, building society or credit union).

• You intend to live in the property for a minimum of 12 months after the settlement date (the property cannot be rented out during this time. If there is a lease in place when the property is purchased the lease must expire within 6 months of the settlement date and you must immediately move into the property and reside there for 12 months).

You can obtain an application for the HBAA on the Department of Commerce’ website. The grant will be paid to you in lieu of you purchasing a property, but you must lodge the application within 90 days of your offer to purchase being accepted. The application must be lodged along with a final copy of your Offer and Acceptance contract and a final Settlement Statement (provided by your settlement agent).

Some frequently asked questions:

Q) How long does it take to receive the grant?
A) The grant can take up to 8 weeks to be approved and paid.

Q) Will the grant be paid directly to me?
A) No. The grant will be credited to your lending institution; their policies will dictate where the grant will be credited to.

Q) Is the HBAA the same as the First Home Owners Grant?
A) No. The First Home Owners Grant is separate to the HBAA and you may be entitled to both.

Q) What if my purchase price slightly exceeds $400,000, am I still entitled to the HBAA?
A) No. To be eligible your purchase price must be below $400,000.

Q) Am I still entitled to the HBAA if I have owned an investment property before but never lived in it?
A) No. To be eligible your name must not have been on a property title within Australia.

Q) Does my income affect my eligibility for the grant?
A) No. Income level is not factored in when determining eligibility for the HBAA.
The Home Buyers Assistance Account is a great scheme that helps many first home buyers to cover their incidental expenses including their Building Inspection and Timber Pest Inspection.

To view our services or book an inspection please visit the Cap-It-All Building Inspections Perth website.