Common Defects in Buildings
Common Defects
Historically traditional buildings have been constructed using principle building materials such as sand, limestone, gypsum, clay, and stone, timber, slate and concrete. Through advancements in materials design the use of modular steel, plastics, aluminium, zinc, copper and glass components are now widely used in construction.
Each building material will have its own performance criteria with regards to seasonal resilience as well as expansion and contraction.
Woodwork
Dry rot, is wood decay caused by certain species of fungi that digest parts of the wood which give the wood strength and stiffness.
Foundations
The purpose of a foundation is to support the dead weight of a building as well as the internal live loads such as the occupants and furniture.
Cracking to Walls
Buildings are generally constructed using clay bricks to build the external wall leaf, and thermal blocks to construct the internal wall leaf.
Damp Issues
Damp proofing in construction is a type of moisture control barrier applied to walls and floors, to prevent moisture transmission from external sources into a property.
Roofs
Older pitched roofs can suffer with roof spread which could indicate that a structural timber member with decay should be removed and replaced with fresh preservative treated timber.