To download the article ‘The truth about termites’, please click here. If you would like a building consultant to assist you or if you would like to book a timber pest inspection, please contact us.

If you have just moved in, or when you do buy your next home, try to make decisions that make sense – and dollars too. Jerry Tyrrell sets out the top 10 mistakes he and his 18 colleagues are commonly seeing.

1. Rushing with changes as soon as you move in.

2. Failing to master plan – even broadly. Street presence first, front door entry/lighting/weather protection second, connection between inside and outdoor spaces third.

3. Overcapitalising on properties without view, location or price advantages – silly spend on items,such as replacing a 7-year-old kitchen when handle and tap upgrade will save you $35,000.

4. Failing to use the free, easy to enhance spaces, such as attic voids or basements which can be easily excavated.

5. Not using LED lamps for EVERY replacement globe/light.

6. Adding space the market will not pay for, eg 5th bedroom, 2nd ensuite.

7. Worrying excessively about termites or asbestos in fibro you will never remove.

8. Not removing hazards, such as plate glass in older doors, replacing battery smoke detectors, fitting handrails to stairs and edges where people can fall, trimming dead tree limbs etc.

9. Not getting colour advice and not integrating good external lighting prior repaint

10. Planting large trees close to your building or paving.

Not only will you make more money if you avoid mistakes, you will have a safer, better looking and more functional home.

For help with your renovations, please contact us.

The Work Health Safety legislation says the person responsible is the owner who must select a competent inspector to identify risk, eg asbestos.

Personal protective clothing is required for Building Consultants at risk in asbestos-affected buildings.

For Strata Schemes to comply the Owners Corporation must:

1. Survey the property
2. Prepare an Onsite Asbestos Register (OAR)
3. Prepare an onsite Asbestos Management Plan (AMP)

If Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) are not found – the OAR must still be kept onsite.

The OAR must also:

• have a site plan identifying WHERE asbestos has been found;
• install a sign at each entry/exit identifying the presence of Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs).

AMPs must contain an incident management system – this should include a Safe Work Methods Statement (SWMS) for contractors to read and acknowledge BEFORE they commence any work onsite.

Tyrrells has been carrying out Asbestos Surveys for many years. Tyrrells consultants have completed the Asbestos Identification & Management TAFE course and are experienced building professionals able to help you eliminate risk in this important area.

We can provide the following to ensure you are compliant:

• Complete onsite survey and testing using accredited NATA laboratories
• Prepare any required OAR and AMP
• Install a document box with 003 keys
• Provide specific training and information; triplicate record book for contractors to sign when carrying out work.

For further information email sransley@tyrrells.com, or for bookings call us on 1300 131 270.

*NB. Previous Asbestos Registers are now out of date.

Jerry Tyrrell

The multiple rules and regulations governing building and construction in Australia can be as dense as an ancient religious text.

In this article published in Building Connection Magazine, Jerry Tyrrell discusses combining the BCA and Australian Standards. To download the article, please click here.

Jerry is also proposing a campaign to petition the state and federal housing and construction ministers and offices of fair trading.  To join this petition, email Jerry now.

Tyrrells can help you interpret the  BCA or Standards.  If you would like a building consultant to assist you, please contact us.

Any problems identified with a professional pre-purchase inspection will probably not deter you from buying the property, but at least when you buy it you have your eyes open.   Some problems can be straightforward and easy to fix but other issues can be major ones.  You can use the report to negotiate a better price.

“DIY Inspections: How to spot a lemon“ published in the Sydney Morning Herald says you should do two sorts of checks: the first is to do your own initial appraisal, and the second, if you are keen on the property,  is to bring in the experts such as Tyrrells.

The article quotes one property investor saying, “Although the [Tyrrells] report cost $1200, it was worth it. They gave us a written report and we also had access to the inspector before and after the inspection. He was really prompt in calling us … he gave us some positive buying points as to whether the property was sound and what maintenance was required.”

A Property and Timber Pest Report from Tyrrells is comprehensive (several pages), is available within  one day of the building inspection and draws your attention to any issues you need to know about before you sign a contract to purchase the property. A building inspection from Tyrrells can take any uncertainty and worry out of the buying process.

In Part 1 of his article on maintenance, Jerry Tyrrell talked about maintenance basics, including terminology and where maintenance starts. Now in Part 2 he discusses how best to balance durability, updating of appearance, functional upgrades and the reduction of risk.

Tyrrells can help you with your maintenance issues, so if you want one of our building consultants to assist you, please contact us.

• smoke staining around the fireplace is not a good sign
• downdraft winds may affect chimneys with tops terminated close to or below adjacent roof levels
• overly high chimneys can restrict smoke making it to the top.

Water penetration is the most common “issue” and it is worth knowing about and monitoring the chimney tray, the chimney flashing and chimney pots or caps.

Chimney tray

The tray is built into the brickwork of the chimney at roof level to prevent rainwater running down the inside of the chimney and soaking down (falling damp) through the chimney masonry itself. The tray in many older chimneys is galvanized iron, which corrodes. Corroded trays may allow water to soak below the ceiling level and cause moisture problems inside the house, usually staining, paint blistering and render deterioration on the chimney breast. A chimney must be demolished to replace a corroded tray. It is important to install weepholes in the course of bricks above the tray so collected water is directed outside (over the flashing). Of course, many chimneys are not required these days and are simply demolished, but you should check there are no heritage rules that prevent removal.

Chimney flashing

Flashing is installed at the interfaces between the chimney and roof to prevent surface water penetrating to the interior. Flashings are usually of lead sheet* which deteriorates slowly. The majority of chimneys have flashings that have been patched and sealed over many years. If the time has come to replace the flashing it should be with a lead free flexible flashing or metal. Do not replace the flashing without knowing the condition of the tray. Flashing consists of under flashing, which turns up the chimney masonry a minimum of 100mm and laps over the roof surface approximately 150mm (except on the high side where the back flashing must be supported and run under the roof to form a gutter). Over flashing is then installed.  It is turned into the mortar a minimum of 15mm and is wedged/sealed in the joints. The over flashing is turned down to lap the under flashing by at least 75mm. *Lead is no longer permitted for use on roofs especially if rainwater drains to a storage tank *Lead will cause zincalume to corrode prematurely when used upstream

Chimney pots or caps

Every masonry chimney should be terminated to protect the chimney masonry and prevent bird/rodent/possum entry. Caps or pots should be periodically inspected to make sure they are secure and the apertures not obstructed by debris/nesting materials. Many chimneys are converted for use with combustion or gas heaters by fitting metal flues. The chimney cap should not prevent expansion and contraction of metal flues. Silicone seal any gap between the cap and flue to minimise water entry. This seal should be inspected regularly and resealed when necessary.

Finally

Just as it is difficult to determine whether a chimney ‘draws’ well during a Pre-Purchase Inspection, it is equally difficult to know which chimneys Santa Cause can slide down. We have it on good authority that, if he’s heard the children of the household have been well behaved all year and there is Christmas cake and a drink on the mantle piece, there’s not a chimney built that Santa Clause can’t slide down.

The reforms apply to all residential building work covered by home warranty insurance (but not to claims or legal proceedings  that are already in the pipeline or finalised).

The amendments reduce the period of time where owners and builders can claim for defects.  This period during which proceedings for a breach of a statutory warranty could be commenced was previously seven years but this period has been reduced to 2 years for non-structural defects (poor painting, incorrect wiring etc) and to six years for a structural defect (anything that results in, or is likely to result in, the building or any part of the building being closed or prohibited from being used, or could result in the destruction of the building or a threat for its imminent collapse).

One of the issues is that for non-structural defects the time period starts running from the date the building (or apartment) was completed, not when the owner moves in.  This does not allow much time for the new owner to identify defects, which sometimes do not become apparent until two to three years after the building work is done, defects in waterproofing is a good example.

Tyrrells provides a Progress and  Final Inspection as well as the Home Owner Warranty Report (only suitable if you are an owner builder).  Both Reports are inexpensive ways of getting incomplete or defective work properly fixed prior to the warranty expiring.

A lot of current home designs tend to incorporate a decorative parapet to some degree into their façade.

What generally makes a parapet styled façade possible is a box gutter.

So what is a box gutter?

A box gutter is typically rectangular in size and concealed from view behind a parapet or other elements, eg high-sided fascia board. The gutter collects rainwater from any roof and wall surface ‘up hill’ from its position and discharges to a drainage system.

The use of box gutters has allowed building designers a much greater range of façade design possibilities and pleasing aesthetics.

Like many things, box gutters can be done right and wrong.

So what happens when a box gutter is not designed or constructed correctly?

Box gutters due to their nature are a concealed item, usually over an habitable room or area and above surface finishes that don’t take kindly to moisture, like that beautiful plasterboard ceiling.

Usually you are first aware that something is amiss when the box gutter fails or leaks, staining and/or damaging surfaces below.

What makes a good box gutter?

The Building Code of Australia (BCA) and Australian Standard 3500.3 (stormwater design) provide minimum design criteria, which generally are based on property location, average rainfall and style of construction.

A very important element to any box gutter is a safety overflow system. I am constantly surprised at the number of box gutters I see which don’t have any additional means to discharge rainwater collected, ie safety overflows.

The risk of water entry within a building due to the blockage of a box gutter during extremely heavy rainfall is increased if any trapped or high volume water has nowhere to escape, apart from a path of least resistance, over the sides of the box gutter and inside the building.

Material selection is also important. Best building practice is to select the most durable and cost effective material.

Although initially a little more expensive than other commonly used materials, stainless steel is, in my opinion, the only choice.

The use of stainless steel removes one of the biggest contributing factors of premature failures in box gutters – corrosion.

Box gutter maintenance

Like all building elements regardless of material selection or position, box gutters will require regular maintenance to minimise risk of water entry

This includes regular inspection and removal of any debris build-up or any items within the gutter and safety overflow, such as leaves, branches, tennis balls/basketballs, birds nests, building debris, etc that could led to a blockage and/or restrict water movement.

Don’t be tempted to fit a leaf guard style product over a box gutter as this can, and usually does, lead to water entry, not generally due to box gutter failure but due to the profile of the roof covering above.

Briefly, when leaf debris builds up where the gutter guard is fixed to roof surfaces it creates a ‘damming’ effect and the ponding water can gain entry over joins in the roof covering.

If gutter guard has to be fitted, special consideration is required in relation to positioning and allowance for the guard during the initial design process

In summary

Box gutters have allowed building designers a greater range of façade design possibilities and when designed and constructed to ‘best building practice’ minimise any additional risk of water entry compared to any other roof covering failure, eg damaged tiles, deteriorated flashings.

Out of sight shouldn’t be out of mind; regular inspection and preventative maintenance like with any other roof surface or element is needed.

During the design process, box gutters are definitely an item where bigger is best.

More help?

If you are designing your “dream home”,  please contact us. Ask Tyrrells Plans & Approvals for help in preparing plans. Tyrrells can provide good design advice and/or assist you with submitting a Development Application.

In an article published recently in Building Connection magazine, Jerry Tyrrell discusses how to handle property maintenance issues.  To download the article, click here.

Tyrrells can help you with your maintenance issues, so if you want one of our building consultants to assist you, please contact us.