CESCON helps new home buyers in making an informed decision regarding the structural stability of their homes before they buy the property.

Our structural inspections provide a valuable service to new home buyers by giving them a comprehensive understanding of the property’s structure and condition. By thoroughly inspecting the property, we can identify any potential structural issues or safety concerns before the home is purchased. This allows buyers to make informed decisions about their investment, and potentially avoid costly repairs or renovations down the line. With CESCON’s expertise and attention to detail, new home buyers can feel confident and secure in their purchase.

The subject property was up for sale and its buyers were concerned regarding a visible separation between the face of an external wall and expansive sealant within the expansion joint. Based on our observations, the sealant may have separated due to lateral movement of the wall. Possible causes of such movement are thermal expansion, moisture content variation, creep and shrinkage as well as structural loading effects. In this case, it was advised to reinstate the flexible sealant at the expansion joint by removing the existing layer of sealant and installing a fresh layer to close off the gap. Failure to do so may have resulted in water ingress through the gap which can cause further damage to the wall.

While, failure of flexible sealant can occur due to foundation settlement, there are other causes such as thermal expansion, creep and shrinkage and moisture content variation. In this case we could not find any other signs of foundation settlement.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW?

New home buyers should be aware that a property may have structural defects, some of which can have major implications such as foundation settlement and damage to critical framing. These types of defects can result in significant repair costs and should be taken into consideration when making a purchase decision. However, it is also possible for a property to have localized defects that can be easily fixed with local repairs and do not require a major investment in the future. It is important for new home buyers to have a comprehensive structural inspection performed to determine the type and extent of any defects, and to make informed decisions about their purchase.