What to think about when performing a reoccurring building inspection
A building inspection is usually connected with buying a new house to know if it's worth buying or not. These types of inspections are usually conducted by a professional inspector. A building inspection, however, is something you should do regularly to ensure that your house doesn't hide any nasty surprises in the form of major malfunctions or potentially dangerous wear. You can hire a building inspector for these types of inspections as well, but if you want to attempt to perform it yourself, there are a few things you should consider.
The right equipment
The first thing you need to make sure of is that you have the right equipment to perform an inspection. A pair of binoculars is good to have to be able to examine the house from the outside. Also get a flashlight and a mirror to be able to look into dark corners and bends, like your drainpipes. Also use some sort of camera. This way you can take pictures of the different structures and compare them from year to year to see if the condition of any structures has worsened since last year. Lastly, you should also bring something sharp that you can jab into any wooden structures to make sure the wood isn't rotting.
Examine every area separately
Make a clear schedule you can follow. Examine every area separately. You could start with the exterior to look for cracks in the foundation, leakage from the gutters, or any vegetation that has accumulated on the house. Vegetation could attract termites and bring them in to your home, which is why you should look out for this. Then examine everything you've looked at from the outside from the inside. For example, there might be holes in the ceiling that you can't spot from the outside but that are prevalent when the light is shining through them on the inside.
Under your house
There are a lot of things that need to be examined underneath your building. You should keep your eyes open for termite tubes in the wooden structures to make sure you don't have a potential infestation going on in your home without you knowing about it. You should also examine the ground surrounding your plumbing pipes to make sure it isn't wet, as this could indicate a leak or clog underground. Make sure to check all concrete so that it hasn't cracked or gone soft, as this could cause a lot of serious trouble with your home.
If you feel like any of these tasks are above your level of knowledge, you should hire a professional building inspector from a company like Prime Building & Pest Consultants Pty Ltd to perform the check-up for you.
