1. Surface water
drainage
....the hidden defect!

2. Most clients arrive at their building inspections unsure of what their inspector
will be looking and what will be indentified as a defect or maintenance issue
Some of the main defects
we are looking for are:
· Cracking to the external brickwork
· Water tightness of Wet areas
· Cracking to the internal plastering
· Inadequate surface water drainage

3. • The most common defect we are finding at
present is inadequate surface water drainage.
• Sometimes the drainage problem can be easily
rectified by the owner prior to settlement.
• The more serious defects may require further
inspection and rectification by a licenced drainer.
• If left unrectified the more serious cases can
cause damage to the dwelling and its
foundations and could be extremely costly to
repair.

4. • Recently we have been seeing cases
were the owners of a property had
modernised the landscaping ready for the
sale
Stones and concrete stepping
stones placed over old or existing
surfaces are often seen.
While these areas may look fresh
and attractive to a prospective
purchaser they could also be
covering up some serious surface
water drainage problems

5. • Pavers laid over existing surfaces may have a
drainage grate installed at the top level of the
pavers.
• While it may appear that the surface water
drainage problem has been taken care of, this
type of drainage is actually useless.
• When it rains the water will still flow down
through the pavers to the surface they are laid
on and not flow into the drainage grate at the top
of the pavers.

6. • The surface water could then start to pool underneath
the pavers.
• This pooling may not be visible to you but could cause
some serious damage to the dwelling or its foundations.
Your building inspector will identify these
and other hidden surface water drainage
defects for you

7. Please visit our website for more
www.buildinginspectionsgoldcoast.com.au