When you are looking to buy a property, you are looking for the best value for money. You have spent countless weekends looking, going from one house to another. You find one. You feel great. This is the one. It is pretty tidy, and the bathroom has just been renovated. You could not be happier.
As a building inspector when I see a renovated bathroom, I straight away think why has this been done? what are they hiding? have there been termites in this area? or maybe the old bathroom leaked and has caused moisture damage to the surrounding building elements. Maybe they just renovated an out-of-date bathroom. I straight away look to see if a termite management system has recently been added to the property.
If the building has a subfloor, I am straight under the bathroom area to see if the flooring has water damage or if it has been replaced. You see as a building inspector I look at the house without feelings toward it, I look at it as to how it will make you feel if you are lumbered with a costly repair bill. This is what We do at Total Building Inspections Qld.
Recently we inspected a property that had new tiles to the base of the showers. We went straight under the house and sure enough the floor under the shower was replaced but the floorboards in the adjacent room and the rest of the bathroom were original and soft. Going rotten and in the near future who ever owns this property is going to be up for costly repairs. Because the floor is soft in places the tiles will crack. May even develop mould and fungal decay. With respect, it pays to inspect.
