At Smart Choice Building & Pest Inspections we often get asked if there’s a need to have both a building inspection and a pest inspection undertaken during the pre-purchase process. We usually recommend both inspections be carried out … and not because it’s more money for us, but because the two inspections involve different processes and aim to identify different issues.
So, what’s the difference?
A building inspection is specifically designed to look at the structural issues of the home, including the way it has been constructed, if it is showing signs of damage and the quality of building materials used, for example. They report on visual signs of damage and decay caused by non-pest factors.
Building inspections may only look for visual signs of damage or decay caused by pests. While a pest inspection directly looks for pests that are active in the structure of the building such as fungi, termites, mould and boring insects and also outlines conducive conditions for timber pests, including termites. A pest inspection will be looking specifically for signs of past and current pest activity not only within the house but also in the surrounds such as trees, shrubs and fences. At Smart Choice Building & Pest Inspections we look for pest hazards in a radius of up to 30 metres of the house.
As well as undertaking visual inspections in the house, on the house and inside the roof and floor cavities where possible, a number of different measuring tools are used.
In the case of the building inspection we use:
- Moisture meters to see if there is or has been flooding, salt and rising damp issues or leakages from wet areas;
- Spirit levels to check if the construction is square and if there are signs the property is sinking;
- Measuring tapes to determine if balustrades and the like meet current safety guidelines.
When undertaking a pest inspection we use:
- Moisture meters and listening devices to check for pest activity.
Smart Choice Building & Pest Inspections is based in Aldinga and provides fixed price building inspections and fixed priced pest inspections in Adelaide, Adelaide Hills, the Southern Suburbs and the Fleurieu Peninsula including Victor Harbor, Goolwa, Port Elliot, Aldinga, Morphett Vale, Christies Beach, Hackham, McLaren Vale, Sellicks Beach, Yankalilla, Cape Jervis, Mount Barker and all towns in between. To arrange an inspection of your property call today on 0477 700 101.
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