role&method inspection

8/3/2019 Role&Method Inspection

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PERANAN DAN KAEDAH PEMERIKSAAN KECACATAN BANGUNAN

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ROLE AND METHODS OF BUILDING DEFECTS INSPECTION

Che-Ani A.I.1, Ramly A. 2, M. Jamil1, M.F.M. Zain1, K. Sopian11Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia2Faculty of The Built Environment

University of [email protected]

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Since Mei 2007, the issue of building defects is keep on reporting in the

media, particularly about the condition of government buildings andinfrastructures. It is about that time the issue of building maintenance, building

defects and its related terms has come into existence, and it is deliberated up to

the parliament level. The former Public Work Minister (Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu)

had announced that the Building Surveyors should be in the field together with all

the building industry players as to uphold the maintenance management of the

buildings. Behind the scene, the question post; what is going on actually in our

building industry with regards to building maintenance management?

One of the key points that answering this phenomenon is the inspection.

Sad but true, we do not properly inspect our building. We do not treat our building

like our car. Similarly, we do not care about our building as importance as caring

about our health. This has contributed to a lot of building-related problems that

we are facing now. In relation to the dynamic and complexity of the building

industry, the inspection work needs to be carried out by an expert. Thus, the

expert must be call in for the purpose of building inspection. In other words, the

professional has to undertake the building inspection work and responsible for

the building survey reports. There are various level of inspection and testing

involved during the course of survey; and there are a number of possible formats

for the report (Glover, 2001).


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This paper will cover the fundamental aspect of building inspection and

not intended to cover the whole spectrum as outlined by Glover (2001). It

highlights the importance of performing the inspection in view of building

maintenance management practices as well as the method of building defects

identification during the course of building inspection work. Also, some of the

common defects are shown as to establish their occurrences in the building.

2.0 WHY INSPECTION?

Building defects can only be determined when inspection was carried out

by the competent person. This person should be qualified both academically and

by practically experience to a high standard (Glover, 2001). Otherwise, the

inspection is just a waste of time and resources, since the result of the inspection

can be questioned and seems to be unrealistic. The inspection is the start before

any recommendation can be put forward pertaining to the condition of the

building/infrastructure. If it is not important, then we can just pick anybody from

the roadside for the purpose of carrying out the inspection. To stress again, the

inspection is a high priority in defects identification and all related works alike.

In the broadest sense, the inspection is a general surface examination of

those parts of the property which are accessible: in other words, visible and

readily available for examination from ground and floor levels, without risk of

causing damage to the property or injury to the surveyor. The inspection should

be carry out by a competent person to make sure the building is fully check and

gives true information about the physical condition of the building. This is

important because if the inspection was carry out by the incompetent person, the

report to be prepared may lack of information and unclear. In most cases, there

are building which physically looks in good condition but truly there are

many hiding problems such as timber decay of structured above ceiling or

water penetration from lower floor.


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The important of carrying out building defects inspection is to provide

enough information to be used in maintenance planning and how to remedy the

defects. This is to prevent emergency breakdown of any element or system in the

building because building failure normally shows their symptoms before getting

worst (Hollis and Gibson, 2000). Sometimes the inspection data is not only used

for repair or maintenance purpose; it is also can be used by expert witness as the

fact in court. Besides, there are few reasons why we need the data that resulting

from the inspection:

1. To get the true picture of building physical condition especially the fabric

and the structure and knowing current building performance;

2. To determine how large the damages or defective area and planning

preventive maintenance based on priority;

3. To predict the strengthens of the old element or structure and provide

basic data for repair or extend works in existing building;

4. To provide estimate cost for the repair works and giving the value of the

building after considered all the defects; and

5. Providing basic and design information for the future.

3.0 BASIC INSPECTION SKILL AND MEDIUM

The basic skill in carrying out the inspection is on how to look and how to

see. This is important as to differentiate between competent person and ordinary

people because anyone can claim they can perform an inspection. The skill can

be our good reason to show our competency and capability in performing the

inspection.


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3.1 Looking vs Seeing

As explained by Hollis and Gibson (2000), looking is a skill which has

been examined by some professions, for example, the conjurer. Here is a person

who practices deceit, makes people fooling via believing that they have seen

magic where part of the action was to divert the eye. In our case, if the eye can

be diverted, there is a chance that defect may not be noticed. How to read an

image? Do you, as with book, start at the top right (or left) and run your eye down

the building? There is case where a training surveyor told to view a room

clockwise, return to the door and then view it again anticlockwise, the opposite

view often revealing that which was missed on the first circuit.

Seeing is difference with looking. Seeing is the result of the mind

interpreting the observed element or composite. To see one must first

understand. When read, it takes us to go further. Familiarity means that we do

not see the letters of each word but see their combined meaning as a word. If we

are familiar with the language, then there will be no difficulty. Many common

defects within a building are a short cut to their cause. The familiarity may

conceal the real cause of failure because we have not looked. We have seen

first, and maybe not looked at all.

To see one must first look, and then recognize. Recognition is the

gateway to seeing, because it is impossible to see without understanding,

otherwise it would be just looking. Looking is innocent and seeing is revealing

and understanding. The recollection of images enables the surveyor to place

labels on what they look at; but to understand, reliably the image; they must learn

to look, to observe and to challenge before accepting the meaning of what they

see.


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4.0 METHOD OF BUILDING DEFECTS INSPECTION

Method of inspection particularly deals with the on-site work inspection i.e.

how do we inspect the building. It should be understand that it is different with the

type of survey/inspection, or in other words the purpose of the survey that is

going to be carried out, either for the purpose of selling/leasing, maintenance

budget, pre-construction and dilapidation. Thus, the type of survey and method of

survey (inspection) is totally two different topics. But they are closely related i.e.

inspection is compulsory in any type of survey. Moreover, the on-site inspection

is the most important and demanding activities involved with a survey. Basically

there are a number of inspection methods, in almost cases depends very much

on the preference of the surveyor, meaning that there is no such a question

whether it is right or wrong, as long as the procedural framework of inspection

follows its logical sequence (Hoxley, 2002).

4.1 Commencement of Inspection The 3Fs and Internal or External

To start with, Hoxley (2002) and Ramly (2004) suggested the essential

element of the preliminary part of a survey is to become familiar with the building.

Then the 3Fs (Hoxley, 2002) approach is apply i.e. focus, familiarity and

freedom. Focus deals with the attention given to the building to be inspected. In

many cases, the existence of owner or occupier during the inspection could

distract the process of the inspection. It is important for the surveyor to be single-

minded in carrying out the inspection.

Meanwhile familiarity deals with the experience of the surveyor in carrying

out the inspection i.e. preliminary inspection once arrived at the site will get the

surveyor familiarize with the type and layout of the building. Glover (2001)

mentioned that the surveyor should be qualified both academically and by

practical experience; but there is at present no statutory requirement for this to


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be so, as our country is concerned. Anyone may set their self up as a surveyor

and accept instruction from the general public to undertake such surveys.

Without the statutory to govern this, there is no obvious prospect of the

situation changing in the foreseeable future, although an unqualified surveyor

without a professional indemnity insurance policy is taking a very high risk

(Glover, 2001). As this matter is concern, the familiarity about the type and layout

of the building in the first thought (which normally suggest the condition of the

building as a whole either bad, moderate or good) is quite difficult to be

achieved.

Furthermore, the freedom means the sequence of carrying out the

inspection. Hoxley (2002) stated that scholars differ on the question of whether it

is better to commence the full inspection internally or externally. The bottom line

is it has to be in logical order. As to recommend, commencing with external

inspection sounds more logic, which also follows the usual way of reporting the

inspection work, as suggested by Hollis and Gibson (2000) and Hoxley (2002).

This is due to the reason of:

i) If anything is missed during the initial inspection of the exterior, it is

an easy task to re-inspect part of the exterior again; and

ii) It may not be easy to re-inspect the interior again, if problem is

suggested by the external inspection.

As example, heavy rain always gives effects to the outer part of the

building and in many cases, it also penetrate into the internal part of the building.

With the external inspection come first, it would suggest the bubble effect of wall

paper finishes is due to the dampness resulting from the heavy rain. If we start

from the interior, perhaps its difficult to justify whether the bubbling effect is the

result of heavy rain or something else; and this will definitely difficult once the

internal inspection had been completed.


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The other reason is, as our climate is concern, the weathering effect

become the main sources of building defects; and the defects manifest itself at

the external element of the building, particularly if painting become the exterior

finishes. In many respect, the order of inspection is a matter of the personal

preference of the surveyor, but what is most important is that the inspection

carried out in a logical sequence with which the surveyor is familiar (Hoxley,

2002).

4.2 External and Internal Inspection

It is usually best to follow the principle of starting at the top and working

down as the sequence of inspection (Hoxley, 2002). What to be recorded during

inspection is not discussed in detail in this paper. If the building to be inspected is

big (either multi-storey or shopping complex), then it will take more than one day

to cover the whole external part i.e. external wall, drainage, site and boundaries.

As stated by Dickinson and Thornton (2006), a straightforward procedure is

seldom possible. The process typically involves repeated inspections, tests and

data recording.

The internal inspection follows after completing the external part. In this

case, try not to break-up the sequence i.e. take a rest for few days before

continuing with the internal. This may disrupt the flow of inspection and there is

also a tendency to forget in finding out any correlation between external and

internal condition. If the inspection is carried out by a number of team, then the

internal and external inspection can go parallel. The senior surveyor will normally

supervise both inspections as to synchronize the on-site work as well as

monitoring the condition survey report later on.

Very often more than one cause may be responsible for the defect (and

there may of course be more than one defect), but in all cases it is necessary to

identify the primary cause (Dickinson and Thornton, 2006). This normally happen


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if the defects do not attended over a period of time. For example, the fine crack in

the concrete flat roof will allow the ficus to growth. If nothing is done, the root will

find itself in penetrating deeper inside the concrete slab. Eventually there will be

a spot of dampness at the ceiling underneath. If this is notice during inspection,

one might predict there is a serious defect occurred at the roof top. Base from

this illustration, the primary cause of the defect is the fine crack at the roof top.

As for further explanation about crack inspection, refer to Table 1 below.

Table 1: Classification of visible damage to walls with particular reference to easeof repair of plaster and brickwork masonry (Dickinson and Thornton, 2006)

For the internal, it is recommended to start from the roof space. As

mentioned by Hoxley (2002), there are 3 reasons why the inspection should be

start from this point. The first of these is that it continues the logical sequence of

starting at the top and working down. Another is that it is possible to discover

Notes: 1. It must be emphasised that in assessing the degree of damage account must be taken of the location in the building or structure

where it occurs, and also of the function of the building or structure.

2. Crack width is one factor in assessing the category of damage and should not be used on its own as direct measure of it.

3. Local deviation of slope, from the horizontal or vertical, of more than 1/100 will normally be clearly visible.

Overall deviations in excess of 1/150 are undesirable

Copyright Building Research Establishment (BRE) from BRE Digest 251.

BRE material reproduced by permission of Building Research Establishment Ltd.

Category

of

Damage

Degree(1)

of damage

Description of typical damageEase of repair in italic type Approximatecrack width mm

0 Negligible Hairline cracks of less than about 0.1mm width are classed asnegligible.

Up to 0.1(2)

1 Very slight Fine cracks which can easily be treated during normal

decoration. Perhaps isolated slight fracturing in building. Cracksrarely visible in external brickwork.

Up to 1(2)

2 Slight Cracks easily filled. Redecoration probably required. Recurrentcracks can masked by suitable linings. Cracks not necessarily

visible externally; some external repointing may be required toensure weathertightness. Doors and windows may stick slightly.

Up to 5(2)

3 Moderate The cracks require some opening up and can be patched by amason. Repointing of external brickwork and possibly a small

amount of brickwork to be replaced. Doors and windowssticking. Service pipes may fracture. Weathertightness oftenimpaired.

5 to 15(2) (or anumber of cracks

up to 3)

4 Severe Extensive repair work involving breaking-out and replacing

sections of walls, especially over doors and windows. Windowand door frames distorted, floor sloping noticeably(3). Wallsleaning(3) or bulging noticeably, some loss of bearing in beams.Service pipes disrupted.

15 to 25(2) but also

depends on numberof cracks

5 Very severe This requires a major repair job involving partial or completerebuilding. Beams lose bearing, walls lean badly and requireshoring. Windows broken with distortion, danger of instability.

Usually greaterthan 25(2) butdepends on numberof cracks


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more about the quality of construction in the roof space, where the builder would

have made no attempt to disguise any shortcomings, than anywhere else in a

building i.e. the tradesemen left the discarded newspaper read during their lunch-

break. Finally, a relatively high number of defects or matters requiring

improvement are often identified in the roof space.

Since this is an area of where the owners or occupiers never venture and

they are very often not aware of some of the defects revealed by a survey

(Hoxley, 2002), it sounds very reasonable to adapt this sequence. Moreover, to

start with roof seems to be mandatory if the roof garden is part of the element

that needs to be inspected. The roof inspection should cover all the mechanical

and electrical room, together with water tank, chiller and any form of structure

above it (unless excluded in the letter of instruction). Bear in mind that the

surveyors just carry out the general inspection of all these mechanical and

electrical equipments. In this sense, the boundary of inspection work should be

clear-cut between the surveyor and the equipment specialist. Any visible defect

must be noted and pass on to the specialist for their consideration and further

investigation (should they need to perform it).

Once the roof space is inspected, each room and/or space (including

circulation areas such as staircase) should be inspected in detail. Again a logical

sequence should be followed, such as inspecting in turn (Hoxley, 2002):

i) Ceiling;

ii) Each wall (usually four);

iii) Window(s);

iv) Door(s);

v) Air-conditioning and/or heater;

vi) Electrical fittings; and

vii) Floor.


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Again the philosophy of the working downwards from the top has been

followed in each room and it is likely that the upper floors would be inspected

before the ground floor and basement (if any). The surveyor will already be

located at upper floor level after inspecting the roof space and this seems to be

called as logical sequence (Hoxley, 2002), as mentioned earlier in this paper.

4.2 Recording the Information

During the course of inspection, all the defects identified need to be

properly record, otherwise it will create difficulties in the next stage of building

survey i.e. the preparation of report. Normally the information to be recorded on

site, as stated by Hoxley (2002) are (i) design and construction; (ii) condition; (iii)

cause of any defects (or recommendation for further investigation); and (iv)

remedial work required. But in practice, this seems to be quite time consuming

(not mean that hurry is permitted for building inspection work). Therefore the

least to be recorded, as to suggest, the condition of the building elements,

including assigning related rating for the particular defects i.e. good, moderate

and poor (as for easy analysis later on).

But this is not recommended for inexperience surveyor, as well as when

inspecting the building than the surveyor might not be familiar with i.e. pre-war

building, castle, mansion and alike. Again, it does go to the surveyor familiarity

and preference. This is because obviously each surveyor will develop his own

style of note-taking and may well abbreviate frequently used terms (Hoxley,

2002). As to ensure error-free inspection, the information recorded (the what)

and the method of recording on-site information (the how) play the vital role.

According to Hoxley (2002), there are 6 methods of recording on-site information,

which outlined below.


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i) Long-hand

This is the most time consuming method, whereby it seems like writing

whatever that have been encountered during the inspection. The

advantage is that there is a clear and comprehensive record that are

available later on should this is necessary.

ii) Tape-recorder

This is the easiest way on-site, but the transcription process after that will

be very time consuming. This is to be so since most people can talk seven

times faster that they can write (Hoxley, 2002). The surveyor must be

careful enough during the recording process on-site. Failure to do so is

going to be terrible experience as to dictate the surveyors voice as well as

unnecessary sound together with it. The video recorder can also be used,

but with the help of assistance on-site. Handling the video recorder alone

would be very troublesome.

iii) Site-prepared sketches

This should be preferred by most perhaps, since it is easily locate the

defect in the sketches for one particular area. It is also simple and

practical since the location of the defects can be depicted in a most

meaningful manner. This method is most recommended if the as-built

drawing of the building is in-hand during the inspection (but be sure the

as-built is the most updated one, or else it will create another problem on-

site). As stated by Hoxley (2002), this method is strongly advocated by

one leading authority i.e. Hollis for the residential inspection.

iv) Pre-printed form/checklist

This is straightforward method of recording and might ease the work on-

site. The survey pro forma normally outlined the type of information that is

going to be recorded. But the preparation should be made before the day

of inspection. More often than not, even though the checklist is in the


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hand, the surveyor tends not to strictly adhere to it, and still the sketches

will do. This found to be true if the most common defects are noticed

several time during the inspection, as well as the defects suggest some

trend in their occurrences. For residential inspection, this method is

regarded by Hoxley (2002) as one to best suit the inexperience surveyor.

v) On-site computer

This is the quickest method of recording, either by the secretary or speech

recognition software. Whatever defects identified is directly transcribe on-

site during the inspection. It means that the surveyor does not need to

return to the office for typing the report. All is done during the period of

inspection. Its sound quite technological in advance but the absence of

any site notes leaves the surveyor open to a claim of negligence when

adopting this method (Hoxley, 2002). In this respect, it is recommended to

perform the minimum sketches as to supplement the report should this

method applied.

vi) Hand-held device (i.e. PDA)

The function of Personal Digital Assistance (PDA) nowadays is superb.

The high specification can do voice and video recording, either separate

or concurrent usage. It combining the feature of voice recorder, video

camera and digital camera, and any another features that available to

date. With RFID (radio frequency identification) technology that most

convenience as compared to barcode, this method is very much

recommended for performing the stock condition survey.

5.0 BUILDING DEFECTS AN EXAMPLE

It is compulsory to record the defects identified in the form of photograph.

As logical sequence, the sketches depicted the defects location and the


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photograph shows the defect itself (there is a case where the photograph

becomes an evidence of the surveyor on-site, particularly during the inspection).

With the use of imaging technology, the photograph can be enhanced later on to

focus on the defects i.e. crop and focus on the defected area. In showing how the

defect manifest itself, the use of simple hand illustration/sketch is sufficient

enough. As to ensure no defects is missing to be recorded, the image of each

defects identified must be captured. It is a best practice to put the note on each

photos within 7 days after the inspection completed (the earliest possible is most

recommended), since our memory be inclined to forget what have been captured

of more than 7 days time. This section portray some of the common defects

together with it notes that normally be encountered during the course of

inspection in our Malaysian climatic condition, as well as typical humidity causes

in building as suggested by Kottas (2007).

Roof

Growth of mould and algae due to water

ponding and continuous dampnessWater ponding due to blockage of outlet to

rainwater downpipe (due to small outlet)

its very hot during the course of inspection


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Ceiling

Ficus (plant) growth below roof covering due

to dampness and present of debris

Dent of roof edge due to hard wind impact

(perhaps also by vandalism it is noticed that

somebody loafed on the roof)

Water mark on the ceiling surface due to

water penetration from leaking roof (the

brown color suggest it dripped via timber

trusses, perhaps the trusses need structural

inspection)

Stalactite effect due to water proofing failure

at upstairs toilet


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Wall

Floor

Paint coating efflorescence and flaking due to

failure to prepare adequate dry surface

before painting works and used of low quality

paint (which not durable)

Flaking of plaster surface due to hard

impaction during moving activity

Peeling of tiles due to insufficient adhesive

Tiles finishes has been lifted due to

dampness from drain

Drop of floor surface due to settlement


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External and Services

Concrete manholes cover damaged and

affected floor near to it due to insufficient

support and/or overload

Gap at gutter jointing due to poor

workmanship very lucky to carry out

inspection during rainy days

Corrosion of water pipe due to leakage of

jointing


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Figure 1: Typical causes of humidity in buildings (Kottas, 2007)

Penetration by water

1. No waterproofing beneath the coping tiles on the parapet

2. Faulty chimney hood

3. Faulty chimney flashing

4. Tiles, loose or broken

5. Faulty flashing of the roof valley

6. No weather strip above the window head


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7. Faulty painting of the window frames

8. Cracks in the rendering of the walls

9. Cracks in the window sill

10. Asphaltic sheet on walls is insufficient

11. Cracks in the asphaltic insulation on a flat roof

12. Drainage, broken or blocked

13. No drip or weather molding to shed stormwater

14. Faulty plastering of the joints of a hollow wall

Rising damp

15. Uninsulated retaining walls

16. No insulation under the floor or over the foundation walls

17. The surrounding grade is higher than waterproof layer

18. Faulty insulation under the floor

Condensation

19. Unventilated air space under the roof

20. No ventilating brick in the flue

21. Damp walls inside unventilated cupboards

22. Flat roofs with no vapour barrier

23. Condensation on the inside of a solid concrete lintel

6.0 Conclusion

We do not want a structural survey. If you can just have a quick look at the

house to make sure that it is structurally sound, that will be fine. Extract from

clients letter of instruction. (Glover, 2001. pp. 15).

Based from the quotation above, it shows the importance of having the

general building defects inspection. To some people, it sounds easy rather than

not, as most of them not following the real practice of building inspection. The

basic skill i.e. looking versus seeing is mean to justify this truly mechanistic task.


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Above all, the method of inspection depends very much on the preference of the

surveyor. The bottom line is it must follow the logical sequence. During the

inspection, the surveyor must cover what to be recorded and how it is

recorded. The condition of the defects and accompanied by the sketches will do

in almost any form of inspection that the surveyor familiar with.

A point to ponder, do we need specialist to carry out those inspection i.e.

general inspection, as more or less the outcome will be in the form of

photographs illustrated above?Definitely its seems to be just waste of time and

resources. Somebody has to come first for this kind of inspection, and definitely

specialist will be put on standby mode (ready to come only when required). In

simple analogy, dont go to specialist if you just have the fever, headache, flu and

alike. The specialist will double charge you for taking their precious time for

undertaking general inspection to your health; and same goes to our building

inspection. As the living environment is become more and more complex and

dynamic nowadays, anybody is no longer can be anybody without sufficient

academic and professional competency background, which also had mentioned

by several leading authority in this discipline i.e. Hollis and Gibson (2000), Glover

(2001), Wordsworth (2001) and Ramly (2004).

References

Dickinson, P. R.; Thornton, N. (2006). Cracking and Building Movement.Reprinted. First Published in 2004. Coventry: RICS Books Imprint.

Glover, P. (2001). Building Surveys. 4th Edition. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.Hollis, M.; Gibson, C. (2000). Surveying Buildings. 4th Edition. Coventry: RICS

Books Imprint.Hoxley, M. (2002). Condition Inspections of Residential Property: A Procedural

Framework. Journal of Structural Survey. Volume 20 Number 1. pp. 31-35.

MCB University Press Limited.Kottas, D. (2007). The Architects Handbook. Singapore: Page One Publishing

Private Limited.Ramly, A. (2004). Panduan Kerja-Kerja Pemeriksaan Kecacatan Bangunan

(Guideline for Building Defects Inspection Work). Selangor: Hizi Print Sdn.Bhd.

Wordsworth, P. (2001). Lees Building Maintenance Management. 4th Edition.Oxford: Blackwell Science Ltd.

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