When you are about to buy a house, you should be very cautious and vigilant. You should ensure that your purchase choice really sells what it proposes.
When you are about to buy a house, you should be very cautious and vigilant. You should ensure that your purchase choice really sells what it proposes. The last thing you want is ending up with a house that starts falling apart soon after. There are numerous things you have to keep an eye out for, the home design, the architectural features, any recent renovation etc. But the most important feature that will help you determine the quality of any house is the quality and durability of its structure.With the recent advancements in technology and discovery of new construction materials, the construction process has improved a lot lately. But still, there might be some properties that have faults in the construction or workmanship. And it’s vital to inspect all these renovations in the home design before putting up an offer for the house.Here are a few things that you need to consider before you go for your dream house.Know the basicsThe property you go to inspect would have its own history and structural significance. The only way you would be able to tell the difference between a worthy and instable structural home design is by keeping in mind the basic fundamentals. For this deduction, it’s important that you keep an eye on the important things that makes up a high quality structural home design.In old properties, there may be a number of components that were acceptable in the olden days but would be deemed inappropriate and outdated in these days. Electrical system and basic framing methods are pretty much the same they were in past times. These things can be excluded in your inspection.The major things that you’ll come across during the inspection are variations of western platform framing, post and beam, or balloon framing. So, once you get an idea of what the structural configuration is like, you would probably be able to figure out what the structural framing looks like behind the walls.First Impressions are not always correctThis stands true for many of the properties these days. The first look of the property might be impressive; freshly painted, no cracks, well maintained exterior. These things may speak a lot about the quality of the home design but don’t reflect how stable the structural design is.The first look might not be enough for you to gauge the quality of the building material and what condition they are in. Any cracks on the exterior or interior might be a sign of the property’s weak foundation. So don’t be quick in making judgments.Keep the background in mindDuring inspection, it’s important to keep in mind their background, what time they were built in. A 50-year old mansion wouldn’t exactly have the structural framing that you would find in one of the modern villas nowadays. This aspect of property inspection is what most home buyers forget. Just because the high end homes of today integrate the latest architectural features, doesn’t mean that high quality material has been used in their foundation.And anyways, just like there were moderately and highly skilled labor in the past, construction workers these days also fall in the same categories. The stability and durability of a home design depends on the material used and the skills of the construction workers.Soil InvestigationInspecting the soil on any property you are thinking of buying is built on is really important. The higher the quality of the soil, the more stable and durable the structural frame would be. The quality of soil depends on its composition, which may differ from country to country and place to place.Take the clay rich soil for example. It has the tendency to change along with the increase and decrease in moisture. The level of moisture in the soil can cause it to shrink or expand, rendering the structural frame instable. Such soils are called expansive soils and since the level of moisture in the soil can affect its ability to bear load, they are extremely unreliable. Any property built on such land may experience problems later on. It’s better to ask for a soil test before you consider making an offer.
Concrete MixThe quality of the construction and the durability of its structure can be determined by the concrete-sand ratio and the grade of concrete used. It’s not possible to accurately gauge the quality of the materials used at the time of construction but there’s an easy way out. Try to drive a nail in the wall. If it goes in easily, without much struggle, this means the concrete mix wasn’t of high quality. This factor can have a great impact on the durability of the home design.Structural FramingThe builder’s blueprints aren’t easy to interpret and an average person would have difficulty in making sense of the structural home design. Any ideal and high quality structural design should make the property strong enough to withstand minor earthquakes.In the recent years, most properties have been constructed keeping this aspect in mind. The structure is made more durable by the support of the soil it is built on. The property is bound to put a lot of weight on the ground but as long as the soil is stable enough to take its weight, no harm will come to its structural frame. The quality of the steel used in the construction also plays an important role in making the building strong enough to withstand pressure.These were some of the things that can help you find out the structural stability and durability of a property but for a more detailed inspection, it’s advisable that you avail the services of professional property inspection services. As long as the structural home design of a property is stable, you can make your purchase offer and get the house of your dreams. Referenceshttps://www.nachi.org/evaluating-structural-framing.htmhttp://www.home-building-answers.com/quality-control.htmlhttp://www.99acres.com/articles/worried-about-the-construction-quality-of-your-new-home-heres-how-you-can-check.html