I love exploring defects! I have discovered certain defects associated with Victorian type houses that no official surveying journal or textbook has ever written about before. These could make a real difference to you when you are either in occupation or considering purchasing your property.
Recent research has been carried out on the definition of a defect. As a surveyor, I’d always thought that I knew what a defect was. The definition of a defect, as given by the Norwegian Building Research Institute, is “unexpected expenditure incurred by the client following the taking of possession of a property”. Indeed a very simple definition. The defect is therefore determined by the client and not by the building consultant professional.
The diagnosis of a defect should represent the impartial assessment of all the data available and should not be ‘a means of confirming an opinion already formed’. I might therefore not agree with a client’s idea of the defect or indeed their suggested means of repair.
I have so much experience with Victorian type buildings that you should contact me for anything that you are unsure of. For example, rising damp: no such thing! This is usually an incorrect diagnosis provided by a salesman for a timber and damp company.
