I have a property in the Brisbane Northern Suburbs in an area zoned low-density residential. The house was built post WW2 and is double brick. I have noticed crumbling of the bricks in the back steps and a tradesman who installed the air-conditioning described the house bricks as ‘brittle’. The tenant has reported small piles of brick dust under the house.
I need to have it checked out to find out what’s happening – do I need a structural engineer to do this?
What happens next clearly depends on the outcome of the inspection – and if the problem isn’t serious, I will hold on to the house but I guess I need to plan contingencies should there be a serious problem.
The house is in a good location < 10mins walk to the Chermside shopping complex. It is in a street of similar cottages and there is some renovation and development action in the area but none in the same street so far.
Any suggestions?
when did you buy? Is it pos geared?
AXJ
I bought it 3 years ago, and had a building inspection done at the time – there is no mention of any problem with the bricks in the report.
It’s not positively geared – I bought it primarily as a home for my Mum.
It might mean that the bricks weren’t fired properly when created, and are therefore inferior in quality.
As the only place that the bricks are showing damage are on the steps (a heavy wear area, as well as weathered) it may not be a major issue. You may be able to work round it by rendering the brickwork, which will protect the bricks from more damage. As long as the bricks don’t suffer from any major impact (earthquake, cyclone, car accident…) they should be safe enough – even brittle bricks are pretty solid for normal usage. However, an engineer would be a better bet to know for sure.
If it’s a serious problem, you may be able to hold the building inspector libel for not mentioning it in your pre-purchase report.
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