“I've seen two properties that have been completely stripped from the inside out and rebuilt because of meth.”

Sam Anstee from SDA Building Group in East Gippsland has viewed his fair share of horrors when inspecting homes for potential buyers. If a budding Walter White had cooked enough meth, Anstee said it could seep into the roof and walls of a house.

“Meth doesn’t have a shelf life, so there’s no way of effectively cleaning it,” he told the Monitor. “If the readings are high enough, essentially you have to remove all the plaster.”

In his line of work, Anstee is looking for things that have gone wrong. Or are going wrong. Or could go wrong. In terms of costly repairs, termites rank highly.

“I've seen probably 10 houses that have had significant termite damage,” he said. “There was a property that was only three to four years old, which had a bill for the repair works and ongoing maintenance of well over $200,000.”

Anstee does two building inspections a day on average, and while stories of homes being eaten away by termites aren’t uncommon, he said day-to-day job was taken up with basic maintenance items like missing sealant in wet areas or blocked gutters.

How will cutting immigration impact Gippsland farmers?

“Horticulture relies on a lot of backpackers and migrant workers entering the country."

What exactly do building inspectors check?

Co-owner of Gippsland Home & Pest Inspections, Mitchell Mackenzie, told the Monitor inspectors should be checking out “everything, from major structural problems, like making sure the house is structurally sound, all the way to whether a door doesn't latch properly”.

The foundation of a building inspection is the foundation. 

“If it’s a concrete slab then obviously we can’t inspect the subfloor. But if it's on stumps, then we get in under the subfloor to check the conditions of the stumps and the wet areas to see if there's any leaks or rot,” Mckenzie said.

After crawling around below the floor, Mackenzie makes his way into the roof to observe the  structure, insulation and ventilation.

Then the inside of the home is inspected for cracks and whether windows and doors open and shut properly. Wet areas are inspected for loose tiles and leaks, warped walls and deteriorated silicone sealant.

At best, just 108 of 450 workers at Yallourn coal plant will be offered new jobs at the site

The union is in favour of clean energy projects, but wants guarantees they will lead to employment opportunities in the Latrobe Valley.

Inspection tips

If you’re on the hunt for a new abode, it can be overwhelming doing multiple property inspections in a day so Anstee recommended a checklist:

making a list of key things.

  • Look for any cracks in the structure of the property and warping of the floor, roof or walls.

  • To do a basic termite check, knock on timber beams to see if they are hollow and feel for springy floorboards to see if white ants have eaten away the wood.

  • Be watchful of any recent jobs done on the property, especially fresh paint applied selectively, as it may be hiding water damage, stains or mould.

Check out these seven walks ideal for native wildflower spotting in Gippsland this spring

From rare orchids to unusual daisies, there’s a bunch of colourful flora to gaze upon this time of year.

Choosing an inspector

Anstee said those who had viewed a property and wanted to make an offer pending a building inspection should ensure the inspector was insured. 

“This means someone is willing to back that inspector up if a problem is missed or something shows up in the future.”

He said 90 percent of his clients were not on site during the inspection and so it was crucial to get a copy of the inspector’s report. 

How much do they cost?

The cost of a building inspection can depend on the size and age of the property and other factors.

Mackenzie charges $590 for a building and termite inspection, $350 for a new building inspection and $280 for a pest and termite inspection, while Anstee provides quotes based on the nature of the job.

Keep Reading