Both scopes in one visit — building to AS 4349.1, timber pest to AS 4349.3. The fuller check, by a registered building contractor. Report within 24 hours.
Bassendean is one of Perth's older river settlements, and it wears its age: a heritage-listed town precinct, federation and interwar homes, some older still, on and near the Swan. A building and timber pest inspection here reads genuinely old stock, older than the interwar belt closer to the city, and it keeps two Bassendean-specific factors in view: the constraints that come with heritage, and the river the suburb sits beside.
Age is the heart of the read. These homes predate the damp-proof course, so rising damp is assessed at the base of the walls and separated from the leaks and condensation it mimics. The old jarrah timber, in floors and framing and joinery, is read for borer, for the fungal decay old wet timber suffers, and for the chemical delignification that softens it. Roofs may be original and long past their span, and the lime-mortared masonry and tuck-pointing of the era are read for weathering and past repair. Asbestos entered the later additions to these homes, in eaves and sheeting, identified and flagged without being disturbed.
Heritage is Bassendean's distinctive constraint. Where a home is heritage-listed or sits in the precinct, what can be changed is limited, so the inspection notes where past alterations may have needed heritage approval, and a buyer should understand that future work on such a home carries its own approvals and costs. Unapproved changes to a heritage home are a real issue that passes to the buyer.
The river is the third factor. On the lower blocks near the Swan the ground is damper and the water table higher, which the inspection reads through the subfloor and drainage, and the older, watered gardens hold moisture that matters on the timber pest side.
On the timber pest side, old jarrah, damp subfloors and mature gardens give subterranean termites strong conducive conditions, so the subfloor and perimeter are read hard for damp and for mud tubes and soil-to-timber contact, and suspect timber is sounded, with movement detection where a gallery is suspected behind a wall. Termite management follows AS 3660.
Bassendean is a genuinely old, heritage river suburb, and the report earns its value by reading the real age of the home, the heritage constraints on it, and the river ground beneath it together.
We run the same two-scope visit across the area, including nearby Ashfield and Eden Hill.
MISSING: phone number · Book online → · Flat $616 inc GST for both scopes, report within 24 hours.
Its genuine age and its heritage. Bassendean is one of Perth's older river settlements, with federation and interwar homes, some older still, and a heritage-listed precinct. We read stock older than the interwar belt, and we keep the heritage constraints and the river ground in view.
That what can be changed is limited. We note where past alterations may have needed heritage approval, and you should understand that future work carries its own approvals and costs. Unapproved changes to a heritage home are a real issue that passes to you at settlement.
Yes. These homes predate the damp-proof course, so we assess how high the damp reaches at the base of the walls and separate rising damp from a leak or condensation, because each is fixed differently.
We read it closely. Old jarrah floors, framing and joinery can carry borer, the fungal decay old wet timber suffers, and chemical delignification, so we probe and sound it rather than take it at face value.
In the later additions to these older homes, yes, in eaves and sheeting. We identify and flag suspect materials without disturbing them, which matters most if you plan to renovate.
On the lower blocks, yes. The ground near the Swan is damper and the water table higher, which we read through the subfloor and drainage, and the moisture it brings matters on the timber pest side.
Yes, more than in newer suburbs. Old jarrah, damp subfloors and mature gardens give subterranean termites strong conducive conditions, so we read the subfloor and perimeter hard and sound suspect timber, with movement detection where needed. Termite management follows AS 3660.
A flat $616 including GST for both scopes together, the same in every suburb. A genuinely old heritage home takes careful reading, and you have the written report, with photos, within 24 hours.
That is your decision, but an old home is expected to show its age. We separate the significant issues from the character wear an old home naturally carries, so you can weigh what is really involved.
Yes. A clear report separates the significant issue, active termites, or structural movement, or unapproved heritage work, from the character wear, giving you a concrete basis to renegotiate.
Buying in Bassendean? A pre-purchase building inspection — building scope only, report within 24 hours — gives you the documented record before exchange.
Pre-purchase inspection →Our office is at Suite 55, 15 Labouchere Road, South Perth WA 6151 — on the Swan River foreshore near the Perth Zoo.
Tell us about the property and what you need. We'll come back to you with a firm quote and a time.
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