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.
Glendalough breaks the inner-north character pattern. Sitting between the freeway and Herdsman Lake, it is a suburb of post-war and mid-century housing rather than Federation cottages: 1950s and 60s brick homes, a large stock of villas and units, and pockets of redeveloped former public housing near the Glendalough station. A building and timber pest inspection here reads a newer, plainer, more varied building stock, on ground that near the lake carries its own concerns.
The mid-century homes are the backbone, and they were built in the peak asbestos era. Anything here from the 1950s and 60s can contain asbestos in the eaves and in fibro sheeting, behind wet-area tiles and in old fencing, and a visual inspection identifies and flags the suspect materials without disturbing them. For the many Glendalough buyers who intend to renovate or add value, knowing where it is before a wall comes down is the whole point. The era brings the rest of its list too: brittle concrete tile roofs with perished sarking and hardwood framing that can show delignification. Steel-framed windows rust, and wiring or switchboards may predate safety switches.
Glendalough carries a large share of villas and units, and grouped and strata-titled dwellings read differently from a standalone house. Where a property is strata, the records matter as much as the walls, revealing levies, known common-property defects and any special levy planned, and the shared elements such as the common roofs and walls and the shared drainage, read for who is responsible for what. In the older two-storey blocks, concrete and balcony waterproofing are read with a thermal camera and moisture meter.
The ground near Herdsman Lake is the other Glendalough variable. The lake is a large wetland, and the lower blocks toward it can carry a higher water table and heavier, damper ground, which pushes moisture into subfloors and slabs and makes drainage matter more. The inspection reads the subfloor and the site drainage on those blocks with that in mind.
Redevelopment is a live theme here, with older lots being replaced by new grouped dwellings and apartments, so the inspection also meets brand-new stock, where the read shifts to build quality: wet-area waterproofing to AS 3740 and roof-space workmanship and articulation on the ground, and the finishing a fast build rushes.
On the timber pest side, Glendalough's ageing timber and its established plantings, and the extra moisture the lake brings on the lower blocks give subterranean termites a foothold. The subfloor is read for damp and ventilation. The perimeter is read for soil-to-timber contact and conducive conditions, and suspect timber by sounding, with movement detection where activity is suspected behind a wall. Termite management follows AS 3660.
Glendalough is a varied, practical suburb of post-war homes and villas, and new redevelopment on lake-influenced ground, and the report earns its value by reading whichever of those it is put in front of, accurately and on its own terms.
We run the same two-scope visit across the area, including nearby Osborne Park and Mount Hawthorn.
MISSING: phone number · Book online → · Flat $616 inc GST for both scopes, report within 24 hours.
Its stock is newer and more varied. Rather than Federation cottages, Glendalough is post-war and mid-century homes, a large share of villas and units, and pockets of redevelopment near the station. We read that plainer, more varied building stock on its own terms.
In the 1950s and 60s stock, very likely. It turns up in eaves, fibro sheeting, behind wet-area tiles and in old fencing. We identify and flag suspect materials without disturbing them, which matters most to buyers planning to renovate or add value.
Yes. Grouped and strata-titled dwellings read differently from a house. Where it is strata, the records matter as much as the walls and reveal the levies and known defects, and we read the shared elements, roofs, driveways, common walls and drainage, for who is responsible for what.
On the lower blocks toward the lake, it can. Herdsman Lake is a large wetland, so those blocks can carry a higher water table and damper, heavier ground, which pushes moisture into subfloors and slabs. We read the subfloor and site drainage with that in mind.
The roof and services. Concrete tiles of the era are brittle with perished sarking and the roof timbers can show delignification. Steel-framed windows rust, and wiring and switchboards may predate safety switches. It is standard-of-the-era, and we cost it plainly.
The focus shifts to build quality: waterproofing to AS 3740 and roof-space workmanship and articulation on the ground, and the finishing a fast build rushes. On a near-new home a pre-handover look while the builder is liable is worth as much as a pre-purchase one.
They can be. In older two-storey blocks we read the concrete and the balcony waterproofing with a thermal camera and moisture meter, and check the strata records for any history of spalling or water-ingress repairs.
Yes. Ageing timber and established plantings, and the extra moisture the lake brings on the lower blocks give subterranean termites a foothold. We read the subfloor and perimeter for conducive conditions 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. You have the written report, with photos, within 24 hours.
Yes. Whether it is a mid-century home, a strata villa or a new build, a clear report separates the significant issue, asbestos and an old roof, a common-property defect or a waterproofing fault, from the cosmetic, giving you a concrete basis to renegotiate.
Buying in Glendalough? 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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