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.
Marmion sits high on the limestone above Marmion Marine Park, and it is a suburb of elevated, view-oriented homes taking the ocean weather at close range. A building and timber pest inspection here is shaped by that exposure and that elevation: the wind and salt are stronger on a cliff-top block than on the streets behind, and the levels these homes are built on have to be held against a dune slope.
Exposure is the first factor, and on Marmion's elevated blocks it is intense. Sitting above the water with little between the house and the sea, these homes take wind-driven rain and salt-laden air at full strength, so the inspection reads all exposed metal and fixings for accelerated corrosion, the extensive glazing and window systems that view homes favour for their seals under wind-driven rain, and the rendered and lightweight facades for how they are weathering. On the coast it is exposure, as much as age, that sets the condition.
Elevation is the second. Marmion's homes are often built up or into the limestone dune to capture the view, so retaining walls hold the levels and they are read for bulging and cracking, for the drainage behind them, and for whether they were engineered for the loads a dune slope imposes. Split levels and the drainage a sloping block demands are read closely, because water moving through the slope is what undermines footings and retaining over time.
The limestone itself is read where a home is founded on or cut into it, the footings for undermining where water tracks through the porous rock and the base for salt attack near the ground. The housing runs from established mid-century homes, read for asbestos, brittle tiled roofs and delignified framing, to large modern rebuilds read for build quality: waterproofing to AS 3740, the roof and flat-roof detailing, and the retaining and drainage the elevated block depends on.
On the timber pest side, the free-draining limestone means less standing moisture, but the watered gardens of these large blocks create their own damp, so the subfloor and perimeter are read for conducive conditions and suspect timber sounded, with movement detection where needed. Termite management follows AS 3660.
Marmion is an elevated, exposed, view-oriented coastal suburb, and the report earns its value by reading the salt exposure, the retaining and the limestone ground together, because on a Marmion cliff-top block they set the terms.
We run the same two-scope visit across the area, including nearby Watermans Bay and North Beach.
MISSING: phone number · Book online → · Flat $616 inc GST for both scopes, report within 24 hours.
Because Marmion's elevated blocks sit high above the water with little between the house and the sea. They take wind-driven rain and salt at full strength, so we read all exposed metal and fixings for accelerated corrosion, the extensive glazing for its seals under wind-driven rain, and the facades for how they are weathering.
They do. Marmion homes are often built up or into the limestone dune to capture the view, so retaining walls hold the levels, and we read them for bulging and cracking, for the drainage behind them, and for whether they were engineered for the loads a dune slope imposes.
On these elevated blocks, yes. We read retaining for bulging and cracking, the drainage behind it, and whether it was built for its height and load, because a tall retaining wall on a dune slope is a serious structure and a failing one is unsafe and expensive.
Where a home is founded on or cut into limestone, we read the footings for undermining where water tracks through the porous rock and the base for salt attack near the ground. On an elevated limestone block, ground and drainage are central.
It can be. Large glazing and window systems on a view home face wind-driven rain at close range, so we read them for seal failure and water entry at the reveals, which is a common issue on exposed coastal homes.
The focus shifts to build quality in a harsh setting: waterproofing to AS 3740, the roof and flat-roof detailing, and above all the retaining and drainage the elevated block depends on. A pre-handover look while the builder is liable is worth as much as a pre-purchase one.
Yes, in eaves and sheeting. We identify and flag suspect materials without disturbing them, which matters most if you plan to renovate or replace.
Lower than inland, because the free-draining limestone means less standing moisture, but the watered gardens of these large blocks create their own damp. We read the subfloor and perimeter 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. An exposed home with significant retaining takes careful reading, and you have the written report, with photos, within 24 hours.
Yes. A clear report separates the significant issue, corrosion, failing retaining or facade weathering, from the cosmetic, and gives you a concrete basis to renegotiate.
Buying in Marmion? 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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