What we look for in Furnissdale, and why it differs from the suburb next door. 68.2 km from the CBD, 6.0 km from the coast, postcode 6209.
Furnissdale was subdivided in 1950, mainly along the Serpentine River on Riverside Drive, with each lot running to around two thousand square metres. Original cottages from that subdivision are built of fibre cement, and a number of them are still standing.
Fibre cement from 1950 means asbestos cement. Not a maybe. That is not a maybe, it is what the material was, and it needs identifying and managing before any renovation, drilling or demolition rather than partway through the job.
Those cottages were also built as modest river dwellings rather than permanent family homes, so expect lightweight construction, minimal footings, and seventy years of additions made by successive owners with varying degrees of documentation behind them.
The river position is the other defining feature. Riverside Drive lots front the Serpentine near where it enters the Peel Inlet, which brings riverine and estuarine conditions together. A water table that responds to both river flow and tide. Flood context on the low parcels. Estuarine damp working at brickwork and wall bases.
Barragup Swamp sits within the locality, so parts of the ground are low and wet independently of the river.
The original two thousand square metre lots are generous by any standard, and subdivision has followed. So a 1950 fibre cement cottage frequently sits beside a modern house on what used to be its back garden, with the shared driveway and re-routed drainage that come with a battle-axe arrangement.
Riverside ground near an inlet holds moisture year round, and moisture is the one condition a colony cannot manage without. The low parcels sit at genuinely elevated pressure.
The 1950 cottages are the vulnerable building type. Lightweight timber structure sitting close to damp ground, with subfloor ventilation that was modest at best and usually reduced by later enclosures. Access underneath varies from adequate to impossible and we report which we got.
Fibre cement itself is not food. The framing behind it is, and so is everything added since.
Barriers on stock of this age are absent rather than expired. Where subdivision has occurred, new fencing and retaining put fresh timber into ground beside a cottage that has never had any protection at all.
On a 1950 cottage the subfloor answers both questions, and near a river the ground conditions inform each report equally. One attendance covers it. Reported under AS 4349.1 and AS 4349.3.
Get the asbestos position understood before setting any renovation budget on an original cottage. On fibre cement of that vintage it is present rather than possible, and it changes what the work costs.
Subdivision brings condition records for the old cottage while excavation happens behind it, and handover inspections on the new dwelling. On riverfront lots, the flood and tidal context is knowable from public mapping. Read it before you make an offer. It is one of the few things about a riverside property that can be established without setting foot on the block.
Furnissdale sits on the Spearwood dune system — residual yellow and grey sand over a Tamala Limestone core, with the rock often close to the surface. Limestone near the surface makes for stable footings and expensive excavation. Where the rock is shallow, older houses often sit directly on limestone footings, and those are the ones to look at for rising damp and salt damp at the base of the wall.
What that means in practice, on a house in Furnissdale:
Landform is assigned from the suburb's position on the Swan Coastal Plain rather than from a site soil test. It tells you what to expect, not what you have. A site classification to AS 2870 is a different exercise and a different report.
Coodanup, Greenfields and Dudley Park sit on the same ground as Furnissdale, so the footing behaviour and the drainage problems tend to repeat across all of them. If you are comparing houses across those suburbs, you are largely comparing the same site conditions.
Barragup is 2.5 km away but sits on the Pinjarra Plain; North Yunderup is 2.5 km away but sits on the Pinjarra Plain; South Yunderup is 3.1 km away but sits on the Pinjarra Plain. That is the useful thing about this part of Perth: the ground can change inside a few kilometres, and with it what an inspection is looking for.
On site classification: any soil zone quoted for a suburb is indicative, inferred from geography rather than surveyed. A real AS 2870 classification comes from geotechnical work on your actual block and can differ from the one next door. We report what we observe; we do not read your soil class off a map.
The inspection is visual and non-invasive, over the readily accessible areas, reported to AS 4349.1. Our inspectors physically enter the roof space, as long as there is sufficient access. Report within 24 hours of the inspection.
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Flat fee, the same in Furnissdale as anywhere: $440 inc. GST for a pre-purchase building inspection, or $616 inc. GST with the timber pest scope added in the same visit. Full price list →
6.0 km inland through Mandurah, Furnissdale sits between the coastal and inland problems, and the fee reflects it — some salt-corrosion checking on an older tiled roof, but more attention to drainage, wet areas and ground movement across the Mandurah area. Furnissdale is 68.2 km from the Perth CBD, out toward the Peel end of the area, and the flat fee still applies with no distance loading.
Pre-purchase building inspection in Furnissdale →
Building and pest inspection in Furnissdale →
Yes. Our inspectors physically enter and inspect the roof space, as long as there is sufficient access to do so safely. Where access is restricted, the report says so plainly rather than implying we saw more than we did.
Furnissdale is 6.0 km from the coast — outside the highest-exposure band, but close enough that salt-driven delignification is worth checking in an older tiled roof.
Within 24 hours of the inspection itself, not 24 hours from booking. On a pre-purchase or pre-settlement job that timing is the whole point, because your leverage disappears once you are committed.
We would rather you checked than took our word for it. These are the bodies that actually hold the records and set the rules:
Tell us about the property and what you need. We'll come back to you with a firm quote and a time.
PERTH