Building condition assessment and inspection

Covermeter survey

When buying or leasing property, prospective owners and tenants need to be confident that any future commitment to the property is not a potentially disastrous financial time bomb. In this regard, surveyors and structural engineers offer services that can identify impending problems with the building.

Sandberg specialises in building condition assessments, either working for surveyors or structural engineers or working directly for the potential owner. Trained engineers and inspectors expose the less obvious signs of decay, corrosion of concealed reinforcement in concrete, loss of strength of brickwork, weakening plaster, delaminating tiles, flooring problems, glazing and cladding failures.... the list is extensive.

On-site inspections are fully supported by Sandberg's comprehensive laboratory services, ensuring a totally independent and impartial opinion. Selected samples, collected by our inspectors on site, can be tested for the presence of hazardous materials such as undesirable concrete constituents including high alumina cement, calcium chloride admixtures, reactive aggregates or alkali-rich contaminants.

Where undesirable materials are known to be present, Sandberg can carry out investigations to assess the extent to which these materials exist and evaluate any potential difficulties these materials may cause in the future. Advice is also available in respect of containment, replacement and any remedial measures that may be necessary.

The services described above are particularly relevant during changes of building ownership or tenancy and when refurbishment decisions are being considered.

Reinforcement corrosion