Structural defects? You need to watch out for them, but how? Rob van den Boetzelaer of building surveyors Qkeur answers our questions on structural matters.
Many areas have their own specific building problems. In Utrecht, however, there aren't any specific area-related structural defects. In Amsterdam, many old houses have foundation problems. These foundation problems are caused by the wooden pile foundations rotting. In peat areas, houses also frequently subside. In Rotterdam, for example, there are some 1200 homes on wooden piles. It's then important to have this properly investigated before buying a home.
Structural defects in Utrecht: are there specific points to watch?
In general, the soil layers in Utrecht, which consist mainly of sand, have a reasonable load-bearing capacity. The older houses in Utrecht don't have pile foundations, but shallow foundations, known in Dutch as ‘fundering op staal’ (literally ‘on steel’). Foundations ‘op staal’ are structures founded at a relatively shallow depth on the load-bearing subsoil, usually brick foundations with a widened footing. So a foundation ‘op staal’ has nothing to do with the material steel. The houses in Utrecht's younger neighbourhoods (from around 1960), such as Overvecht, Lunetten and Kanaleneiland, generally have concrete pile foundations. This is partly to do with less stable soil, but also with a built-in safety margin.
In general, it can be said that relatively few homes in and around Utrecht have foundation problems; however, it does occur (for example the workers' houses in
the alleyways between the canals)! Utrecht Oost is also generally damper. If a damp crawl space is poorly ventilated, the wooden floor can start to rot. So Utrecht has no specific, frequently occurring structural defects.
Rob completed his building engineering training at the MTS (technical school). He has been surveying houses for over 25 years, has worked for housing associations and the municipality, has worked at an engineering firm on asbestos removal and asbestos surveys, and has supervised many building projects. Rob has already surveyed many houses in Utrecht. Q-keur is a building consultancy specialising in building surveys, multi-year maintenance budgets and structural advice. Q-keur works mainly in and around Utrecht.
