Rob van den Boetzelaer of building survey firm Qkeur answers our questions on building matters and explains the most common structural defects.
Contents
- Cavity walls
- What should you look out for when viewing a house built before 1925?
- Insulation
- Building surveyor
The houses in Utrecht built before around 1925 mostly have masonry foundations with a widened footing. At that time a more porous brick was often used. Through the capillary and/or absorbent action of the brick, moisture is drawn up from the ground and the crawl space. This can cause rising damp in the walls on the ground floor. These are very common structural defects. Damp in the walls can make the wall finish come loose. But it can also cause discolouration and possibly wood rot. The floor joists resting in the damp walls are the most affected by wood rot, mould and fungus. Houses where, for example, the wooden ground floors have been affected by fungus and mould were mostly built before 1925.
Cavity walls
In the period after 1925, people started building homes with cavity walls. They also switched to harder types of brick for the foundations and the lowest courses of the walls on the ground floor. This type of brick, the so-called trasraam clinker, is often recognisable in the facades of 1930s homes. Since then, rising damp has hardly occurred, if at all.
In addition, the outer walls of houses from before 1925 are mostly built in solid masonry, where penetrating damp is common. Creating cavity walls or insulating the masonry can solve this. Because of poor insulation, the energy consumption of these homes is often very high. Because wooden elements are used so widely, these homes often need a lot of maintenance.
What should you look out for when viewing a house built before 1925?
The main defects at a glance:
- (Rising) damp in walls and penetrating damp
- Cracks/leaning in load-bearing walls/facades
- Possibly rusting steel lintels pushing masonry outwards
- Damp in crawl spaces and poor ventilation
- Fungus/mould damage to ground floors and wood rot
- Condition of tiled roof/flat roofs & chimneys
- Condition of window frames/ hinges and locks.
- Watertightness of the cellar
- Vermin
- Poor sound insulation
If the home is still (partly) in its original state, you should look out for the possible presence of:
- Canvas (fabric-insulated) wiring/electrics in general
- Lead water pipes
- Sewers/drains that aren't made of plastic.
Insulation
In addition, many homes have been modernised over the years. In the 1970s more and more houses were insulated. It's a hot topic now too. But not all insulation measures are good for old houses. It's therefore important to look carefully into how the insulation material has been
applied.
The houses from before 1925 are often my personal preference. Characterful homes, lovely details and plenty of atmosphere. But often with one or two structural problems. Would you like advice on a house built before or after 1925? I'd be happy to help. Get in touch with us for the best advice.
Building surveyor
Rob completed his building engineering training at the MTS (technical college). He has been surveying houses for well over 25 years, has worked for housing associations and the municipality, has worked at an engineering firm on asbestos removal and surveys, and has supervised many construction projects. Rob has already surveyed many houses in Utrecht. Q-keur is a building consultancy specialising in building surveys, multi-year maintenance plans and building advice. Q-keur works mainly in and around Utrecht.
