I am looking at a house which has sustained fire damage in Perth… visual inspection from a carpenter suggests the structural damage is minimal, but obviously we want peace of mind and a thorough inspection to confirm structural repairs will be minimal.
I am still unsure whether to get an inspection by a qualified building surveyor, or from a structural engineer.
One building surveyor I was in touch with recommended an engineer for that purpose, another said that he can happily give me advice from a building point of view about what needs repairs and whether or not the building is structurally sound…
I also need the rear patio inspected to see if it confirms to building codes so i can seek retrospective approval. Surveyor fine to do this, but the engineer said he can only verbally advise on some issues, but not about ceiling heights, windows, ventilation etc.
Difference in price is from around $350ish for building surveyor to $1500 for the engineer's report
Do I need a structural engineer? Apparently one provided a report for the vendor's insurance company and it showed no major structural concerns… Is a building surveyor sufficient?
Any advice greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
EmmaStructural engineer will be able to tell you if it's going to fall down or not, whether or not they know the BCA and can sign off is another thing. I'm guessing it would be cheaper if you could get one person to do both if they are qualified to do so.
Fire damage – If there is sufficient damage to cause doubt, go to the engineer. You are looking at two separate issues here & may need an engineer to certify the footings of the veranda when it comes to the approval.
You may end up engaging both.
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