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BUILDING DEFECTS

CONSRUCION
 FUNGUS STAIN AND HARMFUL GROWTH

Fungal stains or mould occur when there is moisture content in the

walls.

It flourishes in an environment of high humidity with lack of ventilation.

Harmful growth includes creeping and ivy plants that can grow either
on walls, roofs or gutters.
 PEELING PAINT

Peeling paint usually occurs on building facades, mainly on plastered

walls, columns and other areas that are exposed to excessive rain and
dampness.

Some buildings located near the sea may face a greater risk.

The amount of constant wind, rain and sun received can easily turn the
surfaces of the paint to become chalky and wrinkled or blistered.
 DEFECTIVE PLASTERED RENDERINGS
Defective plastered rendering occurs mostly on the external walls,
columns and ceiling.

In a humid tropical climate like Malaysia, defective renderings are

normally caused by biological attacks arising from penetrating rain,
evaporation, condensation, air pollution, dehydration and thermal stress..
 CRACKING OF WALLS AND LEANING WALLS

External walls may be harmful to a building if they are structurally

unsound. Vertical or diagonal cracks in the wall are common symptoms
of structural instability.

Diagonal cracks, usually widest at the foundations and may terminate at

the corner of a building, often occur when shallow foundations are laid on
shrinkable sub-soil which is drier than normal or when there is a physical
uplifting action of a large trees main roots close to the walls.
 ROOF DEFECTS

As roof often acts as a weather shield, it is important to treat aging roof

tiles.

Common defects of roof tiles include corrosion of nails that fix the tiles to
battens and rafters, the decay of battens, and the cracking of tiles caused
by harmful growth.

Harmful growth poses a danger to the tiles because it may lift tiles and
create leaks
 DAMPNESS PENETRATION THROUGH WALLS

Dampness penetration through walls can be a serious matter, particularly

to buildings located near water sources.

Not only does it deteriorate building structures but also damages to

furnishings.

The main cause of dampness is water entering a building through different

routes. Water penetration occurs commonly through walls exposed to
prevailing wet wind or rain.
 UNSTABLE FOUNDATIONS

Foundations are a critical in distributing loads from roofs, walls and floors
onto the earth below.

Most of the common problems associated with the foundations depend on

the geology of the ground upon which a building stands, structural failures
as well as presence and height of a water table

Additionally, inherent failures may also happen in a building in which has to

cope and carry any unsettled problem of the foundations.

.
CONSTRUCTION DEFECTS
AND
THEIR REMEDIES
 DEFECTS AND CRACKS
There are various defects in a building which may be caused due to
dampness , applied forces and change in size
Cracks may develop if the building material used is of low quality
Cracks can be divided into 2 categories
1 . Structural cracks
2 . Non Structural cracks
Cracks due to moisture changes
Cracks due to temperature variation
Cracks due to elastic deformation and creep
Cracks due to effect of chemical reaction
Cracks due to movement of ground
Cracks due to vegetation
 CRACKS DUE TO DAMPNESS

Penetrating damp is the most common form of dampness in

buildings. Dampness occurs as a result of water ingressing
horizontally through gaps in the building structure.

Rising damp describes the action of ground moisture rising up a

masonry wall by capillary action.

It potentially occurs where there is no damp-proof course (DPC) or

where the DPC has been damaged or bridged. Theoretically,
moisture can rise up the wall to a height of a metre and it will often
leave a characteristic horizontal 'tide mark'. The historic city hall in
Bamberg stands in the river Regnitz and its bridge remains dry
without any chemical , mechanical or electronical damp-proof
course.

"Rising Damp" is most often caused by damp penetration which is

then absorbed by the plaster which is highly absorbent and due to
the chemical reactions taking place inside the wall.
 SYMPTOMS
Dampness tends to cause secondary damage to a building.
The unwanted moisture enables the growth of various fungi in
wood, causing rot.
Plaster and paint deteriorate and wallpaper loosens.
Stains, from the water, salts and from mold, mar surfaces.
Externally, mortar may crumble and salt stains may appear on the
walls.
Steel & iron fasteners rust.
It may also cause respiratory illness in occupants.
In extreme cases, mortar or plaster may fall away from the affected
wall.
The cracks developed as even and uniformely spread throughout
 IDENTIFICATION OF DAMP PROBLEMS

Roof defects such as faulty flashing, cracked or missing slates or

tiles.
Faults in the brickwork or masonry such as missing or cracked
pointing. Porous bricks or stones.
Missing or defective mastic around windows and doors.
Blocked weep holes.
Missing or defective trays in cavity walls.
Solid, that is non-cavity walls
Condensation.
Damp proof membrane or Damp Proof course been buried by later
building activities
 TREATMENT
It is suspected that the problem is condensation, then a room should
be sealed off with a left running for the recommended time and then
further instrument tests made.
If the dampness has disappeared, then condensation is very likely
the problem.
Insulation of cold surfaces and/or the elimination of water vapour at
source are the answers.
The cause of the dampness must first be eliminated, by providing
better drainage or fixing leaking pipes. You can also install a
physical or chemical DPC.
Then, any affected plaster or mortar must be removed, and the wall
treated, before replacing the plaster and repainting.
Proper DPC must be provided and all the joints must be properly
sealed
DEFECT DUE TO LEAKING PIPE

DEFECTS CAUSED DUE TO APPLIED FORCES