Repair Strategy, a Defect on Domestic Property - Essay Example

REPAIR STRATEGY (BUILDING SURVEYING) Name of student Name of instructor Course Date of Submission. A Defect on Domestic Property Generally speaking, a suitable building is that which appropriately fits into its surroundings, it provides sufficient space and facilities and most importantly there is maximum protection from unbearable weather conditions. For short lived buildings, this protection is not easily achievable hence in the today’s world there is rise in buildings that are adaptable to the changing weather conditions and those that are easily repaired (Anstey 67). Such buildings undoubtedly can give suitable service for a lasting period of time. Current statistics have shown that in Britain alone has residential buildings clocking 30 million (James and Douglas 23). Although there is slow growth of population, the current rise in demand for building can be attributed largely from the need to change the outlook of a household and immigration specifically labor migration. Recent official figures from some studies point out that about one fifth of English houses are more than 8 decades old with half being 5 decades old and regardless of there advanced age these buildings are comfortably being used up to date (Steven 75) Salt Attack defect in masonry. 1. Salt Attack: Salt attack or commonly referred to as salt weathering is the term used to describe the damage brought by salts which are soluble and are crystallized at the pores of masonry materials. The salts are normally suspended to the masonry pores in solution form in water through a number of means. In dry season periods, the water evaporates from the wall and the salt solute remains behind because they are unable to evaporate, and concentration of the salt within the wall increases. At a point when the solution attains saturation condition or super-saturation depending on the kind of salt involved, crystals will start to develop. In occasions when the rate of evaporation is deemed low from the wall surface, for example in cellars or in humid climatic environments and at basement sections with very little or no air percolation, the evaporative actions will close to the wall surface. In this scenario, the crystals of salt will grow forming thin long needle like structures extruding from the surface of the wall. This is referred to as efflorescence and is normally observed as partially harmless white powder occurring on the surface of the wall. Remedial work Problems are best prevented in the first instance in the sense that peeling issues that occurred previously should be addressed first before starting an interior job of painting because doing this may just help in fixing the issue but there is no guarantee that the problem will not occur again (David 66). Problems arising due to poor preparation should addressed vividly as preparation is the foundation of neatly and nicely painted room. Preparation of the paint is the key factor to consider when a lasting paint job that is as well professional is to be achieved (Anstey 101). The experts emphasize the important of preparation in the sense that it usually take even longer than the paint work itself. Room should be cleared as this will save time because during painting it is a common occurrence for the paint to get spilled and it is not always good for these items to get spilled by the paint. Items that cannot be removed should be correctly masked since and this should be done rightly to avoid cases of peeling after painting. Common masking tapes have very strong adhesives and later on will be hard to remove thereby affecting the paint and in the long run contributing to the defect. For this reason there a recommended tape to be used by a painter because it is less adhesive with safety of release. When the room is set for painting then attention is shifted to the surface. It is essential for proper preparation of the surfaces to be done even new ones. This process of preparation includes removing dried hanging paints followed by sanding whose purpose is to bring a smooth transition. According to the paint experts, “painting over a dirty or greasy surface is a no-no” (Anstey 101). Given the causes discussed earlier, his is one of its causes as this will greatly hamper the bonding ability of the new paint. To remedy this it is recommended to use cleaners that contain trisodium phosphate. Rinsing follows after cleaning and it is advisable to do a good rinsing then leave to properly dry before paint application is done. Incase of glossiness, before painting is started it is vital to sand with a paper with aid of a liquid deglosser to give the surface good adhesive property then paint with high quality acrylic latex paint (Steven 60). Since the main cause of peeling is water and moisture, correcting this will form the basis of the remedial work in a domestic property rocked with this defect. The foremost thing to do is to identify the water sources that are wrecking havoc the paint and the thing to suspect is the possibility of a moisture leak in or behind the wall. When peeling occurs paint outside the wall then there is a possibility of moisture penetrating in through small cracks or other openings in the sliding exterior masonry or better still gaping joints could be the gateway of this water (Anstey 103). In addition water has the ability of dripping down or sideways for quite some distance before it can soak the plaster. Similarly a roof leak can lead to the peeling of ceiling. For moisture resulting window during winter, the best remedy is to stop water by water caulking the frame and the glass with paintable clear caulk (Anstey 103). The humidity of the home should be managed at allowable parameters. First this can be done by use of an exhaust fan or dehumidifier. In the bathrooms there must be a gap between the door and the floor approximately one inch so that the fan can pull out air. Other alternative methods of controlling dampness include transforming or redesigning the home to be energy efficient with efficient air-sealing, as well as effectual use of barriers and diffusion strategies (Steven 88). The building as a whole from the foundation to the roof should have a design where it can prevent moisture and in the same time give way to moisture which does not come in. As it has been discussed above the activities at home are the major sources of moisture hence proper ventilation has got to be maintained. See Figure 1. In addition, when the evaporation rate is much higher, the evaporation activity happens inside the wall and the salt crystallizes within the masonry pores know as (subflorescence). The rapid crystallization exerts a lot of force thereby disrupting the masonry materials including the strongest. The cyclic drying and wetting are crucial catalysts of salt attack decay. The salts defects masonry by making the pores becomes larger. The cumulative cycles of wetting and drying definitely leads to gradual decay of the masonry material. fig 2.Blistering of paintwork and destruction to internal plaster as a result of combined effects of heightening damp and salt attack decay . The skirting is of a moulding cement and also illustrates salt damage. Factors Causing Salt Attack. In order for salt attack to take place, there has to be a cocktail of the following factors. -moisture availability -permeable masonry -evaporation -available soluble salts. The above four factors must be present for the decay caused by salt attack to occur. The wall from the above photographs clearly have a defect and this type of defect is known as a damp patch on the wall, in some cases this could be referred to as peeling paints and better still they are referred to as below grade walls (David 43). Repair Strategy. This wall is characterized by the layers of paints coming off and the root of this could be dampness. Moisture can cause this failure in two folds: from behind the paint or by forcing its way into the paint. Humidity can be created by these places simply penetrating the film of the pain from the front. Another possible cause is leaks from chimneys or other exterior walls that allow water to seep into the house thereby wetting the plaster from behind the paint film causing separation of the paint and the substrate. It is a clear indication most of the peeling issue is caused by mainly water such that even if the damage by water is not very visible moisture will still have a very contributing factor (David 45). Repair Strategy. The decay can be conversely avoided by removing any one of the above factors. Permeable masonry:- The immediate sought strategy is by making the masonry materials impermeable through the application of coatings which are water repellant, though this procedure has resulted to numerous setbacks because salt still get trapped behind the coatings. fig 3. Availability of moisture: To prevent moisture from gaining entry into the masonry is actually one of the two aspects of the domestic defect factor that apparently controlling has proven really not quite possible. The entry can be limited or minimized through ensuring well building design is enforced and also through proper masonry repair and maintenance procedures. But total moisture elimination is impractical because walls also need to get space to breathe. Availability of soluble salts. The amount of salts in the walls can be lessened by removing the excusive salts by regular maintenance to check on the salt attack. Evaporation:- When there is no evaporation, the risk of salt attack is zero. The commonly used example is the buried masonry i.e footings though kept wet hardly decay. This principle has well been used to partly uncover archeological sites where some parts of the masonry are shown through the window from the foundation. In this manner, temperatures and humidity’s which are sophisticated are controlled. Though ensuring ground walls are kept above wet throughout to avoid evaporation is not practical. For buildings with basements, foundation wall waters and in the basement or crawl space floor should be managed and the basements dirt floor should be covered should be covered with 6 mil poly, overlapping edges by at least 12 inches James and (Edward 91). The roof and flashing details keep water out of the house effectively and this can be achieved if the roof addresses the issue of moisture in the form of water vapor to prevent condensation in cavities of the house. Having discussed this, at no one time will there be a single way which will work for all buildings in all climatic conditions hence the important factors to look into are arresting moisture movements from warm sides to cold sides of the building and as well arresting those which pass through the building to check condensation (Anstey 107). Approach: This section of the guide starts with an array of Seven important steps which should be considered when handling the salt dump predicament. Step 1-is to diagnose the cause of the defect and the essential of getting it right. Step 2-good housekeeping mannerism in order to control and minimize the stress caused b dampness on the building walls. Step 3-mild damp should be treated sacrificially to check on the salt attack. Step 4-get rid of excess salts during when the usual methods proving not adequate. Step 5- countercheck the outcome before proceeding. Step 6-inserting DPCs and try all the different kinds in place. Step 7-desalinating the walls because inserting the DPC only is not enough. Site drainage:Water should not lie against the base of walls. Grounds and paths that surround the buildings should be sloped to help drain water away from the walls. The front metre is recommended to have a fall of approximately 25mm (1:35).away from the masonry. References: 1. Anstey, J. A Practical Manual for Party Wall Surveyors. London: RICS Books, 2008 2. David ,H Watt. : Principles and Practice, Building Pathology Wiley: Blackwell, 2007 3. Douglas, James and Edward,. A. Nowy. Building Surveys and Reports. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2008. 4. Steven, Bliss. Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2007. Read More