Defects database

View the defects database    Submit an image to the defects database

Defects database pulls together existing isurv material into one searchable section forming an image bank for surveyors to refer to when examining defects. This resource is a handy tool for the experienced and novice practitioner alike.

The photographs in the database are all examples of actual defects encountered during routine inspections or investigations carried out by knowledgeable and often expert surveyors. The caption with each image provides helpful background, description or comment to enhance the learning point being illustrated.

Experienced practitioners understand that while the theory behind building defects may be well understood, the real-life situations that develop from them are often far from straightforward. Consequently, even the most capable surveyor will always welcome the opportunity to see new examples of building defects and the problems they cause.

Trainee surveyors and those with less experience will find within the database a wealth of information. There is little better preparation for understanding building defects, and the implications they have for building structures and for those who use or live in them, than to see real-life examples. The commentary not only supplements the images but often also acts as a pointer towards further research into the defect illustrated and the appropriate remedial work that may be required.

With circa 200 images, the database is added to over the course of updates.

The technical editor for Defects database is Tim Kenny of Tim Kenny Surveying. Previously it was Philip Santo of Philip Santo & Co.

The categories of defects covered at present are:

  • Outside the property
    • Chimney stacks
    • Conservatories, porches and external structures
    • Flat roof coverings
    • Gutters, downpipes and external drainage
    • Joinery and finishes
    • Pitched roof covering
    • Walls
    • Windows and doors
  • Inside the property
    • Basements and cellars
    • Bathroom and kitchen fittings
    • Ceilings
    • Floors
    • Fireplaces, chimney breasts and flues
    • Joinery, woodwork and built-in fittings
    • Roof space
    • Walls and partitions
  • Services
    • Drainage
    • Electricity
    • Gas and oil
    • Heating and cooling
    • Water
  • Commercial buildings
    • Curtain walling
    • Exterior finishes
    • Materials
    • Multi-storey car parks
  • Grounds
    • Boundary structure
    • Drainage problems
    • Invasive species
    • Leaning retaining walls
    • Outbuildings