Building defects and maintenance

Abstract

This study on building defects and maintenance is divided into throe parts. The first part deals with defects which effect directly the stability and performance of a building. Such defects include dampness, crackings, defective services, decay in external joinery, condensation, defective pavings, failure of retaining walls, defects in apertures and defective or absence of expansion joints in walls. The defects dealt with in the second part are mainly of an aesthetic nature which although do not effect directly the stability of a building, have a bearing on its appearance and performance. Defects dealt with in this part include the behaviour of materials when exposed to specific conditions of weathering (special reference is made to concrete), defective floor finishes, cleaning of dirty facades, preservative treatments for masonry and aspects in the design of housing estates to prevent wilful damage. The third part includes a conclusion and a bibliography. In the conclusion emphasis is made on the amount of bad workmanship that is prevaling in the building industry either purposely or duo to ignorance. The latter is mainly duo to the gap that exists between the man on the drawing board and the site operatives.