Property Issues: Subsidence

Property Issues: Subsidence

Subsidence is most evident after the winter rains when the land adjacent to the property moves due to poor land management and insufficient drainage.

Minor Subsidence Issues

Minor cracks which don't affect the structural integrity of your home can often just be filled in and painted over and the evidence removed. More serious cracks which would have an impact on the structure may result in walls needing to be re-pointed and repaired with metal fixings.

Some of the effects of subsidence is just a case of the property settling over a number of years into the land and the issues do not deteriorate further. These minor defects can be dressed and rectified without further issues appearing.

Property Issues: Driveways

Property Issues: Driveways

The problems associated with poorly constructed driveways tend to originate from builders not preparing the surface of the subsoil with aggregates to allow for free drainage of water, not understanding the flow of water over the surface area or water undermining the structure by not installing sufficient drainage. Unless the driveway is laid on free draining soil, stone chipping should never be considered and only if the land is flat and the subsoil has been prepared using aggregates.

If a concrete base is laid as a foundation, again the subsoil should always be prepared first. Reinforced concrete that maintains and gives structural strength by using rebars is the general rule.

The above issues can undermine the structural integrity of the driveway and lead to cracking, subsidence and buckling of the surface area.

Property Issues: Plumbing

Property Issues: Plumbing

Like electrics, plumbing is one of the hidden aspects of the services in your new property that is “out of sight and out of mind”.

The quality of the plumping in your property is a lottery that will may not cause you issues or will be a long running battle.

A Property Survey of your potential new home can help in establishing such things as water pressure and the general condition of pipes and even if there is a possible leak by monitoring the water meter but not where the leak is, unless it is very obvious.

Property Issues: Swimming Pools

Property Issues: Swimming Pools

Swimming Pools - Dream or a Nightmare

The idea of having a swimming pool is a common dream of people purchasing a home in Spain. Whilst the dream is beautiful the reality can quickly turn into a living nightmare.

One of the most common issues affecting the correct running of a swimming pool is the tile grouting dissolving. The reason for this is usually due to the PH levels not being correct over a sustained period of time. In Southern Spain the PH levels are usually extremely high, this makes the water acidic and this will eat away at the grouting.

The loosening of grouting not only disfigures the look of the pool but will also encourage algae to form in the recesses turning your blue pool to a vivid pond green, there is no more depressing sight than this.

Property Issues: Damp in Houses

Property Issues: Damp in Houses

In the Summer, Damp Issues are Often Undetectable

Damp walls and water ingress is a very common problem with Spanish properties. The majority of properties are purchased during the rain free summer months, and so the potential new owner is often unaware of the problem.

Very few houses in Andalusia are built using a damp course during the construction process, the reason for this is that the Town Halls did not in the past enforce strict planning regulations and the Architects seldom visited the building sites to insist on the correct procedures. Sadly, seldom will you find any property over 10 years old having a damp course.

The lack of a damp course will result in rising damp through the concrete base and up the walls. This is often masked and disguised by walls being covered with ceramic tiles or stone cladding on the exterior and interior ceramic tiles, and the building painted on an annual basis in the spring months when the walls have dried out. The unsuspecting buyer therefore is oblivious to the defects until the following autumn when the rains resume. Several other factors will determine how prone to damp the house is

Eco Friendly Septic Tanks That Meet DEFO Standards

Eco Friendly Septic Tanks That Meet DEFO Standards

An Upgrade that you will soon need in order to be compliant with the DEFO requirements.

The main feature is that it incorporates a built-in filter to reduce the heavy metals and fine elements that are washed out of the standard tanks and so making them eco-friendlier by preventing the pollution of the water table by the heavy metals which would normally be emptied from a standard Septic Tank.

A lot of people have to upgrade their septic tanks to accommodate current Spanish and EC legislation in order to be compliant with the DEFO requirements. This is an upgrade from the existing specification and requirements and we believe this type of filtrations will be mandatory in the future.

Latest Solutions to Hard Water in Your Homes

Latest Solutions to Hard Water in Your Homes

Hard Water Filter Solution

The benefits are:

- Prevents scaling without using chemicals

- Cost effective and eco-friendly

- Reduces heavy metals such copper, lead, mercury and zinc.

- No maintenance, free of salt or other chemicals. No heavy salt bags to carry around.

- Increase efficiency of boilers, solar panels, dishwashers, washing machines.

- Easy to install, no electricity and no backwash pipes required.

- Solves the typical problems of standard softeners.

LT Construction - English Builder in Málaga

⚲ Urbanizacion Aloha Gardens, Avenida de Prado S/N, Nueva Andalucía, 29660, Marbella

⚲ Casa Paloma, Los Hundideros 9, La Viñuela, 29712, Málaga

☏ 0034 659324586

✉ info@ltconstruction.es

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