Commercial Building Inspection Sydney

A commercial building inspection must be performed on all types of commercial properties. Having various kinds of maintenance can help preserve buildings and equipment.

A certified commercial building inspection Sydney will reveal the true condition and the costs required to fix it. But the question is, what does a commercial building inspector look for during an inspection? In this post, we will teach you the commercial building inspection basics, the types of maintenance done, and the things an inspector will be sure to check.

Basics of Commercial Building Inspection Sydney 

1. Definition of Commercial Building

A commercial building is a structure situated on commercial real estate. These buildings are built to generate profit, either from rental income or capital gain. Commercial buildings are divided into five categories: Land, Office Buildings, Multifamily Dwellings, Retail/Restaurant, and Miscellaneous.

2. Commercial Building Inspection Sydney Professional

Hiring a commercial building inspection Sydney professional should be either an architect or engineer. These individuals have extensive backgrounds and experience in facilities management, building trades, maintenance, and similar subjects. 

Moreover, one thing to realise is that a commercial building inspection is different from a residential inspection. Hence, it’s a good idea to hire Effective Building & Consultancy as we specialise in the commercial inspection and understand that commercial properties are an asset to the company, an income generator, and a business expense.

3. The Goal of Commercial Building Inspection Inspection Sydney

The commercial building inspection Sydney will highlight the life spans of five major systems within the building. This includes the following:

• Structural integrity
• Roofing
• Heating, Ventilation, and Cooling (HVAC)
• Plumbing
• Electrical

Commercial building owners want to know the possibility of replacing the roof or HVAC in the following years or upgrading the electrical elements in the future. A building inspection report will provide answers to these questions. 

What to Check During a Commercial Building Inspection Sydney?

Having a commercial building requires an inspection to learn more about the property and ensure that it’s worth offering to investors, portfolio lenders, insurance, and commercial mortgage-backed security lenders.

Here are the things a professional commercial building inspector will check during the inspection:

1. The Five Major Systems

The five major systems of commercial buildings include Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, Heating, and Air Conditioning/Ventilation. A commercial building inspection Sydney expert will estimate the cost of repair or replacement in the comprehensive report. Building alarms, sprinkler systems, and fire safety systems will also be checked during the inspection.

2. The Exterior

The exterior of the building includes the outer walls and includes structures, parking lots, roofing, and landscaping. Elie Farah, our professional building inspector, will assess whether the building is structurally sound and notes any necessary repair costs.

3. The Interior

Interior inspection has two purposes: to check for safety-related risks and hazards and to check that interior spaces pass the local building codes. A commercial building inspection Sydney professional will also check the building’s floors, walls, offices, bathrooms, kitchen offices, and other areas. This type of inspection will highlight the need for renovations of the interior.

Maintenance Needed

Preventive Maintenance 

Preventive maintenance is a strategy done that maintains the critical assets of the building in good condition. This includes regular commercial building inspection Sydney and recommended service and repairs based on time or usage.

The goal of preventive maintenance is to lengthen the service life expectancy and prevent equipment failure. This minimises unscheduled downtime and reduces the entire maintenance costs by fixing the defects on the spot before they become major issues.

Predictive Maintenance

Predictive maintenance is different from preventive maintenance. Instead of having maintenance at scheduled times, predictive maintenance covers the work performed based on the property’s condition. This also includes commercial building inspection Sydney to meet the objective of forecasting equipment failure.

Special Maintenance and Commercial Building Inspection Sydney to Consider According to the Types of Building

There are some considerations for building maintenance according to the several types of commercial buildings. 

1. Condominiums and Apartment Buildings

Apartment buildings and condominiums are regularly maintained facilities because quality tenants care about where they live. The maintenance is done during commercial building inspection Sydney is for structural, aesthetics, and custodial. The building’s mechanical systems and equipment are also crucial for the tenants’ safety and comfort. 

2. Educational Facilities

When conducting commercial building inspection, Sydney is a unique consideration that most facilities in use today were built in the ‘50s and ‘60s. This means they often deal with major issues related to maintaining historical integrity. Moreover, buildings constructed during this time are not designed as accessible or energy efficient.

3. Healthcare Facilities

The nature of patient care is the major difference between healthcare facilities and other commercial buildings. These are complex facilities to maintain because of the ill patients’ sensitive and life-and-death situations if medical equipment is not working optimally. 

Moreover, since healthcare facilities operate 24 hours a day, maintenance can affect people. The special equipment used here is also complex and critical to medical procedures, including systems that supply oxygen, nitrogen, and other medical-grade gases, electricity distribution, and filtering needs for HVAC systems.

Failure of medical systems can be life-threatening to the patient.

4. Historic Buildings

An older building is already classified as historic. However, when conducting a commercial building inspection Sydney, some historical buildings may pose advantages and limitations to property maintenance, such as repairing or purchasing original systems and components.

Accessibility and energy improvements are also common for historic buildings. In addition, enhancements related to the function of the building that didn’t occur during the construction are also standard. These include such a change of occupancy, installation or upgrading of the fire-protection system, installation of an underground lawn sprinkler system, etc.

As a building owner, you need to work with Effective Building & Consultancy expert to work with building contractors. We have specialised knowledge on how to inspect and maintain historic buildings.

5. Hospitality Properties

Hospitality properties include motels, hotels, convention centres, and reports. These complex building have many features, depending on the building type (commercial kitchens, office spaces, retail spaces, etc.)

It’s common for hospitality properties to have commercial building inspection Sydney to ensure that the well-maintained grounds provide guests with a safe and comfortable environment. Effective Building & Consultancy has professional building inspectors that can assess a specific building’s components and systems.

6. Manufacturing Facilities

Equipment failure and downtime can be costly for manufacturing facilities. The reason behind this is because profit relies on production. Because of this, commercial building inspection Sydney and maintenance are essential to the facility.

7. Office Buildings

Among commercial buildings, office buildings are the least complex type in terms of the layout and systems installed. However, if it’s a high-rise building, it can be more complex. Nevertheless, the usual maintenance is routine and predictive. 

8. Retail Facilities

This type of building is less complex as well. However, retailers face stiff competition in attracting shoppers. On the other hand, building owners face challenges in renting their spaces. 

Today, many retailers experience economic hardship due to the increasing preference of people to online shopping. Unlike other properties, a commercial building inspection Sydney isn’t frequently done on them. 

Predictive maintenance involves the combined use of several techniques to determine the condition, including vibrational analysis, thermography, acoustic analysis, and the application of lubricating oil. 

Some people consider predictive maintenance to be a type of preventive maintenance because they both share the goal of preventing equipment breakdown.

The Documentation

Effective Building & Consultancy’s certified inspectors will review many documents during the inspection process. We will review the appraisals, building plans, certificates of occupancy, citations, construction permits, environmental studies, evacuation plans, floor plans, fire safety system records, maintenance records, and surveys.

These records will reveal the true cost of owning the building and help the investor determine the property value. The findings will be compiled in the detailed property condition report. 

The report has all the evidence of observations, photos for clarification, and recommendations. We also include the cost estimate for repairs and future replacements.

Preventive Maintenance Inspection

A preventive maintenance program is a requirement in commercial building inspection Sydney. How often this needs to be done depends on the unique needs and complexity of the subject property.

It’s common for sizable and complex properties like educational facilities, manufacturing facilities, convention centres, hotels, and full-time maintenance staff. Commercial building inspection Sydney experts should interview these individuals to gain their insight into a particular building.

In contrast, owners of less complex properties may hire Effective Building & Consultancy commercial property inspectors to perform inspections at certain times. The purpose of the commercial building inspection Sydney experts to provide the current physical condition of the property. This provides a critical part of effective and efficient preventive maintenance.

How Can EBC Help You with Commercial Building Inspection Sydney?

All commercial properties require maintenance to allow constant use and safe operating conditions. Preventive maintenance is a form of proactive maintenance that can lengthen service life and prevent equipment failure.

Having commercial building inspection Sydney also includes checking common critical assets, such as mechanical, electrical, and plumbing. However, certain building types have their maintenance considerations.  

In this situation, Effective Building & Consultancy commercial property inspectors are your experts to call to address the inspection aspects of the building.

For more information about Sydney building inspection, visit our Help Centre.