The building stock
Richmond’s remedial profile is defined by conversion. Former industrial and warehouse buildings converted to apartments carry the fabric of one use and the performance expectations of another: roof and drainage systems adequate over a factory floor do not meet the standard required over habitable rooms.
Alongside that sits the usual inner-Melbourne Victorian terrace stock and a substantial layer of recent apartment development.
Typical defect profile
Converted warehouses fail at roof level. Original industrial roofs, box gutters sized for a different era, parapets never designed to be weather-critical, and skylights added during conversion. Box gutters are the recurring item: undersized, with inadequate overflow provision, and located directly above habitable space. When they surcharge, water enters the building.
Conversion-era waterproofing. Wet areas and terraces created during conversion are now old enough to be failing, and the standard of detailing across the conversion period was inconsistent. Bathrooms over habitable rooms are a common source of the leak that is initially attributed to the roof.
Structural interventions from the conversion. Openings cut through masonry walls, mezzanines added, and penetrations trimmed. Where this work was carried out competently it is not apparent; where it was not, it presents as cracking that requires engineering assessment rather than a render patch.
Recent developments: defect rectification. Richmond has had sustained apartment development, which produces a steady population of buildings within or recently past their defect liability period. Balcony thresholds, planter terminations and cladding interfaces are the items that dominate those lists.
Investigating converted buildings
Converted buildings are the most difficult category to scope from a visual inspection, because the construction remains unknown until it is opened up. Original fabric, conversion-era work and subsequent modifications are layered, and drawings are frequently incomplete or absent.
We approach them with additional investigation: moisture mapping to establish the actual wet footprint, flood testing to isolate entry points, and representative openings agreed in advance. This costs more at the outset than a visual quotation and reduces the exposure to conditions discovered during the works.
Defect rectification for builders
For builders working through owners corporation defect lists on Richmond projects, verification precedes rectification: each claimed item is tested rather than the list being accepted in full. Some items are not defects, and some are design issues rather than workmanship. Establishing which is which protects the builder’s position while closing out the genuine items conclusively.