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CharlieCornwall

Posts: 18

Location: Playa Blanca

Joined: 19 Mar 2022

Continuing my research and coming to PB early May to view property. I have been warned by a resident from UK about the poor quality build of villa’s etc. Single block construction, electrics and plumbing installed within walls, problems with damp, mould in wardrobes on outside walls and ingresses of water through windows and roof!! Not the complete list. Any comments from your experience and advice on how to make sure anything I buy will be ok? Does a survey carry the same guarantees as it does in UK? Thanks Charlie 

Iqbabe

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2022 7:41pm

Posts: 72

13 helpful points

Location: Costa Teguise

Joined: 29 Nov 2021

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2022 7:41pm

CharlieCornwall wrote on Thu Apr 21, 2022 2:18pm:

Continuing my research and coming to PB early May to view property. I have been warned by a resident from UK about the poor quality build of villa’s etc. Single block construction, electrics and plumbing installed within walls, problems with damp, mould in wardrobes on outside walls and ingress...

...es of water through windows and roof!! Not the complete list. Any comments from your experience and advice on how to make sure anything I buy will be ok? Does a survey carry the same guarantees as it does in UK? Thanks Charlie 

It is true that they use the Lava blocks for builds, which are not waterproof, the island has many other magical qualities. Most buildings have quirks, the safer ones tend to be the old fincas, but it all depends on location, who built it etc.. and how they were taught when building.

litespeed

Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2022 10:04am

Posts: 10

9 helpful points

Location: Tao

Joined: 14 Oct 2021

Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2022 10:04am

Building quality in general is poor, best are the old pre tourist era property, where you just have rotting wood to deal with, in the tourist era, say mid sixties to modern day, a lot of unprotected steel was/is used in the construction. This of course expands due to oxidation (rust), cracks the poured concrete or blocks, the steel goes on to disappear completely leaving a pile of rust and very unstable buildings. In the old days because of the limited supply of fresh water, sea water was used for making concrete with even more rapid disastrous results! I hope and trust that current regulations are rather better.  However cavity walls, or insulation to my knowledge are not required, to a large extent justifiably, as cold climate requirements are not an issue, but other benefits of cavity walls are lost, water ingress is big problem, as far as I can see it relies totally on exterior paint, any flaking or cracks will allow water to penetrate and eat away at your steel re-bar! 

CharlieCornwall

Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2022 11:45am

CharlieCornwall

Original Poster

Posts: 18

Location: Playa Blanca

Joined: 19 Mar 2022

Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2022 11:45am

litespeed wrote on Wed Apr 27, 2022 10:04am:

Building quality in general is poor, best are the old pre tourist era property, where you just have rotting wood to deal with, in the tourist era, say mid sixties to modern day, a lot of unprotected steel was/is used in the construction. This of course expands due to oxidation (rust), cracks the ...

...poured concrete or blocks, the steel goes on to disappear completely leaving a pile of rust and very unstable buildings. In the old days because of the limited supply of fresh water, sea water was used for making concrete with even more rapid disastrous results! I hope and trust that current regulations are rather better.  However cavity walls, or insulation to my knowledge are not required, to a large extent justifiably, as cold climate requirements are not an issue, but other benefits of cavity walls are lost, water ingress is big problem, as far as I can see it relies totally on exterior paint, any flaking or cracks will allow water to penetrate and eat away at your steel re-bar! 

Thanks very concerning and impossible to see from outside. I would be buying a modern villa!! 

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