Specification and plans

At the home inspection appointment, hand the inspecting engineer the specification and the plans you signed with the seller.

Comparing measurements to the plan

We compare the actual width and length of every room and space to what the plan shows.

The contractor is allowed to deviate up to 2% from the measurements shown in the plan.

That said, if the contractor noted in the plan that the measurements are construction measurements rather than finished measurements, we also need to account for the thickness of the cladding (ceramic tile, plaster, and so on).

Beyond a deviation from the plan, there can be a protrusion from the wall that does not appear in the plan at all. For example, if the contractor ran a sewage or rainwater pipe outside the wall instead of embedding it in the casting, the pipe gets boxed in with drywall or cement board and ends up protruding into the room.

The question then is whether that protrusion is actually shown in the plan, or whether it amounts to a reduction of the room's area. In a bathroom or utility room, that reduction can be significant. The same applies to a column or any other protrusion that is missing from the plan and eats into the space.

Common defects in the plan itself

Sometimes the measurements match the plan, but the plan itself has defects built into it. For example:

Hallway width

Under the Planning and Building Regulations updated in 2008, a hallway leading to rooms should be 90 cm wide, while the entrance hallway in the apartment should be at least 100 cm. The hallway in the floor lobby also needs a minimum width, which we cover separately when we inspect the building's common areas.

Inexperienced or outdated planners sometimes get this wrong. These minimums matter for more than convenience: they are meant to keep a proper escape route open in an emergency.

Access distances to sanitary fixtures

A bathroom must be laid out so that every fixture, shower, sink, toilet, bathtub, washing machine, has the minimum access distance (width and length) required under the Halat (the Instructions for Sanitation Facilities). Below is an example of the access distance required for a toilet:

Checking against the technical specification

We check the technical specification with an eye for unusual items that appear on paper but are missing on site. For example:

Water heater preparation in the bathroom: the specification sometimes calls for a water heater hookup, which in practice may be just electrical wires coming out of the wall above the bathroom door, or sometimes only a sleeve for wires to be pulled through later.

Gas preparation on the balcony: some more generous specifications provide for a gas line on the balcony or in the garden for open-flame cooking. The gas pipe needs to protrude far enough to allow a connection, and its exit through the wall must be fully sealed.

Special outlet for the cooktop: an induction cooktop needs a dedicated three-phase outlet. Without it, the cooktop will not work properly.