Apartment buyers do well to learn about home inspection (bedek bayit) and construction defects in particular, and more broadly about the many topics that affect housing and quality of life. This section collects our original articles, written especially for our readers. Enjoy the read.
Installing piping in bathrooms and damage to waterproofing
Installing bathroom piping often damages the waterproofing. How can this be avoided?
Tiles coming loose: flooring
Money hiding under the tiles?
One of the most common construction defects is tiles coming loose from the flooring bed.
Home inspection price
What does a home inspection cost, and how do you compare providers?
When to carry out a home inspection
The best time to have a home inspection engineer check your new apartment.
Why construction defects are so common in new apartments
We expect a new product fresh off the production line to be in perfect condition and quality-checked. Does the same hold for apartments?
Defects in a building's parking garage
The Ramat HaHayal parking garage collapse raised hard questions about garage safety.
What are the red flags to watch for?
Court ruling: non-conformity with the technical specification
Sometimes what is actually in the apartment does not match the technical specification the contractor committed to.
For deviations like these, the contractor owes the resident financial compensation.
Engineering accompaniment during a court expert's visit
Does it matter whether the building engineer who carried out the original inspection is present when the court-appointed expert comes to visit the apartment?
Do apartments built by purchasing groups have more construction defects?
Is there a link between an apartment being built as part of a purchasing group and a greater number of construction defects turning up in it?
On dampness, leaks, and neighbor disputes
Dampness problems are often a breeding ground for more than mold: they breed disputes between neighbors too. How do you establish who is responsible, and how should repair costs be split?
Safety defects: windows and railings
Windows and railings are the boundary between our home and the world outside.
How do we make sure they are actually keeping us safe?
Why it is important to have a home inspection: all the good reasons
Could you already be paying for the repair of construction defects you never actually claimed?
Tips for choosing ceramic and porcelain tile flooring
Porcelain tile or ceramic, imported or domestic, fashionable or practical: how do you choose the right flooring?
Flooring defects
What to pay attention to when buying flooring, and the defects that can occur in the material itself and during its installation.
What to watch out for in the handover protocol
The handover protocol is a concept familiar to anyone buying a new apartment from a contractor.
It is important to know how to approach it, and what to watch out for.
Window defects
The problems that can occur with a window or its installation, and why it is worth ordering a home inspection
to find defective windows.
The inspection period and why it is recommended to check the apartment
We often come across the term "inspection period" (tkufat bedek): what it means, and how
it relates to the decision to hire an expert engineer to check our apartment.
When it is worth ordering a home inspection service
At the handover protocol stage, you sign to confirm that you received the apartment after checking it for defects.
Miss one, and the contractor can claim the defect did not exist at the time of handover.
What to check on the balcony of a new building
Construction defects on balconies can hurt both their appearance and the safety that is so essential there.
Construction defects in a shared building's stairs
You bought a new apartment from a contractor and everything looks new and nice; you want a little rest from chasing after professionals. Did you know that when you received the keys, you also received a "warranty" period from the contractor, and that it is worth using it?
How to check for defects in shutters
What needs to be checked on shutters, and how to tell that one is defective or was installed incorrectly.
Would you have thought to have the stairs engineering-inspected? The defects that can turn up in a staircase.
Defects in a house's interior stairs
Think about the interior stairs in a cottage or a split-level apartment: how many times a day might you go up and down them? What can happen when stairs are uncomfortable to use, or worse, cause you or your guests to trip and get hurt?
Construction defects in stairs
About to buy a cottage or a penthouse? Pay attention to the interior stairs.
How to save electricity in summer
Just before summer has us closing the windows and turning on the air conditioner, a few ideas for cooling the house and cutting electricity costs.
Home inspection starts at the doorstep
For a new apartment from a contractor, a home inspection matters because the apartment is still under the contractor's warranty, and you can demand repairs for construction defects and non-conformities with the technical specification.
Won't you invest in a home inspection?
A home inspection is the service everyone is talking about, and even in the least favorable case, it can lower the cost of the property for you by tens of percent.
Construction defects in shutters
Since an apartment from a contractor is covered by the technical specification the contractor committed to the buyers, it is best to have an engineer specializing in home inspection identify any defects.
Checking windows as part of a home inspection
Windows carry broad significance: for waterproofing and insulation, acoustics, light and air, and safety and protection.
Home inspection and the soundness of doors
Doors can develop various flaws and defects, but only a particularly professional and experienced eye, such as a home inspection engineer's, can identify all of them.
Inspecting a new apartment also means checking the doors: what looks like a minor construction defect, or may not even be noticed by an untrained eye, can turn out to be a real one.
The cost of repairing construction defects found in the house should fall on the contractor if this is a new apartment.
Construction defects are not just about waterproofing
A home inspection of a new apartment from a contractor, followed by timely repairs, also prevents the chain of nuisances and faults that would otherwise follow.
Construction defects from summer damage
It is recommended to have the structure inspected for construction defects, and to pay attention to the apartment's thermal insulation.
Construction defects in flooring: repair or replace?
A building inspection aimed at finding construction defects will help you understand what counts as defective flooring and what falls within the norm.
To protect the house, it is recommended to consult an objective home inspection expert who can scan and examine it comprehensively.
Home inspection in a new apartment from a contractor: plaster defects
It is very important to have a new apartment inspected before purchase.
Apartments from a contractor are under warranty for a limited period of time.
Plaster home inspection: checking plaster in a resale apartment
When people think about inspecting an apartment, or in the more common term, a home inspection, they mainly think of checking for leaks and dampness, and sometimes they go further and realize the flooring, radiation, and waterproofing should be checked too. Who thinks to check the plaster?
Checking railings in an apartment before purchase
Railings are one of the important elements to check in an apartment or house before purchase.
Checking railings in apartments
A home inspection is the only check that can give you comprehensive information about the various construction defects in a property, and this time it is about railings.
Construction defects: tile roofs
Construction defects in a roof can hurt its appearance, but worse, they can cause significant damage to the house.
Home inspection: kitchen counters
Carrying out a home inspection in kitchens takes extra care, since a kitchen has many elements where construction defects can occur.
Home inspection: kitchen cabinets
Every home inspection aims to find various construction defects that can be a nuisance, cause unnecessary expenses down the line, or pose a risk to the residents of the house.
Home inspection: kitchen cabinets, part 2
The kitchen is a very important place in the house, and the kitchen cabinets are an important and essential part of it. Every building inspection carried out by a home inspection engineer includes an inspection of the kitchen, cabinets included.
Home inspection for lightweight roofs
The building inspection process carried out by a home inspection engineer includes, among other things, inspecting residential roofs and roofs of industrial structures.
Home inspection for interior door installation
A home inspection covers interior doors too. Before you decide on purchasing them, know which flaws to look for, especially in the installation.
Construction defects: falling stone cladding
The subject of stone cladding, and all its possible failures, has been discussed many times.
Construction defects in piping
During home inspections of an apartment, we frequently come across unusual construction defects in the plumbing. Usually, these are not only a failure in the water system but also a safety failure.
A home inspection to find construction defects will catch this problem and save you unexplained dampness problems.
Why to have a construction defects inspection before buying an apartment
You can see signs of plaster peeling above the flooring baseboards, but do you know whether the dampness behind it is still active or has already dried out?
Preparedness and readiness for disasters
This article is published on our site in the context of home inspection of common areas, and is meant to raise awareness of the negative scenarios that can occur in tall residential buildings.
How much does a home inspection service cost
Prices that are too low should raise your suspicion. In a home inspection, the engineer's level of professionalism is what can prevent costly damage later on, so it is not worth cutting corners here.
Thermal camera for leak detection
One of the most common problems for which people hire a construction defects (home inspection) engineer is dampness and leaks. In winter, the apartment's waterproofing adds to this. Ordering a home inspection service helps locate the source of the leak.
Toward the end of building the apartment, the installation of sanitary fixtures begins. These fixtures include a bathtub, a shower tray, toilets, sinks and so on.
Construction defects and cracks
Cracks cause distress, especially after moving into a new house, or after renovations. You do not need to hire a home inspection company to diagnose them: everyone understands that cracks in walls indicate construction defects.
Construction defects: waterproofing, part 1
Why is it that 4,000 years ago, one person managed to waterproof a giant ship that sailed the sea for a whole year, while today more than 30% of the buildings in Israel suffer from waterproofing defects?
Construction defects: waterproofing, part 2
Is concrete watertight?
Theoretically, yes, but in practice, in the field, no. Under strict controlled conditions, watertight concrete can be produced.
Construction defects: waterproofing, part 3
Having covered the central waterproofing principles and discussed the various aspects of concrete as a waterproofing material and the conditions under which it does seal, this article expands on the failure points of underground waterproofing that lead to construction defects.
Construction defects: waterproofing, part 4
One of the biggest problems is that waterproofing is very hard to inspect and evaluate, unless the inspector has very broad knowledge and experience.
On home inspection and deviation from standards
The construction industry has many execution details that constitute proper execution standards (good practice).
But sometimes these details do not appear in the official standard, or even in the interministerial specification of the Ministry of Defense, which serves as a benchmark for proper execution.
In such cases, is an expert engineer permitted to determine that construction defects exist, or must he adhere strictly to the content of the standards?
Home inspection in the kitchen
One of the areas where a home inspection engineer finds many construction defects is the kitchen.
When a kitchen is designed, one of the important things to consider is the location of the outlets and switches.
Does a home inspection support marital harmony?
Couples often have to deal with construction defects in their home during their first steps as a couple. How do construction defects affect the relationship? Can a home inspection help and contribute in such cases?
Dampness penetration from balconies
Dampness is one of the most troubling and common problems in our country.
Looking at the sources of the problem, we quickly find that one of the most common causes of dampness penetrating apartments is a defect in a balcony's waterproofing system, which lets water seep into the apartment.
Flooring is one of the most prominent and common construction defects troubling residents. How can construction defects in a house's flooring be prevented?
Below is a detailed quality control plan for flooring, covering the various stages from ordering through to completion of the work.
Garbage chutes in shared buildings
A garbage chute, also called a garbage shaft, is meant to spare residents of tall buildings the "pleasure" of riding the elevator with a smelly bin. However, it is often the garbage shaft itself that brings faults and problems that make life in the building harder.
This article summarizes several rules meant to keep a building's garbage chute working efficiently.
What to demand from a home inspection engineer
Thinking of having a home inspection done on your apartment? Here are some good tips on what to demand from a construction defects and home inspection engineer, to get the most professional service.
The engineers of Arad Bedek Bayit, led by building engineer Ron Arad, whom courts appoint as their own expert on construction defects. The company has been inspecting apartments and buildings since 2001. Engineer Ron Arad · More about the company