Defect Library

Building Defect Library

The defects we keep finding on real buildings — explained in plain English by the engineers who inspect and fix them. What each defect is, what actually causes it, how serious it is, and the remedial fix that lasts (not the patch that comes back).

Structural & Timber

Roof Trusses

Nail Plate Backout

The gang nail plates holding your roof trusses together are working loose — and hammering them back in fixes nothing. Why plates withdraw, and the repair that restores the joint.

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Concrete & Masonry

Reinforced Concrete

Concrete Spalling ("Concrete Cancer")

Rusting reinforcement bursts the concrete off from within — and cosmetic patches guarantee it comes back. Carbonation, chlorides, and how a proper repair is done.

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Tiling & Finishes

Floors & Balconies

Tile Tenting

Tiles that suddenly pop into a ridge with a bang. The compressive-stress mechanism behind it, why missing movement joints are almost always the cause, and how to reinstate a floor that will not tent again.

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Facade & Waterproofing

Balcony Doors & Thresholds

Pitting and Corrosion of Aluminium Sub-Sills

The tray under a balcony sliding door sits in wet cement, touches other metals and holds salty water, and pits through while the frame still looks new. How to recognise it, why sealant never fixes it, and the replacement detail that lasts. With photos from an ECE investigation.

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Leaks Caused by Cavity Flashings

The leak that only appears in storms from one direction. How the hidden flashings inside brick walls fail, how the entry point is traced, and why surface sealants never fix it.

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More defect guides in our Insights library: efflorescence on waterproofed areas · foundation movement and cracking · parapet and balcony weatherproofing risk · leaking basements · wall sarking defects. This library grows as we publish — new defects are added from what we find on real inspections.

Dealing with one of these defects on your building? Talk to our engineers — inspection, diagnosis, and a remedial scope that ends the repeat repairs.

Field Notes

Lessons From Real Jobs, Straight to Your Inbox

Practical findings from our structural, facade and waterproofing work — defects we keep seeing, details that work, and the code clauses that catch people out.