Structural Survey Report for a Residential Building on Plot 933A in Modipane Village

1 INTRODUCTION

CPP Botswana (Pty) Ltd was commissioned by the client, Mr. Joel Nyame, to conduct a structural
condition survey of a residential property situated on plot 933A in Modipane Village, Kgatleng District,
Botswana. The Client requires a structural assessment of existing buildings on the aforementioned
piece of land to support his application for a bank loan to purchase the property.

A visit to plot 933A in Modipane was undertaken by Messrs M. Seralanyane and K.K. Mensah, structural
engineers from CPP Botswana, in order to carry out a detailed site inspection. The site inspection was
conducted on the afternoon of 30th March, 2017, with the intention of (1) identifying developments on
the property, and (2) visually examining and assessing the structural condition of the developments on
the plot. Some photographs captured during site inspection are provided to illustrate some of the
findings of the investigation.

2. FIELD WORK AND SITE INSPECTION

It is confirmed that a visual inspection, examination, and assessment of the property was conducted
with a view to determining its current structural integrity, stability, and soundness. It must be noted
that conditions of the property which were not patently visible and readily accessible were not
identified and are, therefore, not recorded in this report. The field investigation and site inspection
were executed in the presence of the Client, Mr. Nyame. Interviews were conducted with the Client
whilst on site with the intention of obtaining any relevant information pertaining to the performance of
the structure.

A thorough visual inspection was conducted on the outside of the building. The structure was locked,
hence inhibiting similar inspection of the inside of the building. Key dimensions for elements of the
structure were captured with the aid of a measuring tape. A pit was excavated using a hand-held shovel
in order to determine the founding conditions for the structure.

The visual survey was conducted with respect to accepted construction practice, performance and
failure of buildings as indicated by standard specifications of BS 8110 or SANS 10100 for concrete works,
BS 5628 or SANS 10164 for masonry, BS 8004 or SANS 10161 for foundations, and BS 5268 or SANS
10163 for timber.

2.1 Construction / As-Built Drawings and Geotechnical Reports

The Client declared that he was not in possession of any Construction or As-Built drawings for the
structure. He also did not have a geotechnical report describing the founding conditions for the
structure.

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 Structural Survey Report for a Residential Building on Plot 933A in Modipane Village

2.2 Thrust of the Visual Inspection

In view of the circumstances established above, the visual inspection of the structure set out to:

Assess the state of the load-bearing walls;

Assess the condition of the roof structure and drainage features
Assess the performance and condition of any beams, lintels included;
Expose the foundations and determine/characterise the founding conditions;
Assess the state of services of the building

3 DESCRIPTION OF THE STRUCTURE

3.1 Basic structure and superstructure walls

The main development on the plot is a simple single-storey two roomed dwelling unit structure. The
outside walls have not been painted but have been plastered with a cement/sand mortar. The building
covers a rectangular plan area. The Client has no indication as to when the structure was developed.
The building shows obvious signs of aging and deterioration, bearing visible cracks and other signs of
distress. Patches of eroded plaster coat on the outside walls reveal through-cracks in the building blocks
and mortar joints indicating poor quality materials and workmanship. The floor inside the building is
screeded with a steel float finish.

3.2 The roof structure and drainage features

The roof is a mono-pitched structure made of corrugated iron roofing sheets which are supported by
timber rafters that span along the width of the building. Purlins do not appear to have been included as
part of the roof structure/construction. No ceiling has been installed in the building. Roof gutters and
associated features (down pipes & perimeter drains and paving) are absent from the structure.
Furthermore, there is no building apron to assist in the drainage of water away from building periphery.

3.3 Beams and lintels

Although the building is plastered, there does not appear to be a ring beam. Portions of plastered walls
above windows have eroded, showing signs of precast lintels above window openings. Door openings
do not show signs of plaster peel-off, but since windows had lintels, it can be inferred that doors had
lintels as well. Futhermore, the door and window frames were intact showing no signs of distress which
can most likely be attributed to the presence lintels.

3.4 Exposing of foundations and founding conditions

A pit was excavated using a hand-held shovel to expose the founding conditions for the structure.
Inspection of the pit indicated low lying founding conditions as well as the absence of a spread footing.

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 Structural Survey Report for a Residential Building on Plot 933A in Modipane Village

3.5 Services

The building has a BPC power connection but has no plumbing appurtenances on the outside, indicating
the absence of a water connection to the building. There is no sewer line connection to the building.
The area in which the plot is situated is, however, fully serviced.

3.6 Cracking on the structure

There is extensive cracking on the structure. There are cracks at rafter-to-brick junctions as well as a
diagonal crack emanating from a top corner of the door frame. Cracks also emanate from the corners of
window frames at the front and back ends of the building.

4 FINDINGS FROM THE FIELD INVESTIGATION

Although the building still stands, the field investigation has revealed a number of shortcomings in terms
of construction methods and performance of the structure that affect its soundness and state of service.
The main findings from the inspection of the building are listed below:

Load bearing external walls are constructed using 150mm blocks

The building covers approximately 28.6 m2 of rectangular plan area, comprising 7.73m length
and 3.7m width. The mono-pitched roof structure has a slope of 3.7
The roof structure consists of 38x114mm timber rafters
The structure does not have a strip footing and rests on sub-structure block work that sits on
mildly compacted fill 400 mm below ground level.
Portions of plaster coat on the outside walls have eroded, leading to patches that on the surface
that expose cracks through the block work and mortar joints (see Figure 2). This state of
cracking and deterioration do not protect the building facility from the effects of weathering.
The roof timber rafters have visibly aged and deteriorated; they show signs of rot and cyclic
weathering. The rafters are not protected from water ingress and subsequent drying effects
due to the absence of fascia boards and no treatment. As a result, the timber has warped
noticeably. (see Figure 3)
The roof rafters are not intact and are unstable. This is evidenced by the rafters being anchored
using wire ties fixed to rocks on the ground. (see Figure 4)
In terms of drainage, the building has no roof gutters and downpipes. Furthermore, there is no
building apron to avert water from seeping to the vicinity of building foundations.
The building has no ceiling on the inside.
The building has no water connection as well as no sewerage disposal facilities. (see Figure 5).

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 Structural Survey Report for a Residential Building on Plot 933A in Modipane Village

Figure 1. Excavated pit in front of the building showing the absence of a strip footing at founding level.

Patches in plaster coat Cracks above windows

Figure 2. Patches in the plaster coat and cracks at corners of the window.

Warped rafter

Figure 3. Noticeably warped roof rafters.

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 Structural Survey Report for a Residential Building on Plot 933A in Modipane Village

Fixing to rocks on ground

Anchor ties

Figure 4. Rafters anchored by ties fixed to rocks on the ground.

BPC power connection

Figure 5. Rear of the building showing only a BPC power connection; no water and sewer connections.

5 CONCLUSIONS

A number of shortcomings and performance defects (through-cracks, plaster peel-off, no footings) have been identified
with the structure situated on plot 933A in Modipane Village. In view of the established problems with the structure in
its current state, the engineers do not consider the building as suitable for further habitable use.

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Structural Survey Report for a Residential Building on Plot 933A in Modipane Village