As mentioned, first time home buyers new to Melbourne with no background in building/trades, etc. No contacts in the city. Looking to purchase a 'forever home' that we can enjoy for at least a few decades to come.
Inspection of a 25 yr old townhouse in Reservoir found two particular major defects that I want to get advice on.
First is rising damp: inspector thinks it is most likely a drainage issue. Pics below:
Edit to add: across the street from this property has got a high flood risk. the property itself is on reasonably flat ground but is at the bottom of a hill. could rising damp be inherent to the soil vs. a drainage issue?
Second issue: Wood rot in the sub-floor timbers. Inspector notes: "it is highly likely that the kitchen cabinetry along the side and rear walls will need to be removed. If the structural integrity of the timber framework has been compromised, there is no alternative but to remove the kitchen to allow for invasive works."
Sub-floor access is very difficult in this property so a full inspection was not possible. Inspector is surprised how bad this is, and because he could not touch the floor, we don't know if this is from an active or old leak. Pics below.
In addition to this, one bathroom needs to be gutted as it is leaking into the adjacent hallway + dining room downstairs and overall drainage on the property are flagged as major defects.
Questions:
-Your overall sentiment -- is this an extensive amount of work to undertake as people who have no clue what they are doing. We would want to fix all these issues properly with a particular concern being to not live in a mold infested property. -Inspector has repeatedly said the property has solid bones, but I think overestimates our ability to find reliable trades and get the job done.
-What is the worst case scenario for these? From what I have read, some people have paid upwards of 100k to install proper drainage, etc.