You know what comes with it
One crack is not the same as another. We tell you which of them belongs to a house settling and which does not.
A property check before you buy
Property check in Erkelenz
You have found a house in Erkelenz and you want to know what you are taking on. We walk the property with you, look at the building fabric and write down what is sound, what you should keep an eye on and where something needs doing. Being the firm that carries out the work, we can also tell you what that work means.
- Property types
- House, flat, apartment building
- Scope
- Ten positions, checked by eye
- Result
- A finding class per position, in writing
Section 01Why
The costliest guesswork sits between the viewing and the notary
A viewing takes half an hour, the house stays with you for thirty years. In that half hour you see the kitchen and not the damp proofing. That is what this appointment is for.
You negotiate with arguments
What is written down can be discussed. Without a list you are talking about a feeling, with a list you are talking about positions.
You can plan the first years
Not everything has to happen at once. You learn what is due now, what is due in five years and what can simply stay as it is.
Section 02Scope
Ten positions recorded at every property
The sheet is the same at every appointment so that nothing slips through. Whatever the individual property adds, we record on top of it.
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Roof and roof structure
Covering, flashings, gutters and the visible timbers in the loft, together with traces of earlier moisture.
Included in the survey -
Facade and masonry
Cracks and the way they run, joints, render or clinker, and the junctions at windows, doors and roof.
Included in the survey -
Cellar, plinth and damp proofing
Damp patterns, salt edges, the plinth from outside and the damp proofing as far as it can be seen.
Included in the survey -
Slabs, columns and load bearing walls
Deflections, cracks at bearings and the question of whether later openings were properly supported.
Included in the survey -
Windows, doors and junctions
Seals, fittings, reveals, shutter boxes and the places where condensation collects.
Included in the survey -
Damp and mould
Bathroom, kitchen, external walls and cold corners, and whether a structural cause sits behind them.
Included in the survey -
Building services at a glance
Age and condition of heating, pipework and distribution, recorded by eye and prepared for the trade that will test them.
Included in the survey -
Grounds and drainage
Falls towards the house, channels, chambers, paving and the condition of the garage and outbuildings.
Included in the survey -
Alterations and extensions
What has been changed about the house, how it was carried out and what of it was once load bearing.
Included in the survey -
Documents and certificates
Plans, building description, certificates and invoices for earlier work, as far as the seller holds them.
Included in the survey
Section 03Finding classes
Three classes, so that a finding does not sound like a disaster
Every position is given one of three classes. That is the whole scale, and it is kept simple on purpose.
Sound
Checked, and on the day of the inspection there is no reason to do anything here.
Keep an eye on it
Visible, but not urgent. We note what you should watch over the next few years.
Needs work
Something has to be done here. We say what comes first and what effort to expect.
The display on this page explains the classes. It does not show the result for any particular property.
Section 04Booking
Give us the address and we will tell you what the house has to say
A phone call covers the first part. Address, year built, the date you have in mind, and we sort out the rest on the phone.
Section 05How it runs
Four steps from the enquiry to the report
You should know what happens before you pick up the phone. That is why the sequence is written out here.
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Enquiry
You give us the address, the year built and what you already know about the property. We tell you what the appointment costs.
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Inspection
We would rather walk the property together with you, from the street through the cellar up to the roof.
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Feedback on site
Still at the property we tell you what we have seen and which of it should occupy you.
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Report
You receive the positions in writing, with a finding class, photographs and an estimate of the effort involved.
Section 06Result
What is in the report you hold afterwards
The report is written so that you can put it in front of the seller, the bank or a tradesman without having to explain anything.
- Every position with its finding class and a short reason
- Photographs of the points we talked about
- What is due now, and what can wait without harm
- An estimate of the effort, seen from a firm that carries the work out
- Open points that need a specialist trade or a certificate
Section 07Limits
What this check does not do
An appointment where nothing at all stood out would sound convenient. Presenting the scope as larger than it is would be just as dishonest.
- We open no building components and drill no holes. The check is an inspection, not an intervention.
- Electrics, heating and ventilation are recorded but not measured. That belongs to the trade responsible for each of them.
- The report does not replace an expert opinion for a court or an insurer. For that you need a publicly appointed surveyor.
- What is hidden cannot be shown by an inspection. Where that is the case we write it down instead of passing over it.
Section 08Photographs
The parts of a building we look at first
These photographs come from our own building projects. They show the places where an existing house reveals how well it was built.
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Plinth and damp proofing Damp proofing and insulation at the plinth, own building project
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Facade in the scaffold Clinker facade of an apartment building, own building project
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Slab and bearings Concrete slab with propping, own building project
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Shell construction on the corner Storey build up of an apartment building, own building project
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Storeys in the scaffold Masonry and slabs across three storeys, own building project
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Pouring with a pump In situ concrete on site, own building project
Section 09Who inspects
A construction firm looks at a house differently from a brochure
We build cellars, slabs, masonry and alterations. Anyone who does that every day can see on an existing house how it was once built and what was changed later.
- Master craftsman business
- Viktor Knop took his master craftsman examination at the Handwerkskammer Düsseldorf and still runs the firm.
- Since 2008
- The business was founded in 2008 and became a GmbH four years later.
- Base and reach
- The registered office has been in Monheim am Rhein since 2019. Work is also carried out across Kreis Heinsberg, Erkelenz included.
- Our own people
- The team is made up of trained tradespeople and the firm own apprentices. One of them passed the master examination in 2022.
Section 10Area covered
Erkelenz and the towns around it
Erkelenz is the starting point for this page. We also travel to the neighbouring towns in Kreis Heinsberg for an appointment.
- Erkelenz
- Hückelhoven
- Wegberg
- Heinsberg
- Wassenberg
- Geilenkirchen
- Übach-Palenberg
- Gangelt
- Selfkant
- Waldfeucht
Section 11Questions
What buyers want to know first
Six questions that come up before almost every appointment.
That depends on size, year built and condition. Give us the address and the year built and we will tell you the price before any appointment is agreed.
Call us or write to us. We arrange the date directly with you and work around your notary appointment.
Yes, and we prefer it that way. What can be seen at the property is explained on site in two sentences and in the report in two paragraphs.
No. You receive a report from a construction company that you can follow point by point. For an opinion in court or for an insurer you need a publicly appointed surveyor.
Everything the seller holds: plans, the building description, the energy certificate and invoices for earlier work. If something is missing, that in itself is information.
Yes. With a flat we also look at the common property, because the roof, the facade and the cellar later concern every owner.
Section 12Enquiry
Request an inspection in Erkelenz
Write us a short note about the property. The more we know beforehand, the more precise the answer on the phone will be.
Phone
02165 171 666
Registered office
Knop Bauunternehmen GmbH
Frohnstr. 43, 40789 Monheim am Rhein
Working in
Erkelenz, Kreis Heinsberg