The Black Museum of Building Defects

Compiled by John Schmitt
 

Disclaimer; some of these pictures have been digitally modified to enhance the visibility of the symptoms. In no way am I attempting to mislead the reader.  Certain features have been digitally obfuscated, to save others embarassment.

These pages contain about 100 kB of image information each, and may be slow to download. I have divided the page into episodes, so that you can pick and choose.

Episode 1; Tiling Defect 1

A good example of the problems which manifest themselves when tiles are tiled tight into corners.

Episode 2; Tiling Problem 2

The same site, but with additional problems.

Episode 3; The Dropped Bay Window

An increasingly common defect, something to beware of when you are looking to purchase a property.

Episode 4; Concrete spalling & Efflorescence

Concrete spalling is a serious problem, not just in houses, but in structures. Efflorescence is not so serious, but is unsightly.

Episode 5; More tiling misery

A terrible bodge comes unstuck in more ways than one.

Episode 6; Bad tiling again

Another classic failure, almost certainly perpetrated by a "professional tiler".

Subsidiary Disclaimer; The above is my opinion, and no implicit warranty exists.

Copyright notice: With the growth of the net, copyright law has become very complicated. You may reproduce this FAQ in any form from stone tablets to putting it on your homepage. You may distribute it to absolutely anyone. You may even add your own bits to it. However, if you remove my name from it, or try to pass it off as your own work, I will be very, very angry with you.

To the index

John Schmitt john49@mdx.ac.uk

Last updated 06/06/00