Mulch and Garden Beds Close to House
Mulch and Garden Beds Close to House is a high-severity drainage defect SURE inspectors have documented across 1,499 inspection reports. Highest concentration in Ellenbrook.
Causes
- Landscaping design.
- Landscaping design placing garden beds and mulch in direct contact or close proximity to the building foundation
- Landscaping design placing garden beds and mulch directly against the building perimeter
- Landscaping design placing garden beds and mulch directly against the building
- Regular watering practices maintaining moisture near the structure
Symptoms to look for
- Regular watering.
- Mulch and garden beds located close to the house throughout the site
- Mulch and garden beds visibly close to the building foundation/walls
- Garden beds and mulch directly adjacent to the building foundation.
- Garden beds and mulch directly against the building perimeter
Remedies
- Create a suitable gap between the building and garden beds to minimise the risk of concealed termite entry.
- Create a suitable gap between the building and garden beds to minimize the risk of concealed termite entry.
- Maintain a suitable gap between the building and garden beds to minimise concealed termite entry
- Consider using alternative landscaping materials that are less conducive to termites
- Create a suitable gap between the building and garden beds to minimize risk
Where we see this most
These suburbs show the highest concentration of mulch and garden beds close to house in our inspection data (minimum five observations). Click a suburb to see its full defect profile.
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Findings in this category skew high severity. If you are under contract, we can usually book inside the cooling-off window. Every inspection includes 12 months of free advice.
Curated entries in Drainage
- Curated 1–4/5Undrained Air Conditioner Overflow
Split-system and ducted air conditioners produce condensate that must be piped away from the building. Where the overflow line terminates against the wall or discharges onto soil at the perimeter, repeated wetting creates conducive conditions for subfloor moisture, termite activity, and rising damp in adjacent masonry or framing.
- Curated 1–4/5Inadequate Surface Water Drainage
Where surface water cannot drain freely away from the building perimeter, it accumulates against footings and walls, creating persistent soil moisture that is a primary conducive condition for termite activity and footing movement. The BCA requires finished ground levels to fall away from the building at a minimum 1:100 grade for at least 1 metre at every external wall.
- Curated 1–4/5Downpipes Not Connected to Storm Water
One or more downpipes discharge directly onto the ground at the building perimeter rather than into a stormwater system. Water concentrates against footings, raising the risk of footing movement, rising damp, and termite conducive conditions - we find this in 22.1% of all Perth inspection reports.
- Curated 1–3/5Debris in Gutters
Leaf litter, dirt, and organic matter accumulating in gutters blocks downpipes and causes water to back up, overflow, and saturate fascia and eave linings. We see this in 17.5% of all Perth inspection reports - one of the most frequent maintenance defects on the books.
- Curated 1–3/5Uneven Pathways
Differential settlement of concrete or paved pathways creates raised or sunken sections that direct surface water toward the building rather than away from it. Our inspectors record this in 7.86% of all Perth reports. Beyond water ponding and potential moisture ingress at the perimeter, uneven surfaces present a trip-hazard that may engage liability considerations for vendors and landlords.
- Curated 2–4/5Stormwater Drainage Directed Towards Building
Site grading or paving directing stormwater runoff towards the building foundation rather than away from it. Causes subfloor moisture accumulation, rising damp, and potential foundation movement on reactive soils.