Firstly, I have actually been a victim of a ceiling collapse.

So, many years ago my partner and I were finally ready to take the plunge and buy a home together. Home opens on weekends were the norm, for about 6 months straight…. Trying to find the “one”. One night I noticed the boyfriend on his Laptop looking at Harley’s….. I remember thinking…. “omg, this guy has no idea, I mean, are we ever going to get our own place, is he ever going to propose, look at him looking at these choppers” *head prickling, eyes rolling*….so many thoughts running through my childish head. (Luv u babe xx)

About ten minutes passed (and I’m sure at this point, if he looked at me he would be able to see the steam coming out of my head) and while surfing the web, he yells “write down this number quick, ring this guy and ask if you can see this property first thing tomorrow…its the one babe”. Gobbed smacked, I wrote down that damn number so fast, I couldn’t read it.

Fast forward to the next day, I drop the BF off at the air port in the wee hours of the morning (FIFO) and head home to wait impatiently for it to be an acceptable time to call this real estate agent.

Yay, 9 am hits and I call him. He said I could meet him at the house straight away to give me an exclusive viewing. So I drove down as fast as I (legally) could….. and boy did I fall in love with this house. A gorgeous 1960’s split storey, character home, with dungeons…. umm oops, I mean wine cellars….. it was everything we wanted.

Walking around, I noticed a few marks on the ceiling and questioned the agent, he shrugged it off and said he had a building inspector out the day before and the inspector said it was nothing to be worried about. Now, I  had a really bad feeling about this ceiling (and the agent), there were a few cracks here and there. I told him that I wanted to get another inspectors opinion and to check it out on our behalf. Well, let me tell you, this agent spent a solid 10 minutes talking me out of it. And he convinced me, I believed every word he said, plus he was a friend of a family member, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt.

I give him an offer, and we negotiated back and forth, till finally, we came to a price we were both happy with. So, the settlement goes through and finally, we have a home! To my surprise, the boyfriend wanted to take me over seas on a short holiday…. We came back engaged AND pregnant. This is it, everything is falling into place perfectly, and it felt amazing.

So here I was 5 months pregnant, watching Australian Idol, the “Fiancee” was away working and I see the light on my lounge room ceiling move. At first, i thought it was a ghost (not gonna lie, 60’s home, with cellars underneath AND I was alone). Next, I hear a little creek from up above…. I look up and I just felt the sudden urge to run out of the lounge room as fast as my swollen legs could let me. As I got up and ran as fast as I could, our ceiling collapsed, not just a little hole either……. I mean the WHOLE  lounge room ceiling collapsed. The house was filled with dust from the insulation, I just cried, (and part of me wanted to hunt that damn agent down – rule #1, don’t mess with a pregant woman). Luckily we were insured and had it fixed quickly.

So I want to share this article with you all so that you dont have to go through the un nessecary ordeal i had to go through, while 5 months pregant, with a fear of paranormal activites.

When you have finally found “THE ONE” and your heart is set on the property becoming your home, we at ProProperty Group strongly advise you get a proper building report executed on your behalf prior to writing an offer.

A ceiling collapse can cause serious injury to anyone present at the time of collapse and it can also cause extensive damage to a room’s contents and structure. Repairing a ceiling costs less than doing nothing and fixing the results when it fails, so timely action is important.

Between December 2014 and November 2015, Consumer Protection received 129 enquiries and seven complaints regarding the partial or complete collapse of a ceiling.

Collapses may occur because of storm damage, water leaks, inappropriate use or access to roof space, inappropriate materials or poor workmanship.

The Building Commission carried out an investigation after becoming aware of a number of unexplained ceiling collapses, particularly in homes constructed between 2005 and 2007.  The Building Commission found that a common occurrence at each home was the poor application of adhesive.

The amount and positioning of adhesive for fixing of gypsum plasterboard are well documented by manufacturers and forms a critical component of the ceiling sheeting fixing process. Any reduction in the amount or misplacement of the adhesive will affect the capacity of the sheeting to remain fixed to the ceiling framing.

Warning Signs

The residents of the homes inspected had all noticed warning signs of the ceiling being under stress prior to the collapse. Unfortunately, these warning signs seemed minor to the residents and on their own, they did not lead to a belief that there would be an imminent collapse.

Warning signs that a ceiling is under stress or failing may include:
• a loud cracking sound in the ceiling;
• a sagging or dropping of the plasterboard sheeting and/or the cornice; and
• visual cracking and/or small circles or blisters (nail pops) on the ceiling, which are a sign the plasterboard sheeting may be pulling away from the nails or screws.

If the warning signs are present, action needs to be taken. The Building Commission’s Spontaneous Ceiling Collapse fact sheet includes checks homeowners can carry out or have carried out, advice on what to do if they find a warning sign and ceiling care tips.

Stef!