Canterbury’s mix of older timber homes, renovated period properties, and newer slabs can hide subtle floor movement—especially where reactive soils, drainage changes, and established trees influence footing performance.
Answer a few quick questions to receive your personalised quote for Canterbury
Complete this step to continue
Our comprehensive service includes everything you need to make an informed decision about your property.
We take a structured set of digital readings across accessible internal floor areas to create a clear picture of level changes. This matters because movement patterns often show up as a consistent fall, a localised dip, or a ridge line—details that a visual check can miss.
We pinpoint where the floor is highest and lowest and note the direction of fall. This helps you understand whether the building is presenting as a general slope (often linked to overall footing performance) or an isolated area (often linked to localised support issues).
Where accessible, we focus readings around join lines between original sections and newer works, such as rear extensions common in Canterbury. Differential movement can show up at these transitions and may correlate with cracking, sticking doors, or uneven thresholds.
We concentrate measurements near bathrooms, laundries, and kitchens where leaks or wet-area failures can affect subfloor moisture or slab edges. Identifying a localised change in level near wet areas can guide further investigations before repairs become more invasive.
If we observe relevant signs during the service—such as gaps at skirtings, out-of-square door frames, or cracking patterns—we note how these may align with the floor level readings. This connects the data to what you can see and feel in the home.
You receive a report that summarises the readings, highlights areas of concern, and explains what the pattern can suggest for this style of home. Where appropriate, we recommend sensible follow-ups (such as plumbing checks, drainage review, or engineering advice) based on the findings.
Discover why thousands of property buyers trust us with their most important investment.
Professional inspections with attention to every detail. Here's a glimpse of our work.
Inspection photo 1
Inspection photo 2
Inspection photo 3
Find answers to the most frequently asked questions about our inspection service.
Yes. Many Canterbury houses have suspended timber floors where stump condition, subfloor moisture, and past re-levelling can influence how the floor sits. A digital survey measures the actual level variations across rooms and helps identify whether the pattern looks like gradual settlement, a localised support issue, or differential movement near an extension. It’s a practical data set to take to a builder or engineer for next steps.
The survey measures and documents the floor level changes and highlights patterns consistent with movement, but it doesn’t diagnose a single “must-do” repair on its own. The results help narrow the likely causes and the urgency. If readings suggest significant or uneven movement, we’ll recommend the most sensible follow-up, such as a subfloor inspection, plumbing leak checks, drainage review, or an engineer’s assessment.
We measure accessible internal floor areas where safe access is available, taking multiple readings to map variations across rooms and corridors. We pay attention to transitions such as hallways, doorway thresholds, and areas near wet rooms because these can show movement patterns. If parts of the home are not accessible due to furniture, stored items, or floor coverings, we’ll note any limitations in the report.
They can. In leafy parts of Canterbury, mature trees and garden irrigation may influence ground moisture around footings, which can contribute to seasonal ground movement on reactive soils. Over time this can present as sloping floors, sticking doors, or cracking that changes with weather. A digital floor level survey helps you quantify what the floor is doing and whether the movement appears broad and gradual or concentrated in particular zones.
Use the measurements to decide whether the slope is minor and consistent with the home’s age or whether it’s concentrated and likely linked to a specific issue. The report can guide questions to the agent or vendor about past repairs, drainage works, or extensions, and it can help your builder or engineer scope further checks. It’s also useful for budgeting, because it shows where attention is most needed.
Still have questions?
Get in TouchACE Building and Pest Inspections delivers clear, measured floor level results suited to Canterbury’s mix of period homes and renovated extensions—call 0485 857 077 to arrange an inspection.