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7. 3 Defects and Restoration Method

7.3.1 Settlement

Being beside the sea and near to the swamp, the soft earth under

the building is exposed to tremendous stress, causing

consolidation. According to the datum line, there was slight

uneven settlement happening to the building. Uneven settlement

of building may cause safety concern that may lead to the premise

no longer safe to be occupied. Movement of the foundations and

footing will cause columns to shift vertically, causing walls to crack

and openings such as doors and windows to malfunction.

The only way seem to repair this issue is through hydraulic jacking

or piercing. (Freeman, 1995) Steel posts are driven through

unstable soil and hydraulic jacks are used to raise or stabilize

concrete slabs affected by changes in the underlying soil. Once

raised, the beam is held to elevation by a specially designed

spread footing and pier. The footing is set deep enough so that it

will be independent of variations in soil moisture. It is also

designed to adequately distribute the load without creating

unnecessary bulk or mass. The pier is tied into the footing with

steel and supports the foundation beam.

Plate 7.42: Datum line to show settlement on the left elevation of Bilik Beristirehat.

Plate 7.43: Hydraulic jacking.

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7.3.2 Parasitic Plants Growth

A parasitic oak fern plant can be seen growing wrong side up

through the opening the roof gutters. Fern plant prefers shady and

warm and moist area which explains a lot why the plant is creeping

beneath the roof to avoid direct sunlight as well as to obtain

moisture from the drenched gutter using its hairy rhizome root.

Another stag-horn ferns or bird's nest fern can be observed

growing healthily out of the overlapping gap of the Bilik Beristirehat

roof. The roof may develop through the gap of the terracotta tiles

and causing water leakage in the building. (Mabberley, 1997)

Lack of proper maintenance is the main reason for its growth and

the plants may cause wood to decompose if not exterminated

immediately. The only way to treat this issue is to avoid and extract

the plants as early as possible through frequent inspection and

maintenance of every corners of the building.

Plate 7.44: Parasitic oak fern plant on gutter.

Plate 7.45: Bird’s nest fern plant on roof.

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7.3.3 Biological Deterioration & Damage to Wooden

Components

Damage done by soft-root fungi on the external door located on

the third garden wall. (Cohen, 1981) The fungus secrete cellulose

to break down the fiber in the wooden door, especially the lower

part as it is situated to the fungi infested garden ground as well as

longer exposure to moisture being the lowest point of the vertical

panel.

Other notable wooden components going through decay include

the wooden windows, wooden roof ornamentation, exterior doors

and suspended timber flooring at the first floor.

Although they are all made of hard wood like cengal, but they still

risk the attack of fungi if not maintained properly and frequently.

The solutions to this matter include replace all deteriorating

wooden parts with a completely new one and code all wooden

parts with a layer of paint, shellac or varnish to protect it against

abrasion, weather condition and fungi attack. The restoration

process may risk the loss of original details to the building if not

done professionally.

Plate 7.46: Decayed garden door.

Plate 7.47: Damaged windows with a missing piece.

Plate 7.48: Deterioration of wooden ornamentation.

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7.3.4 Salt Attack and Rising Damp

The problem of salt attack is closely related to rising damp. The

moisture from the rising damp can either make the salts in the

building material itself soluble or the ground water that contains

salt dissolve into wall of the building. This moisture then

evaporated on the surface leaving the salt residues behind. High

salt concentrations in masonry walls may cause extensive fretting

and crumbling of the lower parts of walls.

Restoration progress can be seen on the stripped brick walls

which are getting ready to carry out cocoon treatment and

chemical damp-proof injection course. The cocoon layer which is

a poultice medium designed specifically to remove salts

associated with rising damp from masonry walls is applied for two

to six weeks. Pressure injection chemical damp-proof courses with

salt retarder additive are injected to the lower part of all walls and

columns to prevent rising damp. Later, the walls will be plastered.

Plate 7.49: Cocoon treatment and Westox Cocoon.

Plate 7.51: Injection machine and Westox Injection Fluid product.

Plate 7.50: Pressure injection process done by contractor.

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7.3.5 Broken Roof Tiles

The terracotta roof tiles are brittle and fragile which can be seen

from the figure when measuring activity was carried out on the roof.

Without the insulation layer, the broken tiles will expose the interior

to water leakage, weather condition and enter of pest such as

birds or bats. The water leakage and animal dropping will cause

biological deterioration on the first floor’s wooden flooring.

A harder and stronger material of roof tile can replace the old ones

without changing to design so that the authenticity of the building

can be maintained.

7.4.6 Degrading Paint

Paint can be seen cracking and flaking off, exposing the previous

paint color as well as the concrete base, affecting the aesthetic of

the building. The remove all of the paint by scraping or using a

heat gun, sand the surface until smooth and even, prime, and

repaint with a quality latex paint.

Plate 7.52: Broken roof tiles near the roof lantern.

Plate 7.53: Piles of new tiles kept in the store room.

Plate 7.54: Current white paint with seen through old yellow paint.