1. Roof and terrace waterproofing
Monsoon rain is not gentle. It arrives horizontally, at pressure, for hours, and it finds every unlapped membrane, every upstand that stops short and every terrace threshold detailed as if it would never be tested. Waterproofing is where the most money is lost in Phuket, and the cause is almost always a detail rather than the material.
What to look for: membrane upstands at least 150mm behind door thresholds, outlets set below the surrounding finish rather than proud of it, and no ponding on flat roofs and terraces after rain or a hose test. Look at ceilings and wall bases below every terrace for staining.
2. Hollow floor and wall tiles
Screeds laid and tiled too quickly in heat, with adhesive that skinned before the tile went down, give the hollow floors we find in nearly every new villa. They look perfect at handover and crack under furniture, foot traffic or a dropped pan later.
Tap every floor with a coin or screwdriver handle and note the count per room. A small number of isolated hollow tiles is a minor item; whole areas are a re-lay.
3. Drainage and falls
Showers that do not fall to the gully, decks that fall towards the house instead of away from it, and external drains that are set too high to collect anything. Run water everywhere and watch where it goes. Check that slider tracks have clear drainage slots — they are routinely blocked with grout.
4. Air-conditioning condensate
A condensate pipe laid flat, or worse falling backwards, shows nothing at handover and produces a stained ceiling in the second year. Run every unit for twenty minutes and confirm water is discharging where it should. Where pipes run through ceiling voids, ask to see the route.
5. Pool plant, bonding and lighting
Pools deserve their own inspection and rarely get one. The faults we see most are equipotential bonding missing from the pump, ladder or handrails; pool lights not protected by an RCD; valves that have never been run through backwash; and plant rooms with no drainage or ventilation.
Missing bonding is a safety issue, not a snag. It should be fixed and re-tested before anybody swims.
6. Doors and windows in driving rain
Large sliding doors are beautiful and the most common route for water into a villa. Check seals, sill falls, the frame-to-wall junction and the drainage slots. Open and lock every door and window, and look for daylight around closed frames.
7. Render, cracking and movement
Render that has not bonded to blockwork sounds hollow when tapped and comes off in sheets later. Long tiled runs without movement joints crack in straight lines. Fine shrinkage cracks are normal; cracks that are wide, stepped or recurring after repair need recording and an explanation.
8. The gap between the show villa and yours
Different tiles, different sanitaryware, a different appliance specification, a smaller pool. Compare the delivered villa with your contract’s specification schedule and photograph every label. Differences are far easier to resolve before you sign than after.
What to do with the list
Every item needs a location, a photograph, a severity and a remedy, handed to the developer before the final payment. Our full checklist shows every one of the checks we make on a villa, and the sample report shows how the findings are written up. If the developer is slow to act on the list, read what to do when a developer won’t fix defects.