quotes for work identified in survey- reasonable to request being there?

monkeypea

Our survey on the house we are looking to purchase came back with some major roof problems, so we are arranging for quotes for the work.

do you think it would be reasonable to ask the vendor if we can be there when the roofer goes round to look at the roof?

we have lots of questions and want to be sure that we have understood the various options for repair, as we are all keen to move on the sale as soon as possible ( depending on costs of repair- of course) and want to minimise any delays that may result from having to go back to the roofer with questions after recieving report.
do you think this is a reasonable request?

suisidevw

To me this seems reasonable however I've never been in this situation.

I'm right in saying that when the costings of the repairs come back you will negotiate the vendor in reducing the price of the house. This is how it works? Sorry if this seems stupid, FTB'er here

monkeypea

thats right suisidevw.. there were loads of things that came up in survey( as they do!)so we are focusing on the major impact ones..to possibility of having to replace a whole roof and a flat roof extension is what i call major!!

i believe negotiating on problems that arent obvious when viewing and thus renegotiating your orginal offer is acceptable.

However people do use the survey to try and shave a bit more off the price of the house, even when they are known defects on viewing..thats not something we are happy doing.
we made an offer that we thought reflected the work that we could see needed doing, and these are major works that we didnt foresee so we will be negotiating.

pawpurrs

I think its acceptable, just explain the reasos as above, I have known this happen, obviously the vendor or the agent will need to be there as well.

chickmug

monkeypea wrote: »

do you think it would be reasonable to ask the vendor if we can be there when the roofer goes round to look at the roof?

Yes perfectly reasonable but make sure whoever goes on your behalf is told ONLY to talk to you about thier thoughts and NOT the seller as well.

clutton_2

of course it is reasonable to be there. if the vendors are not happy for you to be inside the house with the roofer (and dont get just one roofers costing,) you can always talk to him outside.

if i were you i would ask the first roofer to tell you exactly what he thinks needs doing, then get another 2 roofers to quote for the same work

many problems inside roofs can be diagnosed by looking at the outside only

i had major work done last year on two roofs and the quotes ranged from £1800 to £4500 . and DONT let anyone tell you they wont need scaffolding to do the job, if they do - sack em and talk to someone else - you as the owner will be responsible for any injury if no scaffolding is used..... - it is now a legal requierment under H&S

monkeypea

make sure whoever goes on your behalf is told ONLY to talk to you about thier thoughts and NOT the seller as well.

- thanks will do;)

many problems inside roofs can be diagnosed by looking at the outside only

.. glad to hear that. one of the roofers said he would initially look from the outside on the way home from work tonight and i was a bit sceptical.
thing is we are needing advice from roofer as to wether we need a structural engineer to look at roof.. due to possible inappropriate use of concrete tiles. roof may have been done about 1983, so i guess he is expecting to see some sagging from the outside if its bad.
got another roofer lined up for visit , but have asked they say if we need a stuctural engineer then we will have to pay for that report and come back to all three roofers for quote based on that.
honestly its taken me all day to find out how to tackle the findings on the surveyors report to find out if we need a roofer, builder or structural engineer?
hopefully got at action plan now;)
fingers crossed the surveyor was ar*se covering

Sally_C_2

Hi,

I had a new roof on a Victorian terrace about a year ago. Eternit tiles. Slate might have been an option but Welsh slate is a fortune and roofer said Spanish slate, although cheaper was more likely to crack and was more trouble than it was worth. Cost was just over £4,000. Concrete tiles are heavier than slate and need good support from the interior woodwork. If you're in the south east, I can thoroughly recommend Viv Rees. Lovely Welshman based in Dartford. Very reasonable, friendly, professional and took a pride in his work. He used outside scaffolders who were a bit casual but he and his colleague were great. He guaranteed his work and I think is a member of the Guild of Master Craftsmen (although I've met other members who were much less impressive - so I'm not sure what that's worth). I spoke to another roofer when getting quotes and when I asked about guarantees, he said the materials were guaranteed. Mmm - not good enough.

Have you had an electrical test? I've had the entire house rewired. Caveat emptor and all that. Know an excellent spark too if you're in the south east.


Good luck.

moonwolf_3

thankyou sally c.. yes we are in the south east.. was that a guess!!?
sorry if im being dim, what was the

just over £4,000.

quote for?
did you go for concrete tiles in the end?

Spoke to a knowledgeable chap from the local history society and he thinks that by the age of the property it may have had original kent pegs or it may just have squeezed in time for the first slates to come to this area. Building control tell me that kent pegs were heavier than concrete tiles so maybe the original timber is up t the job of the concrete tiles afterall.. hope so.
If the original roof timber was for slate however, then not such good news as concrete is 20-30% heavier.

Caveat emptor

.. latin never was my strong point.. what does that mean?:o
not had an electrical test, out of interest how much was your rewire?

clutton_2

if you choose a local roofer who has been in business for a long time - he will know exactly what type of roofing trusses were used in almost every street in his area - and will have a far greater knowledge of roofing solutions than any structural engineer.

it astonishes me how much information a good roofer can tell you about what is happening inside the roofspace by simply looking at the outside of your property (and those in the adjoining terrace)