Homebuyers Survey Results - Should I be concerned?

tek-monkey

Got my survey results today, and it revealed a few things. I'll be seeing my solicitor tomorrow, but until then how concerned should I be? Here is what was found:

Urgent matters:
Roof space ventilation (showing signs of condensation)
Plumbing upgrade (some pipes old, also some lead. Some old radiators)

Further Inspection:
Main walls - wall ties (due to age may be corroded - 1950s)
Fireplace - chimney stack repair (downstairs chimney missing, still upstairs)
Drainage - Inspection and report (appears drain runs under kitchen extension)

Maintenance Considerations:
Flat roof - need to re-cover (extension, watertight but old)
Roof space ventilation

olly300

Yes.

The fact that there is no chimney downstairs but one upstairs without the surveyor mentioning any support means I would investigate further.

To put it bluntly the house could fall down and if it's attached to a neighbour it could bring it down with it.


http://www.carryduffdesigns.co.uk/technical/chimney-removal.html

If the support is inadequate then run away from the house.

silvercar

Bear in mind that most surveys recommend you check this that and the other, just to cover themselves.

That said, the chimney stack repair shows that someone has done some work. Ideally you want a building regs certificate to show that the correct supports were put in place. Failing that it needs an inspection to ensure it is supported.

silvercar

If the support is inadequate then run away from the house.

Or factor in the costs of removing it completely.

tek-monkey

Cheers all. So if they have documents proving the chimney is OK, should I be OK with that? Or is this serious regardless? No idea how this works, if the builder certified it then is he responsible should there be a problem, and if so for how long?

I know a builder for the ventilation, and a plumber for the pipes although he doubts any drinking water pipes will be affected. Apparently the cavity walls have no insulation either, why have cavity walls if they're left empty?

vegasbaby100

Hey, just remember they will include anything that there is chance of being wrong!

We just brought a house and in the report it tqlked about the shimney not having support and wall tie failure which would mean rebuilding of the gable end.

As you can imagine my wife nearly passed out!!! The next day we called a specialist who viewed the house for a quote for free and informed us there was no wall tie failure and the chimney was not even a issue as it was only top of stack left and we just removed it.

With the wall ties a good thing to do is to speak to the neighbours as wall ties will tend to fail as a batch so you will notice lots of people in the row needing the work. ( of course that is no garantee but may put your mind at rest untill can get someone to check it out)

Ian_W

tek-monkey wrote: »

walls have no insulation either, why have cavity walls if they're left empty?

If you read THIS ARTICLE, you might ask why have cavity walls that are filled? The cavity is to prevent damp penetration by allowing a space between the outer and inner skins. Bridging the gap, arguably increases the risk of damp but is ignored cos "its climit change, init".

Have you contacted the surveyor to discuss the report? A lot of it is always standard @rse covering, so you have no come back on them but usually they'll take you through the points and explain if they are a real concern or not. The chimney seems the most important one TBH.

tek-monkey

Thanks both. Passed the info onto my solicitor so will see what she says.

natters_2

Our first buyer pulled out because of the survey - it said :
Woodworm in loft - this was compass and tack marks where my FIL used to frame pictures
Boiler needs replacing - it is less than 5 yearsold and was serviced yearly
Double glazing needs replacing - brand new less than 10 years ago
Not enough airbricks! - that one I really don't understand.

I think surveyors pick any potential problems there could be just to cover themselves

axomoxia

I got told for check for woodworm in the sub-floor. The concrete sub-floor.
I've also just found out my house has a chimney on the top floor, but nothing below
Since the house was built like this, about eighty years ago I'm not too worried.:)

The airbricks bit refers to the ventilation underneath your subfloor, between the ground and the ground floor. Don't need any for a concrete sub-floor.....

olly300

I was told I had damp.

Now having been brought up in a house that had proper damp, lived in a rented house that had damp due to leaking guttering and having lived in lots of accommodation that had condensation problems I knew it was condensation. This fact was also verified by a builder who came to do something else...........


Which is why I only thought the chimney stack was the thing to be worried about. Yes the plumbing is a nuisance so be prepared for leaks.