Survey on house we're buying is awful!

quietheart

It's a bit of a shock as it was bought a year ago by a builder and extended and renovated. The opening line is "this traditional detached property has been refurbished for sale purposes to a very speculative standard". The roof is sagging, and the report is highly critical of the standard of all the work done. We spoke to the estate agent who seemed genuinely shocked as they sell lots of properties belonging to this builder and haven't had problems previously but I guess they would say that......
We've arranged a meeting with the seller to go through the survey on Saturday. What should we expect, should he be putting all the problems right? It seems like a particularly critical survey, the kitchen refurb looks lovely but has been seen to be "fair".
I don't know what to think at the moment, if we pull out we'll lose plenty of money, maybe it's an overtly cautious survey.
So confused

Doozergirl

What points does your survey make? Was it a homebuyer's survey?

TBH, whether your surveyor thinks the kitchen is 'fair' is a matter of opinion. If you think it looks good then that's all that really matters. The roof sagging is somewhat different.

If your builder is worth his salt, then he will be eager to rectify any problems. That's what a survey is for.

Debt_Free_Chick

rovers wrote:

It's a bit of a shock as it was bought a year ago by a builder and extended and renovated.

Does the seller have a building regs completion certificate for the work?

If so, then this tells you that the work has been done to current building standards ... although, those standards are not fussy about the finish. So a £3k kitchen could get the same certificate as a £30k kitchen. However, it does give you piece of mind that the quality of the build was up to current safety and environmental standards.

Before you talk to the seller/builder ... talk to the surveyor. Then you know the points he/she is trying to make.

Regards

quietheart

Thanks you two.
It is a homebuyer's survey.
In the overall opinion it states "the standard of some of the improvements undertaken are clearly not up to an acceptable level reflected in the poor repair and upgrading of the floorboards to the understairs cupboard to the loose door frame of the kitchen".
These two points seem really minor to be mentioned in the overall opinion when the sagging roof didn't get a look in.
The urgent repairs are
Leak in chimneystacks
Two windows painted shut need to be re-opened
driveway needs drainage improvement
gutter over garage needs replacing
wc defective
damp and timber report required
structural engineers report required in light of deflection noted withing the timber and the sloping noted to the flooring within the rear 2 storey addition and the hairline cracking ont he landing.

Doozergirl

It's not that bad, especially given the list of 'urgents'. They always look worse than they really are. Most items are simple repairs. I'm assuming it's an old house if it's been refurbished?

The most important bit is the structural engineers report. I would definately talk it through with the developer first, to see whether he is prepared to fix the snagging before you spend money on a structural engineer - they don't come cheap. All houses move over time though - the older a house, the more wonky it will be!

Your developer should have put in a damp course; if they have, they will be able to provide a guarantee. If you go ahead with the purchase, your solicitor should be asking for certificates for virtually everything and guarantees for as much as possible.

Ultimately, I'd base your decision on whether to proceed on the developer's response to these issues. That said, from my point of view, stuff like guttering and chimneys that need repointing should be 'no-brainers' for a developer. I do wonder how much corner cutting has occurred.

BobProperty

rovers wrote:

...property has been refurbished for sale purposes to a very speculative standard...

Ooooh look an accurate EA description!

clairehi

Interesting one this. Does the surveyor value the house at the price you have agreed?

Phone the surveyor, and ask them what they mean by a 'highly speculative standard' and whether he thinks it is a reasonable prospect for purchase. Hopefully on the phone they may give you a bit more info to work with.

Focus on the big issues - to me, the most worrying features are the sagging roof and the sloping flooring to the extension also sounds fairly ominous! The rest are smaller issues in themselves but as Doozergirl says, surely any decent builder would have put these right as part of the overall renovation job?

And DONT listen to the EA, they are NOT an independent source of information about the standard of this guy's work!

quietheart

DH will be speaking to the surveyor tomorrow and see what he has to say about it all.
The house is 30's built so getting on a bit i guess. The surveyor did value it at the asking price subject to the cost of the further investigation and urgent repair items, the building society have accepted it on that - whether we do is another kettle of fish.
Dozergirl, you are right we will probably come away from meeting the builder with a decision, it will depend so much on what he is willing to do really. We can't afford to sort the roof out and we're not desperate to move (but it would've been nice....)
Thanks for the great advice.

MarkyMarkD

I don't think I'd want to go ahead on a property with that number of problems, which claims to have been refurbished.

It would be different if you were buying at a low price because it needed work doing, but it sounds like this builder has cut corners and done things in a cosmetic rather than a structural way.

You say you'll lose "loads" if you pull out, but the cost of a survey isn't "loads" and you shouldn't have committed to much additional expenditure.

busydaffodil1

I too would require all the work completed prior to completion. Some of those are minor but indicate a hurried job(which doesnt bode well on more important jobs he did in the house). Others could be serious.....and NEED investigating further.
In my opinion, the Structural Surveyor is a necessity & could potentially stop you losing mega money.

hethmar

I have to say that most Surveyors are pretty non committal so for this guy to openly criticise the builders work means these are important points. I mean the hairline cracking is likely nothing, possibly just new plaster drying out but it may mean that this guy has been covering things up.

1930s houses arent that old - my husband works on houses 5 centuries old and they are still standing!

The repairs sound expensive - for instance, the leaking chimneys (though without a cctv and/or sealed smoke test, how did he know this point??? The only other way would be the evidence of staining on walls) Well, if both chimneys need lining you are talking probably £2k just for that job.

It doesnt sound a good deal as it stands.