Building Survey Report: worried!!

macgyver

I am a FTB and our offer (8% below asking price) has been accepted for a semi-detached house which was built in early 1960's, with vendor conveying via the EA that he will not reduce any further even if something comes out in surveys. I ordered the full building survey as it is an old house. I got the report today, and the surveyor has highlighted numerous repairs with the statement " This property is considered to be a reasonable proposition for purchase provided that you are prepared to accept the cost and inconvenience of dealing with the various repair/improvement works reported. These deficiencies are quite common in properties of this age and type."
Out of about 25 things he has pointed out, I am worried about the following (sorry it is a long list):

1. 1. There appears to be a form of shallow timber framed construction overlaid with brick slips externally behind the ground floor wc. This creates a risk of dampness penetrating through the narrow thickness of the brick slips and eventually causing fungal decay to the presumed concealed timber framed elements. There is significant wet rot on the timber framing elements these should be cut out and replaced accordingly.
   2. Garage: The rear workshop section of the double tandem garage/workshop however is rather crudely formed in a mixture of timber framing and asbestos cement sheet. There is an asphalt flat roof covering to the whole of these areas. Evidence of some lifting and splitting was noted on the asphalt and this membrane is anticipated to have a limited future life and you should legislate to replace in the near future.
   3. Excessive vibration was noted from pipework within the floor void to the front bedroom when walking across this area suggesting a need for additional supports/fixing clips. This pipework should be further exposed and accordingly secured.Additional clips required on concealed pipework within the floor void to the front bedroom to reduce vibration sounds.
   4. Ceilings: We observed usual minor hairline cracking generally and to joints between ceilings and walls. No severe instability evident.
   6. Whilst there are assorted finishes, these include older textured coatings to the landing, bedrooms and under stairs cupboard off the lounge. Older textured ceiling coatings may contain asbestos and care should be taken when working with the material.
   7. There is a poor quality finish on board joints to the lounge ceiling and this may influence decisions as to further removal/replacements to an improved aesthetic standard.
   8. Elements of the electrical installation are dated The central heating system appears dated and will be inefficient by comparison with modern systems and could have a limited future life.
   9. We noted dated electrical fittings which may well have outlived their useful life. Power socket provision overall is limited by modern standards. We anticipate a need for further modernisation/supplementation of the electrical installation.
   10. Hot water storage is to a pre-lagged copper cylinder to the landing airing cupboard. This cylinder has an electric immersion heater back up facility. This is incorrectly wired to a 13amp plug outlet however and a new dedicated hardwired switched outlet should be provided.
   11. Improved insulation required to tanks in the roof space.
   12. Repairs are necessary on cracked sand/cement packing on vertical tile hanging reveals.
   13. Paintwork is poor on high level eaves joinery. All should be redecorated within six months.

I am a bit confused whether to proceed with the purchase or pull out if it is going to cost me a lot to get all these repairs.

Any advice highly appreciated. Thanks for your patience.

olibrofiz

Depends how good the deal is on the house.

My mum's house, built 1960(ish) & 3 bed semi-detached, was subject to a burst pipe in December. Fortunately she had insurance.

3 of the ceilings were identified as having asbestos in them & needed removing due to the water damage, the cost to remove (not replace) was £1500 (covered by insurance)

She opted to have it rewired as it was identified that there were issues with the wiring - this was £3000 (not covered by insurance)

That's just for starters

macgyver

Thanks for the reply. There was a similar house next to it which was sold for a similar price.

And also should I get the electrical and central heating survey, Asbestos identification survey and plumbing survey as recommended in the buildings survey.

Thanks

Doozergirl

What were you expecting to do to the house? New electrics? plumbing? replastering?

Tell me what you were expecting and I'll tell you what is in addition to that.

I know survey result freak people out, but loads of that is just cheap, mundane maintenance.

ChrisEvanson

Depends on your attitude really. Having read the report the only thing that would worry me a little is the rot issue, but even this doesn't sound too severe.

General decoration issues are pretty standard unless you buy a new house. It is like if you bought an old car and were worried about a small dint and a couple of scratches, a couple of low tread tyres and a rusty but serviceable exhaust.

The wiring in many old houses will need attention of some sort. We have been estimated £2600-3000 for a 3 bed semi rewire, but this isn't 'essential' but we will be able to afford to get it done early on so will do. A ftb may wish to plan it for the medium term.

I really don't see what you are worried about in that report but as I say, we are all different and what is a big deal to one isn't to another.

spannerzone

I agree with the above!

That lot doesn't sound too bad in my opinion but then again I seem to buy old buildings and expect problems!

You do list electrics and plumbing/boiler twice by the way, 5 and 8

If you want a house without issues then you'll be lucky!- buying any house has risks and at least this survey has listed what they believe needs doing...but what you actually need to do in the short term is a very different story.

joerugby

If you are buying an older house you need a budget for maintenance. The work listed would come under that heading. If you can afford a couple of thousand a year you will be ok.

macgyver

spannerzone wrote: »

I agree with the above!

That lot doesn't sound too bad in my opinion but then again I seem to buy old buildings and expect problems!

You do list electrics and plumbing/boiler twice by the way, 5 and 8

If you want a house without issues then you'll be lucky!- buying any house has risks and at least this survey has listed what they believe needs doing...but what you actually need to do in the short term is a very different story.

Sorry for that duplication (5 & 8).
I was trying to arrange the list according to my concerns.
Thank you everybody for the advice and suggestions.

G_M

As others have said, much depends what you are expecting, and what you can afford.

If you a FTB who has zero DIY skills and just wants to move into a perfect dream house needing no work, then walk away.
If you are prepared to do some DIY, and put up with the mess/inconvenience of getting builders in to do some of the non DIY work, then either budget for this, or (despite what the EA says!) try to get a discount on the price.

1. 1. There appears to be a form of shallow timber framed construction overlaid with brick slips externally behind the ground floor wc. This creates a risk of dampness penetrating through the narrow thickness of the brick slips and eventually causing fungal decay to the presumed concealed timber framed elements. There is significant wet rot on the timber framing elements these should be cut out and replaced accordingly. This will need profesionals. £500-£2000
   2. Garage: The rear workshop section of the double tandem garage/workshop however is rather crudely formed in a mixture of timber framing and asbestos cement sheet. So what?There is an asphalt flat roof covering to the whole of these areas. Evidence of some lifting and splitting was noted on the asphalt and this membrane is anticipated to have a limited future life and you should legislate to replace in the near future.Flat roofs never last forever. A new asphalt roof? £1000 at some point. There again, is a bit of a drip in a corner of a garage roof the end of the world? You car is waterproof isn't it?
   3. Excessive vibration was noted from pipework within the floor void to the front bedroom when walking across this area suggesting a need for additional supports/fixing clips. This pipework should be further exposed and accordingly secured.Additional clips required on concealed pipework within the floor void to the front bedroom to reduce vibration sounds.The current owners have probobly lived with this for years. An idiocyncracy of the house. Old houses creak! If, one day, you lift floorboards (say to re-wire) then fix the pipes at the same time.
   4. Ceilings: We observed usual minor hairline cracking generally and to joints between ceilings and walls. No severe instability evident. Ignore
   5. Elements of the electrical installation are dated How dated? Dated does NOT mean unsafe! Unless of course the wiring is 1950s rubber.The central heating system appears dated and will be inefficient by comparison with modern systems and could have a limited future life. Basically you're not getting a brand new house, with brand new electrics / boiler etc. Boiler might break down next year. Might last 10 years.
   6. Whilst there are assorted finishes, these include older textured coatings to the landing, bedrooms and under stairs cupboard off the lounge. Older textured ceiling coatings may contain asbestosunlikely but the surveyor is covering his a*se just in case and care should be taken when working with the material.
   7. There is a poor quality finish on board joints to the lounge ceiling and this may influence decisions as to further removal/replacements to an improved aesthetic standard.Presumably you've viewed the house? You know what the decor looks like? Either you plan to live with it, or you plan to redecorate!
   8. Elements of the electrical installation are dated The central heating system appears dated and will be inefficient by comparison with modern systems and could have a limited future life.duplicate
   9. We noted dated electrical fittings which may well have outlived their useful life. see comments above. 20 year old wiring is usually perfectly safe. Even 'old style' mains fuse boxes are perfectly safe. But only a sparky can really tell you.Power socket provision overall is limited by modern standards. We anticipate a need for further modernisation/supplementation of the electrical installation.Again, you've viewed? You saw how many sockets there were in each room? Either there are enough for your needs, or you'll need to add more!
   10. Hot water storage is to a pre-lagged copper cylinder to the landing airing cupboard. This cylinder has an electric immersion heater back up facility. This is incorrectly wired to a 13amp plug outlet however and a new dedicated hardwired switched outlet should be provided.Mine is identical. OK - modern standards mean they are no longer allowed to install them like this, but there again they don't make cars without catalytic converters anymore. Doesn't mean you can't drive an old 1980s car around.
   11. Improved insulation required to tanks in the roof space. B&Q have regular special offers on these - an afternoon's work including the trip to B&Q!
   12. Repairs are necessary on cracked sand/cement packing on vertical tile hanging reveals. Depending where (at heoght? need ladder?) this is either a slightly more advanced DIY job, or £50 to a decent odd job man!
   13. Paintwork is poor on high level eaves joinery. All should be redecorated within six months. When the odd job man does 12 above get him to paint the woodwork on the eaves. £50-£100.

macgyver

G_M wrote: »

As others have said, much depends what you are expecting, and what you can afford.

If you a FTB who has zero DIY skills and just wants to move into a perfect dream house needing no work, then walk away.
If you are prepared to do some DIY, and put up with the mess/inconvenience of getting builders in to do some of the non DIY work, then either budget for this, or (despite what the EA says!) try to get a discount on the price.

1. 1. There appears to be a form of shallow timber framed construction overlaid with brick slips externally behind the ground floor wc. This creates a risk of dampness penetrating through the narrow thickness of the brick slips and eventually causing fungal decay to the presumed concealed timber framed elements. There is significant wet rot on the timber framing elements these should be cut out and replaced accordingly. This will need profesionals. £500-£2000
   2. Garage: The rear workshop section of the double tandem garage/workshop however is rather crudely formed in a mixture of timber framing and asbestos cement sheet. So what?There is an asphalt flat roof covering to the whole of these areas. Evidence of some lifting and splitting was noted on the asphalt and this membrane is anticipated to have a limited future life and you should legislate to replace in the near future.Flat roofs never last forever. A new asphalt roof? £1000 at some point. There again, is a bit of a drip in a corner of a garage roof the end of the world? You car is waterproof isn't it?
   3. Excessive vibration was noted from pipework within the floor void to the front bedroom when walking across this area suggesting a need for additional supports/fixing clips. This pipework should be further exposed and accordingly secured.Additional clips required on concealed pipework within the floor void to the front bedroom to reduce vibration sounds.The current owners have probobly lived with this for years. An idiocyncracy of the house. Old houses creak! If, one day, you lift floorboards (say to re-wire) then fix the pipes at the same time.
   4. Ceilings: We observed usual minor hairline cracking generally and to joints between ceilings and walls. No severe instability evident. Ignore
   5. Elements of the electrical installation are dated How dated? Dated does NOT mean unsafe! Unless of course the wiring is 1950s rubber.The central heating system appears dated and will be inefficient by comparison with modern systems and could have a limited future life. Basically you're not getting a brand new house, with brand new electrics / boiler etc. Boiler might break down next year. Might last 10 years.
   6. Whilst there are assorted finishes, these include older textured coatings to the landing, bedrooms and under stairs cupboard off the lounge. Older textured ceiling coatings may contain asbestosunlikely but the surveyor is covering his a*se just in case and care should be taken when working with the material.
   7. There is a poor quality finish on board joints to the lounge ceiling and this may influence decisions as to further removal/replacements to an improved aesthetic standard.Presumably you've viewed the house? You know what the decor looks like? Either you plan to live with it, or you plan to redecorate!
   8. Elements of the electrical installation are dated The central heating system appears dated and will be inefficient by comparison with modern systems and could have a limited future life.duplicate
   9. We noted dated electrical fittings which may well have outlived their useful life. see comments above. 20 year old wiring is usually perfectly safe. Even 'old style' mains fuse boxes are perfectly safe. But only a sparky can really tell you.Power socket provision overall is limited by modern standards. We anticipate a need for further modernisation/supplementation of the electrical installation.Again, you've viewed? You saw how many sockets there were in each room? Either there are enough for your needs, or you'll need to add more!
   10. Hot water storage is to a pre-lagged copper cylinder to the landing airing cupboard. This cylinder has an electric immersion heater back up facility. This is incorrectly wired to a 13amp plug outlet however and a new dedicated hardwired switched outlet should be provided.Mine is identical. OK - modern standards mean they are no longer allowed to install them like this, but there again they don't make cars without catalytic converters anymore. Doesn't mean you can't drive an old 1980s car around.
   11. Improved insulation required to tanks in the roof space. B&Q have regular special offers on these - an afternoon's work including the trip to B&Q!
   12. Repairs are necessary on cracked sand/cement packing on vertical tile hanging reveals. Depending where (at heoght? need ladder?) this is either a slightly more advanced DIY job, or £50 to a decent odd job man!
   13. Paintwork is poor on high level eaves joinery. All should be redecorated within six months. When the odd job man does 12 above get him to paint the woodwork on the eaves. £50-£100.

Thanks for a very detailed reply. You have lifted my spirit as was feeling a bit depressed after reading the report.

Doozergirl

The only thing I'd add to G_Ms lovely reply is that the building beyond the WC sounds like an outbuilding to me? Would be better and cheaper to demolish it and buy a shed

And that if the artex is thought to contain asbestos then instead of scraping it off the walls you could skim, or more likely board and skim over it. As long as it's left alone, it's perfectly safe.

We've just had a survey on one of our houses and it is pretty ridiculous but I guess they have to earn their money. They commented that some of the plaster around the fireplace was a bit rough - the wall is 7m long and we decided to plaster in around the new fireplace and try to blend it in rather than fully re-skim a 7m by 3m wall! It isn't 'rough' in fact it isn't particularly noticeable at all. I certainly didn't even notice it and I've got pretty high standards and lived with it! He also noted that there was a join in a skirting board that wasn't very pretty. :wall:

These people train for years to state the obvious and pointless in a really scary way. A lot of it is valuable but seriously, if you don't know how to cut through the jargon, you'd be moving out of your own home in fear.