probably dumb valuation question

lobbyludd

Hi,
I will probably have a mortgage valuation for house I buying from my ex-husband in the next 2 weeks.

The guttering at the front had a hole that was seeping down the stone-work underneath the waterproof paint causing the paint to blister and crack. I've mended and re-painted the cast iron guttering. I've stripped off the many layers of old waterproof paint and the stonework is a mess (but structurally sound). I want to fill it with lime mortar and proper breathable exterior paint (victorian house) but this will take time to organise and won't be finished before the valuation, the alternative is to do a quick patch job with cement based, easily sourced materials that in the long term will probably damage the house's ability to breathe and encourage damp - but will look fine to the surveyor.

will the fact that the fixing the exterior stone-work is ongoing affect the valuation, given that I've fixed the cause and am trying to treat it properly, but it won't be finished?

Dave_the_Ginger_Cat

It's hard to say without understandig the extent of the damage and works. If you ask the valuer, and make it clear the works are in progress and have a clear end date, they can always give you a before and after figure. It will certainly be encouraging that the root cause has been addressed.

The valuer may suggest to your lender that this work is completed before the mortgage changes go through, or that it is done on an undertaking basis. You may also find this is a condition of any buildings insurance that this is fixed.

lobbyludd

thanks - the stone work surrounds the bay window and is sound but has (over the hundred years it has been in place) lost that smooth dressed stone finish, it's bumpy (along with the other 500 victorain houses in the area), there's the odd lump knocked out of the exterior window sill etc.

Someone in the past has elected to fill the dents with filler and paint over with about 10 coats of waterproof paint. The guttering leak hasn't damaged the stonework at all, but the stonework isn't pretty enough anymore to be left uncovered, it looks tatty; budget won't stretch to new dressed stone work (and certainly isn't a priority in this financial climate), so fill and repaint is the way I'm going too.

The pointing needs redoing where it abutts the exterior brickwork and I can get that done before the valuation