Do You Think This Would be Possible?

Mercurial

Hi Everyone,

Happy Easter :jhope you are enjoying the long weekend.

Last year I made an offer on a house which was accepted but the sale fell through due to having serious damp/wet rot problems. To be honest I'm a bit clueless about such things. I've seen a couple of properties I want to view but I was thinking of calling up a certified master builder in my area to come to view the properties to give his opinion on them before making an offer. I'm not sure what this would cost but has anybody done anything like this?

TIA

AFK_Matrix

Personally I would look at the properties yourself and see if you like any of them. Then when you like one of the properties then book a second viewing and take the builder along otherwise I can see you spending a lot of money.

motherofstudents

Yes, I agree with AFK. Why don't you view first and when you find a house you are really interested in, then get the builder to go with you. I think it is a good idea if you really know nothing about building defects. Maybe you could google or read up on the most commond defects so that at least you have a bit of an idea what to look for, then you can take the builder and get his opinion and quotes for the work needed. Hope you enjoy the rest of the weekend, it is damp and miserable here unfortunately.

Squish_21

I'd take a builder to a second viewing with you to give it a look over if you are truly keen.

Only a survey can provide the true picture though.

Mercurial

AFK_Matrix, mother of students, Squish_21 thank you that makes much more sense, should have thought of it myself (told you I was clueless )

The house I looked at looked perfect but I think an expert could have told me within minutes that the damp proof course was basically non existent.

motherofstudents

Be careful because it depends on who you get to look at the dpc. Obviously a company who sell and install dpc's are very likely to say you need one. It is very unusual for the dpc to be defective in itself. What age is the house ? Is it cavity walls ? Much more likely is that something has compromised the dpc (check outside for anything up against the lower part of the walls). Condensation is a very common cause of damp as is lack of subfloor ventilation. There may be a fault with rainwater goods so look for any blockage of gutters etc. If you use an independent damp surveyor, it will cost you under £200 but may save you thousands.

Mercurial

MoS thanks I didn't realise you could get an independent damp surveyor I will look into that. It's all new to me as I've only bought a flat before so this wasn't a consideration when purchasing the property back in 2005.

The house I was going to buy only had a few blue engineering bricks which had worn down and the surveyor said this couldn't even be considered a dpc.