Homebuyers Report in...should I worry about...?

parajba

Hi,

We are first time buyers who are buying a semi-detached house with a side extension with flat roof both built around 1930, and have just had the homebuyers report through. A lot of the report is graded 2 - adequate, which is to be expected on a house of this age, but there are several things graded at 3 which 'require urgent attention'.

NOT GRADED but added to report in notes:

1. Shrinkable subsoil
The property is on a flat site. The subsoil in the area is of a shrinkable nature which can cause foundation movement in older structures when prolonged dry spells of weather occur.

GRADED AT 3:

2. Walls and partitions
The property has a combination of solid masonry and plasterboard lined internal walls.

Significant damp penetration is evident in the kitchen. It is not clear where the leakage is coming from. Some external alterations have been undertaken to this area but it could be that leakages are occurring from bathroom fittings. This matter needs to be investigated and repaired immediately as the dampness could cause rot to the hidden floor timbers.

Some damp readings were obtained to the wall between the ground floor shower and wash hand basin. This is either due to spillage/seepage of water from the wash hand basin or shower, or due to rising dampness. Investigation required.

3. Chimney breasts and flue
The chimney breasts to the ground floor have been removed but part of the first floor flue brickwork still remains in the rear bedroom. It is often the case that such brickwork does not have a suitable support at first floor level and investigation should be carried out to this area to establish whether a support is required.

Your legal adviser should investigate whether building regulation approvals have been obtained for the structural support to remaining flue brickwork in the roof space. There are metal brackets but the metal horizontal section is quite unusual and although no serious defect is evident at present, some upgrading may be required.

4. Electricity
The meter and consumer unit can be found under the stairs. Where visible, the installation has been wired in plastic covered cable.

The system appears relatively modern and a sticker on the fusebox indicates the system was upgraded in 2010. However cabling to some bathroom ceiling lights in the roof space appear rather haphazard and it would be prudent to arrange an inspection by an electrical specialist to ensure the system complies with current regulations. You need to take care not to cover this cabling with insulation as this is a fire risk.

5. Heating
Central heating and hot water is provided by the gas fired boiler which is located in a cupboard in the bathroom.

The boiler cupboard needs to be vented to top and bottom to comply with current gas regulations. In view of this fact, indicating the system may not have been installed by a fully qualified heating engineer, we strongly recommend that you arrange for an inspection of the system by a specialist gas contractor and carry out recommendations.

GRADED AT 2:


6. Roof coverings:
The pitched roof is covered with concrete tiles. The flat roofs are mainly felt covered.
The roof coverings are in reasonable condition for the most part although there is some moss growth which needs to be removed as this causes deterioration of the tiles/felt. There is some general weathering of cement work to the underside of the ridge/hip tiles which should ideally be upgraded. Periodic maintenance will be required due to the age of the covering.
The flashing at the junction with the extension parapet wall requires repair.
The flat roof coverings should ideally be painted with a solar reflected paint or overlaid with stone chips to help prolong the lifespan of the coverings. It should be noted that, compared with traditional coverings such as tiles and slates, most felt roofs have a typical life of 10-15 years. They are also prone to sudden failure and leakage. Periodic re-covering will therefore be necessary. When this is undertaken, the supporting structure may also need some attention.

This is my course of action, but I'd appreciate your advise on this.

a. I forwarded the report to my solicitor for his advice on the legal matters
b. I'm going to discuss the report with my local builder
c. I will request a damp timber specialist / qualified electrician / qualified gas technician to check the affected areas
d. I'll request the vendor to show me suitable evidence that gas / water / electricity works have been carried out to adequate standards / safety levels as per regulations.

If any of the above comes back as a material or costly problem then I'll let the vendor know and I'll renegotiate the sale price, or pull out if they don't agree. Am I too drastic? What do you think of my homebuyers report? Looks pretty scary!

Thanks heaps for looking.

Southend1

Check out the issue with the chimney breast. If it's not supported correctly then it could be dangerous.

That and whatever is causing the damp and how much damage it has done would be the most worrying things for me.

Otherwise there's just a number of things that need doing that are typical with older houses

G_M

Nothing very serious there other than

* normal ongoing maintenance and
* investigate the damp which sounds like either a (historic?) leaking pipe or leakage (eg from tiles around basin not being masticked properly).

When was the fireplace removed? If many years ago, you are unlikely tofind Building Regs certification since
a) it may not have been needed back thenor
b) council records may not go back
But if it was done that long ago, and the chimney above has not fallen down in the intervening years, it is unlikely to do so now!

If it was done recently, there should be BRs.

AlexMac

Agree the above advice; not a deal-breaker, although maybe useful ammunition to negotiate a bit off the price once you have costs. But be nice and businesslike; vendors can get prickly, and I've previously told the anecdote of how angry my wife got when an OTT survey picked holes in her family home of 20+ years. She wanted to tell the buyer to get lost and choose a new-build!

Assuming you really like the house, and the lender's valuation survey has confirmed it's mortgageable, all of this is fixable. Surveyors are prone to be cautious (or even OTT in some cases; for example to suggest that moss be removed from a pitched tiled roof seems wholly unneccessary).

The bit about local geology and soil shrinkage also seems to be 'posterior-covering'; much of London is built on clay, but major problems round here only occurred in the great drought of 1976. The house is either cracked and visibly subsiding or it isn't!

Many houses have been part-rewired, and don't comply with modern electrical regs (I've never owned a house which had earth-wiring to ceiling circuitry for example) although modern recessed ceiling spotlights can run hot and require caution when insulating above.

Annd you will want to ensure no unsupported chimney stack ever collapses and at least identify whether that damp is rising or penetrating/a leak. As you are doing. In fact, to be cynical, having diagnosed the damp and got a discount, you could then skimp on repairs after you move in. While a timber and damp specialist will probably recommend (and quote for ) a very thorough job (stripping plaster back to brick, re-rendering and plastering, possibly with an injected DPC, replacing any adjacent timber flooring joists and boards....) that's to justify their 20-year guarantee against recurrence. A guarantee may be helpful if you later sell, but in practice, a general builder should be able to eliminate the problem at half the cost.

Anyway- you're doing everything right, so good luck

parajba

Southend1, G_M and AlexMac, many thanks for the kind replies, very comforting!

littleredfairy

Hello,

I just wondered if you did go through with the sale and what works you had done? We have just had our Home Report done on a place in London,, also 1930s, with an extension, and it made for very similar reading.

Any tips on costs for repairs etc and quotations gratefully received.

Money_maker

Suggest you start your own thread, littleredfairy. The OP hasn't logged on since 8th August!