Homebuyer's report shows a serious problem

em_9187

Hi there


First time buyers here (scared, hopeful and a tad excited). We've found the house of our dreams... old, semi-rural, stone built and surrounded by goats, sheep and horses.


So... our problem. The homebuyer's report comes through on Friday evening and it reads like a Stephen King horror. There are many 3's. The biggest problems being:


1. Cavity walls.


2. Roof needs redoing.

slopemaster

em_9187 wrote: »

2. Mains walls - there is a possibility of wall tie corrosion. (I don't even know what this means?!)
It is a beautiful home, built in the 1900s approximately.

This one doesn't make sense.
Wall ties are galvanised steel thingies which tie together the two halves of the cavity wall on modern construction.
This cannot possibly apply to a house built in the 1900s with solid stone walls.
So, unless it relates to a modern extension, it sounds like the surveyor has copy-and-pasted a standard clause which doesn't apply. You need to ask them to clarify.

Mojisola

You could ask a builder to look at the property and give you a quote for the various repairs so you'll know what you're taking on.

slopemaster

It does sound like the kind of property it might have been good to get a full structural survey on though.
No 1 could be expensive, and it might be worth getting an estimate from a builder.
I would probably be less concerned about 3 and 4.
Is the roof actually leaking - ie are there stains, or newly-painted patches? Can you go and stick your head in the loft and have a look? If it's just coming to the end of its life, you don't have to deal with it until it causes a problem.

A certain amount of rising and/or penetrating damp is probably to be expected in a house of this age and form of construction (solid stone).

marlot

SOunds like you'll be having some biggish bills. Your mortgage lender may impose a retention.

Let me attempt to explain the wall ties. You may have heard of cavity walls. Cavity walls consist of two 'skins' separated by a hollow space (cavity). As each skin would be quite weak, they are held together by wall ties which are embedded into the bricks of each of the 'skins'.

These wall ties can rust.

I'm a little surprised to hear of wall ties in a 1900 house - they mostly took off a little later (becoming widespread from the 1920s). Of all the things listed, this is probably the least likely to be a real problem UNLESS SOMEONE HAS ADDED CAVITY WALL INSULATION which can disturb everything.

On the damp, that could be as simple as a blocked gutter. I'd recommend havign a good look and seeing if there is anything obvious.

You need to get a builder in to quote for items 1 and 3. Get them to give you an opinion on 2 and 4 whilst they are there too. If you don't know someone, the seller's EA will.

bmunky7

em_9187 wrote: »

Hi there


First time buyers here (scared, hopeful and a tad excited). We've found the house of our dreams... old, semi-rural, stone built and surrounded by goats, sheep and horses.


So... our problem. The homebuyer's report comes through on Friday evening and it reads like a Stephen King horror. There are many 3's. The biggest problems being:


1. A retaining wall needs REBUILDING - this is the wall leading from the lounge to the first floor via the stairs.


2. Mains walls - there is a possibility of wall tie corrosion. (I don't even know what this means?!)


3. The two storey extension roof has been repaired with a plastic type material and is in poor condition, needs replacing.


4. Isolated high damp metres were taken close to the front door and the rear door.


It is a beautiful home, built in the 1900s approximately. It has taken us six months to find a house that we actually like and both agree on. On entering the property for the first time, I knew within a split second that this home would be perfect for us.


We are paying asking price for the property - the property had recently been reduced by 10,000 so we considered our purchase a good deal.


Would we be mad to go ahead?


Thanks guys

At least you have some idea of what you are taking on. Maybe clarify with surveyor and get some idea of how quickly the work would need done and if it's unusual for this type of property. Then get some quotes for the work to make a fully informed decision. If this is your dream home and you plan to live there for a good few years at least then it'd still make sense to buy and take on the work.

martinthebandit

Homebuyers reports are always full of doom and gloom, they have to be to protect the person who writes it.

What exactly does each paragraph that worries you say?

Wall ties generally have a 25 year guarantee so that para re possibility of corrosion will apply (and be included in the report) for any house built before 1990.

What value does the homebuyers report put on the house?

em_9187

Thank you for all your replies.


Well there has been an extension to the property, which has been estimated to have been built in the 1970's. The property value is of 135,000 with a reinstatement cost of 165,000.


For problem number 1 it states "the retaining walls encasing the front stairs are uneven and bulging significantly. These should be rebuilt. The remedial works could be costly and estimates should be obtained before exchange of contracts."


I think I will ring the seller's estate agents tomorrow and ask them if it is possible to get a quote for the work described above. We're not too fussed about the other problems as we expected issues with a house that was old but we need to prepare ourselves for the fact we may not be able to afford to rebuild certain walls.


The wall tie corrosion is referring to the extension that was built.


Dammit! I wonder if we should have had a full structural report as it says further inspection required of the walls - apparently the walls should be opened up to investigate further.

Campervanman

em_9187 wrote: »

The property value is of 135,000 with a reinstatement cost of 165,000.

Ive just skimmed back through the post and apologies if Ive missed this but what is the purchase price agreed by you with the vendor? Is it the same as the surveyors valuation?

I would get a couple of quotes on the bulging wall and reroofing the extension then you can take a view. You may wish to proceed or renegotiate the purchase price with the evidence you have that demonstrates its a real issue and the cost to fix.

Remember that these issues will come up on any purchasers survey of the property. Its not something that the seller can ignore.

marlot

em_9187 wrote: »

...
Dammit! I wonder if we should have had a full structural report as it says further inspection required of the walls - apparently the walls should be opened up to investigate further.

I doubt even a structural survey would have opened a wall!

Mollsmum

The surveyors name and telephone number should be on the Homebuyers report, give him a call and discuss what he has highlighted.
We also had some 3's on a recent Homebuyers report and after talking to the surveyor they weren't as bad as they sounded.
Hope this helps.