Understanding a survey

natrapx

Hello MSE'ers

I've just had my survey report come through for purchase as a FTB, so I don't have any experience with building works and understanding the report as a whole, is there anyone who can give some general advice on the following points? These were the 3's that the surveyor gave the property.

As a result of weathering there are a number of eroded mortar joints to the chimney at the property. These need to be carefully raked out and re-pointed with a suitable mortar now.
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Whilst the guttering could not be tested at the time of my inspection, there is evidence of build!up of debris and vegetation growth, and minor leaks at the joints. All the main gutter sections and downpipes at the property need to be thoroughly flushed out and any minor leaks attended to.
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In places to the front and rear elevations of the property the ground level is too high. There should be at least 150mm between ground level and the damp proof course. Where this is not the case to the front and rear elevations the ground level needs to be lowered now.
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It should be noted that there is some localised wet rot to the timber fascais at the property and repairs are required here now.
The soffits to the property are made of a composite board, which is likely to contain asbestos fibres.
External decoration of the soffits and fascais which are not clad with PVC is required now.

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It should be noted that there is a lack of cross bracing to the underside of the timber trusses to the main roof at the property.
Additional cross bracing should be fitted to the underside of the main roof at the property.
Additional cross bracing should be fitted to the underside of the main roof now.
There is a lack of ventilation to the roof space at the property. A lack of ventilation may result in the build!up of moisture or condensation in the future. Additional ventilation should be provided to the roof space now.

I apologise for the long post, but these were the major points that came out of the survey. Not as happy as I'd hoped, as the current owner has put a lot of work to the insides, but perhaps less to the outer from the look of it. Would any of these be big issues or deal breakers?

AdrianC

natrapx wrote: »

As a result of weathering there are a number of eroded mortar joints to the chimney at the property. These need to be carefully raked out and re-pointed with a suitable mortar now.

Somebody needs to go up a ladder, and scrape away at the old mortar between the bricks of the chimney, then re-point them with new mortar. Not exactly a high-skill job, and not exactly major. Very DIYable, but you will need a head for heights... Tools and materials cost, virtually nothing.

Whilst the guttering could not be tested at the time of my inspection, there is evidence of build!up of debris and vegetation growth, and minor leaks at the joints. All the main gutter sections and downpipes at the property need to be thoroughly flushed out and any minor leaks attended to.

Gutters need clearing out every now and then. It doesn't look like this has been done. Ladder, pair of gloves, hosepipe or watering can, job jobbed.

In places to the front and rear elevations of the property the ground level is too high. There should be at least 150mm between ground level and the damp proof course. Where this is not the case to the front and rear elevations the ground level needs to be lowered now.

There's a damp roof course of impermeable material built into the bottom of every wall, to stop "rising damp". If the earth is piled up against the wall, moisture can breach this and cause problems. Quick bit of digging and re-arranging of the earth is all that's needed.

It should be noted that there is some localised wet rot to the timber fascais at the property and repairs are required here now.
The soffits to the property are made of a composite board, which is likely to contain asbestos fibres.
External decoration of the soffits and fascais which are not clad with PVC is required now.

The timbers around the edge of the roof should have been repainted years ago. Because they weren't, some are now rotting. Repaint the good bits, replace the duff bits. Again, nice easy basic property maintenance.

It should be noted that there is a lack of cross bracing to the underside of the timber trusses to the main roof at the property.
Additional cross bracing should be fitted to the underside of the main roof at the property.
Additional cross bracing should be fitted to the underside of the main roof now.

The surveyor doesn't think the roof is strong enough, and thinks extra timbers should be fitted to brace it. Your call, but unless there's signs that somebody's been silly in the past and chopped it about, it's unlikely to be a real problem. If you want to, just fixing some additional timber across isn't going to be a big job. Ask him for more detail on what he thinks, and see whether you think it's backside covering or a real problem.

There is a lack of ventilation to the roof space at the property. A lack of ventilation may result in the build!up of moisture or condensation in the future. Additional ventilation should be provided to the roof space now.

Ever-increasing amounts of loft insulation have blocked much of the ventilation that roofs used to have, and can cause damp problems up there. Fitting some airbricks or tile vents can be a good idea. Again, not a big job.

natrapx

Thank-you AdrianC, what you've said goes with my gut instinct on the issues being more maintenance based then major work.

Thankfully my colleagues husband is a builder so we can get him in to help us out with a lot of this, and know we won't be taken for an arm and a leg being young and naive!

G_M

Adrian has summed up well.

My only concern here would be the cross bracing to support the roof. In theory, if it is not strong enough, the roof could move, or in an extreme case even collapse.

In reality this is highly unlikely -
* how old is the house?
* how long has the roof been like that?
* are there any signs of movement? (the surveyor would have mentioned this if he'd seen)

If it's been like that for a while with no problems, then this is most likely simply the surveyor covering his backside.

On the other hand, if the (standard) tiles or slates were recently replaced by (heavier) concrete tiles, then a problem is more likely to emerge.

natrapx

The house is a 70's build, and as far as I can tell it hasnt had any work done to the roof so far.

Could it be a difference in standards over the last 30 years? Case of it now no longer meeting the goalposts when it previously could have?

G_M

natrapx wrote: »

The house is a 70's build, and as far as I can tell it hasnt had any work done to the roof so far.

Could it be a difference in standards over the last 30 years? Case of it now no longer meeting the goalposts when it previously could have?

Quite possibly.

And if the roof has survived without collapsing since 1970s I think you can safely assume it will be OK for the next year or two!