Concerns from survey and searches

spadoosh

adonis10 wrote: »

Survey:


- Asbestos potentially present in soffits, verge boards and roof tiles. Expected due to age of property, however if not disturbed do not see an issue. Also could be present in textured ceilings - this is a concern as we are having building work done. We don't think the ceiling finishes are particularly old so perhaps not an issue but could it be worth having an independent check before exchange?

adonis10 wrote: »

Why? If it is present in the ceiling finish and we are knocking through a wall, surely there is the risk that it will be disturbed?

adonis10 wrote: »

Ah yes, I totally get and understand your point. I agree that it is probably a standard comment for properties of a certain age, however there is a chance that it is present. I know it may be paranoid but with building work planned, perhaps it is worth getting checked? Rather not look back in 20 years, with lung cancer, and say "I wish I'd spent the extra £200 on getting it checked for asbestos".

adonis10 wrote: »

Makes sense. Been quote £80+vat for samples to be tested - perhaps it is worth sampling the ceiling as we plan building work and leave the roof as is. If we ever need/want to do work to the roof then we can look into it.

Just get it tested, it appears you will not be at ease until you do so.

adonis10

spadoosh wrote: »

Just get it tested, it appears you will not be at ease until you do so.

Been quoted £80 + vat for a single sample, plus £10 per extra sample so say we get dining room, lounge and one bedroom (all 3 bedrooms were re-artexed 22 years ago at the same time so presumably all the same) so we are looking at £120 inc vat for the peace of mind. Not a fortune in the grand scheme of a 315k purchase.


According to the surveyor, asbestos use was banned in 1999. It seems that the bedroom ceilings were re-done in 1994-1996 ish so it was before the ban but still relatively recently so hopefully it wasn't used.

spadoosh

adonis10 wrote: »

Thank you.


To be honest, we want to chop the large tree down as it currently blocks out a lot of sunlight. We may not necessarily need to remove the root, rather just cut it down to a stump that is, say 4-5ft, high. I assume this would not cause heave as the root would remain?


Tree surgeon or a different type of surveyor?

Im not sure at what stage they find out about tree preservation orders but worth making sure there isnt any. If the problem isnt believed to be caused by the tree, they might not ask the question.

Two things can happen if you leave the stump (4-5ft is a whole lot of stump). Either your tree will carry on growing but look 10so much uglier (cut a crab apple to about 3ft and it grows a silly amount of foilage considering it should be dying) or it will die. In which case the roots will rot and leave voids likely which can cause settlement issues.

Worth remembering trees take up huge amounts of water, once removed you can quite often find that the ground becomes saturated.

dc197

adonis10 wrote: »

Thank you.


To be honest, we want to chop the large tree down as it currently blocks out a lot of sunlight. We may not necessarily need to remove the root, rather just cut it down to a stump that is, say 4-5ft, high. I assume this would not cause heave as the root would remain?


Tree surgeon or a different type of surveyor?

Trees cause problems in several ways, including these:
1. Their roots can physically penetrate foundations. Killing the tree or stunting its growth by giving it a hard prune will not repair any damage but will stop it ingressing further.
2. They suck moisture from the ground. If they suck too much, the ground shrinks and the foundations move (usually downwards). But conversely, if they suddenly stop sucking water because you kill them or give them a very hard prune, the balance is shifted and heave can occur. That the roots remain after you kill/prune the tree is irrelevant,what matters is that the roots are no longer sucking.

Rain_Shadow

adonis10 wrote: »

Thank you.


To be honest, we want to chop the large tree down as it currently blocks out a lot of sunlight. We may not necessarily need to remove the root, rather just cut it down to a stump that is, say 4-5ft, high. I assume this would not cause heave as the root would remain?


Tree surgeon or a different type of surveyor?

I think it is the fact that the tree will no longer be drawing water from the ground that causes heave.


ETA: Just beaten to it.

spadoosh

adonis10 wrote: »

Been quoted £80 + vat for a single sample, plus £10 per extra sample so say we get dining room, lounge and one bedroom (all 3 bedrooms were re-artexed 22 years ago at the same time so presumably all the same) so we are looking at £120 inc vat for the peace of mind. Not a fortune in the grand scheme of a 315k purchase.


According to the surveyor, asbestos use was banned in 1999. It seems that the bedroom ceilings were re-done in 1994-1996 ish so it was before the ban but still relatively recently so hopefully it wasn't used.

Ah but how can you be certain, they MIGHT not be. No point cutting corners.

adonis10

dc197 wrote: »

Trees cause problems in several ways, including these:
1. Their roots can physically penetrate foundations. Killing the tree or stunting its growth by giving it a hard prune will not repair any damage but will stop it ingressing further.
2. They suck moisture from the ground. If they suck too much, the ground shrinks and the foundations move (usually downwards). But conversely, if they suddenly stop sucking water because you kill them or give them a very hard prune, the balance is shifted and heave can occur. That the roots remain after you kill/prune the tree is irrelevant,what matters is that the roots are no longer sucking.

Christ, such a lot to consider. One of the selling points of the house is the large south facing garden, without the massive tree. Now there are concerns about removing it, what a carry on this house buying saga is!


If it helps to advise, the tree is roughly 20 feet away from the back of the house.

adonis10

spadoosh wrote: »

Ah but how can you be certain, they MIGHT not be. No point cutting corners.

Now, now. Don't attempt to feed my paranoia!

dc197

adonis10 wrote: »

Christ, such a lot to consider. One of the selling points of the house is the large south facing garden, without the massive tree. Now there are concerns about removing it, what a carry on this house buying saga is!


If it helps to advise, the tree is roughly 20 feet away from the back of the house.

You need to consider the tree's age, height and species too. And also whether the tree or the house came first.
You can chop it down, but you must be careful - you might have to do it at a certain time of year or in stages.
Get an expert in. They will tell you how to do it, and will tell you that because of the age/species/hight/distance, you have nothing/everything to worry about.

adonis10

This is the surveyors comment:

"In the past asbestos was a common building material and you will find it in the soffits, verge boards and roof tiles, for this age of property."

I've spoken to http://www.slr-environmental.co.uk/ who offer two services, 1. Asbestos sampling £80 + £10 per extra sample required. This seems ok if you know specifically where you want to test. 2. £250+vat for a full asbestos survey, identifies areas where it is present etc. They do, however, do asbestos removal which makes me think there is a conflict of interest.

On the one hand, I may be being paranoid but on the other I know nothing about it and am worried about walking into the unknown. For example, how would one know when soffits need replacing etc.? Apparently if they contain asbestos this would cost thousands. Also, it could be in insulation etc. Really tough decision.

Any more advice much appreciated as this is pretty much the only factor holding me back.