Crack outside house. Should I place offer?

EddyBaloch

dsdhall wrote: »

What you need to do is when asking a question listen to the advice. So when 5 people tell you to get a survey and or a structural engineer to look at it, do that instead of doing something completely different and finding a builder who possibly has no clue about such things.

In my experience a RICS surveyor will tell you to get a structural engineer to look at it. A .....

Thank you so much. It has been very helpful. This appears to be the best thing to do.

Hoploz

It could be cracked render, though it is quite bad. Are there any signs on the inside wall?
Interested to read your builder suggests it requires external painting. I'd never have known that if it hadn't been for his excellent insightful professional opinion :rotfl: (Sorry, only kidding - not meaning to add to your stress!)

Cakeguts

While you are waiting for the structural engineers report there are a couple of things that you can do. You say that there are other houses that look like this one. Go and look at the others and see if any of them have cracks in the same place.

Is this house cheaper than many others near it or has been on the market a long time? If so then that is a good indication of there being something wrong with it.

AdrianC

EddyBaloch wrote: »

I don't know whether chimney was removed or not.

The chimney is clearly there on the outside, above the roof of the maybe-extension.
Does it continue down inside?

Do you know where to find a surveyor who would go with me to view?

Rough hint as to where in the country...?

EddyBaloch wrote: »

I have managed to find a builder on trustatrader who has agreed to go with me for a fee of £100.

Mmm.
So how do people get listed on there?
https://www.trustatrader.com/traders/join-us/
Just sign up! (and pay a fee...)

And this results in...
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3122792

He has seen the pictures and said that that the property is rendered and the solution is to remove liise rendering and replace with new. He also suggested that the property needs a paint job on the outside.

Well, yes... A quick glance said that. Apart from the bit about the solution. Because he's taking the easy option.

Do you know how much does rendering and painting work cost? ( I am absolutely clueless as to what it even means)

I don't need to explain paint, do I? No, thought not.

Render is really just plaster, but for the outside.

Upsidedown_Bear

AdrianC wrote: »

Rough hint as to where in the country...?

Orpington London.

EddyBaloch wrote: »

I do not have a surveyor. Apologies if I am sounding too dumb on the subject. I have been renting flats for past 10 years and all my friends live in flats as well. May be the solution is to pay a surveyor or a builder to do a survey. Any idea how to hire one for a quick visit to the house? This house is in Orpington London.

ETA
[Removed]

Cakeguts

There is a wall missing in the kitchen of that house and in the living room. The living dining room goes all the way across the back of the house. The dining room leads to that bit on the back with the plastic roof. The kitchen is also open plan so what is supporting the chimney and the wall above the open plan kitchen ceiling?

Elfbert

Definitely looks like it's been chopped and changed - the existing fireplace now appears to back onto the kitchen. So the chimney you can see from outside is....?? And as Cakeguts says, there are now internal walls missing too! (Which could all be fine - you don't know until you/professionals research it.)

If you think trying to buy a house is stressful, you won't like owning one that's got structural issues one bit...

ETA: Looks like it sold 09 Aug 2005 for £263,000, and on the pic on Rightmove for that listing there seems to be some discolouration/mark where the crack now is. Possibly patched render?

EddyBaloch

[QUOTE=Mmm.
So how do people get listed on there?
trustatrader
Just sign up! (and pay a fee...)

And this results in...
moneysavingexpert
[/QUOTE]

Thank you so much for this. I completely fell for it. There are about 6 semis in a line which look exactly like this one with chimney at the same place.

I will get the full building survey including the structural engineering report as some of you have suggested. But at the moment, since it is my first buy as I have spent last one year saving my !!! off for deposit, I do not want to waste time and money offering on something which has obvious signs that I should not have offered.

EddyBaloch

Elfbert wrote: »

Definitely looks like it's been chopped and changed - the existing fireplace now appears to back onto the kitchen. So the chimney you can see from outside is....?? And as Cakeguts says, there are now internal walls missing too! (Which could all be fine - you don't know until you/professionals research it.)

If you think trying to buy a house is stressful, you won't like owning one that's got structural issues one bit...

ETA: Looks like it sold 09 Aug 2005 for £263,000, and on the pic on Rightmove for that listing there seems to be some discolouration/mark where the crack now is. Possibly patched render?

I am surprised to see the power of internet . You guys even tracked the house.

Any suggestions where I can find a structural engineer who can go with me for a second viewing so he/she can visually assess the damage? I am struggling on the internet and also after fellow members have opened my eyes about trustatrader, I am not sure who to trust!

EddyBaloch

Cakeguts wrote: »

While you are waiting for the structural engineers report there are a couple of things that you can do. You say that there are other houses that look like this one. Go and look at the others and see if any of them have cracks in the same place.

Is this house cheaper than many others near it or has been on the market a long time? If so then that is a good indication of there being something wrong with it.

I looked and the other houses look the same with no cracks. They seemed to be better taken care off. This has just came up a week ago and is about £15k higher than the one sold last month only 2 houses away.