HomeBuyers report - wall ties and damp

vitaminz

Hi all,

I made a post a while ago about a really rubbish survey for an old terraced house I was looking to buy, we decided to walk away and instead we've found a newer ~1930 terraced house for a bit cheaper.

Anyway we've had the survey and while it's much better than the previous it raises a few issues that I'd love to hear you guys' opinion on

1. Issue with wall ties - there's some horizontal cracking on the front and rear walls, see picture 1. He reckons this could be due to corroded wall ties which would need to be repaired or replaced. From what I can read this isn't too expensive - new ones can be drilled in cheaply, does that sound right?

2. My old friend damp. The previous house was covered in damp but this only has a few damp issues picked up. The first is by the kitchen doorway (pic 2) and it's quite visible, the second is just written down as 'high damp meter readings to the right side of the chimney'. Are high readings common near chimneys/fireplaces? With the one in the hallway it's unclear what could be causing it

Anyway my gut feeling is good on this, well compared to the previous house! But I'd love to know if you guys have any thoughts/experience with the above issues.




Thanks 😊

loveka

We just had a massive area of damp done. A 26 foot wall, plus all around a bay window and fire place. It cost 2k, so yours wouldn't cost very much at all.

All old houses have damp to some extent, it's just important to ascertain what type it is so it can be treated.

Browntoa

chimneys are renown for damp issues , faulty pointing/flashing etc

lewishardwick

Is the damp on external walls? If there's potential wall tie failure and damp, have the cavities been filled with insulation?

vitaminz

Is the damp treatment for the chimney going to be necessary immediately, i.e. how much of an issue is it going to be? The surveyor did not report any damp visible on external walls, and he's unsure whether there's insulation or not

Thanetia

Wall ties - get someone to do some testing on a sample to check corrosion. If wider work required it will look a bit unsightly on a rendered wall but you can soon sort that out aferwards. Never a big fan of rendering as that might create damp issues if render is cracked, old or imperfect.

Chimney could be flashing as mentioned above or could be poor ventilation - are the fireplaces open or sealed? If the latter then most likely to be what Browntoa says above ^^^^^

vitaminz

Thanks - do you think I should do this before we commit to the purchase/exchange contracts? I'm really happy with the house other than that to be honest. Perhaps I can see if I can get some cost knocked off

The fireplace is open I *think*!

samogotchi

We've recently had a similar survey, which also brought out damp in the chimney breast.
For an indicative quotation, we were quoted at around £500 to get that fixed - it is apparently very common in older houses (and at least some damp is always inevitable to come up on these surveys).

Thanetia

Most vendors won't be hugely excited at the prospect of someone drilling some holes in their wall on the instructions of a complete stranger, even if that stranger is a potential purchaser.

Easiest is to get someone local to quote for the work and then you are armed with some info on cost up front. Shouldn't cost a fortune. Same if chimney flashing is shot.

Damp and dodgy wall ties is all part of older house ownership as you're starting to understand !!

wantonnoodle

We had wall tie issues with the house we have just bought. There was no evidence of cracking etc, just that the neighbouring houses had had their wall ties replaced but there was no evidence that the house we were buying had had anything done of that nature. This was noted on the valuation along with some questions around subsidence and condition of a couple of lintels above windows and patio doors.

The mortgage company put a full 100% retention on the mortgage subject to us getting a wall tie and lintel inspection and a structural survey. We arranged that and they came back saying that there was no subsidence, only historic settlement of the house but that 3 lintels needed replacing and the cavity wall ties were nearing the end of their life so should be supplemented with additional new ties. The response of the mortgage company was to put a £5000 retention on the mortgage subject to this work being done, which was an improvement. However, there was no way we could afford to do the works, pay the deposit and cover the retention. We put it to the vendor to negotiate, and as this was an issue that was likely to come up with any purchaser, he agreed to get the work done and provide insurance backed guarantee certificates (the mortgage company needed to see these before they would release the retention, not to mention our requirement for warranties).

From what I recall, the cavity wall tie and lintel inspection cost £125 inc VAT and the work to replace the wall ties cost around £900, with the lintel replacement costing around £2000.

Given the house we bought is a 1929 semi, we always expected some imperfections. Its what I call "character". Our next job is to have the roof replaced, the roof is the original one, and a complete removal and replacement, including the tiles above the bay at the front is going to cost us £4100 + VAT which is a fair price to get a up to date, watertight roof.

ToasterScheme

Have you ever watched "Inside number 9"?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05p650r

Run away...