Buying house with problem conservatory

cakemum

Hi just after some advice. We went to view a house yesterday and we like everything about it, but we saw that the conservatory has some cracks in it and looks as though it is pulling away from the house. We would probably replace it anyway but I'm worried if we go ahead that we won't be able to get insurance, or pay a huge premium for it as I think it is classed as part of the house. Would it be flagged up as subsidence even though the main house is fine?

lincroft1710

There is no guarantee that the house is not affected even though the subsidence would appear to affect only the conservatory.

But if the property has subsidence, large insurance premiums are the least of your worries. At the very least you need a full survey and possibly a structural engineer's report to accurately gauge if and to what extent there is subsidence.

societys_child

I wouldn't link a conservatory pulling away from the house with subsidence just yet.

More likely to be poor foundations for the conservatory or it was never tied to house properly, or never built correctly in the first place, a whole list of reasons.
Never mention subsidence unless your absolutely certain and you've been told that's what it definitely is by a qualified person.

How old is it? Remember in most cases conservatories don't or didn't need PP or building control, anyone could throw one up and often did, with very little thought about foundations.

cakemum

I think it's over 10 years old, it was there when the current owner brought it.
So where would I stand if the survey says it's just the conservatory?
As far as I can see the actual house is fine

Davesnave

As an old conservatory adds little or no value, this one could actually reduce the desirability of the house in many people's eyes and give you some negotiating leverage. That's provided you're satisfied by then that the house is fine.

As the conservatory industry is riddled with dodgy practice and not subject to building regs, it's quite likely that the foundations were skimped.

But remember, even if you are thinking of replacement, this old thing and it's foundations will have to go somewhere, and skips aren't cheap!

Cakeguts

It may have been built by the owners of the house at that time. I think some people think that buying a conservatory kit from a builder's merchant and then watching a few videos on the internet is a good way to do a building project.