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Nervous after survey - structural movement (?), damp and cavity wall ties eroded
kissprudence
Posts: 40 Forumite
Hi everyone, need some advice.
Had an offer accepted of £115k on a 2 bed 1930s semi in Bradford.
Valuation survey has come back and surveyor has put current value of house at £0!
Reasons:
- vertical crack in render which *may* be a sign of progressive movement
- damp (despite vendors having a damp proof course in last six years, I'm waiting for certificate to find out how long ago)
- eroded cavity wall ties
Surveyor says I need:
- structural engineer out to look at the crack
- damp and timber survey
- cavity wall tie report
I realise that damp and timber surveys are a common request nowadays and that wouldn't necessarily put me off. But with the structural engineer survey AND cavity wall tie report as well, it all just feels a bit too much.
Should I run for the hills or am I being too hasty? Hubby doesn't seem too fazed but then I'm buying it in my name only WITH MY MONEY ha.
I will confess that it's not my intended forever home and not my dream house. We've been looking for quite a while and this is the only one that we felt met our spec/ needs and in our price bracket.
Had an offer accepted of £115k on a 2 bed 1930s semi in Bradford.
Valuation survey has come back and surveyor has put current value of house at £0!
Reasons:
- vertical crack in render which *may* be a sign of progressive movement
- damp (despite vendors having a damp proof course in last six years, I'm waiting for certificate to find out how long ago)
- eroded cavity wall ties
Surveyor says I need:
- structural engineer out to look at the crack
- damp and timber survey
- cavity wall tie report
I realise that damp and timber surveys are a common request nowadays and that wouldn't necessarily put me off. But with the structural engineer survey AND cavity wall tie report as well, it all just feels a bit too much.
Should I run for the hills or am I being too hasty? Hubby doesn't seem too fazed but then I'm buying it in my name only WITH MY MONEY ha.
I will confess that it's not my intended forever home and not my dream house. We've been looking for quite a while and this is the only one that we felt met our spec/ needs and in our price bracket.
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Comments
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kissprudence wrote: »Had an offer accepted of £115k on a 2 bed 1930s semi in Bradford.
Valuation survey has come back and surveyor has put current value of house at £0!
Are you a cash buyer, or is there a mortgage lender involved?
If this valuation is for a lender, then the decision is out of your hands.Reasons:
- vertical crack in render which *may* be a sign of progressive movement
Let's see a pic.- damp (despite vendors having a damp proof course in last six years, I'm waiting for certificate to find out how long ago)
1930s would have been built with a DPC anyway. Damp is usually a simple question of gutters and ground levels.- eroded cavity wall ties
Eww.Should I run for the hills or am I being too hasty? Hubby doesn't seem too fazed but then I'm buying it in my name only WITH MY MONEY ha.
Your money, your decision.and this is the only one that we felt met our spec/ needs and in our price bracket.
And now you know why this one was cheaper than the many other ostensibly similar 1930s semis in Bradford...0 -
If it was me I wouldn't be at all nervous as there's no way in hell I'd be proceeding.
I wouldn't buy anywhere that needed cavity wall ties let alone had some sort of issue (inherent damp?) that meant they were corroding.0 -
If the valuation was 0 you won't get a mortgage. If you are paying cash get a structural engineer to quote for fixing it. The cost will run into thousands and may well take you out of your price bracket.0
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See if the vendor will accept the valuation price."Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance" - Confucius0
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AnotherJoe wrote: »If it was me I wouldn't be at all nervous as there's no way in hell I'd be proceeding.
I wouldn't buy anywhere that needed cavity wall ties let alone had some sort of issue (inherent damp?) that meant they were corroding.
I don't believe their presence indicates anything wrong, they're part of the build process. I think they corrode because they used to use mild steel that was coated not stainless so the corrosion doesn't mean a massive damp issue.Officially in a clique of idiots0 -
Quite. Not buying anything that "needs" cavity ties simply means not buying anywhere with cavity walls...RedFraggle wrote: »I don't believe their presence indicates anything wrong, they're part of the build process. I think they corrode because they used to use mild steel that was coated not stainless so the corrosion doesn't mean a massive damp issue.0 -
Thanks everyone. I'm buying with a mortgage. Think my mind is made up, I'm going to walk away from this one...0
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I can't decide whether £115k is expensive or cheap? If it is cheap compared to the traditional end of terraced two up two downs then that is because it has problems.
It seem expensive to me for a 2 bed anyway because they are not that popular unless they are an old cottage or something.0 -
I question if it is really a cavity wall. That would be unusual for 1930's0
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