Building Survey Found Defects - What Should I Do?

n15h

Hi all, I've had an offer of £190K accepted (subject to survey) on a house for sale at £199,950. I am a FTB and had a Building Survey completed for my own piece of mind which has found some defects. The Building Survey has rated these 1, 2 or 3 with 1 being no repair needed, 2 being defects that need repairing/replacing, and 3 being defects that are serious and/or need to be repaired, replaced or investigated urgently.

Below are some extracts from the report with the rating:

Roof Coverings (Rated 2): The mortar work below some verge tiles was noted to be cracked, requiring raking out and renewal. Raking out and re-pointing may prove a short-term solution and it is likely to fail again. Ideally, the verge tiles should be lifted, the defective mortar renewed and the tiles re-bedded. This should be carried out by a competent roofing contractor. There is a broken corner to tile.

Windows (Rated 2): The windows are of timber construction. Timber windows need regular maintenance and redecoration to help prevent against rot. Any defective joints between window and door frames and the adjacent walling will need to be repointed with mastic to prevent water penetration and reaching those parts of the timber frames which may not have been protected by paint or staining. The seals of some of the double glazed units have failed and vapour has entered the void. These units will require replacement.

Fireplaces, Chimney Breast and Flues (Rated 3): The property has a single fireplace located in the main reception room. Without specialist tests we cannot comment on the condition of the flue walls. You may wish to arrange for an inspection prior to use.

Woodwork (Rated 1): There are loose skirting in the kitchen and rear addition.

Heating (Rated 2):
At the time of the inspection the central heating was on. Where noted the radiators were warm and the system appeared to be functioning adequately. The central heating system is provided with a plastic expansion tank located in the loft. The tank requires draining, cleaning and refilling and should be provided with a rigid cover.

Garage (Rated 2): The right elevation is open and the rear had timber panels. The garage is in an acceptable condition for its purpose and no significant defects were noted, although you should check that it is sufficient in size for your intended use. There is some slight rot to the timber over the rear personnel door that need some attention.


As there are a number of defects rated 2 or 3, especially the failed seals of the windows, I wonder whether I can use this to negotiate my offer price.

I also wondered how much it costs to get double glazed windows replaced, and whether it is the whole window that would need changing or just 1 or 2 panes?

Any suggestions on what i should do regarding my offer would be appreciated

davidmcn

All sounds like normal routine maintenance points to me. None of it big or urgent. I wouldn't have thought it makes much difference to the price.

ProDave

There is nothing there that would stop me buying that house and attend to all the defects in due course as part of upgrades and maintenance.

The "blow" double glazed units will still function but under certain weather conditions may mist over, so replace them as and wen you are able to afford it. The house will not come to peril of you don't change them.

The roof just wants minor repairs, I would aim to get that done some time over the summer.

Fireplace just means he has not got the ability to check the flue.

Heating just needs a service.

Garage sounds a but poorly built I would probably aim to replace with something better when you can afford it.

Bass_9

In my experience that's not bad at all for a survey!

G_M

Treat this as a useful 'to do' list for the next year.

Nothing major or urgent there. Just get the jobs done in the summer.

n15h

@davidmcn, @ProDave & @Bass_9 - thanks for your comments. Good to know that they aren't as serious as it sounds in the survey.

I should have explained that the garage is actually a car port.

n15h

G_M wrote: »

Treat this as a useful 'to do' list for the next year.

Nothing major or urgent there. Just get the jobs done in the summer.

Thanks - that does make sense.


Does anyone know how much an idea of how much it would cost to get the misting window units replaced?

I believe there's probably 6 panes, and I don't know the exact measurements but they do vary in size as some are 1 pane in a window, which has 2x2 small panes (box room) and another is the middle pane of a window with just 3 large panes from one side of the wall to the other (master bedroom).

Sorry if that's unclear - I'm unsure how else to describe the panes.

Jojomissy

Probably £3-400 depending on sizes. Its not usually too expensive.

Jojomissy

Forgot to say. Dont contact a nationwide company as you will pay over the odds. Find a local reputable firm.

G_M

n15h wrote: »

Does anyone know how much an idea of how much it would cost to get the misting window units replaced?

I believe there's probably 6 panes, and I don't know the exact measurements but they do vary in size as some are 1 pane in a window, which has 2x2 small panes (box room) and another is the middle pane of a window with just 3 large panes from one side of the wall to the other (master bedroom).

Depends what you decide to do.

As the survey says, wood-framed windows need regular maintenance. Rubbing down and re-painting or the wood will start to rot (as water reaches it through worn paint). Hard wood will survive better than soft wood.

So if you plan to stay long-term, you might choose to replace the entire windows with UPVC which require minmal ongoing maintenance. But for that, budget £300 - £500 per window. Find a reputable local UPVC replacement company (eg recommended by Which? or Trading Standards).

If just replacing the glass, within the existing frames, this is much cheaper, but
a) is unlikely to guarantee the problem won't repeat, and
b) leaves you painting the frames every year or 2.

As an idea see

http://www.dgservicing.co.uk/doubleglazing-windows-doors-repairs.php?id=sealed-units

Note - I make no recomendation of this company. I just googled 'replace misted double glazing' and it's the 1st compny that popped up!

Drawingaline

We moved into our house in 2009. The front room window had a defect in the front panel so it misted up. The hinges were also dodgy and it did let on cool air during the winter. We had it fixed last summer, so eight years after moving in! We had the pane replaced (already had uPVC frames) new handles on all the windows, four windows had new hinges and a large smashed pane replaced in the conservatory. For this we paid around the £800 mark. This was with a local company recommended to us. The work was done quickly and well, and the front door was adjusted for free at the same time.