Building Survey Found Defects - What Should I Do?

n15h

Jojomissy wrote: »

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

@jojomissy, thanks - I was looking around the £600 mark so if it's around £400, I'd be happy

n15h

G_M wrote: »

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!

@G_M thanks for the link - that sounds exactly like the defect found by the surveyor.

I see your point about UPVC and hard/soft wood - not something I've given any thought to in the past, so definitely something I'll have to think about. I'm looking at staying for next 5 years before moving on, but who knows what could happen in those 5 years!

The house also has other areas that have wooden finishes e.g. car port, and I'm happy to maintain/paint every so often to keep it in good condition and avoid rot.

n15h

Drawingaline wrote: »

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.

@Drawingaline thanks! Seems like getting the pane replaced does the trick for a decent price rather than getting whole unit replaced. I was looking at the £600 mark to get the panes replaced so I'm hopeful it will be less - although I'll only find out once I get the keys and can get some proper quotes.

martindow

If the wooden frames are in a reasonable condition and a repainted occasionally they will last a long time. Double glazing salesmen's patter of dismissing wooden frames as if they are in imminent danger of rotting away is hype to sell plastic window frames.

As has been said treat these items as a possible to do list.

00ec25

n15h wrote: »

I am a FTB can't your parents provide any experience?

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.
repointing is a perfectly normal maintenance task. The surveyor is A covering by mentioning re-bedding
Windows (Rated 2): The windows are of timber construction. Timber windows need regular maintenance and redecoration to help prevent against rot. yes, as all property owners have been doing since paint was invented eons ago 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. indeed, that is why mastic was invented,
to seal gaps. It costs <£5 per tubeThe seals of some of the double glazed units have failed and vapour has entered the void. These units will require replacement. that is more relevant and more expensive.

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.meaningless A covering

Woodwork (Rated 1): There are loose skirting in the kitchen and rear addition.
so get a nail and hammer it in
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.meaningless A covering, buy a bit of cover and put a cover over the tank.
Or recycle the next large bit of plastic you come across

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.so the surveyor has a pair of eyes and can write down what they see - meaningless A covering


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? replace the sealed glass - think if it as the slice of ham in a sandwich. You already have the bread, all you need is the slice of ham in the middle

repointing tiles is not an urgent task and will cost only a few £100 to get a handyman with a ladder to do it

only you can see how bad the water ingress is on the sealed double glazing units, they may need replacing and will probably cost a few £100 from a glazing company. of course if you don't know how to take out the bead and thus remove the glass it may cost more to get someone who does

good luck convincing the vendor to take the hit for that with a lower offer

Lolly88

How much was the house valued at in the valuation/survey? The issues indicated are not major and you have already had 9k off asking price. If I was in the vendors position and the valuation came back at the right price, based on the issues indicated I wouldn't consider negotiating any lower.

n15h

Lolly88 wrote: »

How much was the house valued at in the valuation/survey? The issues indicated are not major and you have already had 9k off asking price. If I was in the vendors position and the valuation came back at the right price, based on the issues indicated I wouldn't consider negotiating any lower.

@lolly88 I did not get a valuation with the Building Survey, however my surveyor said that the bank's surveyor was there at the same time he did his survey. He did say the bank's surveyor agreed with my price i.e. £190K.

My offer was based on my first viewing and what I felt the property was worth. I was unaware of the issue with the windows and I did inform the EA that my offer was always subject to survey.

n15h

00ec25 wrote: »

repointing tiles is not an urgent task and will cost only a few £100 to get a handyman with a ladder to do it

only you can see how bad the water ingress is on the sealed double glazing units, they may need replacing and will probably cost a few £100 from a glazing company. of course if you don't know how to take out the bead and thus remove the glass it may cost more to get someone who does

good luck convincing the vendor to take the hit for that with a lower offer

@00ec25 Thanks. I liked your analogy about the sandwich - that makes sense. Unfortunately my skills with windows/beads/glass etc. are non-existent so I'll have to get someone in. I've put my points to the EA and asked them to speak to the sellers, so I hope to hear back in the next few days.

cloo

All sounds fairly normal and healthy - I'd be quite pleased with that TBH!

n15h

cloo wrote: »

All sounds fairly normal and healthy - I'd be quite pleased with that TBH!

@Cloo thanks