FTB - lack of building regs and investigations refused

Doozergirl

plummie wrote: »

Thanks doozergirl this is really helpful. I think if I can understand more about the worst case scenario and the likely time/cost to fix it I’ll feel much more comfortable with proceeding. You’ve estimated 4K and I’ve seen in your other post that you specialise in Home renovations, I was just wondering if 4K would be your estimate for correcting both the chimney removal and the wall removal? Obviously in the event that investigations revealed problems we’d get formal quotes but it would be good to have an idea.

I’m also nervous about how the corrections (if needed) would go down with the council as we’d have to reveal it was previously done without building regs. Has anybody experienced this?

Yes, £4k for both. There's no 'removing' to be done, just some reinstatement.

Building Control isn't an issue. An application would be made for the removal and support of the wall/chimney breast. That's it.

In all probability, it will have been done adequately. Building Regulations in their current form only started in 1986 and I think it took quite a while for it to start to become something that mortgage companies were mindful of and subsequently people started concerning themselves with. Still people now do things without obtaining a certificate. In the vast majority of cases it is a case of it being safe but just not obtaining the paperwork.

I don't condone it at all, it annoys the hell out of me, but it's rarely a case that it's unsafe. I have a knock through in our house held up by a wooden beam for character. We had our structural engineer look at it. He said it wouldn't pass regs but it is safe. So it stays. I'm not doing work for the sake of it.

I've had to rectify things in old houses where a fix can't even be calculated as it won't conform to current regs. It just has to be done. But structural engineers do know the difference between safe and regulations. Hence it is acceptable that there is no certificate for the house and it has little in the way of foundations but it is deemed safe.

SG27

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Unlikely that the major issues during the purchase would simply be forgotten. I can recall all the major incidents for the property I have bought/sold (and nearly bought) over the years. Leaves an indelible memory.

I can pretty much remember most of it. Not that I would volunteer any of that information to my buyers. Especially as 90% was irrelevent and the other 10% long since dealt with.

gettingtheresometime

plummie wrote: »

We have spoken to a number of structural engineers to try to understand the degree of works. The common response is that if possible they would go under the floorboards and if not the plaster removal would likely be 15cm by 15cm.

The property is nicely decorated but the beam section itself is a seperate colour to the room so in theory the most that would be needed is that section of wall repainting, for the kitchen I agree you may prefer to repaint the whole ceiling but as the area which would need investigating is above kitchen cupboards it wouldn!!!8217;t be that noticeable.

The surveyor didn!!!8217;t mention cracks etc but it!!!8217;s evident the whole house has been decorated relatively recently (vendors have only been there for 4 years). Probably just to the vendors taste but without any evidence it!!!8217;s very hard to know.

I also appreciate the works may have been done at a time when regs didn!!!8217;t exist - which is fine - but on that basis it seems more important to confirm everything is ok or to at least know the extent of repair works required before we commit.

I!!!8217;d also like to add that we would be happy to pay to make good after investigations if we then dropped out. We haven!!!8217;t explicitly stated this to the sellers but as we were told !!!8216;under no circumstances!!!8217; it felt like it wouldn!!!8217;t change their mind.

Hubby is a structural engineer and he went around to someone's house for the very same reason.

They were gobsmacked when he said that the only way he was prepared to certify the beam was if he saw it, which meant hacking off the plaster and exposing it.

A right royal mess was made in the process and it was a good job that the property was being gutted.