Feeling over whelmed over new house

G_M

Drawingaline wrote: »

I always find my tradespeople by word of mouth, or use check@trade. You can use the DIY board on here for queries, and small jobs can definitely be done yourself with help from utube.

Do NOT use checkatrade. The traders pay to be on there and that's how the website makes its money. What do you think happens to the negative feedback............

Use either

https://trustedtraders.which.co.uk/

https://www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk/

Where can I get a tradesperson to look and fix my roof?

There is water coming in and one wall is damp.

Surveyor didn’t notice anything four weeks ago and also didn’t use a drone. I’m starting to think that profession is useless.

Do surveyors use drones nowadays....?

* Poke your head in the attic to see where daylight (and water) may be coming in. Just one place or all over?

* Take a good look at the roof from outside. Look systematically at all tiles/slates from top to bottom and left to right: You should be able to see if there are slates/tiles missing(or cracked/half-broken off). Again - is just one or two, or many?

* Look at the gutters when it's raining (I know! you'll get wet!). Do they overflow? If so the gutter or perhaps the downpipe is blocked.No big deal, probably just leaves.

For the odd tile needing replacing, and the gutters, you just need a local odd job man with a ladder. Ask neighbours (be brave, knock on the door!) or use local facebook group, or local paper.

For a major job, eg 15+ tiles you probably need a roofer.

http://britassoc.org.uk/roofing.htm

Might be worth ringing the surveyor and asking him to come back as he's missed the roof problems. Did his report say anything at all about the roof?

Jarviscocker

The surveyor has been helpful in saying what the problem could be but he’s washed his hands of being his problem. He said he can only see what he can see from the street and the rest isn’t his problem.

Which is fine.... until I look at the right move photos and I can see that corner of the room is clearly damp. The wall is damp from at least 4 months ago. Obviously I’ve kicked myself for not noticing it, FTB and an idiot.

I’ve not told him this issue yet, but ask him for photos of his survey...

RelievedSheff

Instead of looking for people to blame look for a solution to the problem. It is your house now so it is yours fix.

Jarviscocker

Part of the solution is knowing what steps you should/could have taken. I was also replying to the ever informative G_M when he asked what the surveyor said. At the very least other people can learn from my mistake.

G_M Im looking at the website you mentioned and the Which? site seems easy to put up reviews as there is no verification and the second one I can’t find a trader I want to use (depending on quote). Thankfully the tradie that I will get a quote from has got a lot of google reviews which I can find a bit more about the posting history. Thanks for the useful information about the first website that the traders pay to be on the site!

Also 100% thankful for the information about where the leak could be from.

G_M

Jarviscocker wrote: »

...

G_M Im looking at the website you mentioned and the Which? site seems easy to put up reviews as there is no verification and the second one....

Yes but unlike the commercial websites, contractors/firms have to apply to be on the Which? list, have to be assessed, have to sign up to Which?'s code of practice, and can ger kicked off if they don't.

Additionally you may have missed:

We require the following information so we can validate review submissions. All our reviews are checked by our team of moderators so please expect a phone call or email to verify your review.

RelievedSheff

When it comes to local tradesmen you can not beat local knowledge.

Speak to your new neighbours. They will be able to give you recommendations.

Dont be a stranger to your new neighbours. Dont be afraid to talk them.

suki1964

Jarviscocker wrote: »

I will have to make a facebook account

The surveyor should have seen the damp as it wasn’t present in the pictures put on the internet 3 months before (when I guess the rain wasn’t as bad). Not a lot I can do there apart from write a bad review. I wasn’t there when the survey took place but the owner was... rolls eyes.

I’m still getting dog hairs. Gross! After hoovering ten times. Cleaning the filters on my hoover etc. Ahhhhh! I’ve arranged to rent a rug doctor with my sister. Hopefully can fit in the car ok.

The smells is getting better. I’ve looked for bicard in the shops but I can’t buy in bulk. So I’ll order of amazon or check my (old) local pound shop (I know they have some).

Slowly but surely getting there!

Slowly but surely

And whilst other problems are surfacing , you are tackling the older ones and winning the battle, in just a few days so well done you :T


The damp/water will 99% be down to a blocked gutter or a broken gutter


My first bedsit I had a terribly wet wall, the housing association sent guys out twice and still it was never sorted, was me mum who was there on a wet day seeing the what was happening that got the problem sorted ( gutter full of debris and the brackets loose so it was tilting towards the wall therefore water was just pouring down it )

The damp you saw was probably down to the same kid of conditions as we have now. When your surveyor surveyed, it was probably the middle of summer and all was fine. A surveyor is not going to be climbing roofs or roof spaces or lifting carpets. He's just going to see what the eye can see

As an example, our survey on that first house said the kitchen window and back door needed replacing. Didn't pick up that the new patio was above the DPC so the whole kitchen floor was under water and the back wall was sodden


The best place I have ever found local knowledge is the PUB.. But Im more of a drinker then a church goer, the church I understand is also a hive of local knowledge

Then Neighbours. Do not be afraid to knock on doors and talk to them and ask for help/advice

Our first bought London house we really did get to know our neighbours through asking advice ( newbie youngsters on the block ) and everyone ( other then our next door neighbour) was very helpful and 15 years on we still keep in sporadic contact

Jarviscocker

With regards to Facebook groups, what do I search for?

Doozergirl

Jarviscocker wrote: »

With regards to Facebook groups, what do I search for?

Your town name.

Then you can hit 'groups', see what's there and ask to join. If not relevant, you can just leave again.

Look at 'pages' too, but I find groups better.

robatwork

Jarviscocker wrote: »

G_M Im looking at the website you mentioned and the Which? site seems easy to put up reviews as there is no verification

This is wrong.

I put up a review on Which? trusted traders, and Which called me to have a chat about the trader before publishing it.

It's not a 100% verification process but is likely to put off most of the checkatrade shills, so a lot more trustworthy than that site. Also try your neighbours for some recommendations.