Horrific Homebuyer's Report - HELP.

Bob23

In the scheme of things £6k is peanuts not a disaster, dump it and get on with your life. Every day you waste you are closer to your box. I wasted 5 years fighting a failing pension company - and lost.

FreeBear

Doozergirl said:

thearchitect said:

On a final note, I'm not sure that Freebear really understands the English building regulations beyond doing what he's told to by the BCO.  But that's amongst the reasons why architects and surveyors exist......

If that is what you thought was the case, then you could have chosen to reply to him with a post that would have been helpful to him or the OP.  Patronising him wasn't a good look when he's one of the most helpful posters on this board.  

Aww shucks Doozergirl....

As for "thearchitect" - On this board I will point out were Building Control may need to be involved. This is to protect the poster from making some potentially costly mistakes if BC come along at a later date and serve an enforcement notice. Also, having the correct paperwork in place for any work that is subject to building regs makes it much easier to sell a property,

On the subject of insulating a wall - I'm well aware of the 25% rule and the number of cop-outs available - Taking full advantage of them with *this place.

Doozergirl

thearchitect said:

If we are to be helpful on this forum, it is important that we give sound advice.  

If you think that correction of these points is patronising then I'm sorry.  Personally I think it's more important to brief people on the issues accurately. 

Doozergirl

That's the post I was referring to.  It offers nothing to anyone and it is patronising precisely because of that.  

Explaining yourself, in whatever format, is not.    

thearchitect

It is not unreasonable to ask the poster before explaining what the problem is, lest they have a speficic strategy in mind. Now I'm not interested in a flame-war here, but what is quite clear is that incomplete advice was given by a number of you here regarding the application of the English Building Regulations, with corrections now being dressed up as complaints regarding tone.  Accept the advice was inadequate and move on.

Doozergirl

It was rude and you know it . 

You're not even right.   Even you used the words 'not necessarily' and applied the rules to a totally different scenario to the one I described.   Freebear was absolutely correct in his reply to what I said.  We're on a forum trying to help someone consider whether to throw good money after bad based on an entire survey and you haven't addressed OP once.  

thearchitect

No, he wasn't correct.  Both of you have given incomplete and potentially misleading advice in this case.  You have reacted very poorly when challenged, and the limits of your exerience are clear - for example you were unaware that lath (note correct spelling) and plaster was commonly used on external walls notwithstanding a textbook diagram.  There are likewise other shibboleths which I will not dwell on.  I have given full references to how I arrived at my advice in respect of the English Building Regulations and am happy to stand by that.   Now move on.

Skiddaw1

I think the OP has probably made their decision and gone anyway.

Can't comment on the disagreement but I would just say that I bow at the depth of knowledge on this board even if you knowledgeable ones do occasionally have a spat. I love reading all your posts because I learn so much.

stuart45

There are always regional differences in the construction trade, especially with older properties. 
Lath and plaster is quite common in the USA over brick walls, as is metal lathing under external render. The Yanks think straight on to masonry is a bit of a bodge, but it's only their opinion.

Elizabeth12345

Thank you all for your great advice. To add a bit of context, I'm in the North of England (hence the low prices, in comparison to the capital) and the house is large. It has two reception rooms, kitchen, four bedrooms, bathroom, and a habitable loft (not fully converted but carpeted, stairs meet building regs, skylights etc). Houses on this street sell for up to £250k - I'm unsure as to why the surveyor told the bank that the estimated value AFTER repairs would be £150k. We have spoken to the surveyor on the phone who was positive about the property and said there was some profit to be made (seems contradictory to his report?) It's also worth noting that we are not buying this to flip or gain immediate profit, it is a home to live in and a gradual DIY process will therefore not be an issue. We of course factored in about 15k for the roof and rewire but were concerned about the other grade three issues mentioned. We are going to have an ex-surveyor (now retired) come to look around the property with us to give a second opinion. I am feeling more positive after doing some research and speaking to some industry experts. I am not as concerned about the structure of the building but obviously don't want to purchase a complete money pit. It is worth noting that the property was lived in until the end of October and does not smell of damp, has no 'coldness', and the floors all feel solid. Whilst these are only observations, it FEELS in better condition than other old properties we have viewed (although the report certainly casts doubt on this). The roof, gutters, and electrics obviously takes priority. The seller has offered to reduce the property to £132k but refuses to go any lower. We have a big decision to make and your advice is most useful so thank you.