Bad survey - who foots the bill?

greatcrested

Understandably there is a lot of guesswork going on. Not saying the points raised are not valid, but it would help to know exactly what the survey said, and better still to have some photos to look at too!

has damp and work needed to the loft etc.

Far too vague for sensible comment.

The garden is also mentioned, which is a red herring but could constitite several thousand of the £13K, and the 'stair rail' suggests at least some of the cost is to bring an 1890 property up to 2020 Building Standards!

Davesnave

Sorry, I couldn't in all honesty convict the house on the info supplied. There are plenty of folks around who think it may merely have had a rough upbringing, while others would send it down for a lifetime. Take your pick!

bucksbloke

Have they down valued the property? If not, they believe it is a fair price!

Boyce1807

ProDave said:

Get a trusted builder to have a look.

Surveyors are know for being over cautions.  In a lot of cases what they mention as "damp" is just condensation.  I don't think many recommend "damp" companies as they also have a reputation of doing work that might not entirely be really necessary and might not improve things.

You are looking at an old house that will have been built before standards existed.  It will need repairs and upgrades.  Perhaps you are not comfortable with that and a newer house would suit you better.

Post the actual text of what they surveyor said for a better idea of what is wrong.

I think the most relevant quote would be;
'‘It is possibly that the original pebbledash coating was defective and water was able to penetrate the elevation, and now the silicone based render has been installed, the moisture is trapped. The only way to resolve this would be to remove the plasterboard finishes, allow the wall to dry and then reinstate the finishes. As this requires further investigation a condition rating 3 has been given’. 
They gave an estimate of £5,000 to fix. 

Boyce1807

SameOldRoundabout said:

If the vendor had cement render done with the roof it may well have trapped any moisture from roof issues in the wall. Cement render should never be used on older properties, they need to breathe, hence the use of lime plaster and air bricks etc. Any render should be lime render so make sure you ask for proof of that. Gypsum plaster internally will also seal water into the wall long after the cause of a damp issue is remedied. Unfortunately most older houses have been gypsum plastered, and it doesn’t necessarily need immediate remedying unless there is trapped moisture. It does sound like that may be your problem though, it just depends on how bad it is. Ideally it’d be hacked off and replaced with lime render which is not a cheap job (quite possibly the majority of the money you were quoted in the survey). 

You can try and renegotiate but they are free to tell you to jog on. 

Yes I think this is the most accurate description. 
Quotes from survey - ‘It is possibly that the original pebbledash coating was defective and water was able to penetrate the elevation, and now the silicone based render has been installed, the moisture is trapped. The only way to resolve this would be to remove the plasterboard finishes, allow the wall to dry and then reinstate the finishes. As this requires further investigation a condition rating 3 has been given’. 

Comms69

What value did the surveyor give on the last page? - im surprise that question hasnt been asked

elsien

Or "it is possibly that" that cause is something else and little to do with the pebbledash. Guesswork at present. How educated that guesswork is, who knows?

Boyce1807

greatcrested said:

Understandably there is a lot of guesswork going on. Not saying the points raised are not valid, but it would help to know exactly what the survey said, and better still to have some photos to look at too!

has damp and work needed to the loft etc.

Far too vague for sensible comment.

The garden is also mentioned, which is a red herring but could constitite several thousand of the £13K, and the 'stair rail' suggests at least some of the cost is to bring an 1890 property up to 2020 Building Standards!

The survey is so long I didn't know which is the best bits to include. The garden is a minor job - £500 etc. 
Main work is the damp 
'‘It is possibly that the original pebbledash coating was defective and water was able to penetrate the elevation, and now the silicone based render has been installed, the moisture is trapped. The only way to resolve this would be to remove the plasterboard finishes, allow the wall to dry and then reinstate the finishes. As this requires further investigation a condition rating 3 has been given’. 
And some of the other items are. 

1) Rear right stack : The stack is in poor condition, with much of the mortar pointing either loose or missing, and the flaunching appears to be cracked on top of the stack. This stack should be repaired now, with the mortar pointing being raked out and repointed. The flaunching on top should also be replaced.

2) Insulation in roof space should be improved. Insulation should be installed around 2 loft hatches.

3) I noted that parts of the party wall have gaps, in particular to the rear addition and require building up to the underside of the roof line.

4) I noted that the gable end wall at high level has mortar pointing missing, and some deteriorated. These areas should be raked out and repointed.

5) Outside, the top of the flue to the chimney is open to the elements and nesting birds, a terminal fitting that keeps out the rain and birds and allows ventilation to the flue should be fitted.

6) To the right hand side of the roof is a shared parapet wall, which has render coatings and lead flashings. I did note that the top of the parapet wall has an exposed brick solider course, with some areas having vegetation growing out of the mortar joints. This vegetation should be removed, and the brickwork joints raked out and repointed soon to prevent water ingress. It is unknown if the parapet wall has an appropriate damp proof course.

Brock_and_Roll

If any of us live to 130, we will almost certainly leak a bit, have a few cracks and a few bits will have fallen off!