Building Survey shows nearly £100k of repairs required

manitravels

Hell all,
I'm a first time buyer I've just had Building Survey report sent to me. It is a 3 bed semi detached house built in 1920s.  At the time I thought the property was priced well. I thought with £50k TLC it would add value to the property. However the issues identified come to £95k.
I've placed a copy of the quoted costs on a google sheet but am too new to post links.
The report came back with over 30 issues which can be found in the above link.  The items below are the ones which are deemed as needing an urgent fix.

• "Overhaul tile roofs: Re-fix loose tiles, renew tiles to match existing, redress, re-wedge, repoint all flashings, aprons, chimney, gutters etc., renew fillets with lead flashings, repoint ridges etc." £30,000.00
• "DIY Loft Work: There is a strong likelihood that struts and collars have been removed from the roof structure. We recommend the roof structure be put back to its original form." £10,000.00
• Brick pointing: Rake out existing joints of brickwork minimum of 12mm and repoint brickwork in mortar to match existing." £1,500.00
• Brick arch: Support work over and cut out defective brickwork. Provide new lintel of size and type and bed in cement mortar (1:3). Make good brickwork and/or blockwork and all other work disturbed, including all necessary scaffolding." £500.00
• Pebble dashing: Renew external pebble dashing to back elevation by hacking off the existing, raking out joints, hacking for key, and rendering in cement and sand, 15mm. thick in two coats with steel trowelled surface, including stone dashing, including all necessary beads and scaffolding." £2,000.00
• Plastering Back To Brick: Remove defective plaster from wall, prepare existing background to provide a good key, re-plaster (bonding coat and skim) to match existing. Including all necessary angle beads and plaster stops." £500.00 
• "Fan: Install fan with Vent Axia HR100W Extractor Fan or similar approved, to the bathroom with Auto Humidity Control, back-draught shutter, make connections, carry out earth loop impedance test and make good finishes." £100.00
• Allow for a professional tiler to make good the poor workmanship.  £500.00
• Replace Ceiling: Take down plasterboard or lath and plaster ceiling, de-nail, prepare, Supply, cut and fix 12.5mm plasterboard, scrim joints and apply 3mm skim plaster to ceiling including additional support battens, noggins etc. to joists including all labours." £500.00
• Replace Ceiling: Take down plasterboard or lath and plaster ceiling, de-nail, prepare, Supply, cut and fix 12.5mm plasterboard, scrim joints and apply 3mm skim plaster to ceiling including additional support battens, noggins etc. to joists including all labours." £500.00
• Plastering Back To Brick: Remove defective plaster from wall, prepare existing background to provide a good key, re-plaster (bonding coat and skim) to match existing. Including all necessary angle beads and plaster stops." £500.00
• Allow to secure loose coving. £100.00
• Plastering Back To Brick: Remove defective plaster from wall, prepare existing background to provide a good key, re-plaster (bonding coat and skim) to match existing. Including all necessary angle beads and plaster stops." £500.00
• Chemical damp proofing: Dining room Allow provisional sum to prepare internal and external walls including all enabling works for a chemical damp proof to be installed. Install chemical damp proof course including all associated internal plastering, external pointing and decorations." £500.00
• Chemical damp proofing: (Living Room)Allow provisional sum to prepare internal and external walls including all enabling works for a chemical damp proof to be installed. Install chemical damp proof course including all associated internal plastering, external pointing and decorations." £1,000.00
• Chemical damp proofing: Hall Allow provisional sum to prepare internal and external walls including all enabling works for a chemical damp proof to be installed. Install chemical damp proof course including all associated internal plastering, external pointing and decorations." £1,000.00
• Allow to replace broken wall tiles. £500.00

And so as a FTB I'm thinking of running to the hills. Some of these costs however do seem a little high.... i.e. replacing the roof tiles at £30k?
Could I not get a loft extension for that price?
Just wondering what my next steps should be.... should I get quotes for the big pieces of work and see if I can negotiate the price down? I was concerned about benefiting from the Stamp duty holiday but with £95k of repairs I'm more concerned about making the right call. 

Any help or advice greatly appreciated. Thanks.  

Crashy_Time

Walk away, or negotiate the price down, way down!

Gavin83

I haven't gone to the trouble of adding it up but it doesn't appear from first glance it comes close to £95k. Are there significant costs you're leaving off? The roof work does seem excessive to me. Unless the roof is huge (which I doubt being a 3 bed semi) it shouldn't come anywhere close to that. £10k to put back the missing woodwork seems excessive too, if indeed it actually needs doing.

Also, while I'm certainly not a professional tradesperson I was always under the impression you were better off using 9.5mm plasterboard for ceilings. It's a minor point though, it won't reduce the costs of that too much.

While some of the costs seem excessive some seem low. I'd expect removing old plaster and replastering the house or replacing the ceilings to cost more than £500, or are those costs just for a single smallish room?

Slithery

manitravels said:

• Chemical damp proofing: Dining room Allow provisional sum to prepare internal and external walls including all enabling works for a chemical damp proof to be installed. Install chemical damp proof course including all associated internal plastering, external pointing and decorations." £500.00
• Chemical damp proofing: (Living Room)Allow provisional sum to prepare internal and external walls including all enabling works for a chemical damp proof to be installed. Install chemical damp proof course including all associated internal plastering, external pointing and decorations." £1,000.00
• Chemical damp proofing: Hall Allow provisional sum to prepare internal and external walls including all enabling works for a chemical damp proof to be installed. Install chemical damp proof course including all associated internal plastering, external pointing and decorations." £1,000.00

Chemical damp-proofing is always a terrible idea. It causes more problems than it attempts to (unsuccessfully) fix.

lookstraightahead

Surely surveyors are general and their advice should be to get specialists to check. How on earth can they give amounts like this?

lookstraightahead

Crashy_Time said:

Walk away, or negotiate the price down, way down!

What? Before checking out why a surveyor is an expert in all these areas?

SameOldRoundabout

Your list comes to £50-52k, what is the extra cost you’ve allowed for? £30k for the roof seems very excessive. I’d get a reputable roofing company in to give a better cost before panicking. As poster above said, chemical damp courses are a con. 

With the plastering etc, that’s part of an old house. Factor in replastering as you do each room, highly unlikely to need immediate remedial work. To be honest the only big thing on your list there is the roof, and I’d get a more realistic quote before running away. Crashy just doesn’t like anyone buying a house unless they can secure it for a 50p they found in their pocket. 

FreeBear

The prices quoted are well over the top for a replacement roof, and way too low for the plastering jobs.

I've just had quotes to strip, felt, and retile for my 1920s roof. Highest was £17K with new tiles. Lowest, £7K reusing as many of the old tiles as possible - These quotes also included lead work, fascias & guttering.

Taking plaster off walls & ceilings - That is two to three days work, so budget £1K per room. By the sounds of it, the proposed replastering would be more than 25% of external walls. If that is the case, building regulations kick in and would require improvements to the thermal performance - Usually internal/external wall insulation. That has bumped the cost up again.

As for chemical "damp proofing", I can only assume that this is surveyor is a member of the PCA and has links with a damp treatment company... There really isn't any point in throwing money at treatments that only mask a possible damp issue. Fixing damp at source is often minimal cost and pays dividends in the long term.

Quite likely that very little of the work suggested actually needs to be done. I'd recommend going back with a builder & roofer, have a good look round, and get some estimates straight from the experts.

manitravels

Apologies for the confusion. I didn't want to put down all 32 items as I assumed it would turn people off. The list above are the items which were defects that needed investigation/repair urgently. 
The urgent repair items came to £50'200.  
I didn't include others as some are down to personal tastes i.e. refurbishing the bathroom, having a new kitchen installed circa £22'500

manitravels

Slithery said:

manitravels said:

• Chemical damp proofing: Dining room Allow provisional sum to prepare internal and external walls including all enabling works for a chemical damp proof to be installed. Install chemical damp proof course including all associated internal plastering, external pointing and decorations." £500.00
• Chemical damp proofing: (Living Room)Allow provisional sum to prepare internal and external walls including all enabling works for a chemical damp proof to be installed. Install chemical damp proof course including all associated internal plastering, external pointing and decorations." £1,000.00
• Chemical damp proofing: Hall Allow provisional sum to prepare internal and external walls including all enabling works for a chemical damp proof to be installed. Install chemical damp proof course including all associated internal plastering, external pointing and decorations." £1,000.00

Chemical damp-proofing is always a terrible idea. It causes more problems than it attempts to (unsuccessfully) fix.

The report seems to suggest there is evidence the previous seller did damp proofing and I should ask for any warranties/guarrantees from the last course. Should I just get a damp specialist to visit the property? 

stuart45

The joints normally need cutting out deeper than 12mm for a repoint.