Buying a property with 'Braced' Bay window

gentlecleanser

Hi looking for some advice. 

We are looking at putting an offer in on a house in Somerset. House is perfect, needs some renovation but happy to do that having done had building work done on current property. However, the estate agents told us on viewing that single story front bay window had previously been underpinned. 

I have gone back to agent and asked some questions to which they have replied: 

When was the underpinning carried out on the bay? The vendors have advised us the bay window was braced was 15/20 years ago. They were advised to either underpin or braced – they don’t know why this was chosen as it was his parent who did the work when they young.
Has anywhere else/the front of the house been underpinned? No further bracing/underpinning has been done to the property.  
What was the reason for the front bay subsidence? The vendors were advised this because the foundations under the bay weren’t as deep as the house.

The house is priced low for the location, i guess to reflect the renovation work needed but that is why we can afford it (and leaves some left over to budget for renovation). It felt too good to be true as was perfect minus this. 
But we are now very worried about the bay window situation, is this just really not a good idea to consider this property? 
If we were to put an offer in, could anyone advise what our next steps should be? We were thinking go low with the offer and if accepted a level 3 building survey. 

There is some cracking internally to the bay- i can send photos. 

eddddy

gentlecleanser said:

if accepted a level 3 building survey. 

You should get a structural engineer's report.

(If you have a level 3 survey, the surveyor will probably say that you need a structural engineer's report.)

You might even want the structural engineer to provide a "Certificate of Structural Adequacy" to confirm that everything is ok.


The potential problem is with insurers. All insurers will ask about any history of subsidence (or underpinning).  If there is a history of subsidence, it will reduce the number of insurers who will be willing to provide cover.

Have you seen the original report from 15/20 years ago from the seller? Was there an insurance claim? Did the report mention "subsidence"?

And maybe ask your structural engineer whether actual "subsidence" appears to have occurred, and ask him/her to include their opinion in writing in their report.

Doozergirl

It's quite common for differential
movement to occur like this for the exact reason given by the agents - that bay windows often do not have the same
foundations as the rest of the house. 

Everything else being well, it wouldn't actually bother me.  

gentlecleanser

We have not seen the report but I am going back to agent now to ask if we can. 
Do you think it would be appropriate to offer a lower price the property now, or put an offer in at a value that the agent told us they are likely to accept and then negotiate should the structural engineer's report say if subsidence has occurred.