Results of survey - what do we worry about and what’s manageable?

kiss_me_now9

For context, it’s a 3 bed link detached property in commuter belt Home Counties area. On a 80s/90s estate, has been empty for ? A few months as it’s an ex rental that’s being sold. I’ll put the more personal context at the bottom as it’s probably clouding us a little and I would really appreciate just objective opinions! I am struggling to differentiate between surveyor language to protect their backs and actual things we need to fix.

* It has a conservatory which doesn’t meet building regs. The next statement is that the radiator is on the main system and the thermal separating division has been removed (there is no dividing doors between the conservatory and the main house - it’s just a wide archway). This section also states that roof doesn’t have a snow guard and “may be subject to fail under an avalanche” (I suspect this is surveyor language?). There are also some issues with the windows and the doors not fitting properly as well. When we viewed the property in early Feb. We didn’t notice any significant temperature difference or disturbance but obviously that is just one data point!

* There is decking outside in the garden (we had already planned to remove this anyway as we have a toddler and I feel it’s unsafe, plus it’s not something we aesthetically like anyway) that has rat traps under it; the loft also has rat and mouse traps in it. The surveyor has reported no visual signs of either on the property but acknowledges that it is a) an empty property at present and b) quite close to some green and woodland areas. A concern would be that poison has been used in the property as we have two cats, and a toddler. 

* The windows upstairs are not fire escape windows - they’re top opening double glazed windows. They also have no trickle vents. There is no ventilation other than the window in the bathroom. There is some mention of failed double glazing (I think this in the conservatory, but not 100% certain) which sounds like we would need to replace all the windows? 

* There is a gas fire in the living room which is disconnected from the mains supply. Is that a red flag? 

* There was water in the external water metre chamber, despite dry weather in the two weeks leading up the inspection. 

* In the Urgent matters section it lists the conservatory, inspection of a “very springy” floorboard in one of the upper bedrooms, removal of some ivy that is on the link wall, some drain improvements, and installation of a mains powered up and downstairs fire alarm system. 

The ivy, decking and fire alarm systems don’t bother us too much, that’s a fairly easy solve. The conservatory, rats and windows do worry me. That could potentially be £30 to £40k of work (new windows for the whole property and a new conservatory). We would also need to put in a new bathroom suite upstairs, as although it’s functional it only has a small shower cubicle which we could not safely bathe our toddler in (it’s not big enough for an adult and a toddler really). The downstairs loo and the kitchen are both functional but again need a lot of updating. There’s a lot of other cosmetic problems we would want to update (new carpets in the downstairs, updating decoration etc.). 

The personal stuff is that we are buying this house to relocate from the West Country to be closer to our families in the Home Counties. I have a new job starting in early summer and this house ticks every single box we had for our budget (which, when moving from a fairly reasonably priced area to much more expensive one has been hard to find). This house is perfect location wise, perfect school wise, perfect for my new job, the area is what we want, close to family but also far enough away and the town has everything we are looking for. The time pressure of the situation is very much a factor. The price of this house compared to others on the estate is very reasonable even for the condition and repair work needed. 

We would like to have a second child sometime in the next year or so and that also plays on my mind with this purchase, as childcare in the new area is about 20% more expensive (I work in the NHS so my wage is only increasing a little because I’ve upped my hours, and OH is keeping his hybrid job on a 90% WFH basis, so there’s very little change in our income. Financially this new property is a bit more of a commitment each month but it’s not unreachable as we’ve been lucky that at the moment our income allows us to save a fair amount each month; however finding the money for all the listed repairs would be a big problem). 

RAS

Can you edit to tell people where the water is?

youth_leader

Good luck.

Interested to see where the water is.

The conservatory roof could be changed so it's 'snow proof'?  As for the windows I was fed up to find three windows at this bungalow had 'blown' when autumn came.  I think I paid £200 for each glass replacement.  Another one now needs doing. 

The springy floorboard definitely needs investigating, I was caught out with 'buyer beware' and had to have all flooring here replaced, I found out six months after purchase.  Before you ask for a damp/timber survey I'd speak to your surveyor again.  A damp/timber survey requires floorboards to be lifted, the seller might refuse.  My surveyor was most apologetic that he didn't find out the floors were rotten, but he could not lift carpets or move the heavy furniture strategically placed during his visit.  He  showed me where he 'jumped' up and down to test the floors.  The wet rot was in the bay window and under the double bed.

Looking at your location, you will have wildlife visiting your garden, it sounds very peaceful.  It sounds as though the seller is very cautious.   I'm in a side street in a coastal village in Northumberland and they are continuously building on the fields, there are rats everywhere here as they were misplaced.  They have no predators as foxes are shot and killed here, especially if unfortunate enough to be seen on a 'drag hunt'.

kiss_me_now9

Whoops! I was trying to read the report on my phone and fill this post in from it without missing anything. 

The statement regarding the water is “The chamber walls full of water despite there having been no significant rainfall in the previous days leading to inspection”. There’s a picture attached to the report of a water metre chamber (externally, grass covered area so I think it’s on the small grass part of the front driveway, as there aren’t any drains like that in the back garden and most of the driveway is block paved). I’ll go back and add that in to the first post

Albermarle

Conservatories should be separate from the main house. So you should only be able to access them by an external door to the house, and they should not be connected to the main heating system.
In your case it is not really just a conservatory anymore, but effectively part of the house, which is presumably why the surveyor is querying the lack of building regulations paperwork.

There is some mention of failed double glazing (I think this in the conservatory, but not 100% certain) which sounds like we would need to replace all the windows? 
Double glazing units do often fail and you can replace them individually for a cost of around £150 each depending on how big they are. It seems vey unlikely that there will be more than a handful to replace.
There are also some issues with the windows and the doors not fitting properly as well. 
Probably just need some adjustments..

 inspection of a “very springy” floorboard in one of the upper bedrooms, 
This needs further investigation.

FreeBear

Lack of thermal separation between conservatory & house would be a concern - A lot of heat will be sucked out during the winter months and cost you a small fortune. Certainly budget for an exterior grade door to be fitted back in to the opening (£2K should cover it as long as no structural work is needed).

A bouncy floorboard needs closer inspection. Did the surveyor comment on how much deflection there is ?

Blown DG units need not be expensive to replace - I had one large unit replaced a couple of years back for £80. Lack of trickle vents need not be an issue - I don't have any in my windows, nor do I want them. One less source of cold draughts. Replacing all the windows & doors wouldn't be essential unless the seals & hinges are beyond repair. That said, modern replacements would be a lot better at retaining heat.

Sis has problems with rats (she is in a very rural area). Fortunately, they don't come in to the house, but they've made a right mess of the greenhouse and stuff stored in a garage. I'm in a suburban area, and there are rats in the area (cat brings the occasional one in). But again, don't get them in the house.

Disconnected fire is not a bad thing - It was likely branded "At Risk" and disconnected to pass a Gas Safe certification. Likely that there is insufficient ventilation, so a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. If you want extra heat in there, either fit a room sealed appliance, or an electric fire. Although, with a small child, I wouldn't bother.

One small suggestion if you go ahead - Increase loft insulation to at least 300mm. It is cheap, can be done yourself, and will help to cut heating bills.

martindow

In the past I've found phoning surveyors can be reassuring as they will give opinions that they are reluctant to put in writing.  You certainly need to discuss the springy floor to get a bit more detail and perhaps reassuring comments.  It should help you assess whether you should give this house a miss or not.

sheramber

We lived in rural area  and had field mice in the garage, shed and kitchen. They came in the autumn to find a warm place. 

Battery ultrasonic ( they had no affect on my dogs) repellents worked a treat. They packed their bags and left. 

You can get them for rats as well. 

The trouble with traps is for everyone you kill there will be several to take their place. 

youth_leader

My neighbour has rat traps down and I absolutely dread hearing a rat dying in one.  I've had cats and dogs for fifty odd years and now they've gone, see rats regularly during the day here.  The balance of nature has gone.

kiss_me_now9

youth_leader said:

My neighbour has rat traps down and I absolutely dread hearing a rat dying in one.  I've had cats and dogs for fifty odd years and now they've gone, see rats regularly during the day here.  The balance of nature has gone.

Yes, that is also a concern (we're a family of vegetarians, who would not choose to use poison or traps either unless absolutely necessary). Our cats are probably a deterrent at best but pretty useless at catching anything. I appreciate that this isn't always something you can avoid and if it comes down to humanely clearing an infestation ofc we would do that but I'm not overly enthused about the idea of having to manage that otherwise. 

@BungalowBel thanks, that makes sense. The conservatory isn't essential to us buying the house and we would have been interested in the property if it didn't have it anyway, but it probably does add some £1000s to the price of the property as it means it's got a kitchen/dining room/living room/downstairs study AND extra space for a playroom or relaxing area rather than 'just' the four rooms. Removing this particular one would leave a rather large hole in the wall XD 

kiss_me_now9

Just wanted to say thanks all - we went back and had another look at the property this weekend with my OHs Dad who is very DIY handy and has done a lot of work on his own house. Decided that a lot of the issues in the survey are things we'll need to do over time but nothing overly dramatic at present. 

We are going to enquire further about the rat/mouse traps and see if we can get an indemnity policy for the conservatory, but other than that it's all good!