Survey results- would you be overly concerned?

stephaniesays

I assume this is a well traveled topic here but I am a FTB so not sure how to proceed- any help would be greatly appreciated to understand if I am being an easily scared FTB or if this is a house with more issues than most people would be willing to take on. 

We have received a level 3 survey back on an early 1900s mid terrace- we expected some issues to be highlighted given the age of the property but just trying to understand if these issues are more severe than the average. We have spoken to the surveyor over the phone who went through all the 'red' issues in more detail but we still didn't get a feel of if these would need to be sorted immediately or we'd have more time on them. 

If anyone can have a look at these main issues and let me know your thoughts, I would be very grateful. The house is at the higher end of our budget- whilst we do have some money for maintenance, we ideally didnt want to spend the whole lot straight away- but we do accept that for the houses we are likely to look at, there will always be something that needs attention. We intend to make this our home for a while (next ten years at least) so not looking to move on quickly. 

I took the report and categorised these areas into 2 main issues found and a rough plan of action:

1) Roof contractor out to check the chimney stack that has been removed, flashing around current chimneystack needs repairing, rainwater pipes and gutters need replacing, check roof otherwise for issues outlined


-The visible flashing detail to the front chimney stack areas would appear to be suffering from wear and tear, considered weathering, and there are slight lifted parts, which requires maintenance repairs
-The mortar to the chimney stack areas (called the pointing) appears to be suffering wear and tear, and weathering, with eroded and defective mortar in areas requiring repairs  
 -A small number of the bricks to the chimney stack areas have deteriorated (called spalling)
-We recommend cowls are installed to the required chimney pot(s)
-Re-fixing of defective dry verge covers/tiles will need to be undertaken.
-The weatherproofing sealing the main roof areas (commonly called the flashing) and the adjoining property is suffering from notable wear and tear, with lifted parts, and defective areas   
-Due to the limitations to inspect these bay roof areas, it is recommended to have these bay roof areas inspected by a qualified roofing contractor to assess and avoid unforeseen issues.  
-The weatherproofing sealing the utility roof areas (commonly called the flashing) is suffering from considered age related weathering, wear and tear  
-The general exterior rainwater goods, where visible, would appear dated, suffering from considered defective areas, including but not limited to, age related and prominent weathering, degrading, and with defects noted -  the majority of rainwater goods are nearing, if not exceeding their life expectancy and you should consider an overhaul.
-There is evidence of staining and potential water damage noted to Bedroom 2 and Bedroom 3 ceiling areas, notably surrounding chimney breast areas 



2) Get a damp & timber survey. Damp issues caused by render to back of property – check if guarantee for previous damp proof coursing – render will need to be raised above the damp proof course and possibly put a channel drain in around the perimeter

-Render: The external render finish is too close to the external ground level in areas. This allows surface water to be drawn up the base of the render and bridge the damp proof course potentially causes damp issues, along with saturation of the render causing it to become defective. 
-Chimney breasts:  There is evidence of staining and potential water damage noted to Bedroom 2 and Bedroom 3 ceiling areas, notably surrounding chimney breast areas
-There are concerns with dampness detected in the property (dampness can be referred to as unwanted water/moisture), most notably identified to the rear reception room, kitchen, utility, and rear bedroom areas - not to necessarily be construed as exhaustive p53
-In order to ascertain the full extent of dampness (unwanted water/moisture) concerns, I recommend you instruct an appropriately qualified timber and damp proofing specialist to inspect the entire property and undertake a full timber and damp survey.  


What do we think- run for the hills, ask for a reduction or suck it up?

silvercar

Surveyors generally cover their butt for fear of comeback.

In an older property, you would expect some maintenance requirements and that the ongoing costs will be higher. Clearly the roof needs some attention. I’d get a roofer in to give a quote on maintenance items and see what they say.

As for price reduction, anything foreseen is factored into the price, anything that you couldn’t be expected to see could lead to a discussion on price.

As for running away, it depends what is needed, but you are going to have to expect that older properties need more maintenance.

stephaniesays

silvercar said:

Surveyors generally cover their butt for fear of comeback.

In an older property, you would expect some maintenance requirements and that the ongoing costs will be higher. Clearly the roof needs some attention. I’d get a roofer in to give a quote on maintenance items and see what they say.

As for price reduction, anything foreseen is factored into the price, anything that you couldn’t be expected to see could lead to a discussion on price.

As for running away, it depends what is needed, but you are going to have to expect that older properties need more maintenance.

Thank you- it's so hard to understand what is covering themselves and what is a real genuine problem beyond the realms of normal! Some of the language used in the report would suggest it's falling down. I will get a roofer and go from there  

Albermarle

Regarding the recommended damp and timber survey.
If you do have one, be careful who you appoint to do it. Many are really salespeople and will recommend a lot of generally unnecessary work.
The key point is to identify the source of the damp, and the surveyor has already pointed out the issues with the render. If you remove the source of the damp, a lot of other work will hopefully become unnecessary.

FreeBear

stephaniesays said: We have received a level 3 survey back on an early 1900s mid terrace

2) Get a damp & timber survey. Damp issues caused by render to back of property – check if guarantee for previous damp proof coursing – render will need to be raised above the damp proof course and possibly put a channel drain in around the perimeter

-Render: The external render finish is too close to the external ground level in areas. This allows surface water to be drawn up the base of the render and bridge the damp proof course potentially causes damp issues, along with saturation of the render causing it to become defective. 

-In order to ascertain the full extent of dampness (unwanted water/moisture) concerns, I recommend you instruct an appropriately qualified timber and damp proofing specialist to inspect the entire property and undertake a full timber and damp survey.

Early 1900 build, likely to be solid brick walls and most certainly, lime mortar. Render, if it is cement (and that includes stuff like K-Rend) and/or painted with modern paints could very well trap moisture in the walls. Any cracking is a bad sign.

The fact that the surveyor has mentioned previous damp proof coursing suggests that he thinks damp "treatments" have been carried out in the past. Typically, injected DPC and waterproof plaster/render to a height of ~1.2m (why is it always 1.2m....). That should tell you all you need to know about the long term suitability of this type of work. Oh, and the guarantees that usually accompany damp treatments are so full of cop-out clauses to render them worthless.

By all means get a damp & timber survey done, but bear the following points in mind -

• PCA accredited surveyors have very little in the way of training compared to say a RICS surveyor.
• Most PCA "surveyors" will have links to a damp treatment company, so will try to sell a bunch of expensive and ultimately ineffective "cures".
• Do not have a "free" survey done - It will end up being a sales pitch and won't actually cure the problems.

Beyond the damp issues (quite likely most of them are linked to condensation & flashing/rain goods), the problems highlighted can be fixed relatively cheaply. Flashing is bread & butter for a roofer, as is the verges. Gutters, being at roof line is also within the capabilities of a half decent roofer, so one person should be able to do the lot.

Render is a different matter - If it is cement, stripping it off is a dirty and long winded job which will damage the underlying bricks. Ideally, a lime render should be used, but few are willing & able to use the stuff. Consequently, the people that can do a decent job with lime renders work on heritage properties and charge extra as a result. 

stephaniesays

Albermarle said:

Regarding the recommended damp and timber survey.
If you do have one, be careful who you appoint to do it. Many are really salespeople and will recommend a lot of generally unnecessary work.
The key point is to identify the source of the damp, and the surveyor has already pointed out the issues with the render. If you remove the source of the damp, a lot of other work will hopefully become unnecessary.

Thank you, that makes sense, will bear that in mind

stephaniesays

FreeBear said:

Early 1900 build, likely to be solid brick walls and most certainly, lime mortar. Render, if it is cement (and that includes stuff like K-Rend) and/or painted with modern paints could very well trap moisture in the walls. Any cracking is a bad sign.

The fact that the surveyor has mentioned previous damp proof coursing suggests that he thinks damp "treatments" have been carried out in the past. Typically, injected DPC and waterproof plaster/render to a height of ~1.2m (why is it always 1.2m....). That should tell you all you need to know about the long term suitability of this type of work. Oh, and the guarantees that usually accompany damp treatments are so full of cop-out clauses to render them worthless.

By all means get a damp & timber survey done, but bear the following points in mind -

• PCA accredited surveyors have very little in the way of training compared to say a RICS surveyor.
• Most PCA "surveyors" will have links to a damp treatment company, so will try to sell a bunch of expensive and ultimately ineffective "cures".
• Do not have a "free" survey done - It will end up being a sales pitch and won't actually cure the problems.

Beyond the damp issues (quite likely most of them are linked to condensation & flashing/rain goods), the problems highlighted can be fixed relatively cheaply. Flashing is bread & butter for a roofer, as is the verges. Gutters, being at roof line is also within the capabilities of a half decent roofer, so one person should be able to do the lot.

Render is a different matter - If it is cement, stripping it off is a dirty and long winded job which will damage the underlying bricks. Ideally, a lime render should be used, but few are willing & able to use the stuff. Consequently, the people that can do a decent job with lime renders work on heritage properties and charge extra as a result. 

Thanks- you're correct, on the phone the surveyor said that he spotted injection marks of a previous damp proof course (I think that's what he said anyway!). I'm leaning towards not having the damp survey done and focusing on the roofer quote for now and making a decision based on that- like you've said, hopefully the bulk of the issues can be fixed by the roofer- so once I have that confirmed, I can move on to thinking about the render instead. Would you potentially suggest rather than a survey, I might be better getting a contractor to quote on raising the render (or whatever the correct term is!)?