Structural engineer report - retaining wall

JoBanana1

Hi everyone, another post re purchase of a bungalow I’m on the verge of signing for! After a structural engineer report..he has mentioned the below: ‘We observed cracked and damaged blockwork retaining wall towards the rear of the bungalow. This damage was showing frequently stepped cracks in the mortar bed joints of the blockwork retaining wall’ i have attached a picture for reference! This is right at the back of the property in the garden. Can I ask if this is something that I should be concerned about majorly? Would it be a huge costly job to fix or even a sale stopper? I’m new to buying on my own so please don’t judge if it’s a stupid question! I really have no idea about retaining walls so any advice would be lovely!

For info, the property was built in the 50’s and no issues as yet with it. The wall itself is approx 3ft tall 

WIAWSNB

If it's your responsibility, and if it does need repair/rebuilding, then anticipate a few £k. If if if.
3' high isn't that much. How long is it?
And, are you 100% certain it is either on your land, or is your responsibility? Has your conveyancing solicitor informed you?
Do you know when the wall was built in relation to the house, and the house on the retained side? What is on the other side?
Anyhoo, assuming the actual wall foundation is still fine, to rebuild just the block wall could be only a couple of £k. To relay a found would increase that - I dunno, another £k? (I'm assuming a standard house plot width). And then there's considerations like, what do your side neighbours have - does this wall continue? If so, do they also need work? If so, a combined repair should be less.
And finally, does the wall actually need doing? If you only have some stepped mortar cracks, these can be repointed, and the wall monitored for further movement. If that wall was also built in the '50s, and only has some stepped cracks, then it is highly unlikely to fall down for a loooong time yet.
The surveyor should be able to suggest how 'serious' it is, and a decent one should also be able to give a ballpark £igure.
(I read a surveyor's report recently of a Victorian London property. I was impressed as how readable it was, but also their opinions on each issue, and even an anticipated figure to sort each one. Yes, ballparks, but incredibly helpful).

youth_leader

I can't see your photo, which wall is this?.  I was subject to 'caveat emptor' when I bought this bungalow as all the floors were rotten and ended up spending £20K with much disruption, do your due diligence before exchanging.  

Dustyevsky

If it's a wall about a metre high, I'd suggest it's possibly something any able-bodied person with modest practical skills could rebuild, as necessary, for a hundred or two, not £thousands. If you are buying an older house, gaining practical experience is going to be very MSE!

Should your picture not load, (and some are having problems with those currently) then an indication of how long a section is affected would be helpful. As things stand I'd not call this a deal-breaker, but I'd want to ring the engineer to ask for his verbal opinion. 

Dustyevsky

youth_leader said:

I can't see your photo, which wall is this?.  I was subject to 'caveat emptor' when I bought this bungalow as all the floors were rotten and ended up spending £20K with much disruption, do your due diligence before exchanging.  

OP has done due diligence, by employing a SE. The problem lies in interpretation. What the SE has committed to paper, may be a little different from what they'd say when not backside-covering.

youth_leader

Good luck OP, best wishes to you.   

I was wrong to say that as @Dustyevsky says, I do hope it isn't too serious.  During my bungalow search I saw a lot of awful places, it made me sad people had lived their last years in such dumps. 

A friend here found a wonderful bungalow, with a wonderful view - but noticed a 'dip' in the patio at the back.  She also saw cracks above the front door.  She invited a Structural engineer to look and very sadly the bungalow was sliding down the hill.  She said it was worth the £500 to find out.  

JoBanana1

This is a back garden wall so not at all connected to the house. I’m going to have a look later and will take more pictures. House is fine other than this 

Section62

WIAWSNB said:

3' high isn't that much. How long is it?

Dustyevsky said:

If it's a wall about a metre high, I'd suggest it's possibly something any able-bodied person with modest practical skills could rebuild, as necessary, for a hundred or two, not £thousands. ...

If the wall is retaining about 3' of earth then it is a significant retaining wall which should have been designed by a competent person - if it has failed then it needs to (re)designed and rebuilt by someone who knows what they are doing.  Otherwise there's a reasonable chance the wall will just fail again.

If the wall is 3' high, but retaining much less than that, then it might be a DIY project.