Survey results question

DecoChicken

There are a couple of issues raised in our recent level 3 survey.

The first of which is that the property has been found to have cavity wall insulation, which no one has mentioned. I’ve only ever heard bad things about this.

The second is “The damp-proof course to the front of the property is of bitumen type and is approximately one quarter of a brick course above ground level, below the recommended minimum of two brick courses; it appears the ground level has been raised slightly.

A French drain is strongly recommended.”

Both issues the estate agent was dismissive of and merely said go through the solicitor. (Not sure how the solicitor is supposed to know when some garden improvements were done, even on her fee.)

I’ll get some quotes for the French drain but not sure what to think or how best to proceed. Entirely new to this house buying malarkey, so any help gratefully received.

mebu60

I bought the property that I am currently living in almost 13 years ago which had retrofitted CWI. No issues that I am aware of. Did the surveyor say anything untoward about the CWI? Did the surveyor report any instances of damp? When was it installed? There should be a 25 year CIGA guarantee in place.

No idea on damp-proof courses but you could, through your conveyancer, seek to reduce your offer price based on quotes you receive for a French drain.

sheramber

I have lived in two houses with CVI.

No problems and warmer houses.

DecoChicken

The surveyor couldn’t determine what type of insulation was used or when it was installed. They recommended we get the information but the estate agent wasn’t forthcoming.

Good to hear some positives about the cavity wall.

Albermarle

A surveyor will normally recommend many things, most of which the buyer never does in the end.

Regarding the DPC issue - the vendor is likely to say there is no damp, so we are not reducing the price. You need to think what you will say then.

stuart45

I think the surveyor is confusing a French drain with a trench filled with gravel. A proper French drain is a drainage system which takes away excess ground water to another area or drain. A lot of people call a small gravel filled trench next to the house a French drain, but it's not, it's just something that can hold water. People do this because the idea of a hard surface less than 150mm below DPC might cause rain bounce to go over the DPC. This is more of an issue with solid walls, as a cavity should still protect the inner skin.

StewedApple

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6684420/survey-results-question

Assuming you're interested in proceeding:-

You should ask your surveyor if they know the names of a couple of reliable builders who can give you quotes for the work - they may be able to assist and generally would be happy to pass on names on the understanding they are not recommending them.

You can then advise the estate agent that you are still interested in the property but would need to get estimates from builders for the works identified in the survey and this is likely to affect your final offer. If the sellers are interested they will permit this, if they are not interested you can walk away at no extra cost or accept that you will have to pay for this work if you still want the property.

It's a slow market now so unless you're buying Buckingham Palace I'd expect wiggle-room from the seller - particularly if they are in a chain as well.

Dustyevsky

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82147685#Comment_82147685

The EA probably knows more about the theory of relativity than they do about the type of insulation, but the only thing that matters is that it works correctly.

When we did our own 'survey,' and spotted the tell-tale filled holes, our vendor had no idea what material had gone into them. Sited in a rainy and fairly exposed location, CWI wouldn't have been our choice, but it's given no trouble. We know now it's blown fibre; again, not something we'd have chosen, but it appears to work similarly to the superior insulation in our later extension. Not all CWI was installed by rogues who didn't do it correctly.

We also spotted a wall where the surface is not 150 mm from the DPC, but more like 70mm. That room isn't damp and it faces north. Lowering the ground level there is one of the jobs I was going do early on, and 17 years later I'm still getting around to it! As stuart45 says, even if the outer brick skin gets damp, this doesn't necessarily transfer to the inner one, even with CWI

If you're fit, lowering ground level and installing a splash proof quick-draining surface is something anyone can do. Whether it's necessary will also depend on how exposed the wall is. Most houses have a sheltered side,

None of this means you cannot use survey results as bargaining tool, but don't imply the house may have issues with damp if there's no evidence.

Bigphil1474

The surveyor may mean an Aco drain not a french drain. We had one installed at our old house when we were selling as the first buyer pulled out after their survey - some damp issues on that wall. It's basically a drain that runs along the side of the house and moves water away from the wall. French drains tend to be buried afaik.

We had a similar issue with our newer house as the air bricks were close to the level of the block paving that the seller had installed years before. Surveyor reckoned they could cause damp issues. I just removed the blocks near the air bricks and half filled with pea gravel.

As Dusty says, could be an easy DIY job. At worst I would have thought it would just mean removing the ground covering and dig it down a bit to give the DPC more clearance. Not a huge job if it's just paving slabs on a sand bed, big job maybe if it's solid concrete base.

HouseHuntingAmy

Completely sympathise, the survey stage of our own purchase was the bit that made me feel most out of my depth. On the cavity wall insulation, the horror stories mostly come from badly installed jobs - if there is a CIGA guarantee (the installer should have left one, usually 25 years) that covers extraction if it ever causes trouble, so ask your solicitor to chase that paperwork as a seperate item. On the DPC, the useful question is whether the raised ground level is recent - if someone has just piled a flower bed up against the wall, fixing it may be a spade and an afternoon rather than a French drain. Get the quotes anyway, because they are your evidence if you want to reopen the price conversation, and it is worth ringing the surveyor directly - most will happily talk you through their findings for free, and they are usually much less alarming on the phone than on paper. Good luck, the malarkey does eventually end.