Advice/opinions on survey for first time home buyer

firstimebuyeradvice

Hi everyone,

I finally found a 2 bed house I love in Essex and intend on purchasing it. In the near future, I plan on converting the conservatory to a bedroom due to family requirements.

I have done a Level 3 survey with RICS to assess the condition of the property and they have made several recommendations for urgent works to be carried out.

I'm not knowledgeable in this area and would be grateful for any advise/opinions on the essential works to be investigated/repaired, preferably from tradesmen who have dealt or experienced similar issues. A ballpark quotation would also be helpful so I know what I'm getting into, and whether its affordable.

I've summarised the comments below, which were taken from the survey document. Happy to clarify anything further if possible.

Thanks for taking the time to assist!

***

Year built: 1955

Year extended: 2000

Construction: The walls are of cavity masonry construction under a pitched roof covered with tiles. The floors are a mixture of timber and solid construction.

EPC: D 63

Structure	Description	Defects
Chimney stacks	The property has one chimney stack of masonry construction, with lead flashings and a possible asbestos flue.	Lichen; Loose/missing pointing; Loose flashings; Dampness to the stack within the roof void.
Roof coverings	The roofs are pitched and covered with concrete tiles laid over a lining laid on timber boards.	Missing pointing to ridge tiles; A weathered ridge; Moss; Loose flashings.
Rainwater pipes and gutters	The property has PVCu gutters and downpipes.	Leaking joints; Stained joints; Blocked gutters; Inadequate discharge from downpipes.
Main walls, internal walls & partitions	Main walls are of cavity masonry construction, part rendered externally.   Internal walls and partitions are a mixture of solid and lightweight construction.	Main walls: Dampness; Cracking to wall surfaces; Single skin walling; Render extending below DPC level; High ground level.   Internal walls: Dampness; Cracking to walls; Cracking to textured walls; Uneven wallpaper.
Windows	The windows are double glazed PVCu casements.	Cracking/misplacement to internal beading; Failed sealants; Cracked window pane; Stiff windows; Misted windows to conservatory.
Porch	The front porch is built of single-skin masonry under a pitched tiled roof.	Moss to roof tiles; Loose flashings; Broken window to side door panel; Defective guttering/downpipes.
Roof structure		Inadequate ventilation; Inadequate insulation; Torn roof lining; Cut roof timbers.
Ceilings	Ceilings are of plasterboard.	Within the limitations of the inspection, defects were identified as follows: Cracking to textured ceilings; Cracking to ceilings. Unevenness and cracking was noted. Repair works are required.
Woodwork (for example staircase joinery)		Unsafe staircase balustrading.
Water		In view of the age of the property there may be older metal pipes present including lead. We recommend that any lead, steel or cast iron pipes should be now replaced.
Electricity		Non-metal consumer unit; Faulty wiring; Faulty lighting.
Drainage		Defects: Blocked gulley; Obstruction of the rear gulley by the conservatory; No balloon cage to the soil and vent pipe; Missing gulley/drainage connection to rainwater fittings; Corrosion to cast iron fittings.

Bigphil1474

That's potentially a money pit. You'd be best getting a builder to have a look at your report or going round the house with you. Surveyors reports often reflect worse case scenario, but those issues look expensive.

The early external roofing and guttering jobs aren't huge. A decent roofer could get them sorted in a day maximum, so a few hundred quid. The internal roof structure issues will depend what they meant - cut timbers could be expensive or not.

The main wall issues, cracking everywhere, textured coating (could have asbestos in there) , dodgy rendering, windows, drainage, woodwork stuff all look expensive works overall. The electrics might be something and nothing. A simple consumer unit update and a few fixes might be £500, a full rewire would be £thousands.

If you are buying the property as a doer upper and are expecting to spend a lot on repairs and the property is appropriately priced, then fair enough. Eyes wide open. Otherwise, if it was me, I'd look elsewhere.

Albermarle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6684498/advice-opinions-on-survey-for-first-time-home-buyer

Threads from inexperienced buyers worrying about a survey are quite common on this board.

Surveyors tend to be very cautious and point out every minor issue, so there is no comeback on them later. Often we can reassure the buyers to some extent that a lot of the issues are just needing some maintenance at some point. However in this case the property seems particularly poorly maintained and has a couple of potentially serious issues. A chat over the phone with the surveyor often will give a better perspective, as they will be a bit less cautious if its not in writing. So doing that would be recommended.

sheenas

The chimney and roof would most likely need scaffolding and be the most expensive fix. Think 20-30k

Rending needs cutting back as over the dpc relatively simple. The spoilt bricks hard to say without inspection.

there is no requirement for a metal consumer unit. Get an eicr report to resolve any issues. Not overly expensive.

internal cracks etc sound within the scope of the average diyer.

poseidon1

Have to agree with consensus view of this being a potential money pit and walk away.

As a 1950s cavity masonry construction property, this was a bit of low point in british house construction after the war with regard to rationing and restrictions on materials. Especially look out for ties linking the walls being prone to failure over time - see below

https://sava.co.uk/sava-edge/cavity-wall-tie-failure/

https://constructionmanagement.co.uk/royalty-rationing-and-reconstruction/

For that reason alone I would avoid such properties from the 1950s on principle.

However coupling that general view with the actual condition report on the property you are considering, I am struggling to understand what specific aspect you fell in love with.

The report suggests a very poorly maintained property that has not been upgraded or improved from when it was built.

Given the very high increases in building costs ( labour and materials), I suspect even a professional developer would baulk at getting involved with this project unless acquired at a very cheap price. Not a property for a first time buyer in this day and age.

Section62

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6684498/advice-opinions-on-survey-for-first-time-home-buyer

I plan on converting the conservatory to a bedroom due to family requirements

You can't really 'convert' a conservatory into a bedroom. You need to work on the basis the conservatory has to be demolished, including removal of the foundations, and building an extension from scratch. The work will need to comply with and be signed of for building regs. You may also need planning consent if you can't use permitted development rights.

You'll also need to make sure the existing room will still have adequate natural light and ventilation if the conservatory becomes an extension.

With all the costs (including demolition if applicable), you might find it cheaper to buy a 2-bed property that doesn't have a conservatory, or a 3-bed which doesn't need extending.

jimi_man

… run awayyyy…

Shedman

I was surprised that as a 1950's property with textured ceilings, so likely Artex unless that has been replaced more recently with some other textured finish, that there was no mention of likely asbestos in the Artex (as it usually contained asbestos up to the late 80's) and the need not to disturb it (although it's generally fine if not disturbed eg cut or drilled) or to get it boarded over or removed. Mind you looking at the other issues I reckon that's lower on the list of reasons to avoid this property than a number of the other points raised.

Albermarle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82148434#Comment_82148434

 electrical faults / old electrical systems etc 

One thing strikes me as a bit strange is the surveyor commenting on electrical faults, as normally they do not say anything about electrical/plumbing/drainage/heating syatems, beyond the usual caveats. Plus they do not say what the electrical faults are.

Section62

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82148660#Comment_82148660

…I suppose if there are bare wires poking out of the walls and ceilings they might mention those specifically. Or if there are other very obvious (and dangerous) issues like cloth/rubber insulated cable on show.

HouseHuntingAmy

Lots of good advice already, so let me add the triage that helped us when our own survey read like a horror novel. Group it by cause rather than by room and the list shrinks. Most of the damp items are one problem: gutters leaking, render carried below the damp proof course and a high ground level. Clearing gutters and downpipes is a weekend job, cutting the render back above the DPC and regrading the soil is a few hundred pounds, and a lot of the internal dampness follows from those. The electrics are the one to test before you panic - an EICR costs £150-200 and tells you whether you are looking at a consumer unit swap (£500-ish) or a rewire (thousands). The possible asbestos flue is a leave-it-alone item: undisturbed asbestos is not an emergency, but budget for specialist removal if ever neccessary. The bit I would genuinely pause on is the conservatory plan. Most conservatories have shallow foundations and single-skin walls, and turning one into a bedroom means building regulations (foundations, insulation, heating), sign-off and possibly a structural engineer - that can run £10-20k and your lender and insurer will both care. Also note your survey says the conservatory obstructs the rear gulley, so drainage work and the conversion will collide. Two free things before you spend anything: ring the surveyor (most will talk you through their findings happily) and ask your solicitor for the 2000 extensions building regs completion certificate. Then get two or three quotes for the urgent works and take them back to the seller - a priced list is a negotiation, a scary survey is just a scary survey.