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.

StewedApple

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

This property has not been maintained and has a number of significant repairs which will be costly to do. In addition, the cracking to walls suggests possible structural issues as well. My thoughts are that this is not a property for an inexperienced person and may require a significant amount spent on it, if there are structural issues (as the cracking suggests) then even with the works to make is safe and habitable you may have difficulty selling it at a later date.

The works suggested cover a number of areas:-
Externally: re-roofing, chimney and flashings, replacement guttering throughout, replacement DPC, removal of render (to stop current breach of DPC), replacement windows (some have already failed assume others are of same age and will follow), porch - poor quality needs complete rebuild, drainage - missing connections
Internally:- dampness - likely to be caused by both rising damp (failed DPC) and penetrating damp (failed guttering), electrical work, replacement balustrading.

Generally:- the cut roof supports, the failed balustrade, the dangerous state of the wiring are indicative of a property which has not been maintained or one which has been repaired by an unqualified person.

If you buy this house you are unlikely to be able to live in it whilst repairs are undertaken (because of their extensive nature). I would regard this property as unsuitable for an inexperienced person, and would suggest if you walk away from it and look at something else instead the cost of the survey would have been money wisely spent.

You should think of your survey on this property as an opportunity to learn about the sorts of problems to be aware of in future viewings and if they arise what their potential cost is or whether you want to go to offer/survey at all. This exercise is not money wasted it is potential heartache and costs avoided.

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.

StewedApple

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82148406#Comment_82148406

And I would take it as a learning exercise - this poster now know the sorts of things which surveyors will caution against - poorly maintained roof, poorly maintained guttering, failed glazing, rising/penetrating damp, electrical faults / old electrical systems etc - be aware of these on new viewings. The cost of the survey is not money wasted - it is knowledge gained in this case.

A property which is in poor decorative order (because someone has lived there a while) but is sound in other respects is a good first time buy, but one with signs of failure to maintain should be a red flag to the inexperienced.

Like you, I think this is one for a builder or an experienced person, - both of whom would expect significant discounts off the buying price.

One tip for the buyer - if you can go with another person, and get them to take photos externally of guttering, chimneys, roof, flashing, and internally of all rooms. Also get them to list all the faults they can find - try all the lights, flush all the toilets, run all the taps. You're looking for a sense of wellbeing about a house, and a knowledge of what you will pay to make it habitable and comfortable.

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.