Bay fascia cost?

vwjo

Hi all - we have just had our homebuyer survey back on the property we are planning to buy - with an urgent recommendation to 'replace/repair front bay fascia due to wet rot' - what sort of costs can we expect for this type of work?

Any and all help greatly appreciated.....

xJ

Incisor

vwjo wrote: »

Hi all - we have just had our homebuyer survey back on the property we are planning to buy - with an urgent recommendation to 'replace/repair front bay fascia due to wet rot' - what sort of costs can we expect for this type of work?

Any and all help greatly appreciated.....

xJ

DIY if it is just a fascia, you might budget £200. But it could go much deeper into semi structural timber. Your best bet is to get a reputable tradesman to inspect and provide an estimate. Expect to pay for his time, as you really are not able to offer a prospect of a real job at this time.

vwjo

Thanks Incisor - the fault is listed under 'timber defects' and says 'by a building contractor', so I think it's probably beyond a diy job.... um.... can I ask a silly question? Am I right in assuming the fascia is the tiled bit between the upstairs and downstairs bay windows?

Incisor

vwjo wrote: »

Thanks Incisor - the fault is listed under 'timber defects' and says 'by a building contractor', so I think it's probably beyond a diy job.... um.... can I ask a silly question? Am I right in assuming the fascia is the tiled bit between the upstairs and downstairs bay windows?

That is what I would make of it. If the house is still up on rightmove or whatever, a link would help with visualisation.

vwjo

It's been taken off rightmove etc - but it's just a 1930s 3bed semi, with the upper and lower bay windows having a tiled section between them, keeping the outward curved shape..... the tile on our house is much darker than it's neighbours, I was thinking perhaps this is because the others have been done? But how can the surveyor tell there is wet rot in the timbers? There don't appear (to me) to be any timbers visible? But then I ain't no surveyor........

vwjo

This isn't the house, but it's the same kinda idea....
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-7408146.rsp?pa_n=12&tr_t=buy

Incisor

vwjo wrote: »

It's been taken off rightmove etc - but it's just a 1930s 3bed semi, with the upper and lower bay windows having a tiled section between them, keeping the outward curved shape..... the tile on our house is much darker than it's neighbours, I was thinking perhaps this is because the others have been done? But how can the surveyor tell there is wet rot in the timbers? There don't appear (to me) to be any timbers visible? But then I ain't no surveyor........

Possibly he lifted a tile and looked, possibly there are tell tale signs inside. Typically the construction will be tiles, laid on laths, fixed to uprights aligned to the joins between the window panels.On the inside there would be lathes fixed to the uprights, then plastered. There may be other ways of doing it, but you will see from the front bedroom that the bay wall is thin.

If the original windows are still there, then budget to replace them at the same time, as you would otherwise create basically the same mess twice, unless it is really tight. If you can delay dealing for a year or 2 consider that. Consider too whether you should revise your offer, but do establish whether the job really needs doing or if the surveyor is just being over fussy. Sometimes it's done to help the buyer negotiate a lower price, but this can of course backfire.

vwjo

Thanks again... sounds like an expensive job then? We're talking thousands rather than hundreds?

Incisor

vwjo wrote: »

Thanks again... sounds like an expensive job then? We're talking thousands rather than hundreds?

Well, we don't know if there is a job. But if the uprights in the fascia are failing, then if the windows are original, they too will be likely to need serious attention. You really need to get there to establish what is actually required and how urgently