My elderly and recently not-so-well parents are in the process of moving out of their 3 storey property to a bungalow. They've just got a 'HomeBuyer' report on the place they're planning on buying, and it's listed a few things rated as red on the report's traffic-light scale.
My parents know these things tend to err on the side of caution, and it wasn't a full survey. So for example the chimney which was described as 'perished significantly towards the top' was only inspected from ground level.
The report recommends getting a Building Contractor to do a proper investigation on the dodgy areas; I'm hoping they would say at least some of the things may not be ideal but probably don't need attention in the immediate future.
Can anyone recommend a contractor in the Nottingham (Long Eaton) area, or suggest the best way (eg. website) to go about finding one? Roughly how much are they likely to charge?
TIA
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>> My parents know these things tend to err on the side of caution, and it wasn't a full survey.
Get a full survey to begin with. Why just a home buyer report? Trying to save money but could be costly if something is missed. Compared to the cost of purchase, the survey isn't that much surely.
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I think they were told rightly or wrongly that that tends to be a waste of money, as you still have to pay someone else to come in and give you estimates anyway.
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>> I think they were told rightly or wrongly that that tends to be a waste
>> of money, as you still have to pay someone else to come in and give
>> you estimates anyway.
>>
That's certainly my experience with "full" surveys. Just a list of disclaimers.
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But a Surveyor will not 'Survey' a Chimney in the sense that you or indeed I would. They are generally only insured to raise above ground level by 3 metres. If you wanted that kind of service then you would almost certainly have to employ a Contractor and then have to trust his word. Not easy this one especially if you have found the one that currently has little or no orders on his books.
Get a decent bridge camera. Fire me some pics from ground level from a distance and I may be able to give you a decent idea of the likely scenario. I do it all the time and am rarely far off of the mark.
Regards,
MD
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I'm not saying you don't need to bring in experts as well. When we sold our last house the buyer had quite a few people checking things out. As well you might when borrowing serious amounts of money.
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That's very kind of you MD. However I don't live anywhere near them and wasn't planning to go over until they move (if that happens now), although sister is not far away; I might have a word with her.
But there are a load of other things in the report, so I think they'll need to get someone in.
Mrs F is pretty good at these sort of things and has said that as a final home they should really be looking for something low maintenance ie. a lot newer than 1945-50.
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I concur on low maintenance!
I am now getting on a bit and I just cannot do many of the simple jobs I once would have taken in my stride.
Just a couple of examples: our shower needs a full re-sealing job at the bottom of the panels.
If I get into the shower, curled up and twisting to do the job it is (a) blooming painful and (b) jolly hard to get out.
We need a fitted wardrobe putting into an alcove to replace the ghastly white doors with gilt trim (!) which were here when we bought the house. A good few years back I built such a thing from scratch, using the then fashionable, louvre doors. Now I'm blanching at even the thought of a DIY job.
Don't get me wrong - compared with many other 78 year old folk I definitely do not look my age and am in fairly reasonable nick, but one just has to accept that one's body sets limitations, even if one's head says "do it"!
I really, really, wish we could have afforded a bungalow on our return to the UK - it makes so many routine things so much easier to do - including not having to climb the stairs, to the loo, every 10 minutes, in the morning as the diuretics work!
I would advise a full survey if the house being considered is more than 30 years old, combined with a proper inspection of the heating system and certification of the electrical system make sure a modern ECB is fitted, too.
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>>I would advise a full survey if the house being considered is more than 30 years old
All the best disaster houses I've heard about have been less than 15 yrs old.
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Just in the procures of selling my mums house, and just put an offer on another for her. Wont be going for a full survey because
Building Survey
A highly detailed report, designed around the client's specific requirements and suitable for all properties but usually commissioned for older, larger, more complex, dilapidated or much altered buildings. It comprises of:
Comprehensive appraisal of the means and materials of construction
A technical analysis of significant defects revealed
Identification of less significant defects, general disrepair and shortcomings in the physical condition, maintenance and design of the building.
does not fit in with a 2 bedroom bungalow she is buying. A normal survey will do.
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 28 Mar 14 at 23:12
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I wouldn't be doing that one either. Who could possibly do business with anyone that writes "comprises of"? Yuk.
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>> I wouldn't be doing that one either. Who could possibly do business with anyone that
>> writes "comprises of"? Yuk.
>>
>>
One of my pet hates, and also a favourite of estate agents!
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>> I wouldn't be doing that one either. Who could possibly do business with anyone that
>> writes "comprises of"? Yuk.
>>
Well funnily enough I would, much preferring one that honestly says "Our top price product is probably more than most of you need" rather than cut my nose off to spite my face because of a little bit of modern but clear phraseology.
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>> >>I would advise a full survey if the house being considered is more than 30
>> years old
>>
>> All the best disaster houses I've heard about have been less than 15 yrs old.
>>
That was the principle I adopted 28 years ago. It hadn't fallen down in 100 years, there weren't any bits falling off now, so it was unlikely to fall down in my lifetime.
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=>It hadn't fallen down in 100 years, there weren't any bits falling off now, so it was unlikely to fall down in my lifetime.
ditto wiv this 200 year old gaff, no survey, bin here 3 years and it hasn't disappeared down a Cornish mineshaft ...
yet.
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I had a full survey done on the house I live in. My employer paid though. Report was riddled with errors that showed themselves over the years, although nothing that really mattered.
I had the extra electrical bit - and that was an utter waste of money. Wiring doesn't comply with the latest IET standards, but it doesn't have to either, just meet the standards that applied when it was built. The electrical survey suggested the lighting wiring was brought up to date, and to do it properly, it would be lot of work - and pointless too, unless you fit metal light units. Also a doddle to make it look ok on a cursory look and that was what I suspected the electrician was going to do. .
The really important bit of a proper electrical survey - making sure all the socket earths were low resistance to a known good earth point, I did, not the electrician.
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Home Buyer report - following up - rtj70
