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Structural surveys....worth the money?
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EA
Posted: 13 February 2012 10:50:03(UTC)
#11

Joined: 23/01/2012(UTC)
Posts: 52
Spartacus,

I couldn’t agree more, builders have more experience when it comes to identifying issues and best of all how they can be solved!

My father in-law is a retired builder and we always have him involved when buying property.
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DirtyHarry
Posted: 13 February 2012 16:29:50(UTC)
#12

Joined: 13/02/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1
Its true that many surveyors caveat their reports to an extent that you wonder whether they have actually seen the property.
Often you may find that a General Practice residential surveyor will carry out a Building Survey that is often beyond the knowledge or training that he has had and then avoids responsibility by inserting lots of conditions so your chances of suiing him are reduced to practically zero.
On the whole you need someone who has no axe to grind on making something out to be worse than it is which unfortunately many builders will treat their inspection as work prospecting.
In most cases I would advise using a Chartered Building Surveyor with the right length of experience in the type of building you are intending to buy. I wouldn't hire anyone with less than 5 years post qualification experience. They should be RICS members and you should ask to see proof of their Professional Indemnity insurance . All Chartered Surveyors have to retain this insurance. It also prevents them losing their own house for giving bad advice on someone elses.
One thing to remember is that no - one has a crystal ball so if a defect is below fixed floor coverings or in an innaccessible area then it won't be picked up.
Some Building Surveyors will do a wall tie inspection if asked but often a remedial wall tie firm can do it for less but once again are obviously after some business.
At the end of the day it is good to involve someone you can trust to advise you but they are not always the ones with the greatest technical knowledge, experience or insurance if a mistake is made.
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mr rowe
Posted: 14 February 2012 12:56:34(UTC)
#13

Joined: 02/02/2012(UTC)
Posts: 2
I had a structural survey done on a house a few years ago and it was utterly worthless.

The surveyor tried to justify the cost (ie. pad it out) with a load of photos about some mould around the back of the fridge in the kitchen - big deal - there was no damp anywhere else. But, he didn't even take a look at the roof and tell me how long it would last or tell me that the structure was definitely solid.

Total waste of money.

If I felt the need for one next time around, I would make sure that I am there with the surveyor so I can ask questions and get honest verbal answers.
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jcz
Posted: 14 February 2012 20:20:22(UTC)
#14

Joined: 08/02/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1
From my experience so far the ones I've had have been useless.

Same goes for the Energy Performance Certificates - waste of time - anyone can see if a property has double glazing or loft insulation (they don't even check if there's cavity wall insulation, just make assumptions).

Imo much of the property market is just a gravy train - from estate agents to conveyancers & solicitors to surveyers.
Money for old rope.
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RichJ
Posted: 30 December 2012 22:05:27(UTC)
#15

Joined: 30/12/2012(UTC)
Posts: 2
Interested to read that if an external wall has been recently repointed that the seller could be hiding structural problems - what sort of problems would they be?

I had a look at a brick house to buy recently and it had been repointed, which I thought strange as the whole house needs reworking (new bathroom and kitchen needed)..Interior walls however were all redone, painted, while floors were left stripped of covers and basement left with considerable damp evident near a blocked out former street level window - damp was not fixed.

Could I be considering trouble and if there is trouble how to discover the extent of it - bearing in mind all that has been said about the complete or near to complete uselessness of many surveys, however complete they are presented as. Would appreciate views.

House is a least century old - looks very solid (after repointing) but sits at the base of a street that climbs to a average hill. Could damp be seeping down the hill into the foundations?
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jeffian
Posted: 30 December 2012 22:31:21(UTC)
#16

Joined: 09/03/2011(UTC)
Posts: 954

Thanks: 808 times
Was thanked: 2222 time(s) in 632 post(s)
RichJ,
The comment regarding being wary of re-pointing almost certainly relates to settlement rather than damp. If a property is suffering settlement, it will show in fault lines which open up along the mortar joints and, occasionally, in fractured brickwork. If you just re-point the open joints and replace fractured bricks, it highlights the problem, so the 'solution' is to repoint the whole wall and try to disguise the area affected. Have a look at the inside as well - are there any signs of distress (cracks, creases in wallpaper) or have they decorated internally as well? It may be that there has been a problem which they have fixed and subsequently repointed/redecorated as part of the repair (in which case, they should tell you), but it may be that they have something to hide!


Edit: I've just re-read your last post and you do say that the interior has been freshly decorated too. Exterior repointing + interior decoration on a property which will require renovation work anyway spells settlement problems to me. Ask the vendor point blank. If he says there has been a problem which has been fixed (underpinning) ask to see evidence of the work done and any guarantees etc.
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RichJ on 31/12/2012(UTC)
RichJ
Posted: 31 December 2012 09:15:45(UTC)
#17

Joined: 30/12/2012(UTC)
Posts: 2
Jeffian,

thanks for your comments and advice. It was where my mind has been going over the last hours. The work does seems deliberately cosmetic but of course there could be other reasons why it has been well done. The building looks very solid, and tracing Google pics I have seen it before the re-pointing was done and it looks solid then too. The place next door has been redone; I will ask the vendor and in the area. My worry is that being on the bottom of a slope (only one way, up a gentle slope on a diagonal) that damp has accumulated where the house is deep down. The plus is that it has been there for a long time and there is now sign of bowing or major cracks.

But the basement has serious damp below a street level window that needs redoing ditto for the drain right outside, but to my my eye it is fixable, just how fixable and how costly I don't yet know.

I have experience of Italian stone houses and know having a good builder is the key to before, during and after renovation. From what I read and from experience and instincts I don't think a generic building survey is the way to go - finding a good builder who will tell you the truth is what anyone needs - even if you pay a little bit more for his work. In Italy we found the best in our area in Tuscany (via a local recommendation) and after paying on the high side to have a roof redone we have used him for major work inside - he is a good friend and a brilliant builder and charges us very fairly and will come at any time to do small things for almost nothing. But that of course is all easy to say, finding builder is what is hard. My idea is to look for a local builder but if I can't find one, look for a Polish builder who doesn't mind traveling.
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Mac Jones
Posted: 01 February 2016 06:56:52(UTC)
#18

Joined: 24/09/2015(UTC)
Posts: 1
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Nancy Jones
Posted: 22 March 2016 05:59:45(UTC)
#19

Joined: 22/03/2016(UTC)
Posts: 2
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