Buying a House, Survey Results...

Rroff · 20 Sep 2010 at 19:33

The damp bit could get messy/expensive/time consuming, the electrical side looks minor and something you could improve over time i.e. when you redecorate, etc.

RE the electrical side and DIY aside from a few areas where you need it done professionally (30amp spurs?) afaik the only reason you'd want a professional to do it or sign off on it is due to personal liability issues rather than it being illegal i.e. if you re-wire something incorrectly and its not signed off by a professional and someone dies because of it you can potentially end up in jail.

jcb33 · 20 Sep 2010 at 20:35

JBuk said:
Regarding the damp ,you need to fix the cause of it else it the chances are it'll reappear through the new plaster, it could be a simple thing like moist air condensing on it if it's liable to getting cold

Well from the way the report reads, the walls are damp proofed, the salt and damp damage is underneath the damp course only, and has been caused by the salt attracting moisture in the air.

So as long as I get it re-plastered, and treated with a decent anti-moisture paint It should be ok... I hope!

Jcb33.

jcb33 · 25 Sep 2010 at 12:09

Arranged a second viewing today to take some measurements and get some pictures of the damage, and here they are!

Firstly the major areas of damp, being in the living room and the worst an outside wall:

Next we have the kitchen sink unit, a little damaged, the sink needs replacing and so does the shelf inside the unit:

Also an example of the plumbing:

Next we have the drain outside, which is very weak and needs replacing, no idea who to contact for this job though?

Then we have the electrics, some is internally wired, but about 70% of the house has external wires as can be seen:

The wire in the bedroom, has a socket simply connected to the wall but plugged into a socket at the other side of the room:

Then we have the fuse box which needs updating:

Then just one of the random cracks/holes in the ceiling, the cracks being caused by joints and not being a problem according to the survey:

So this gives a bit of a better idea of what needs doing... A fair bit of plastering and what looks like a mostly full re-wire if I am correct?

Jcb33.

Slam62 · 25 Sep 2010 at 12:26

if I was you I would price up for the worst case, i.e. new damp course, redecorate, rewire and replace fuse box. The house looks a pain to me and I would only buy it if it was a bargain and I didn't mind the hassle.

Lopéz · 25 Sep 2010 at 19:43

Those drain covers can be bought at builder's merchants and DIY places, they're quite easy to replace (ours was replaced by the bloke selling our house just before we bought it)

The plaster/damp is not exactly costly to do yourself but it is very time consuming and makes a horrendous mess (lots of dust and will wreck the carpets)

Exposed pipes are reasonably easy to box in and makes the house look much much nicer.

jcb33 · 29 Sep 2010 at 20:01

Well I got several calls the last few days wanting evidence of monies, contract signing etc, so in less than a month this has been pushed through.

The estate agent wanted me to get in an sign today, the solicitor was concerned with a few issues, such as who owns and maintains the passage at the back (For bin access), if the house has ever flooded, if it has sewer connections and if the gas central heating has a Corgi certificate to show it was installed correctly.

Anyway after leaving the meeting with the solicitor the estate agent informed me they had received the results to the above question and that the solicitor should contact me shortly to confirm the sale (I have signed the contracts, but left them with him and not to be processed until I give the go ahead).

Sadly he never contacted me, much to the estate agents concern, thne results however were all positive, no floods etc, although I was not contacted today (A slight delay) I should have the keys tomorrow, or Friday at the latest

So from this point on I will post random updates of the move, what work is needed etc, and how it is progressing, so from house to home basically

Just hope this all goes ok!

Jcb33.

cm1179 · 29 Sep 2010 at 20:13

jcb33 said:
Well I got several calls the last few days wanting evidence of monies, contract signing etc, so in less than a month this has been pushed through.

The estate agent wanted me to get in an sign today, the solicitor was concerned with a few issues, such as who owns and maintains the passage at the back (For bin access), if the house has ever flooded, if it has sewer connections and if the gas central heating has a Corgi certificate to show it was installed correctly.

Anyway after leaving the meeting with the solicitor the estate agent informed me they had received the results to the above question and that the solicitor should contact me shortly to confirm the sale (I have signed the contracts, but left them with him and not to be processed until I give the go ahead).

Sadly he never contacted me, much to the estate agents concern, thne results however were all positive, no floods etc, although I was not contacted today (A slight delay) I should have the keys tomorrow, or Friday at the latest

So from this point on I will post random updates of the move, what work is needed etc, and how it is progressing, so from house to home basically

Just hope this all goes ok!

Jcb33.

sounds like you are getting pushed into this by the agent. listen to yourself, family, friends and solicitor NOT the agent. if he says i want you to come in and 'sign today' say you will sign when you're ready
oh, and by looking at those photos, i stand by my knocking £25k off, you could be opening a can of worms with this house...

gary996 · 29 Sep 2010 at 20:18

Any electrical work carried out in a domestic property that person doing so must be PART P registered.
The exception is changing a light fitting etc (then if you are changing a plastic fitting to a metal is the earth good)?

jcb33 · 29 Sep 2010 at 20:28

cm1179 said:
sounds like you are getting pushed into this by the agent. listen to yourself, family, friends and solicitor NOT the agent. if he says i want you to come in and 'sign today' say you will sign when you're ready
oh, and by looking at those photos, i stand by my knocking £25k off, you could be opening a can of worms with this house...

Indeed the agent is rushing this along a little bit, looks like the seller needs to pay his mortgage off fast, and if I wait any longer he will be due to pay another months worth of payments towards it.

As for Family, they seem to think it will be ok, and the solicitor thinks it is a bit rushed, suggesting I have more searches etc done first.... But without any actual problems identified by his current searches that suggests to me he may just be wanting a little more from me... Though I could also be wrong.

Unfortunately (Well, not at the same time) the house was already quite a decent price and knocking off 25k would prety much make it not worth selling, and the seller has knocked off more from the original offer price due to the survey showing these problems.

Hopefully the worms will stay in the can.... But I must admit I am a little worried, partly because I have never owned a home before, and partly because there are some problems with the property... Hopefully however it will not cost the earth to carry out repairs and updates, and I will end up with a nice return on the investment in the long run...

Jcb33.

Fuzz · 29 Sep 2010 at 20:29

I'd be definitely going for a full rewire after looking at those sockets and fuse board.

Plaster has to come off anyway if you have a few damp issues so no big deal.
Do as much as you can get away with yourself and it'll save you a fortune!

Oh and congrats on the new home

jcb33 · 29 Sep 2010 at 20:31

gary996 said:
Any electrical work carried out in a domestic property that person doing so must be PART P registered.
The exception is changing a light fitting etc (then if you are changing a plastic fitting to a metal is the earth good)?

I have an electrician coming tomorrow, collecting the keys from the estate agent to give me a quote on work, he is NICEIC registered, will this satisfy the requirements for PART P registration?

Thanks,
Jcb33.

cm1179 · 29 Sep 2010 at 20:32

jcb33 said:
Indeed the agent is rushing this along a little bit, looks like the seller needs to pay his mortgage off fast, and if I wait any longer he will be due to pay another months worth of payments towards it.

As for Family, they seem to think it will be ok, and the solicitor thinks it is a bit rushed, suggesting I have more searches etc done first.... But without any actual problems identified by his current searches that suggests to me he may just be wanting a little more from me... Though I could also be wrong.

Unfortunately (Well, not at the same time) the house was already quite a decent price and knocking off 25k would prety much make it not worth selling, and the seller has knocked off more from the original offer price due to the survey showing these problems.

Hopefully the worms will stay in the can.... But I must admit I am a little worried, partly because I have never owned a home before, and partly because there are some problems with the property... Hopefully however it will not cost the earth to carry out repairs and updates, and I will end up with a nice return on the investment in the long run...

Jcb33.

the sellers financial problems are not your problems, you need to remember this and never get pushed by an agent into thinking something will get taken away if you don't move on it

your solicitor wont be wanting anymore out of you for the sake of it (i actually got £150+ back from mine without asking) and even so, it's better to pay for advice on something than to invest in a bad deal

if you are a little worried about taking this on as a first home, my advice is don't. wait, another one will come up. a decision like this you need to feel 100% about it

what was the asking price and what have you offered?

gary996 · 29 Sep 2010 at 21:00

jcb33 said:
I have an electrician coming tomorrow, collecting the keys from the estate agent to give me a quote on work, he is NICEIC registered, will this satisfy the requirements for PART P registration?

Thanks,
Jcb33.

Yes it will

lookitsjonno · 29 Sep 2010 at 21:17

what you have to consider is the value after you have made the changes. if by spending £5k on repairs will make the property value go up £10k+ more then you could end up with a bargain on your hands.

i'd certainly look at a full rewire.

leaskovski · 29 Sep 2010 at 21:25

cm1179 said:
the sellers financial problems are not your problems, you need to remember this and never get pushed by an agent into thinking something will get taken away if you don't move on it

your solicitor wont be wanting anymore out of you for the sake of it (i actually got £150+ back from mine without asking) and even so, it's better to pay for advice on something than to invest in a bad deal

if you are a little worried about taking this on as a first home, my advice is don't. wait, another one will come up. a decision like this you need to feel 100% about it

what was the asking price and what have you offered?

This!

You are spending a lot of money here! You want to be 100% sure that you are making the right choice. If the agent is pushing you, tell him to back off. God, why do they have to be such bum holes!

VeNT · 29 Sep 2010 at 21:30

ok I've worked in this area (worked for a co that does searches etc)
you want to get ALL this cleared up, your soliciter will get searches done and be able to show who owns what.
also get a flood report, this will show if it HAS flooded before or if it's likely to do so in the future.
From the look of the amount of work you're going to have done, I'd say 25k off is a minimum. it's not been looked after.

also, and I can't emphasise this enough even WITH the biggest font on here so I'm going ALL OUT
GET QUOTES FOR THE WORK THAT NEEDS DOING BEFORE YOU BUY THE PLACE

the last thing you want is to get the builder in after you've bought it thinking it only needs X Y and Z to find it needs A though Q as well.
the damps gonna cost a bomb to fix, also the Survey will not have taken a very in depth look into most things.

Check the plaster isn't going to need replacing,
what do you think of the electrics?
plumbing?

if it LOOKS shoddy and in need of replacement then it does.

it is also a good idea to get multiple quotes, just don't show them in at the same time!

[edit]

another thought, (seeing those photos) check the cracks are not signs of subsidence.
I'd really think long and hard if this place is really right for you.
it may be worth getting a 1st house that is less risky!

Lopéz · 30 Sep 2010 at 17:47

gary996 said:
Any electrical work carried out in a domestic property that person doing so must be PART P registered.
The exception is changing a light fitting etc (then if you are changing a plastic fitting to a metal is the earth good)?

That's not really correct though is it?

Any electrical work undertaken in a domestic property must comply with Part P regulations. This doesn't necessarily mean that the person undertaking the work must be a Part P registered Competent Person - it means that the work undertaken must be compliant with the guidelines set out in Part P - specifically “Reasonable provision shall be made in the design and installation of electrical installations in order to protect persons operating, maintaining or altering the installations from fire or injury.”
What that essentially means is the installation should be safe and comply with the relevant building regs.

There is nothing stopping you doing this yourself. If the work is classed as notifiable (not all wiring work is notifiable) then yes, it needs to be done by a registered competent person who can self certify, or it can be done by someone who is not a registered competent person but the would have to notify LABC if the work being undertaken is notifiable.

For DIYers this means you can do non-notifiable work as long as it is a safe installation following the relevant Building Regulations. If the work you intend to undertake is notifiable (ie work in kitchens, new circuits and so on) then you must notify LABC who may then choose (or not) to inspect your work in exchange for a seemingly random amount of money in order to ensure it has been done safely.

There is a really good, simple to follow flow chart for home electrical work here:

http://www.elecsa.co.uk/downloads/public/CLGbuildingworkleaflet.pdf

Fr0dders · 30 Sep 2010 at 18:01

cm1179 said:
the sellers financial problems are not your problems, you need to remember this and never get pushed by an agent into thinking something will get taken away if you don't move on it

your solicitor wont be wanting anymore out of you for the sake of it (i actually got £150+ back from mine without asking) and even so, it's better to pay for advice on something than to invest in a bad deal

This

dont let the agent push you into buying something your not comfortable with !!

If he doesnt want to pay another months mortgage thats his problem. Not yours.

VeNT said:
ok I've worked in this area (worked for a co that does searches etc)
you want to get ALL this cleared up, your soliciter will get searches done and be able to show who owns what.
also get a flood report, this will show if it HAS flooded before or if it's likely to do so in the future.
From the look of the amount of work you're going to have done, I'd say 25k off is a minimum. it's not been looked after.

also, and I can't emphasise this enough even WITH the biggest font on here so I'm going ALL OUT
GET QUOTES FOR THE WORK THAT NEEDS DOING BEFORE YOU BUY THE PLACE

the last thing you want is to get the builder in after you've bought it thinking it only needs X Y and Z to find it needs A though Q as well.
the damps gonna cost a bomb to fix, also the Survey will not have taken a very in depth look into most things.

Check the plaster isn't going to need replacing,
what do you think of the electrics?
plumbing?

if it LOOKS shoddy and in need of replacement then it does.

it is also a good idea to get multiple quotes, just don't show them in at the same time!

[edit]

another thought, (seeing those photos) check the cracks are not signs of subsidence.
I'd really think long and hard if this place is really right for you.
it may be worth getting a 1st house that is less risky!

This as well

our first house was over 100 years old. They identified damp in the survey too.

We got Dampco in

http://www.dampcoltd.co.uk/

a company specializing in damproofing work and got them to give us a quote to sort it all out. We gave the vendor two options

1) pay the fees of dampco or
2) knock that ammount off the asking price

You MUST, MUST,MUST get a proper quote for the work, NOT AN ESTIMATION.

Find somebody who can guarantee to fix this at this price. Its no use agreeing to take some random figure off that the vendor pulls off the top of his head.

You want the full ammount of the work needed off the asking price.

Judging by the quality of the wiring, id be asking for that to be done while all the plaster is off. Some of the plug socket wiring looks terrible !

Allthough we too were recommended to change our fusebox and didnt because the wiring was fine. So the fusebox itself doesnt NEED doing, but some of that wiring does look terrible so i'd get that done since the survey has picked it up.

jcb33 · 3 Oct 2010 at 22:13

Right had the electrician send me a quote, this includes all the required work + extras such as smoke alarms, shower and extractor fan:

Jcb33.

Wicksta · 3 Oct 2010 at 22:20

£100 for 2 smoke detectors?