House woes

[MatsyLR]

Long story short I'm in the market for buying a house. Found one I really like the inside is gorgeous, really nicely renovated. There is one issue...the side of the property.

https://pasteboard.co/639wM6mcCkCE.jpg

There is quite heavy Frost damage on the side of the house due to where the house is (blown bricks) . Builder has checked it and it's just cosmetic (so far) apparently can fix it for around £1k (lol?surely not) but I'm worried it would cause issues down the line. In 2009 there where about 10 bricks blown. In 2021theres around 65.

I really want the house but this Frost damage has put a spanner in the works and I'm going around in circles with what to do

 

[adam cool dude]

Long story short I'm in the market for buying a house. Found one I really like the inside is gorgeous, really nicely renovated. There is one issue...the side of the property.

https://pasteboard.co/639wM6mcCkCE.jpg

There is quite heavy Frost damage on the side of the house due to where the house is (blown bricks) . Builder has checked it and it's just cosmetic (so far) apparently can fix it for around £1k (lol?surely not) but I'm worried it would cause issues down the line. In 2009 there where about 10 bricks blown. In 2021theres around 65.

I really want the house but this Frost damage has put a spanner in the works and I'm going around in circles with what to do

It will cost you a grand every 11 years to put right. It might even less as the bad bricks might have already all gone.

My house was built in 1970 and has a couple of bricks like that on both chimney stacks and they are still standing.

 

[lewism]

Adjust your offer to compensate for the work involved? The bricks are either incorrect for the location of the property or just deteriorating due to something in manufacturing. That wall will be built from bricks off the same pallet so I would presume it's going to be an issue going forward forever.

 

[MatsyLR]

Adjust your offer to compensate for the work involved? The bricks are either incorrect for the location of the property or just deteriorating due to something in manufacturing. That wall will be built from bricks off the same pallet so I would presume it's going to be an issue going forward forever.

Seller isn't willing to budge or pay.
They bought the house and was in the middle of renovation (inside is pretty much all done) never got around to the outside before they needed to sell (marriage issues). They have had 7 offers on the house, they accepted mine but can easily go with someone else if I pull out. The inside is gorgeous for the price. Anything ive seen in the same price range looks horrible compared to it.

The long term of the wall is what worries me its just going to be keep happening, it's right in the open opposite a field so it gets battered with the weather. The house just over is the same. It's purely cosmetic according to the builder who looked at the damage but I thought it would eventually cause issues if not corrected as it gets more extensive and maybe damp starts to set in

 

[kindai]

Seller isn't willing to budge or pay.
They bought the house and was in the middle of renovation (inside is pretty much all done) never got around to the outside before they needed to sell (marriage issues). They have had 7 offers on the house, they accepted mine but can easily go with someone else if I pull out. The inside is gorgeous for the price. Anything ive seen in the same price range looks horrible compared to it.

The long term of the wall is what worries me its just going to be keep happening, it's right in the open opposite a field so it gets battered with the weather. The house just over is the same. It's purely cosmetic according to the builder who looked at the damage but I thought it would eventually cause issues if not corrected as it gets more extensive and maybe damp starts to set in

Weigh up then can you get something of equal quality for your money +1k?

If no, take the house.

 

[Steampunk]

Seller isn't willing to budge or pay.
They bought the house and was in the middle of renovation (inside is pretty much all done) never got around to the outside before they needed to sell (marriage issues). They have had 7 offers on the house, they accepted mine but can easily go with someone else if I pull out. The inside is gorgeous for the price. Anything ive seen in the same price range looks horrible compared to it.

The long term of the wall is what worries me its just going to be keep happening, it's right in the open opposite a field so it gets battered with the weather. The house just over is the same. It's purely cosmetic according to the builder who looked at the damage but I thought it would eventually cause issues if not corrected as it gets more extensive and maybe damp starts to set in

You could always get the wall/house rendered to protect the brickwork. It seems like not a lot of money to fix something that otherwise you like, and not a great deal of money when considered against the cost of a whole house over a long period of time.

 

[koolpc]

Render would be my thought too.

 

[Kohaashi]

Doesnt look like it needs doing right away.
Just get it rendered like others have said.

 

[Quartz]

Get proper professional advice from a surveyor. What is it hiding?

 

[HoneyBadger]

You’re contemplating this over a grand? Just get it bought, subject to survey. This is only as difficult as you make it.

 

[darael]

The bricks at the top quarter seem different to the rest of the wall. Or is it just me? They look redder.

Also what work has that wall done to it? If you look in the mortar, about four bricks below the left floodlight, there is what seems to be a drilled hole filled in. And you can see the same thing every six bricks.

 

[Mysterae_]

You could get the damaged bricks repaired then get the entire wall coated with water repellent -

 

[koolpc]

Water repellants can cause issues themselves. One has to be careful.

Best get professional advice.

That wall wouldnt be a deal breaker for me.

 

[MatsyLR]

The survey the sellers had done last year shows its entirely cosmetic. Rendering wouldn't be suitable, nothing else in the area is rendered would look stupid I would have thought unless they could sorta match the brick color, it's all red brick. Also isn't rendering still expensive? That's a large wall haha

 

[Matthew.M]

Just get your own quote to confirm the £1k cost then proceed. The photos wouldn’t put me off personally.

If a potential £1k bill puts you off then I would avoid home ownership! I don’t think that’s worth adjusting an offer over and a house can throw up a bill like that very easily.

 

[thezappa]

It’s not really an issue and 1k for that is pretty reasonable; a scaffold tower, labour and materials.
I can’t see how much of the bricks have come away but you only need to take them out and turn them round. Any decent bricky can do it.

 

[MatsyLR]

Just get your own quote to confirm the £1k cost then proceed. The photos wouldn’t put me off personally.

If a potential £1k bill puts you off then I would avoid home ownership! I don’t think that’s worth adjusting an offer over and a house can throw up a bill like that very easily.

Its not the £1k bill I can stomach that (the house is £115k), its potential issues down the line with the bricks themselves not being able to withstand the elements. Looking for pricing on brick work, weatherproofing and rendering is harder than it should be, places say it will cost like £10k+ for rending.
I'm looking at this from 2 angles, over 20 years (it was built in 2001 or something) about 60 bricks on the side have blown due to frost damage, 10 years ago there was only about 15 or so blown from the google map pictures from back then. Is going to be a continuous cycle of throwing money into the wall.

 

[200sols]

10 years ago there was only about 15 or so blown from the google map pictures from back then. Is going to be a continuous cycle of throwing money into the wall.

Don't buy it, you wont be happy.

 

[xb8browney]

Bit of a none issue in my eyes, I'd get the whole wall rendered otherwise you'll never be happy, we got the back of our house done plus some garden walls last year for £5k 84m2

 

[rubberduck]

It will be fine and is basically just cosmetic.