I have offered over asking for a property we really liked. There was a lot of interest at asking and originally lost out but the other buyer had supposedly lied about their financial position.
It's a 2 bedroom detached bungalow. Asking price was 170 000. We had an offer of 190 000 accepted.
Survey has come back and suggested it's only worth 175 000.
The survey also picked up the following major concerns. Some we knew about such as heating in conservatory and windows.
Some we were not aware of such as missing lintel, roof strapping, conservatory and kitchen door into garage.
Could I have advice whether I should be concerned by the following please. Just need some perspective as we feel very invested now. Have already paid for searches and solicitor fees.
1.
The cement pointing along the edge of the roof (called the verge) is missing in places and should be replaced. Adjacent parts of the roof covering may have to be disturbed to repair the verge tiles and this can increase the amount of repair work.
2.
There should be a lintel over every window and door opening to support the weight of the wall
above. I was not able to see any lintel above the front (right hand) window opening and some slight cracking and deflection of bricks was noted. You should ask an appropriately qualified person to open up the wall above this opening and provide additional support as required.
Above and to the right of the rear Kitchen window opening, a number of deteriorated (spalled) bricks need to be replaced.
A few spalled bricks and a small area of brickwork needing repointing, was noted to the front upper right hand corner (just below the lower section of the roof).
3.
The heating in the conservatory is part of the heating system in the main property.
To comply with Building Regulations, the radiator would need top be removed. An independent heating unit can be installed if required.
When adding a conservatory to the existing external wall of a building, it is important that the cavity wall below the roof level of the new conservatory does not suffer damp penetration. The outside wall surface above the roofline is exposed to rain and there is a risk, depending on the exposure of the external wall, that dampness moves down to below the roofline and into the conservatory.
A cavity tray (physical barrier to direct water within an external wall to the exterior) is normally required to be installed in the existing wall, at the point where the conservatory roof meets the exterior wall. At the time of inspection, there were no obvious signs of a major problem with dampness, although this is often only seen after a period of heavy rain. Without opening up the brickwork, I am unable to confirm if a cavity tray has been installed. Your legal adviser should make enquiries with the vendor to confirm that the contractor, who built the conservatory, installed a suitable cavity tray above the conservatory roof line. In the absence of this confirmation, it would be prudent to carry out exposure work to determine this. This work will require the consent of the owner. Should cavity trays be required, installing these will be expensive.
4.
The main roof covering is supported by factory made gang nailed trussed rafters. The trusses are not adequately windbraced and although this property was built before such bracing was
considered as important as it is today, it is recommended that this is now fitted in accordance with current Building Regulations.
The improvement will significantly reduce the risk of potential wind damage causing serious
movement of the roof structure. Also the end trusses are not properly strapped to the walls (they should be strapped across a minimum of three trussed rafters), and this should be corrected.
There is underfelt beneath the roof covering.
The felt lining under the roof covering can become brittle with age, particularly when exposed to sunlight, rainwater and wind action. Deterioration often occurs at the bottom of the roof and at the edges where the lining is more exposed. Coverings should be kept in good condition at all times.
The felt should be repaired or replaced as soon as any deterioration occurs.
The roof space does not have enough ventilation. A lack of ventilation in the roof space can cause
mould growth and wood rot, and additional ventilation should be provided soon.
5.
The internal door and frame to the Kitchen needs to be a minimum half hours fire resistance and
be fitted with a self closing mechanism. The door itself may be adequate, but there was no
intumescent strip or smoke seal, and this should be rectified. This together with the lack of a self closing mechanism are safety hazards.
6.
The blockwork drive has dropped in a number of places and needs repair. The blocks have
dropped adjacent to the inspection cover in the drive. The inspection cover adjacent to this area
was lifted and there was no evidence of any drainage problem.
There were issues with rot in window frames, rot in windows of conservatory and a load of minor things.
It's a 2 bedroom detached bungalow. Asking price was 170 000. We had an offer of 190 000 accepted.
Survey has come back and suggested it's only worth 175 000.
The survey also picked up the following major concerns. Some we knew about such as heating in conservatory and windows.
Some we were not aware of such as missing lintel, roof strapping, conservatory and kitchen door into garage.
Could I have advice whether I should be concerned by the following please. Just need some perspective as we feel very invested now. Have already paid for searches and solicitor fees.
1.
The cement pointing along the edge of the roof (called the verge) is missing in places and should be replaced. Adjacent parts of the roof covering may have to be disturbed to repair the verge tiles and this can increase the amount of repair work.
2.
There should be a lintel over every window and door opening to support the weight of the wall
above. I was not able to see any lintel above the front (right hand) window opening and some slight cracking and deflection of bricks was noted. You should ask an appropriately qualified person to open up the wall above this opening and provide additional support as required.
Above and to the right of the rear Kitchen window opening, a number of deteriorated (spalled) bricks need to be replaced.
A few spalled bricks and a small area of brickwork needing repointing, was noted to the front upper right hand corner (just below the lower section of the roof).
3.
The heating in the conservatory is part of the heating system in the main property.
To comply with Building Regulations, the radiator would need top be removed. An independent heating unit can be installed if required.
When adding a conservatory to the existing external wall of a building, it is important that the cavity wall below the roof level of the new conservatory does not suffer damp penetration. The outside wall surface above the roofline is exposed to rain and there is a risk, depending on the exposure of the external wall, that dampness moves down to below the roofline and into the conservatory.
A cavity tray (physical barrier to direct water within an external wall to the exterior) is normally required to be installed in the existing wall, at the point where the conservatory roof meets the exterior wall. At the time of inspection, there were no obvious signs of a major problem with dampness, although this is often only seen after a period of heavy rain. Without opening up the brickwork, I am unable to confirm if a cavity tray has been installed. Your legal adviser should make enquiries with the vendor to confirm that the contractor, who built the conservatory, installed a suitable cavity tray above the conservatory roof line. In the absence of this confirmation, it would be prudent to carry out exposure work to determine this. This work will require the consent of the owner. Should cavity trays be required, installing these will be expensive.
4.
The main roof covering is supported by factory made gang nailed trussed rafters. The trusses are not adequately windbraced and although this property was built before such bracing was
considered as important as it is today, it is recommended that this is now fitted in accordance with current Building Regulations.
The improvement will significantly reduce the risk of potential wind damage causing serious
movement of the roof structure. Also the end trusses are not properly strapped to the walls (they should be strapped across a minimum of three trussed rafters), and this should be corrected.
There is underfelt beneath the roof covering.
The felt lining under the roof covering can become brittle with age, particularly when exposed to sunlight, rainwater and wind action. Deterioration often occurs at the bottom of the roof and at the edges where the lining is more exposed. Coverings should be kept in good condition at all times.
The felt should be repaired or replaced as soon as any deterioration occurs.
The roof space does not have enough ventilation. A lack of ventilation in the roof space can cause
mould growth and wood rot, and additional ventilation should be provided soon.
5.
The internal door and frame to the Kitchen needs to be a minimum half hours fire resistance and
be fitted with a self closing mechanism. The door itself may be adequate, but there was no
intumescent strip or smoke seal, and this should be rectified. This together with the lack of a self closing mechanism are safety hazards.
6.
The blockwork drive has dropped in a number of places and needs repair. The blocks have
dropped adjacent to the inspection cover in the drive. The inspection cover adjacent to this area
was lifted and there was no evidence of any drainage problem.
There were issues with rot in window frames, rot in windows of conservatory and a load of minor things.
