Surveys

A Building Survey

Building Survey Example

This example has been produced to demonstrate what you should expect fo find within the Building Survey.

CLIENT ADDRESS

PREPARED ON BEHALF OF

MR. SMITH

Prepared By
JOHN R. CARD, FRICS

Dated: 8TH MARCH 2010

REF: MCP/JRC(60)/DD/117

1.00 INTRODUCTION
2.00 CHIMNEYS
3.00 ROOF SLOPES
4.00 FLAT ROOFS
5.00 RAINWATER GOODS
6.00 EXTERNAL WALLS
7.00 EXTERNAL JOINERY
8.00 EXTERNAL DECORATIONS & PAINTWORK
9.00 EXTERNAL PLUMBING & DRAINAGE
10.00 GARDEN AREAS & OUTBUILDINGS
11.00 ROOF SPACE
12.00 CEILINGS
13.00 INTERNAL WALL SURFACES & PARTITIONS
14.00 FLOORS
15.00 INTERNAL JOINERY
16.00 FIREPLACES & CHIMNEY BREASTS
17.00 SANITARY FITTINGS
18.00 INTERNAL DECORATIONS
19.00 TIMBER DECAY & INFESTATION
20.00 DAMPNESS
21.00 CONDENSATION
22.00 THERMAL INSULATION
23.00 SERVICES
24.00 SUMMARY & CONCLUSION

1.00 INTRODUCTION

CLIENT’S NAME
Mr. Michael Charles.

CLIENT’S ADDRESS
1 The Street, The Town, The County. BA1 1BA

INSPECTED BY
John R. Card, FRICS.

DATE OF INSPECTION
Friday 5th March 2010.

INSTRUCTIONS
We are acting upon your confirmed instructions to carry out a Building Survey to establish the structural condition and state of repairs. This Report has been prepared in accordance with our Terms and Conditions.

OCCUPATION
The property was occupied by the vendor. Our inspection was limited due to furniture, fitted floor coverings and stored personal effects throughout the property and within the roof space. It was not possible to gain access behind or underneath kitchen or bathroom fittings. The rear roof slope was not properly visible from ground level due to restrictions to the line of sight from within the plot boundaries. Floor coverings and floorboards were not lifted and sub floor timbers were not examined.

TENURE
We understand the property is being purchased Freehold with vacant possession and free from onerous restrictions or liabilities. These details should be confirmed by your legal advisers.

A GENERAL DESCRIPTION
This is a three storey end of terrace town house which was built in the 1970s. A single storey rear extension was constructed approximately 10 years ago. The property is situated in an established residential area within fairly easy reach of local shops and amenities. A mainline station is within walking distance.

ACCOMMODATION
Second Floor - Three bedrooms, bathroom/WC, landing.
First Floor – One bedroom, one reception room.
Ground Floor – Entrance hall, shower room/WC, one reception room, kitchen/breakfast room.
Externally – Integral single garage, garden shed, gardens front and rear.

THE SITE
The property is situated on a relatively flat rectangular site.

FLOODING
The latest flood map on the Environment Agency website indicates that this property is not at risk of flooding.

DIRECTIONS
All directions in this report are taken from the front of the property looking towards the rear.

WEATHER AT THE TIME OF OUR INSPECTION
The weather conditions at the time of inspection were dry and sunny.

LEGAL ADVISERS
We have carried out our inspection on the basis that you are receiving legal advice with respect to ownership of boundaries.

GENERAL REMARKS
Soil tests were not taken at the time of inspection although the geological drift map for the area indicates that the property is built on “London Clay”. We should mention that London clay shrinks and cracks during prolonged drought periods and this can adversely affect foundations to an extent where underpinning is sometimes necessary. The drying out process can be made much worse by the proximity of large trees and shrubs. We would therefore recommend that no new trees or shrubs be planted close to the property and that existing trees within influencing distance should be properly maintained to include lopping and pruning as necessary in order to restrict their height and growth.

However, trial holes were not dug and foundations were not inspected. We are therefore unable to comment on their construction or condition. Similarly, elements of the structure which were concealed at the time of construction and extension were not exposed and we are therefore unable to guarantee that any such concealed element of the building is necessarily free from defect.

This report should be construed as a comment on the overall condition of the property and is not an inventory of every single defect with no significant effect upon value.

OUTSIDE THE PROPERTY

2.00 CHIMNEYS

There are no chimney stacks to this property.

3.00 ROOF SLOPES

The main building has a traditional pitched timber framed roof which is covered with concrete interlocking tiles. Ridge tiles are set in cement mortar.

The end ridge tile to the right hand side is missing and should be replaced. The other ridge tiles should be checked and re-pointed or reset in cement mortar at that time. There is one ventilation tile to the main ridge which gives some ventilation to the roof space. There is a plastic strip to the edge of the tiles on the right hand side gable. The rear roof slope was not properly visible from a ground level inspection due to restrictions to the line of sight from within the plot boundaries.

4.00 FLAT ROOFS

There is a flat roof to the single storey rear extension and this is covered with mineral felt and dressed with stone chippings. There is rather a lot of moss growth to this flat roof. There is an opening skylight to this flat roof which is visible from within the kitchen. However, this will no longer open as the edges have been covered with mineral felt. One section of the mineral felt has been patch repaired in the past. Mineral felt roof coverings have a limited life expectancy of approximately 10-15 years. This roof covering is at the end of its useful life and we would recommend that you obtain an estimate for stripping and recovering this flat roof as soon as possible.

5.00 RAINWATER GOODS

The gutters are of PVC trough section construction together with square PVC rainwater pipes. A lot of moss was visible in the gutter at the rear of the single storey extension and this should be cleared. The right hand end of the front gutter is poorly aligned with signs of some damp staining to the front corner of the building. Realignment should be undertaken where necessary in order to prevent further damp staining and possible damp penetration to the external walls. The gutters should be cleared on an annual basis in order to prevent the build-up of debris which may otherwise lead to overflowing and possible damp staining and damp penetration to the external walls.

6.00 MAIN WALLS

The main external walls are of cavity construction with a brick outer skin. The front and rear elevations are tile hung at first floor and second floor levels.

There are also green PVC or similar panels between the second floor windows to the front and rear elevations. As already mentioned, damp staining has affected the front corner of the building due to an overflowing gutter and the gutter should be realigned accordingly. There is cement rendering to the lintel across the front elevation at first floor level. The original front open porch area has been in-filled with an aluminium door, frame and side window.

The single storey rear extension is of cavity construction with a brick outer skin. The brickwork to the rear elevation is stained beneath the overflow pipe from the combination boiler and you should ensure that all necessary repairs have been undertaken to the boiler to prevent further overflowing and damp staining to the brickwork. It may be difficult to remove this staining. There is some minor cracking to the brickwork adjacent to the boiler flue and this should be properly re-pointed during the course of normal maintenance. The left hand side of the single storey rear extension was not visible at the time of inspection. No signs of significant movement were noted to the main structure at the time of inspection.

The damp-proof course is of bitumen felt construction where visible to the original house and PVC construction where visible to the rear extension. There is no sub-floor ventilation due to a solid ground floor. The metal front balcony railings are rusty at the base and should be properly cleaned and redecorated. If the metal is found to be rusted through when the cleaning is undertaken then additional repair work may be necessary prior to redecoration. The tile hanging to the front and rear elevations may have been applied over solid blockwork but we are unable to confirm this.

7.00 EXTERNAL JOINERY

The windows are of PVCU framed double glazed replacement units. The original front entrance door and side window have been retained within the entrance porch although double glazed sealed units have been fitted. The original open porch area has been in-filled with an aluminium framed double glazed door and side window. There is a PVCU framed double glazed external door at the rear of the kitchen.

Silicone seal has cracked away slightly at the side of the kitchen door and should be properly replaced in order to prevent leakage. The end cap to the kitchen window sill is missing and should be replaced. There are French PVCU framed double glazed doors at the front of the reception room and these open inwards. Windows are not of the best quality but were generally found to be in reasonable condition at the time of inspection. There are safety catches to the second floor bedroom windows and a similar catch to the right hand window of the main first floor bedroom. A catch should also be provided to the left hand window in the main first floor bedroom and also to the bathroom window for safety purposes. There are lockable handles to the windows. One handle to the right hand main bedroom window is broken and requires repair or replacement. Soffit boards and fascia boards at eaves level are of timber construction together with the fascia board to the single storey extension. There is some rot to the front and rear fascia boards on the right hand side together with damp staining and possible rot to the adjacent soffit boarding. We would recommend that you consider replacement PVCU soffit and fascia boards at eaves level in the near future in order to reduce maintenance costs.

8.00 EXTERNAL DECORATIONS & PAINTWORK

External decorations are generally rather poor to the remaining external joinery. If the remaining external joinery areas are to be retained then they should be properly repaired and redecorated within the next 6 months.

9.00 EXTERNAL PLUMBING & DRAINAGE

The property is connected to the mains drainage system. There soil and vent is run internally. There are no visible drainage inspection chambers on site although it is possible that an inspection chamber has been covered up by the timber laminate boarding in the single storey kitchen extension. Defects to underground drains can only be assessed as a result of a test.

10.00 GARDEN AREAS & OUTBUILDINGS

The property is built on a relatively flat rectangular site although the front garden slopes down slightly towards the house. The rear boundary and the left hand side of the rear garden. There is a hedge to the right hand side of the front garden. There are no boundary markings to the front or left hand side of the front garden. Your legal adviser should check which boundary fences will be your responsibility should you proceed with the purchase. Ongoing maintenance work including preservative treatment will be necessary to boundary fences from time to time. The concrete driveway slopes down slightly towards the garage. The driveway is cracked and a little uneven possibly due to the roots from a cherry or similar deciduous tree within the front garden. The tree is approximately 1.5 metres from the driveway, 6.5 metres from the main front elevation and approximately 8-9 metres high. This tree should be properly maintained on a regular basis to include lopping and pruning where necessary in order to restrict its height and growth. Bearing in mind the shrinkable clay sub-soil, you may wish to consider removing the tree altogether. The driveway will require some repair and uneven sections may require relaying for safety purposes in future years. There is a timber deck area at the rear of the rear garden together with concrete slab pavings to the side and rear of the house. There is a curb stone between the rear paving and the lawn and rainwater may well pool on the rear paving during heavy rain. This should be monitored and it may be necessary to consider some form of yard gully and soak-away to the rear pavings in order to prevent ponding. Some of the concrete slabs are cracked and these should be properly replaced and slabs re-pointed where necessary.

Outbuildings

Garage

There is an integral single garage with a metal up and over door to the front elevation. The concrete floor has been carpeted inside the garage and our inspection was restricted due to numerous stored items. The ceiling within the garage is plasterboarded and the joints are taped but not skimmed.

The original fire door between the entrance hall and the garage has been replaced with a modern timber panel door. Strictly speaking, this should be replaced with a self closing fire door to comply with current building regulations.

Garden Shed

There is a timber shed within the rear garden and this has a mineral felt roof. The mineral felt has deteriorated and there are signs of rot to the edge of the timber roof. There are also signs of rot to the timbers beneath the side window. The side window is glazed with rather poor acrylic/plastic sheets and two of these are cracked. If the shed is to be retained then it will require extensive repair to replace all rotten timbers. The roof will also need to be stripped and recovered and the timbers would benefit from preservative treatment.

INSIDE THE PROPERTY

11.00 ROOF SPACE

The roof slopes are constructed of factory made timber trussed rafters. There is no lateral or diagonal timber bracing and there are no metal restraining straps to the party wall or flank wall. This may not have been a requirement at the time of construction but the building research establishment now recommends that in these cases, lateral and diagonal timber bracing should be provided to the undersides of the roof slopes together with lateral metal strapping between the roof timbers and the party wall and flank wall. We would recommend that this reinforcement work now be undertaken. Reinforcement work of this nature may well be highlighted in a mortgage valuation. The undersides of the roof slopes are lined with sarking felt between the tiles and the roof timbers.

Some daylight is visible where the ridge tile is missing to the right hand side of the ridge. This ridge tile should be properly replaced and the sarking felt repaired if holed. There are no tanks situated within the roof space. There is one ridge vent which provides some ventilation to the roof space. Additional ventilation is to be recommended perhaps with a continuous vent to the soffit boarding if this boarding is to be replaced in PVC construction in the future.

12.00 CEILINGS

Ceilings are all of plasterboard construction with an artex finish. There are flat plastered ceilings to the main bedroom, shower room/WC and kitchen. The ceiling in the bedroom would appear to have been overlaid with an additional layer of plasterboard. Plasterboard coving has been provided to the reception room and first floor bedroom. Bearing in mind the age of the property, the original artex finishes to the ceilings are likely to contain asbestos. This should not prove to be a problem provided that the ceilings are kept well maintained and decorated. However, if you intend to disturb or remove the artex finishes then specialist advice should be obtained at that time due to the probable asbestos content. If you require flat ceilings then the existing artex finish could be skimmed but this work should only be undertaken by a contractor who is experienced in undertaking this work and dealing with artex finishes which may contain asbestos. The artex finish in the reception room has been poorly repaired where a partition has been removed between the original reception room and landing. Signs of past slight leakage to the edge of the skylight to the kitchen ceiling may be due to condensation.

13.00 INTERNAL WALL SURFACES & PARTITIONS

Internal partitions are of solid blockwork construction with a plaster finish. There are signs of some slight movement to internal partitions where they are built directly onto the floor timbers and this can be seen as slightly sloping heads to the door frames of the bathroom and small front bedroom in particular. This is often to be found in properties of this type and age and is due to natural timber shrinkage/deflection. On balance, future serious movement is considered unlikely.

As already mentioned, part of the partition between the reception room and the original landing has been removed. This would not appear to have been a load bearing partition. The walls in the bathroom are partly tiled and partly clad with tongue and grooved dado boarding. The walls in the shower room are fully tiled. In the entrance porch area, the brickwork has been painted. The first floor bedroom was originally a kitchen/dining room. However, this area was converted into a bedroom when the kitchen/breakfast room extension was added at the rear of the ground floor.

14.00 FLOORS

The second floor and first floor are of suspended timber construction and the ground floor is of solid concrete construction. The upper floors are all fully carpeted and there is a slight unevenness to the floor in the reception room where the partition has been removed between the original first floor landing and the reception room. This would not appear to be serious. There are ceramic tiles to the shower room floor together with electric under tile heating. Timber laminate flooring has been laid in the entrance hall and kitchen/breakfast room together with carpet to the reception room. There is some deterioration to the laminate flooring in the kitchen and this would not appear to be of particularly good quality. No significant defects were apparent to accessible floor areas.

15.00 INTERNAL JOINERY

The original Sapele internal flush doors have been retained and these are now rather dated. There are fire doors to the bedrooms. There are modern pine panel doors to the garage, shower room and reception room on the ground floor. As already mentioned, the door to the garage should ideally be replaced with a self closing fire door to comply with building regulations. Staircase timbers appear firm to the tread and the original ranch rail banisters have been retained. There is a sliding mirror door wardrobe to the top floor rear bedroom and this is not of particularly good quality. There are melamine wardrobes to the main front bedroom together with an original built-in cupboard to the small front bedroom. Modern melamine wardrobes have also been provided to the first floor bedroom. The kitchen cupboards are of fairly basic quality but appear reasonably well maintained.

16.00 FIREPLACES & CHIMNEY BREASTS

There are no fireplaces or chimney breasts to this property. There is a dummy timber and marble fire surround in the reception room together with an electric fire.

17.00 SANITARY FITTINGS

The sanitary fittings to the bathroom are of fairly basic quality but appear reasonably well maintained. The tap head to the hot tap on the bath is broken and requires replacement. Three of the wall tiles have been replaced at the side of the bath and these are of a slightly different colour. There is a separate shower over the bath and the shower head holder on the rising rail is broken and requires replacement. This is not a thermostatic shower. Sanitary fittings to the ground floor shower room are modern and of reasonable quality. There is a remote start button situated outside the thermostatic shower. The shower pump is situated within the understairs cupboard. An extractor fan should be provided to the shower room/WC in order to help prevent condensation. We would also recommend an extractor fan to the bathroom in order to help prevent condensation.

18.00 INTERNAL DECORATIONS

Internal decorations appear generally satisfactory although they are a matter of personal choice. Internal decorations may present a more marked appearance when furniture/pictures are removed and you may therefore consider that some redecoration will be necessary at that time.

19.00 TIMBER DECAY & INFESTATION

No signs of active wood boring insect infestation or other timber defects were noted to accessible timbers at the time of inspection.

20.00 DAMPNESS

Damp meter readings were taken with an electrical moisture meter in selected areas internally where permitted by fixtures and furniture, etc. No significant damp meter readings were obtained at the time of inspection.

21.00 CONDENSATION

No signs of significant condensation were noted. However, condensation can affect kitchen and bathroom areas in particular and these areas should be properly ventilated. Extractor fans are recommended to the bathroom and particularly to the ground floor shower room which has no other ventilation. As the shower room is situated internally, it may be difficult to provide an extractor fan in this position without taking up floor coverings and floor boarding at first floor level.

22.00 THERMAL INSULATION

There is only 25mm of insulation to the ceilings within the roof space and this is considered inadequate by modern standards. Additional insulation is to be recommended. In new houses and extensions, 270mm of quilted insulation is now the current standard to ceilings within a roof space under current building regulations. There is a redundant section of pipework within the roof space and if this still contains water then it should be properly insulated. Cavity wall insulation is to be recommended to the flank wall. It is possible that the front and rear elevations are of solid blockwork construction beneath the tiling hanging although we are unable to confirm this.

23.00 SERVICES

No tests have been carried out. Only significant defects and deficiencies readily apparent from a visual inspection are reported. Compliance with Regulations and adequacy of design, condition or efficiency can only be assessed as a result of a test and, should you require any further information in this respect, it is essential that you should obtain reports from appropriate specialists before entering into a legal commitment to purchase.

ELECTRICITY

The property is connected to the mains electricity supply and there are two consumer units situated within the garage. The original consumer unit has fuses rather than miniature circuit breakers and the second consumer unit does have modern miniature circuit breakers. The earth cable to the older consumer unit is undersized by modern standards. There is no ceiling light to the main bedroom. There are only lights above the wardrobes in this room. Two of the lights in the ground floor shower room were not working at the time of inspection.

You are therefore advised to instruct a qualified electrician to check and test the electrical circuits prior to exchange of contracts in order to determine the extent and cost of any necessary upgrading to comply with current electrical regulations.

GAS

The property is connected to the mains gas supply and the meter is situated in the garage. Gas appliances include the central heating boiler and a gas range cooker in the kitchen. One of the gas taps to the range cooker appears to be wrongly positioned and some of the markings for the gas taps have worn away. The upstand at the rear of the hob area is stained. You are advised to have this gas range cooker serviced by a suitably qualified contractor prior to exchange of contracts.

WATER

The property is connected to the mains water supply and the stopcock is visible at low level at the side of the WC in the ground floor shower room/WC. The incoming water main was not visible at the time of inspection. Pipework throughout the property appears to be of copper construction where visible. There are no cold water tanks within the roof space.

HOT WATER & CENTRAL HEATING

Hot water and central heating are provided by a gas fired combination boiler situated in the kitchen and this serves radiators to most rooms. There are no radiators to the ground floor reception room and kitchen. A radiator in the ground floor shower room has been removed as there is electric heating beneath the tiling to the floor. As already mentioned, water/steam from the overflow to the boiler has stained the brickwork to the rear elevation of the kitchen extension.

You should ensure that any necessary repairs have been undertaken to the boiler. It may be difficult to remove the staining to the brickwork.

You are advised to enter into a British Gas service plan or similar in order that the central heating system is annually serviced and insured against defect although this will not cover the cost of a replacement boiler. In the absence of a continuous and up to date service history, the central heating system should be checked and serviced by a suitably qualified heating contractor prior to exchange of contracts.

24.00 SUMMARY & CONCLUSION

This section should be read in conjunction with the main body of the report and not in isolation.

This is a reasonable sized three storey town house which has a single storey extension at the rear. This extension has enabled the original kitchen/dining room to be converted into a fourth bedroom on the first floor.

A number of defects were noted however and these may best be listed as follows:-

The missing ridge tile to the right hand side of the main ridge should be properly replaced together with any necessary re-pointing or resetting to the other ridge tile at that time.
You are advised to obtain a quote for stripping and recovering of the flat roof to the single storey rear extension. You may wish to consider a new enlarged skylight at that time.
The guttering at eaves level should be realigned where necessary particularly to the front right hand corner in order to prevent overflowing and damp staining to the external elevations. The gutters should be cleared on an annual basis and the gutter to the rear kitchen roof now requires clearing.
The metal balcony railings to the first floor front elevation should be properly cleaned and redecorated. If the metal at the base of the railings is found to be holed when the rust is cleaned away then additional reinforcement may be necessary at that time.
The silicone seal around the external kitchen door should be replaced in order to avoid leakage. The end cap should be provided to the kitchen window sill at the rear. Additional safety catches should be provided to the bathroom window and the right hand rear window in the main bedroom. One of the handles to the right hand window in the main bedroom is broken and requires repair or replacement.
The ends of the fascia boards and soffit boarding show signs of rot and deterioration at eaves level. You are advised to obtain a quote from a reputable builder for the repair or replacement of fascia boarding and soffit boarding in PVC construction.
The timber shed in the rear garden will require extensive repair and recovering of the roof if it is to be retained.
The concrete front driveway will require some repair and some possible replacement in the future where it is cracked and slightly uneven.
You may need to consider the installation of a yard gully to the rear pavings leading to a soak-away in order to prevent ponding on the pavings.
The cherry or similar deciduous tree within the front garden should ideally be removed or at least lopped and pruned on a regular basis in order to restrict its height and growth.
No drainage inspection chamber covers were visible on site at the time of inspection but it is possible that there may be an inspection chamber beneath the timber veneer flooring in the kitchen.
Lateral and diagonal timber bracing is to be recommended to the undersides of the roof slopes within the roof space together with metal strapping between the roof timbers and the party and flank walls within the roof space.
Additional insulation is recommended within the roof space together with additional ventilation to the soffit boarding.
We would refer you to our comments regarding the older artex ceiling finishes which are likely to contain asbestos.
Extractor fans are recommended to the bathroom and particularly to the ground floor shower room in order to prevent condensation.
In the absence of a continuous and up to date service history, the central heating system should be checked and serviced by a suitably qualified heating contractor prior to exchange of contracts. A soft closing fire door should be provided between the garage and the entrance hall for safety purposes.
You are advised to instruct a qualified electrician to check and test the electrical circuits prior to exchange of contracts in order to determine the extent and cost of any necessary upgrading to comply with current electrical regulations.
The gas range cooker should be serviced by a suitably qualified contractor prior to exchange of contracts.

These defects are often to be found in many other properties of this type and age. Other defects mentioned throughout the report are generally capable of remedy during the course of a normal maintenance programme.

Where we have recommended further investigations or reports from specialists in this report, you are advised to obtain these, together with estimates for the necessary work, prior to exchange of contracts.

Where we have mentioned various items for repair that are considered necessary, we would advise that you obtain estimates from local building contractors for the works prior to exchange of contracts.

This report is confidential to you as our clients and your financial and legal advisers. No liability is extended to any other party who may become acquainted with its contents without the prior written consent of Michael Charles Surveyors Limited.

We trust that this report is satisfactory for your purposes, but if you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned.

John R. Card, FRICS
MICHAEL CHARLES SURVEYORS LIMITED