"Mike the unimaginative" wrote in message
...
" wrote in news:1188801966.910724.206950
@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com:

Likewise, my experience of surveyors equally poor.

If you do ask an experienced builder to look it over (which I
think is
more useful than a survey) - be completely honest with him, that
you
are only thinking about buying and offer to pay for his advice.

My lad is in the same sort of boat - he's looking at a terraced
house that
is structurally OK as far as I can tell, but needs a fair bit of
tidying up
(including demolishing the rear extension and rebuilding with
something
that's at least true and watertight!) - he doesn't need a surveyor
to tell
him this, he needs a builder to tell him how much it will cost.
How much is a builder likely to charge for a look and estimate? /
How much
is it worth offering?

You'll be paying 'opportunity cost' ie for what he could be earning if
he's not with you - so what is the going rate for a builder in your
area - £150 or so I'd imagine

AWEM