"John Rumm" wrote in message
o.uk...
On 15/01/2011 22:10, SS wrote:
My situation..selling house (downsizing) this is likely to be my last
move
before I pop my clogs.
Income will be very low from pensions but will be mortgage free.
So what to look for when buying another property as I dont want to spend
£ks
after a couple of years.
My bid would be dependent on the life of some of the things below, in
other
words if a combi lasts on average 12 years and it is already 10 years old
then I need to take that into account.

What is average life of a combi type gas boiler?

anything from 6 to 30 years probably, depending on who made it and what
sort of generation of technology it is.

What is average life of a tiled roof?

100 years if looked after.

What is average life of double glazing units?

Depends on what you mean by "life" - for example they can loose their
hermetic seal and mist up, but they will stiff function as DG units - just
look a bit cloudy.

As to loosing their seal, if in full sunlight and installed badly, they
could last as little as 5 years.

What is average life of radiators (rusting through)

If the system has inhibitor and is installed correctly (i.e. not pumping
over etc), 30 years+

I am ok for general maintenance but dont want a big hit with lots of
expense
if any of the above are on their last legs (average)
Anything else I should be looking at (assuming a survey will cover wood
rot,
general building etc)

Survey will cover rot if its immediately visible...

Any thoughts on this would be helpful.
thanks

Its a difficult call - there are so many things that can bite you, its
hard to know where to start. In reality, chances are only a few will.

I would make sure the place you buy is not on low level ground -
especially in a flood plane. If a glance at the consumer unit shows
rewireable fuses and lots of black rubber cables emerging, then factor in
a rewire. (look for sockets as you go round as well - too few could
indicate an ageing wiring system etc).



Thanks for the tips.