Christian McArdle wrote:

It wasn't a detailed survey, just a 'what is happening, why, and what
are my options' Tht cost me about 150 quid.


Um, but a quick opinion on a non-listed building is very different from the
full structural survey on a grade 2 listed property, which is what you were
originally suggesting!

I was not suggesting a 'full structural survey' - merely a quick - thats
all fine mate, but I don;t like the look of that bit: Could be ten grand
to re-do that sodden rotting wall and timberwork to grade II and you
won't know till you try' sort of survey.


Whether my timber cottage was listed or not had no implications on the
survey cots - only on repair costs.

If it had been listed I would never have bought it, haveinga fair idea
of its state.

Which souns FAR worse than the OP's by the way. I had one ceiling that
was sagging a foot, main structural timbers cut through for doors, and
all pulled out of their soctes as well, old bits of larch and broom
poles used to repair rafters, peremannet rising damp, and rotten floor
boards, and, as we eventually found, only about 30% of the structural
timbers actually sound.

The survey that I had, was to do with a new roof. The engineer basically
said it wasn't strong enough to support anythng other than thatch, or
the shingles it had.

All advice was 'take it back to sound and start again, or knock it down
and start again.

We tried the first, and ended up with the second.


I am certain that a day with a competent engineer will let the OP now
whether he has a 2k bill, a 20k bill or a 200k bill on his hands.

That's the sort of knowledge you can get for a couple of hundred.

Ive got frieds in prtecsiley this sort of situation, and they are doing
it bit by bit. Tackling the most urgent first, and upgrading and
modernising as far as the listed building poeple will let them. Its not
so bad really.

It seems to average out at about 10k per room to replace and repair
strutural timber work, and replaster to a nice standard.





Christian.