Newly-bought house check-up
 

Hi all,

I've recently bought a mid-terrace 2-bed (one upstairs in the eaves (?)
the other a bed/diner/study/whatever downstairs at the front with a bay
window), and am now running around tidying it up quickly before I move
in. The survey put it down as built in mid-1930's, with stone (mostly
granite afaict) walls, and a red-tile roof. Reading some of the
messages here, I'm not likely to dive in for the amount of diy that
some are doing, but I'm starting slowly along that road :)

The only major thing on the survey seemed to be the fact that the roof
was supposedly original, which didn't really put me off, but perhaps
should have done so ;) There are no obvious leaks, but there are a few
tiles which are cracked or askew. I noticed a patch above the front bay
window, inside, where some paint had peeled off (but does not feel damp
atm - and it has rained relatively recently), and while starting to
decorate the upstairs bedroom I noticed a few patches where the painted
wallpaper is either 'unstuck' with a solid flat surface underneath, or
perhaps worse is feeling rather 'soft' underneath - this around the
window frame in the dormer bedroom at the front, and also around a
velux window in the sloping roof at the back (in the top hall). Are
these really bad warning signs that I should get seen-to asap, or is it
just to be expected? I'm planning on getting some quotes for a roof
'checkup' in any case, but slightly worried about what that might lead
to!

Also, does anyone know if there are any guidelines/laws about location
of (freestanding) cookers in a kitchen? The previous owner had an
electric oven (which they removed) near the door into the kitchen, and
a fridge freezer up against the window into the garden (blocking out
quite some light!). I'm thinking of swapping the positions of these
two, possibly changing to a gas cooker. I'm guessing that the gas pipes
to the CH boiler upstairs pass behind where the fridge-freezer
currently is, and hoping that it would be possible to 'tap off' a
supply for a gas cooker. However I'm concerned that having an oven near
these (blocked-off) pipes is potentially risky, and the new oven
position would put it up against the window with its wooden surround -
another potential problem. Am I just being paranoid? :)

Looking forward to people's ideas/comments, (TIA)

--
Neil