Hello

We're buying a detached house, built in the 1960-69 period. It's standard
construction as far as I can see (bricks, don't know about cavity wall,
tiled roof)and is on an established housing estate. There's been an
extension built at some stage, ading an upstairs bedroom and a downstairs
dining room. The extension seems well-done to me, and there are no obvious
signs of cracks in the brickwork etc. but note that I know almost nothing
about building houses or extensions.

I suspect that a standard "homebuyer's survey" would have sufficed but I
decided to be extra sure, hence going the extra 250 quid for the building
survey. Apart from asking the surveyor to pay particular attention to the
electrical wiring and the flat roof that makes up the attached garage and
utility room area, what other things might you suggest that I ask the
surveyor to highlight? I have only ever had a homebuyer's survey done
before, so I don't know how much extra detail I should expect for my outlay
or what I should be entitled to ask for specifically.

TIA for opinions based on your experiences

DDS

"Duncan Di Saudelli" wrote in message
...
Hello

We're buying a detached house, built in the 1960-69 period. It's standard
construction as far as I can see (bricks, don't know about cavity wall,
tiled roof)and is on an established housing estate. There's been an
extension built at some stage, ading an upstairs bedroom and a downstairs
dining room. The extension seems well-done to me, and there are no obvious
signs of cracks in the brickwork etc. but note that I know almost nothing
about building houses or extensions.

I suspect that a standard "homebuyer's survey" would have sufficed but I
decided to be extra sure, hence going the extra 250 quid for the building
survey. Apart from asking the surveyor to pay particular attention to the
electrical wiring and the flat roof that makes up the attached garage and
utility room area, what other things might you suggest that I ask the
surveyor to highlight? I have only ever had a homebuyer's survey done
before, so I don't know how much extra detail I should expect for my
outlay or what I should be entitled to ask for specifically.


A homebuyer survey is basically a quick look for obvious problems and a
valuation. It is done for the benefit of the lender but you pay for it. If
you really want to have the job done properly with some comeback you need a
full structural survey. Flat roofs are almost always bad news.

Peter Crosland

I suspect that a standard "homebuyer's survey" would have sufficed but I
decided to be extra sure, hence going the extra 250 quid for the building
survey.

A homebuyer survey is basically a quick look for obvious problems and a
valuation. It is done for the benefit of the lender but you pay for it. If
you really want to have the job done properly with some comeback you need
a full structural survey. Flat roofs are almost always bad news.

Yes; like I say, that's what I am doing. I'm not requesting a mere
homebuyer's survey, I'm paying for a building survey (AKA structural
survey).

http://www.home.co.uk/guides/buying/vands.htm and
http://www.ourproperty.co.uk/guides/...explained.html refer.

What I want to know from people who have done the building survey is how
detailed they are compared with a homebuyer's survey and is it normal
practice for the buyer to request particular attention to be paid to aspects
of particular interest e.g. wiring, flat roofs etc.

"Duncan Di Saudelli" wrote in message
...

I suspect that a standard "homebuyer's survey" would have sufficed but I
decided to be extra sure, hence going the extra 250 quid for the
building survey.

A homebuyer survey is basically a quick look for obvious problems and a
valuation. It is done for the benefit of the lender but you pay for it.
If you really want to have the job done properly with some comeback you
need a full structural survey. Flat roofs are almost always bad news.

Yes; like I say, that's what I am doing. I'm not requesting a mere
homebuyer's survey, I'm paying for a building survey (AKA structural
survey).

http://www.home.co.uk/guides/buying/vands.htm and
http://www.ourproperty.co.uk/guides/...explained.html refer.

What I want to know from people who have done the building survey is how
detailed they are compared with a homebuyer's survey and is it normal
practice for the buyer to request particular attention to be paid to
aspects of particular interest e.g. wiring, flat roofs etc.

Well there will not be a proper inspection of the electrics included in the
report.

You could pay for a an electrician to do a PIR but even that is not perfect.

Adam

In article ,
Duncan Di Saudelli wrote:
What I want to know from people who have done the building survey is how
detailed they are compared with a homebuyer's survey and is it normal
practice for the buyer to request particular attention to be paid to
aspects of particular interest e.g. wiring, flat roofs etc.

A survey can't possibly do an in depth study of everything. You'd have to
take the house apart to do that.
You'd need a good electrician to do a check and test on the electrics -
and a good roofer to look at the roof.

--
*The fact that no one understands you doesn't mean you're an artist

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Duncan Di Saudelli wrote:
What I want to know from people who have done the building survey is how
detailed they are compared with a homebuyer's survey and is it normal
practice for the buyer to request particular attention to be paid to
aspects of particular interest e.g. wiring, flat roofs etc.

A survey can't possibly do an in depth study of everything. You'd have to
take the house apart to do that.
You'd need a good electrician to do a check and test on the electrics -
and a good roofer to look at the roof.

I didnt waste money on a survey,
After a year of living in the house in all weathers you should have a
list of what needs doing.

Much more important is the view out the windows - that you cant fix!

And if you use heating and windows differently then the previous
occupants then you may have different condensation patterns.

[g]

On Dec 13, 11:03 am, "Duncan Di Saudelli" wrote:
Hello

We're buying a detached house, built in the 1960-69 period. It's standard
construction as far as I can see (bricks, don't know about cavity wall,
tiled roof)and is on an established housing estate. There's been an
extension built at some stage, ading an upstairs bedroom and a downstairs
dining room. The extension seems well-done to me, and there are no obvious
signs of cracks in the brickwork etc. but note that I know almost nothing
about building houses or extensions.

I suspect that a standard "homebuyer's survey" would have sufficed but I
decided to be extra sure, hence going the extra 250 quid for the building
survey. Apart from asking the surveyor to pay particular attention to the
electrical wiring and the flat roof that makes up the attached garage and
utility room area, what other things might you suggest that I ask the
surveyor to highlight? I have only ever had a homebuyer's survey done
before, so I don't know how much extra detail I should expect for my outlay
or what I should be entitled to ask for specifically.

TIA for opinions based on your experiences

DDS

IMHE not worth bothering with the extra - they don't move anything to
get a proper look and will almost always "recommend" you get a sparks
in to check the wiring, a roofer to check the roof etc if there's any
wiff of a problem.

What they do say is usually obvious even to the average person, they
ask more questions than they answer, use lots of weaselly words that
leave you unable to sue them when they say things that turn out to be
wrong.

Seriously I'd just pay the smallest survey fee you can i.e. to get the
mortgage - anything extra is just lining some "professional"'s pocket.

Ask lots of questions on here if you are worried about anything you've
seen in the house - you'll learn what you need to do.

JimK

"Duncan Di Saudelli" wrote in message
...
Hello

We're buying a detached house, built in the 1960-69 period. It's standard
construction as far as I can see (bricks, don't know about cavity wall,
tiled roof)and is on an established housing estate. There's been an
extension built at some stage, ading an upstairs bedroom and a downstairs
dining room. The extension seems well-done to me, and there are no obvious
signs of cracks in the brickwork etc. but note that I know almost nothing
about building houses or extensions.

I suspect that a standard "homebuyer's survey" would have sufficed but I
decided to be extra sure, hence going the extra 250 quid for the building
survey. Apart from asking the surveyor to pay particular attention to the
electrical wiring and the flat roof that makes up the attached garage and
utility room area, what other things might you suggest that I ask the
surveyor to highlight? I have only ever had a homebuyer's survey done
before, so I don't know how much extra detail I should expect for my
outlay or what I should be entitled to ask for specifically.

TIA for opinions based on your experiences

DDS





One thing I do know is surveyors don't like being told what to look out for.
I would imagine that a large proportion of the surveyors fees is for
insurance or indemity fees etc.
A surveyor can only see what you can see. However he will be better at
interpreting cracks and other apparent defects.
I think a lot of people use the surveyor as a negotiating tool as he's bound
to find something which you can use to get at least his fee off the asking
price.

I've bought several properties but have never used a surveyor. I don't need
to pay £500 to be told it's a pile of junk, or that the gutter leaks, when I
can see that for myself.

mark

mark wrote:
"Duncan Di Saudelli" wrote in message
...
Hello

We're buying a detached house, built in the 1960-69 period. It's standard
construction as far as I can see (bricks, don't know about cavity wall,
tiled roof)and is on an established housing estate. There's been an
extension built at some stage, ading an upstairs bedroom and a downstairs
dining room. The extension seems well-done to me, and there are no obvious
signs of cracks in the brickwork etc. but note that I know almost nothing
about building houses or extensions.

I suspect that a standard "homebuyer's survey" would have sufficed but I
decided to be extra sure, hence going the extra 250 quid for the building
survey. Apart from asking the surveyor to pay particular attention to the
electrical wiring and the flat roof that makes up the attached garage and
utility room area, what other things might you suggest that I ask the
surveyor to highlight? I have only ever had a homebuyer's survey done
before, so I don't know how much extra detail I should expect for my
outlay or what I should be entitled to ask for specifically.

TIA for opinions based on your experiences

DDS





One thing I do know is surveyors don't like being told what to look out for.
I would imagine that a large proportion of the surveyors fees is for
insurance or indemity fees etc.
A surveyor can only see what you can see. However he will be better at
interpreting cracks and other apparent defects.
I think a lot of people use the surveyor as a negotiating tool as he's bound
to find something which you can use to get at least his fee off the asking
price.

I've bought several properties but have never used a surveyor. I don't need
to pay £500 to be told it's a pile of junk, or that the gutter leaks, when I
can see that for myself.

mark




The fact that they wear suits and don't carry ladders tells you a lot

Stuart Noble wrote:

The fact that they wear suits and don't carry ladders tells you a lot

I've not seen one in action, so I don't know what they wear, but they do
carry ladders. There seems to be a standard "surveyor's ladder" that is
just long enough to imply thoroughness but not long enough to access
anything important.

Pete

On Sun, 13 Dec 2009 12:17:55 -0000, mark wrote:

"Duncan Di Saudelli" wrote in message
...
Hello

We're buying a detached house, built in the 1960-69 period. It's standard
construction as far as I can see (bricks, don't know about cavity wall,
tiled roof)and is on an established housing estate. There's been an
extension built at some stage, ading an upstairs bedroom and a downstairs
dining room. The extension seems well-done to me, and there are no obvious
signs of cracks in the brickwork etc. but note that I know almost nothing
about building houses or extensions.

I suspect that a standard "homebuyer's survey" would have sufficed but I
decided to be extra sure, hence going the extra 250 quid for the building
survey. Apart from asking the surveyor to pay particular attention to the
electrical wiring and the flat roof that makes up the attached garage and
utility room area, what other things might you suggest that I ask the
surveyor to highlight? I have only ever had a homebuyer's survey done
before, so I don't know how much extra detail I should expect for my
outlay or what I should be entitled to ask for specifically.

TIA for opinions based on your experiences

DDS





One thing I do know is surveyors don't like being told what to look out for.
I would imagine that a large proportion of the surveyors fees is for
insurance or indemity fees etc.
A surveyor can only see what you can see. However he will be better at
interpreting cracks and other apparent defects.
I think a lot of people use the surveyor as a negotiating tool as he's bound
to find something which you can use to get at least his fee off the asking
price.

I've bought several properties but have never used a surveyor. I don't need
to pay £500 to be told it's a pile of junk, or that the gutter leaks, when I
can see that for myself.

I got "proper" surveys done for the first house I bought as I hadn't a clue
about building and also for the second - mainly because it seemed the "done"
thing. However both of them were entirely useless, as said they didn't check
anything obscure (electrics, plumbing etc.). Neither did they move any furniture
or lift any carpets to check for damp / rot / woodworm or anything else.
They do seem to be a complete waste of time and money and only made superficial
recommendations couched in terms like "could" "might" "may" etc. They didn't
even test that the central heating worked!

The report was mainly just a run-through of the things anyone could see from
a cursory glance: room sizes, state of D.G. comments about the decorative state
of the places and whether there was gas and/or electric points in the rooms.

So my view now is that unless the house has recently been redecorated before
being put on the market (a sign of trying to hide something?) then I can see
just as many cracks, damp spots or loose roof tiles as a surveyor.
The only possible advantage a survey could have is to try to get something
knocked off the purchase price, but a little hard-nosed negotiation would get
that anyway.

pete wrote:
On Sun, 13 Dec 2009 12:17:55 -0000, mark wrote:
"Duncan Di Saudelli" wrote in message
...
Hello

We're buying a detached house, built in the 1960-69 period. It's standard
construction as far as I can see (bricks, don't know about cavity wall,
tiled roof)and is on an established housing estate. There's been an
extension built at some stage, ading an upstairs bedroom and a downstairs
dining room. The extension seems well-done to me, and there are no obvious
signs of cracks in the brickwork etc. but note that I know almost nothing
about building houses or extensions.

I suspect that a standard "homebuyer's survey" would have sufficed but I
decided to be extra sure, hence going the extra 250 quid for the building
survey. Apart from asking the surveyor to pay particular attention to the
electrical wiring and the flat roof that makes up the attached garage and
utility room area, what other things might you suggest that I ask the
surveyor to highlight? I have only ever had a homebuyer's survey done
before, so I don't know how much extra detail I should expect for my
outlay or what I should be entitled to ask for specifically.

TIA for opinions based on your experiences

DDS




One thing I do know is surveyors don't like being told what to look out for.
I would imagine that a large proportion of the surveyors fees is for
insurance or indemity fees etc.
A surveyor can only see what you can see. However he will be better at
interpreting cracks and other apparent defects.
I think a lot of people use the surveyor as a negotiating tool as he's bound
to find something which you can use to get at least his fee off the asking
price.

I've bought several properties but have never used a surveyor. I don't need
to pay £500 to be told it's a pile of junk, or that the gutter leaks, when I
can see that for myself.

I got "proper" surveys done for the first house I bought as I hadn't a clue
about building and also for the second - mainly because it seemed the "done"
thing. However both of them were entirely useless, as said they didn't check
anything obscure (electrics, plumbing etc.). Neither did they move any furniture
or lift any carpets to check for damp / rot / woodworm or anything else.
They do seem to be a complete waste of time and money and only made superficial
recommendations couched in terms like "could" "might" "may" etc. They didn't
even test that the central heating worked!

The report was mainly just a run-through of the things anyone could see from
a cursory glance: room sizes, state of D.G. comments about the decorative state
of the places and whether there was gas and/or electric points in the rooms.

So my view now is that unless the house has recently been redecorated before
being put on the market (a sign of trying to hide something?) then I can see
just as many cracks, damp spots or loose roof tiles as a surveyor.
The only possible advantage a survey could have is to try to get something
knocked off the purchase price, but a little hard-nosed negotiation would get
that anyway.
Or have someone to sue when it falls down.

On Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:51:30 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
pete wrote:
On Sun, 13 Dec 2009 12:17:55 -0000, mark wrote:
"Duncan Di Saudelli" wrote in message
...
Hello

We're buying a detached house, built in the 1960-69 period. It's standard
construction as far as I can see (bricks, don't know about cavity wall,
tiled roof)and is on an established housing estate. There's been an
extension built at some stage, ading an upstairs bedroom and a downstairs
dining room. The extension seems well-done to me, and there are no obvious
signs of cracks in the brickwork etc. but note that I know almost nothing
about building houses or extensions.

I suspect that a standard "homebuyer's survey" would have sufficed but I
decided to be extra sure, hence going the extra 250 quid for the building
survey. Apart from asking the surveyor to pay particular attention to the
electrical wiring and the flat roof that makes up the attached garage and
utility room area, what other things might you suggest that I ask the
surveyor to highlight? I have only ever had a homebuyer's survey done
before, so I don't know how much extra detail I should expect for my
outlay or what I should be entitled to ask for specifically.

TIA for opinions based on your experiences

DDS




One thing I do know is surveyors don't like being told what to look out for.
I would imagine that a large proportion of the surveyors fees is for
insurance or indemity fees etc.
A surveyor can only see what you can see. However he will be better at
interpreting cracks and other apparent defects.
I think a lot of people use the surveyor as a negotiating tool as he's bound
to find something which you can use to get at least his fee off the asking
price.

I've bought several properties but have never used a surveyor. I don't need
to pay £500 to be told it's a pile of junk, or that the gutter leaks, when I
can see that for myself.

I got "proper" surveys done for the first house I bought as I hadn't a clue
about building and also for the second - mainly because it seemed the "done"
thing. However both of them were entirely useless, as said they didn't check
anything obscure (electrics, plumbing etc.). Neither did they move any furniture
or lift any carpets to check for damp / rot / woodworm or anything else.
They do seem to be a complete waste of time and money and only made superficial
recommendations couched in terms like "could" "might" "may" etc. They didn't
even test that the central heating worked!

The report was mainly just a run-through of the things anyone could see from
a cursory glance: room sizes, state of D.G. comments about the decorative state
of the places and whether there was gas and/or electric points in the rooms.

So my view now is that unless the house has recently been redecorated before
being put on the market (a sign of trying to hide something?) then I can see
just as many cracks, damp spots or loose roof tiles as a surveyor.
The only possible advantage a survey could have is to try to get something
knocked off the purchase price, but a little hard-nosed negotiation would get
that anyway.

Or have someone to sue when it falls down.

Well, yes. Indemnity is one of the benefits of having an expert make an assessment.
However, there were so many areas that were either excluded or made wishy-washy
observations: "may" "could" "might" etc. that I doubt any action could be
brought for the superficial and inconsequential observations that filled the bulk
of the reports.

pete wrote:
On Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:51:30 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
pete wrote:
On Sun, 13 Dec 2009 12:17:55 -0000, mark wrote:
"Duncan Di Saudelli" wrote in message
...
Hello

We're buying a detached house, built in the 1960-69 period. It's standard
construction as far as I can see (bricks, don't know about cavity wall,
tiled roof)and is on an established housing estate. There's been an
extension built at some stage, ading an upstairs bedroom and a downstairs
dining room. The extension seems well-done to me, and there are no obvious
signs of cracks in the brickwork etc. but note that I know almost nothing
about building houses or extensions.

I suspect that a standard "homebuyer's survey" would have sufficed but I
decided to be extra sure, hence going the extra 250 quid for the building
survey. Apart from asking the surveyor to pay particular attention to the
electrical wiring and the flat roof that makes up the attached garage and
utility room area, what other things might you suggest that I ask the
surveyor to highlight? I have only ever had a homebuyer's survey done
before, so I don't know how much extra detail I should expect for my
outlay or what I should be entitled to ask for specifically.

TIA for opinions based on your experiences

DDS




One thing I do know is surveyors don't like being told what to look out for.
I would imagine that a large proportion of the surveyors fees is for
insurance or indemity fees etc.
A surveyor can only see what you can see. However he will be better at
interpreting cracks and other apparent defects.
I think a lot of people use the surveyor as a negotiating tool as he's bound
to find something which you can use to get at least his fee off the asking
price.

I've bought several properties but have never used a surveyor. I don't need
to pay £500 to be told it's a pile of junk, or that the gutter leaks, when I
can see that for myself.
I got "proper" surveys done for the first house I bought as I hadn't a clue
about building and also for the second - mainly because it seemed the "done"
thing. However both of them were entirely useless, as said they didn't check
anything obscure (electrics, plumbing etc.). Neither did they move any furniture
or lift any carpets to check for damp / rot / woodworm or anything else.
They do seem to be a complete waste of time and money and only made superficial
recommendations couched in terms like "could" "might" "may" etc. They didn't
even test that the central heating worked!

The report was mainly just a run-through of the things anyone could see from
a cursory glance: room sizes, state of D.G. comments about the decorative state
of the places and whether there was gas and/or electric points in the rooms.

So my view now is that unless the house has recently been redecorated before
being put on the market (a sign of trying to hide something?) then I can see
just as many cracks, damp spots or loose roof tiles as a surveyor.
The only possible advantage a survey could have is to try to get something
knocked off the purchase price, but a little hard-nosed negotiation would get
that anyway.

Or have someone to sue when it falls down.

Well, yes. Indemnity is one of the benefits of having an expert make an assessment.
However, there were so many areas that were either excluded or made wishy-washy
observations: "may" "could" "might" etc. that I doubt any action could be
brought for the superficial and inconsequential observations that filled the bulk
of the reports.

Indeed.

At the end of the day the price is a negotiation. Some people like to
have a surveyors report to give their bargaining position credibility.
When I bought this place it was in dire condition, but I couldn't be
bothered to nitpick. I juts said 'all the mortgage company will lend me
is X, take it or leave it'

They took it. It was a complete lie.

On 14 Dec, 11:43, pete wrote:

Well, yes. Indemnity is one of the benefits of having an expert make an assessment.

I wish.

I've never had a surveyor's report that gave me any confidence they'd
actually visited the property, nor have any of them ever stated
anything with any certainty that would give you a chance of suing them
in the future. Confusing wooden & concrete floors was one, querying
gas boiler safety on a rural house with no mains gas, simply getting
the address confidently wrong throughout.

On Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:43:07 GMT, pete wrote:

On Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:51:30 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
pete wrote:
On Sun, 13 Dec 2009 12:17:55 -0000, mark wrote:
"Duncan Di Saudelli" wrote in message
...
Hello

We're buying a detached house, built in the 1960-69 period. It's standard
construction as far as I can see (bricks, don't know about cavity wall,
tiled roof)and is on an established housing estate. There's been an
extension built at some stage, ading an upstairs bedroom and a downstairs
dining room. The extension seems well-done to me, and there are no obvious
signs of cracks in the brickwork etc. but note that I know almost nothing
about building houses or extensions.

I suspect that a standard "homebuyer's survey" would have sufficed but I
decided to be extra sure, hence going the extra 250 quid for the building
survey. Apart from asking the surveyor to pay particular attention to the
electrical wiring and the flat roof that makes up the attached garage and
utility room area, what other things might you suggest that I ask the
surveyor to highlight? I have only ever had a homebuyer's survey done
before, so I don't know how much extra detail I should expect for my
outlay or what I should be entitled to ask for specifically.

TIA for opinions based on your experiences

DDS




One thing I do know is surveyors don't like being told what to look out for.
I would imagine that a large proportion of the surveyors fees is for
insurance or indemity fees etc.
A surveyor can only see what you can see. However he will be better at
interpreting cracks and other apparent defects.
I think a lot of people use the surveyor as a negotiating tool as he's bound
to find something which you can use to get at least his fee off the asking
price.

I've bought several properties but have never used a surveyor. I don't need
to pay £500 to be told it's a pile of junk, or that the gutter leaks, when I
can see that for myself.

I got "proper" surveys done for the first house I bought as I hadn't a clue
about building and also for the second - mainly because it seemed the "done"
thing. However both of them were entirely useless, as said they didn't check
anything obscure (electrics, plumbing etc.). Neither did they move any furniture
or lift any carpets to check for damp / rot / woodworm or anything else.
They do seem to be a complete waste of time and money and only made superficial
recommendations couched in terms like "could" "might" "may" etc. They didn't
even test that the central heating worked!

The report was mainly just a run-through of the things anyone could see from
a cursory glance: room sizes, state of D.G. comments about the decorative state
of the places and whether there was gas and/or electric points in the rooms.

So my view now is that unless the house has recently been redecorated before
being put on the market (a sign of trying to hide something?) then I can see
just as many cracks, damp spots or loose roof tiles as a surveyor.
The only possible advantage a survey could have is to try to get something
knocked off the purchase price, but a little hard-nosed negotiation would get
that anyway.

Or have someone to sue when it falls down.

Well, yes. Indemnity is one of the benefits of having an expert make an assessment.
However, there were so many areas that were either excluded or made wishy-washy
observations: "may" "could" "might" etc. that I doubt any action could be
brought for the superficial and inconsequential observations that filled the bulk
of the reports.

Agreed. There's a small chance the survey may spot something you
didn't notice but the report will be 99% full of "I was unable to
check X" and "I recommend you get the wiring/CH/etc. checked by an
expert". I doubt you would find any surveyer willing to make a useful
comment on a flat roof at all. Always budget to replace a flat roof
immediately you move in. If it lasts longer that's a bonus.
--
(\__/) M.
(='.'=) Due to the amount of spam posted via googlegroups and
(")_(") their inaction to the problem. I am blocking most articles
posted from there. If you wish your postings to be seen by
everyone you will need use a different method of posting.
[Reply-to address valid until it is spammed.]

Or have someone to sue when it falls down.

Why not just be properly insured?

On Dec 13, 11:03*am, "Duncan Di Saudelli" wrote:
Hello

We're buying a detached house, built in the 1960-69 period. It's standard
construction as far as I can see (bricks, don't know about cavity wall,
tiled roof)and is on an established housing estate. *There's been an
extension built at some stage, ading an upstairs bedroom and a downstairs
dining room. The extension seems well-done to me, and there are no obvious
signs of cracks in the brickwork etc. but note that I know almost nothing
about building houses or extensions.

I suspect that a standard "homebuyer's survey" would have sufficed but I
decided to be extra sure, hence going the extra 250 quid for the building
survey. Apart from asking the surveyor to pay particular attention to the
electrical wiring and the flat roof that makes up the attached garage and
utility room area, what other things might you suggest that I ask the
surveyor to highlight? I have only ever had a homebuyer's survey done
before, so I don't know how much extra detail I should expect for my outlay
or what I should be entitled to ask for specifically.

TIA for opinions based on your experiences

DDS

The more you pay, the more recommendations you get to get people in to
look at various different bits. More intereast in arse covering than
being useful. If you're getting a mortgage you have to have one
though.


NT

Duncan Di Saudelli wrote:
Hello

We're buying a detached house, built in the 1960-69 period. It's standard
construction as far as I can see (bricks, don't know about cavity wall,
tiled roof)and is on an established housing estate. There's been an
extension built at some stage, ading an upstairs bedroom and a downstairs
dining room. The extension seems well-done to me, and there are no obvious
signs of cracks in the brickwork etc. but note that I know almost nothing
about building houses or extensions.

I suspect that a standard "homebuyer's survey" would have sufficed but I
decided to be extra sure, hence going the extra 250 quid for the building
survey. Apart from asking the surveyor to pay particular attention to the
electrical wiring and the flat roof that makes up the attached garage and
utility room area, what other things might you suggest that I ask the
surveyor to highlight? I have only ever had a homebuyer's survey done
before, so I don't know how much extra detail I should expect for my outlay
or what I should be entitled to ask for specifically.

TIA for opinions based on your experiences

DDS




after all this rain
it should be pretty obvious if there are any leaks
in the roof or drainage.

[g]

TIA for opinions based on your experiences


Thanks for everyone's opinions and experiences regarding the various aspects
of surveys; mine's due imminently and this thread has helped me to measure
my expectations.

DDS