Should I get a survey done on brand-new house?

MM

On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 11:12:36 +0100, MM wrote:

Should I get a survey done on brand-new house?

MM

Yes, but specify what you want.

A lot of people buying with a mortgage just rely on the lender's
survey (for which they pay of course) and nothing more.

You shouldn't need a full structural survey, but it would be wise to
have electrics, gas, plumbing checked at least.

Ultimately you have the NHBC guarantee, but this is only applicable to
quite dire faults.


Other than that, you have to rely on the builder to do the snagging
work. If it's a development, then the site agent is motivated to
complete houses for sale not to fix problems with existing ones.
Having a good relationship is important, but sometimes it is necessary
to use sledgehammer techniques to get attention.

If you are buying a new house as a cash buyer, have a look at what
deals the builder is offering to first time buyers, exchanges etc.
Your timing is good if the houses are not moving fast, so don't lose
the opportunity to ask for something. It might not be anything from
the price, but you could ask for things in kind like garden work that
don't cost them much but may be a lot of effort for you (just an
example).




..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

"Andy Hall" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 11:12:36 +0100, MM wrote:

Should I get a survey done on brand-new house?

MM

Yes, but specify what you want.

A lot of people buying with a mortgage just rely on the lender's
survey (for which they pay of course) and nothing more.

You shouldn't need a full structural survey, but it would be wise to
have electrics, gas, plumbing checked at least.

Would the electrics not have an NIC certificate? I have not worked for a
builder (on new builds) who has not asked for one. Surely this would be show
the electrical installation to be sound.

Adam

On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 17:27:03 GMT, "ARWadsworth"
wrote:


"Andy Hall" wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 11:12:36 +0100, MM wrote:

Should I get a survey done on brand-new house?

MM

Yes, but specify what you want.

A lot of people buying with a mortgage just rely on the lender's
survey (for which they pay of course) and nothing more.

You shouldn't need a full structural survey, but it would be wise to
have electrics, gas, plumbing checked at least.

Would the electrics not have an NIC certificate? I have not worked for a
builder (on new builds) who has not asked for one. Surely this would be show
the electrical installation to be sound.

Adam



I'm sure they would.

Speaking personally, I would be unlikely to use an electrician to have
wiring work done in the house - come next year I would go for a
building notice as appropriate and do the work myself.

Apart from the absurdity of Building Regulations Part P, I suspect
that gradually electricians will join one of the self certifying
organisations and gradually home owners will have more work done in
this way.

However, when it comes to buying a house, I would go for an electrical
survey from a contractor who I knew had not been involved in the
construction, simply as a matter of principle. Not because I don't
think that NIC members aren't as competent and honest as the day is
long, but because there is a potential conflict of interest. For
the sake of a few tens of pounds for a survey, I have an independent
view.



..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

"Andy Hall" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 17:27:03 GMT, "ARWadsworth"
wrote:


"Andy Hall" wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 11:12:36 +0100, MM wrote:

Should I get a survey done on brand-new house?

MM

Yes, but specify what you want.

A lot of people buying with a mortgage just rely on the lender's
survey (for which they pay of course) and nothing more.

You shouldn't need a full structural survey, but it would be wise to
have electrics, gas, plumbing checked at least.

Would the electrics not have an NIC certificate? I have not worked for a
builder (on new builds) who has not asked for one. Surely this would be
show
the electrical installation to be sound.

Adam



I'm sure they would.

Speaking personally, I would be unlikely to use an electrician to have
wiring work done in the house - come next year I would go for a
building notice as appropriate and do the work myself.

Apart from the absurdity of Building Regulations Part P, I suspect
that gradually electricians will join one of the self certifying
organisations and gradually home owners will have more work done in
this way.

However, when it comes to buying a house, I would go for an electrical
survey from a contractor who I knew had not been involved in the
construction, simply as a matter of principle. Not because I don't
think that NIC members aren't as competent and honest as the day is
long, but because there is a potential conflict of interest. For
the sake of a few tens of pounds for a survey, I have an independent
view.



.andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

"Andy Hall" wrote in message
...

Speaking personally, I would be unlikely to use an electrician to have
wiring work done in the house - come next year I would go for a
building notice as appropriate and do the work myself.


For small jobs (which do not count as minor works under part P), will the
building control costs be higher than employing an electrician?

James


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.777 / Virus Database: 524 - Release Date: 18/10/2004

On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 21:18:52 +0100, "James"
wrote:


"Andy Hall" wrote in message
.. .

Speaking personally, I would be unlikely to use an electrician to have
wiring work done in the house - come next year I would go for a
building notice as appropriate and do the work myself.


For small jobs (which do not count as minor works under part P), will the
building control costs be higher than employing an electrician?

James


Could be.

I am not sure that they have been set yet.


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

"MM" wrote
| Should I get a survey done on brand-new house?

What sort of survey, and what do you expect it to tell you you couldn't see
for yourself?

IMHO the only survey worth getting is a proper structural survey on an older
house (or a modern one if mucked about with). Pretty much everything else is
common sense, lifting carpets and looking in the loft, and poking at
anything suspicious with a penknife to see if it's rotting.

Owain

On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 12:47:27 +0100, "Owain"
wrote:

"MM" wrote
| Should I get a survey done on brand-new house?

What sort of survey, and what do you expect it to tell you you couldn't see
for yourself?

I dunno! I'm only asking! As far as I could tell, the house was
amazingly well built, and some neighbours who have already moved there
volunteered their very positive opinions. (This is a local builder,
not one of the big chain builders.)

MM

On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 19:34:54 +0100, MM wrote:

On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 12:47:27 +0100, "Owain"
wrote:

"MM" wrote
| Should I get a survey done on brand-new house?

What sort of survey, and what do you expect it to tell you you couldn't see
for yourself?

I dunno! I'm only asking! As far as I could tell, the house was
amazingly well built, and some neighbours who have already moved there
volunteered their very positive opinions. (This is a local builder,
not one of the big chain builders.)

MM


In that case it's a different game and asking the neighbours is
valuable data.


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 19:34:54 +0100, a particular chimpanzee named MM
randomly hit the keyboard and produced:

I dunno! I'm only asking! As far as I could tell, the house was
amazingly well built, and some neighbours who have already moved there
volunteered their very positive opinions. (This is a local builder,
not one of the big chain builders.)

Check who carried out the Building Control (if it was the NHBC, their
inspection regime tends to be less frequent than the Local
Authorities). Check that the Building Control body did all the stage
inspections (foundations, dpc, drains, etc). Check that the work has
had a final Building Control inspection and been completed. You may
have to ask via the builder, as this kind of information is not
available to third parties. If he's not happy to release this
information or allow you to ask yourself, then you can make an
inference from that.
--
Hugo Nebula
'What you have to ask yourself is, "if no-one on the internet wants
a piece of this, just how far from the pack have you strayed?"'

"Hugo Nebula" abuse@localhost wrote in message
...

Check who carried out the Building Control (if it was the NHBC, their
inspection regime tends to be less frequent than the Local
Authorities).

It seems that it very unsatisfactory if the "private building controllers"
(NHBC) in practice have different standards from the Local Authorities.

I seem to remember a recent case in the paper where some houses were build
with inadequate staircases, and the builders and the NHBC building control
each said it was the others responsibility to avoid to such errors.

James




---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.777 / Virus Database: 524 - Release Date: 16/10/2004

MM wrote in message . ..
Should I get a survey done on brand-new house?

MM

This came up as a topic on a recent Radio 5 phone in. The concensus
was yes you should. Can't remember why, although the slating that new
build houses took in general would suggest that it's to avoid buying
one that will fall down minutes after the keys are handed over.

HTH

If its a big reputable builder I dont really see the point. You get up
to 2 years to have any faults rectified and 10 years NHBC cover to
pick up any structural problems.
Cheers Chris

In article , Chris V
writes

You get up
to 2 years to have any faults rectified and 10 years NHBC cover

which is not worth the paper it's written on, if reports are anything to
go by.

--
..sigmonster on vacation

(Chris V) wrote in message . com...
If its a big reputable builder I dont really see the point. You get up
to 2 years to have any faults rectified and 10 years NHBC cover to
pick up any structural problems.
Cheers Chris

Some major problems/design flaws won't be picked up by a survey.
eg will your car fit in the garage with room to open the doors, and
will your furniture fit up the stairs, or has any disabled access been
designed to run water towards and into your front door?

On 25 Oct 2004 07:47:58 -0700, a particular chimpanzee named
(Chris V) randomly hit the keyboard and
produced:

... and 10 years NHBC cover to
pick up any structural problems.

....Any _major_ structural problems.
--
Hugo Nebula
'What you have to ask yourself is, "if no-one on the internet wants
a piece of this, just how far from the pack have you strayed?"'

"Hugo Nebula" abuse@localhost wrote in message
...
On 25 Oct 2004 07:47:58 -0700, a particular chimpanzee named
(Chris V) randomly hit the keyboard and
produced:

... and 10 years NHBC cover to
pick up any structural problems.

...Any _major_ structural problems.

Actually it only covers thing which didn't comply with building regs.

There is this semantic difference between the NHBC
Requirements and the NHBC Standards. The "NHBC
Standards" are lovely and detailed, and any house built
to these standards would be superb. The NHBC
warranty only warrants that the house has been built to
NHBC Requirements - these are that it meets current
building control regulations.

An example - in the "standards" it suggests that ridge tiles
on rooves in exposed areas be fixed using a coarse mortar
and/or with additional mechanical fixing for the end tiles.
We lived in a close where this had not been done, and when
every house in the close lost one or more ridge tiles in a day
of high winds, the builder told us all to claim on our home
insurance policies. On enquiring to the NHBC about the
NHBC warranty covering the cost, it eventually became clear
that since this wasn't mentioned in the "NHBC Requirements"
then it wasn't covered by the warranty.

As it happens, the builder still had another ongoing
development nearby and when several people in the close
suggested to the builder that the press might be interested in
their lack of sympathy for our situation. Mysteriously, we all
arrived home from work the next day to find the rooves
repaired and damage rectified...

Ironically, you actually get more cover in the NHBC warranty
if NHBC did the building control (see www.nhbc.co.uk). I'd
still prefer the local authority to do the building control though.

Al

"MM" wrote in message
...
Should I get a survey done on brand-new house?

MM

================
Quite apart from the structure of the house you should also find out if
there are any legal technicalities such as covenants, shared access, rights
of way etc. Things like this can cause big problems if you don't know about
them until somebody parks their car in your front garden!

Cic.

On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 15:22:54 GMT, "Cicero"
wrote:


"MM" wrote in message
.. .
Should I get a survey done on brand-new house?

MM

================
Quite apart from the structure of the house you should also find out if
there are any legal technicalities such as covenants, shared access, rights
of way etc. Things like this can cause big problems if you don't know about
them until somebody parks their car in your front garden!

Cic.



True, but AIUI, that is part and parcel of the solicitor's search
work....


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

"Andy Hall" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 15:22:54 GMT, "Cicero"
wrote:


"MM" wrote in message
.. .
Should I get a survey done on brand-new house?

MM

================
Quite apart from the structure of the house you should also find out if
there are any legal technicalities such as covenants, shared access,
rights
of way etc. Things like this can cause big problems if you don't know
about
them until somebody parks their car in your front garden!

Cic.



True, but AIUI, that is part and parcel of the solicitor's search
work....


.andy

==============
Yes, I agree, but a solicitor might see such things as so routine that he
might not bring them to the attention of the buyer. It's worth asking to be
on the safe side.

Cic.

On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 15:45:33 GMT, "Cicero"
wrote:


"Andy Hall" wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 15:22:54 GMT, "Cicero"
wrote:


"MM" wrote in message
.. .
Should I get a survey done on brand-new house?

MM

================
Quite apart from the structure of the house you should also find out if
there are any legal technicalities such as covenants, shared access,
rights
of way etc. Things like this can cause big problems if you don't know
about
them until somebody parks their car in your front garden!

Cic.



True, but AIUI, that is part and parcel of the solicitor's search
work....


.andy

==============
Yes, I agree, but a solicitor might see such things as so routine that he
might not bring them to the attention of the buyer. It's worth asking to be
on the safe side.

Cic.

Of course, but I wonder whether a surveyor would be reasonably
expected to know about or investigate such things - I didn't think it
was their area....


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

"Andy Hall" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 15:45:33 GMT, "Cicero"
wrote:


"Andy Hall" wrote in message
. ..
On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 15:22:54 GMT, "Cicero"
wrote:


"MM" wrote in message
.. .
Should I get a survey done on brand-new house?

MM

================
Quite apart from the structure of the house you should also find out if
there are any legal technicalities such as covenants, shared access,
rights
of way etc. Things like this can cause big problems if you don't know
about
them until somebody parks their car in your front garden!

Cic.



True, but AIUI, that is part and parcel of the solicitor's search
work....


.andy

==============
Yes, I agree, but a solicitor might see such things as so routine that he
might not bring them to the attention of the buyer. It's worth asking to
be
on the safe side.

Cic.

Of course, but I wonder whether a surveyor would be reasonably
expected to know about or investigate such things - I didn't think it
was their area....

I'm pretty sure its not - and I would be really ****ed off with a solicitor
who, having paid them the rather large amount of money they charge for
conveyancing and searches and the likes, decided not to tell me important
things that were thrown up by the searches.