This can be a worrying time when buying a house, often a recent mortgage survey has highlighted possible rising damp, and woodworm issues, and you have been specifically instructed to contact a Property Care Association damp and timber specialist to carry out a pre purchase survey, by your Chartered Surveyor or Mortgage Company.
A pre purchase survey is typically non-destructive, this means we can’t take plaster samples, we can’t normally lift floor boards, and the survey is basically a visual survey that can only be enhanced with the specialist equipment we can use to aid the diagnosis.
In my opinion we offer one of the most advanced non-destructive surveys available, simply because we have the best technology available. Our pre purchase surveys allow you to negotiate before exchange and completion, which could potentially save you thousands of pounds.
Aerial survey
A very important part of a survey, especially on damp surveys as this type of survey is a process of elimination. Many pre purchase surveys we have carried out we have found issues with the chimney flaunching which can’t be seen from ground level. Many properties also have valleys and gutters, that also can’t be seen from ground level. Scaffolding is very expensive and so are chimney repairs, and pointing etc, having an aerial survey will pick these defects up before you purchase your house.
Damp investigation survey
Damp survey, this can consist of rising damp, penetrating damp, hygroscopic salt damp to chimneys, and also a condensation survey. All of our damp surveys can be carried out using thermal imaging equipment to aid the damp survey, where there could be a hidden defect.
We have many different types of damp meters, some of which can scan into walls below the surface, these are excellent for non destructive surveys, which is the typical type of survey when pre purchase is concerned.
Condensation risk assessments, this is carried out with the Flir T600 thermal imaging camera meter linked to the Flir MR77 damp meter, this allows us to scan the building internally looking for areas at, or close to dew point. This is also carried out alongside our mechanical ventilation survey.
Thermal Imaging Survey
We see what others don’t…..Complete Preservation were one of the first Companies to offer thermal imaging for damp surveys and pre purchase surveys. Whilst we don’t always have the perfect conditions at the time of survey we can still see many defects that would never be found without a thermal imaging survey.
Woodworm and a timber decay survey
We can also carry out a woodworm survey of the whole building where there are no restrictions, we can also inspect sub floor vents and floors with our specialist cameras, subject to the air brick holes being the correct size to allow access without drilling.
Suspended timber floor survey
These surveys can be particularly difficult on a pre purchase damp and timber survey, especially when there are floor coverings like laminate flooring.
During this type of survey, we can visually look at the flooring compared to the skirting, looking for any differences indicating the floor has dropped. We would also comment on the the sub floor ventilation, this being the location and the amount built into the external walls. We have a number of different cameras that can assess some sub floor vents to inspect the sub floor void. We also have a bespoke camera that we have had specially made to access 9mm holes that can be viewed at 90°. We also have a remote controlled inspection car, along with lighting and a camera that can access difficult to view areas.
Ventilation survey
Indoor air quality is often the last thing on your mind when looking at a house, most people can’t even remember if there was an extraction fan in the bathroom or kitchen, or even trickle vents in the windows.
Most properties we inspect don’t have correctly installed ventilation systems, this can lead to condensation and mould issues, but more importantly could put your family at risk of poor indoor air quality. This can be high voc levels, high co2 levels all of which we breath in on a daily basis without the correct ventilation installed.
All of our ventilation measurements are carried out using the Observator Diff, this gives quantitative readings.
Wall ties
Often forgot about on some surveys, wall ties can be at risk of corrosion up until around 1982, and many of the newer properties that have butterfly wall ties that are often forgot about. We have surveyed many 1970 properties that have wall tie issues that have been completely missed on the Homebuyers Survey report.
Cavity wall insulation (CWI)
Has it been installed? Is it blocking sub floor vents with the potential to cause woodworm and decay issues?
Do you have a guarantee, and is it valid? Are there building defects that could make the guarantee void?
There has been a lot of negative stuff in the news lately regarding cavity wall insulation issues, related to damp problems.
General
Most preservation Companies that carry out pre purchase surveys, offer very basic surveys/quotes, and will not carry out other areas of related work, like re-pointing, lowering ground levels, fixing guttering, general building works; we can carry out the complete job from start to finish. Many also don’t have the specialist equipment necessary to aid the initial survey if using non destructive techniques. We sometimes have to come back to carry out an invasive survey following BRE Digest 245 and take plaster/mortar samples to prove the damp diagnosis, or even open up the cavity to prove the issue.
Survey price
Of course we charge for surveys, because of the level of investigation we offer, and we have over 15 years of expertise. Please contact us to go through any questions you have, and we can provide a fixed price for the survey. Our surveys are not booked in by a receptionist, you will personally speak to Ross Charters to discuss everything. Most of the time we also require the RICS survey report so we can go through the report, and offer advice where other areas might need surveying also. This also helps to paint picture of building as a whole.
Our pre purchase survey service is basically a hand holding exercise, we will carry out the survey, produce a report with pictures and explanations of the defects, and then talk you through all the issues before you possibly negotiate, and where necessary we can carry out any repairs.
All of our survey reports will include a surveyors competence certificate, this along with the report should be sent to your mortgage Company.
Our pre purchase surveys cover everything from a 1 bedroom flat to large listed buildings, and even commercial buildings.
Have you seen the latest guidance on surveying damp buildings? Please click the link to see https://www.completepreservation.co.uk/blog/pca-rics-and-historic-england-joint-methodology/
What is condensation and why is it a problem now? One of the biggest points of confusion for homeowners...
What is condensation and why is it a problem now? One of the biggest points of confusion for homeowners...
What is condensation and why is it a problem now? One of the biggest points of confusion for homeowners...
What is condensation and why is it a problem now? One of the biggest points of confusion for homeowners...
What is condensation and why is it a problem now? One of the biggest points of confusion for homeowners...
Copyright 2019 Complete Preservation All Rights Reserved. | Web design by Dsgn One