A Building Survey (often referred to as a Full or Structural Survey) is the highest level of non-invasive survey that surveyors usually carry out during the home-buying process. It is suitable for all properties but is often most applicable for older or more unusual properties, or properties where problems are suspected. Our Building Surveys involve the following (click to expand):
- Rot in timbers such as windows, roofs, fascias, soffits and barge boards, decorative panels etc.
- Damp in walls, floors, chimneys, roofs etc.
- Subsidence, settlement and structural movement
- Failure of roofs, walls and floors
- Infestations such as woodworm, death-watch beetle, mice and rats, bats, birds etc.
- Leaks in plumbing, heating and sanitary installations
- External - Chimneys, Roofs, Guttering, Walls, Windows, Timbers, Extensions, Conservatories, Garages
- Internal - Roof structure (loft), Ceilings, Walls, Floors, Chimney breasts, Fittings, Timbers
- Services - Electrics, Water, Heating, Drains
- Environmental - Flood risk, Radon risk, mining, shared facilities, rights of way and other
conveyancing issues
- Any other matters about which you have questions or a specific concerns
- Average 3-4 hour survey
- As complete a visual inspection as it is reasonably possible to carry out
- Typically producing 300-400 photographs and 20-30 pages of notes
- A plain English, jargon-free report with clear photographs and diagrams to describe the construction and condition
- Wherever possible, a complete investigation into the cause of defects, and clear information about the repairs necessary
- Simple 1, 2, 3 condition rating of defects (the Good, the Bad and the Ugly)
- A complete record of the property for reference before, during and after the purchase
