Georgian House Purchase Help??!!

[bradleyc1982]

Hello all,

Complete newbie here so forgive me if this post is in the completely wrong place?

Looking for some advice, don't know who to turn to??

In the middle of trying to purchase a 1790-1800 built semi detached (was originally one house), in High Garrett in Braintree Essex, that my wife and I completely fell in love with. Need/want a detailed survey by someone specializing in period property. I have been quoted anywhere from £600 to £1950 + vat for a home survey, all allegedly experts in period properties? Can anyone from personal experience recommend someone who can do a detailed Level 3 or equivalent survey that actually IS a specialist??

Any help or a shove in the right direction would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Bradley

 

[eon]

Hello all,

Complete newbie here so forgive me if this post is in the completely wrong place?

Looking for some advice, don't know who to turn to??

In the middle of trying to purchase a 1790-1800 built semi detached (was originally one house), in High Garrett in Braintree Essex, that my wife and I completely fell in love with. Need/want a detailed survey by someone specializing in period property. I have been quoted anywhere from £600 to £1950 + vat for a home survey, all allegedly experts in period properties? Can anyone from personal experience recommend someone who can do a detailed Level 3 or equivalent survey that actually IS a specialist??

Any help or a shove in the right direction would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Bradley

It might be worth contacting the SPAB through their free advice line. They may be able to recommend someone in your area.

 

[bradleyc1982]

Ok thank you. Who are the SPAB? Just done a quick search, never heard of them before??

 

[Kearn]

£600 will be effectively burning your money. Top end of that range is about right, however, that doesn’t mean the person charging that will be right… RICS are largely useless when it comes to old houses. The Level 3 stuff is meaningless. There are a lot of people claiming to be specialists and conservationists etc… it’s not a clear cut playing field I’m afraid.

There’s a chap called Stephen Boniface who is based in that area, worth a call …

 

[eon]

Ok thank you. Who are the SPAB? Just done a quick search, never heard of them before??

They’re the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. They run courses, publish books and offer advice and training. They advocate for the appropriate care of period homes. They also have directories of trades people, engineers etc who specialise in conservation. Personally I’ve found their books to be great rescources.

 

[aockenden]

My best recommendation is to learn deeply about period homes, their typical original constructions and modern interventions and then do your own survey.

 

[ThornhillMike]

£600 will be effectively burning your money. Top end of that range is about right, however, that doesn’t mean the person charging that will be right… RICS are largely useless when it comes to old houses. The Level 3 stuff is meaningless. There are a lot of people claiming to be specialists and conservationists etc… it’s not a clear cut playing field I’m afraid.

There’s a chap called Stephen Boniface who is based in that area, worth a call …

I agree it all depends on the surveyor's experience. We bought a Georgian property on the Isle of Man last year (so no help to you sadly) and the surveyor undertook a comprehensive (£3,500) Level 3 survey. It ran to nearly 80 pages and has almost been a renovation guide to us; multiple references to ventilation, lime based products, Keim paints, anti-tanking, avoidance of cement, etc etc.
I guess it's all about how much you want to pay versus peace of mind. We knew the property was in serious need of improvement so the cost was justified; only you can make that decision.
I had a phone call with the chap first and quizzed him on similar properties he had surveyed. You'll soon learn if he or she knows what they are talking about out...

 

[LadyArowana]

There’s a lot you can look for yourself as well. Get a good pair of binoculars and go over the outside, broken or slipped slates or tiles, dodgy guttering, stained slightly cracked walls or render, rotten window frames especially on more exposed levels or elevations, evidence of ground levels raised above what they might have been when the property was built, new type paving directly next to the house, chimneys with poor pointng or flashing, plants growing from cracks or anywhere strange. Inside, insufficient sockets, sockets looking old or in skirting board, sockets which look like they’re just an extension lead fixed on a wall with the flex hidden along the carpet, ancient meters, corroded pipes, old heating systems, rusty looking flues on woodburners, cracked glass on woodburners, any appliances which look like they haven’t been used for a long time, evidence of damp or evidence that something might have been recently decorated to hide a problem. Worth talking to the neighbour in the one adjoining if that’s possible, they may be aware of something that doesn’t need legal disclosure but which could be an annoyance. You don’t mention if it’s listed or not, or if it might fall in a conservation area, those could impact what you are allowed to do with it in the future, so another consideration. I hope all goes well, personally I am not a ‘fall in love with a house’ sort of person, I’m a neighbourhood/ floorplan/ checklist/ budget sort of person and now 15 years later I love Flissy our house.

 

[bradleyc1982]

My best recommendation is to learn deeply about period homes, their typical original constructions and modern interventions and then do your own survey.

Thanks, as much as I like the idea of that, I would really like someone who knows old buildings inside out to reassure us the building is ok.

 

[bradleyc1982]

£600 will be effectively burning your money. Top end of that range is about right, however, that doesn’t mean the person charging that will be right… RICS are largely useless when it comes to old houses. The Level 3 stuff is meaningless. There are a lot of people claiming to be specialists and conservationists etc… it’s not a clear cut playing field I’m afraid.

There’s a chap called Stephen Boniface who is based in that area, worth a call …

Stephen Boniface is now retired from surveying so back to the drawing board I’m afraid! I am waiting for a quote from his old company whitworth, I also have quotes from heritage-house.org and heritage-consulting.org, not sure if they are anything to do with each other but very similar names. Has anyone had any experience with any of these companies???

 

[Kearn]

Stephen Boniface is now retired from surveying so back to the drawing board I’m afraid! I am waiting for a quote from his old company whitworth, I also have quotes from heritage-house.org and heritage-consulting.org, not sure if they are anything to do with each other but very similar names. Has anyone had any experience with any of these companies???

The last two are the same, they stopped the consulting side of the business long ago…

You’ll be lucky to get through though, there’s a lot of work and Michelle is usually swamped. Best try the phone, but aim for late morning…

 

[bradleyc1982]

The last two are the same, they stopped the consulting side of the business long ago…

You’ll be lucky to get through though, there’s a lot of work and Michelle is usually swamped. Best try the phone, but aim for late morning…

I have had quotes from all 3 companies just wondered if anyone had used them before ??