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A huge problem with old buildings is a lack of experienced building surveyors capable of assessing them, be they listed or not. Most RICS Chartered Surveyors who claim experience with old houses do NOT have the knowledge.
We work with old buildings. We pull them apart and rebuild them. We understand how timber frames are built. We have worked with lime mortar and render. Our surveys are based on passion and detailed working knowledge of old buildings. That's why we can teach you about your building, unravel some of its history, and estimate the potential cost of repairs and maintenance. We show you what materials to use, how to find the right people to work on it.. It's all part of our survey service - we don't do tick box surveys.
Building Surveyors often recommend injection damp proofing (which shows they don't understand the reasons damp is present). They fail to understand or report structural problems with timber frames. They know little about traditional building materials (one surveyor recently questioned the use of lime mortar, saying it wasnt strong enough.... he ran for cover when we reminded him that half of the houses in London are built with it!). Most Building Condition Surveys ask for a 'Timber and Damp' survey to be done by you, afterwards - which is fraud as far as I'm concerned - the damn surveyor should be able to do that as part of the survey he does.
Before you commit to a survey, make sure the surveyor knows about old buildings...
A good question to ask the surveyor before he turns up is 'Do you believe in Rising Damp?' If the answer is anything but 'No - its fraud' - get another surveyor. Most are churned out by a system that admits it knows nothing about old buildings. I am getting more and more calls from qualified surveyors who want my help with old buildings. This problem is even more acute when you are talking about timber framed buildings - few surveyors know the first thing about them.
I have spoken to the RICS, who train many surveyors, and they tell me that a surveyor 'must state whether he feels qualified to survey the property concerned'. I've never known one to do so - yet old buildings must be treated completely differently to modern build. It is a different mind-set - few people have the knowledge. RICS as an organisation is not fit for purpose. It churns out surveyors who do tick box surveys full of caveats - they should not be allowed near a doll's house, let alone an old building.
To survey an old building you MUST treat it as a solid walled structure which needs to breathe.
Do you need a Homebuyer survey? From what I've seen, and the hundreds of people have complained to us, they aren't worth the paper they are printed on. Standard tick box surveys almost always have a clause in them which reads as follows: 'Engage Specialist Timber and Damp Surveyor to inspect and report on timber and damp issues'. The 'timber and damp specialist' is in 98% of cases, a commission salesman from the Property Care Association who wants to flog timber treatment chemicals and re-plastering. He probably works for Peter Cox, Rentokil, Timberwise, DampPro, DampCo - all con artists. He gets about £200 commission on a £5000 job which wasn't needed in the first place and was fraudulently misdiagnosed. Why do you think they turn up for nothing - remember the old saying - 'You dont get owt for nowt'
If you HAVE to get a 'timber and damp survey' and the bank insist, we will do one for you - but you should also remind the bank that this is mis-selling - remember PPI? Well now there is a huge problem looming with all those 'timber and damp' surveys banks have insisted on, which were misdiagnosed, and which cost you thousands, all for no reason other than a fraudulent damp salesman. The banks are responsible. Mis selling of damp surveys is the next big hit on the banks!
Why the heck are you paying for a homebuyer survey, if the idiot of a surveyor can't diagnose the reasons for timber and damp problems - he has to recommend a chemical salesman who has NO interest in solving your problems, and a HUGE interest in making money. The moment you see this 'Specialist Timber and Damp survey' - shoot the surveyor, refuse to pay the bill on the grounds of incompetence, and give us a call.
I have a long list of clients who have refused to pay for 'Homebuyer Surveys' because all they have done is recommend chemical salesmen, frequently miss critical issues related to old buildings, and don't cost any of the work needed. They lead you into a purchase that is too expensive. I have several clients who have laid out their last pennies to buy a place, only to find that in one instance they needed to spend another £400,000 completely rebuilding a timber frame.
Most standard homebuyer surveys are by the big chains - the worst offenders in the automatic recommendation of the Property Care Association fraudsters are Countrywide, closely followed by E-Surv and I-Surv. Why do I say this? Because I have piles of their surveys - hundreds of complaints from angry and frustrated homebuyers being forced by banks to use these chains for valuation surveys which insist on timber and damp surveys. The biggest survey chain have told me they have a multi million pound budget and a room full of lawyers, just to deal with damp liability claims. It's staggering stuff - which could all be avoided with better training and a total ban on 'damp meters'. These organisations could easily clean up their act and help Britain's home buyers. The simple solution - training - a proper understanding of the real causes of damp (if indeed it exists - which in most cases it does not - it's just salts causing high readings on the 'damp meter' which are nothing to do with damp.)
If ANY so called surveyor walks into your house and waves a 'damp meter' around, chuck him or her out and don't pay them. It's an admission of zero comprehension of the causes of damp or deterioration of building fabric.
We will undertake a Homebuyer Survey - but not in the standard RICS format. It won't work for an old building. If your property is built before about 1930, or even looks old - our surveys are focussed on the build technique and materials used, and the way the building would have functioned. We look at the impact that modern builders and materials have had on the building. Our Homebuyer Survey will outline what you will have to do to bring it up to date, the approximate cost, and help you find people to do the work. We'll help you understand the building as well - often we learn a lot about its history as we go around it. Our surveys are better described as Level 3 structural building surveys.
We run a Building Survey and Project Management service. This includes a site survey and assessment, detailed condition report and recommendations, and work specification and schedule if required. This highlights problems found, and ranks them in order of importance - helping with budgeting current and future maintenance. If required, this can be modified to create Listed Building Consent specification and justification. Liaison with conservation officers and planners, and costing and financial control are included.
Surveys of private homes cost from around £1800 plus vat.
Please note that this is based on a standard 2/3 bed home. Larger buildings can cost considerably more - surveys are priced based on location, size and complexity as we may often spend several days working on reports to ensure they cover all requirements..
We will always give you a firm price beforehand. We charge based on a daily rate, plus expenses at cost. Report writing and liaison with the various Government departments involved is charged at our daily rate, with mileage at cost.. Note that London costs can be higher.
