Blog
Do I need a detailed building survey when purchasing a property?
Wednesday 31st March 2021
Carl O'Boyle BSc MRICS FCIOB MFPWS
My solicitor said in quotes "you cannot buy a property without having a detailed building survey and structural assessment carried out" and "I would recommend Carl O'Boyle of Tayross associates to carry out such a survey."
This was one of the latest comments that I heard from a satisfied client that we recently carried out a detailed building and structural survey for.
In this particular instance it was for a very large property set in its own grounds in Sutton.
We discovered that there were issues with the roof with excessive moss growth which could cause the plain clay roof tiles to delaminate.
We also discovered that the UPVC double glazed windows installed in 2003 had an inherent defect where the mitres had not been properly joined and this was causing damp issues around the plaster reveals internally.
It was also noted that the internal heating system with twin boilers (oil fired) for the property were beyond their life expectancy date by a number of years and we budgeted for the replacement of these.
Not only do we advise on the defects found at the property but we offer helpful solutions to resolve issues.
In this particular instance as mentioned before there was excessive moss growth on the roof and we advised that this should be removed during the winter months when it is less difficult to remove from the tiles. We advised that this should not be done by standing on the roof as plain clay tiles are likened to cornflakes and should never have pressure applied to them when being cleaned. At all costs, jetting should be avoided for cleaning roof tiles as this will cause more damage than it repairs.
But otherwise the property was a very good purchase and there were no structural issues.
