For a Surveyor in Birmingham, a local RICS qualified Surveyor is best, and Gold Crest have experienced RICS Surveyors locally who can help.
This is a typical extract from a Residential Building Survey that one of our Birmingham Surveyors would provide:There are open chimney pots visible. This could result in rainwater penetration causing damp patches to appear within the building. Birds can also become trapped in disused flues. It is therefore recommended that redundant flues are fitted with capping vents and that flues serving appliances are fitted with cowls, subject to the appropriate specialist advice as mentioned under the heading of ‘Services’. A closer inspection of the chimney can be made by the contractor, who should carry out any other necessary repairs that cannot be seen from ground level. Works to this part of the property are likely to require the erection of scaffolding.
Some repointing is required to the chimneys. Repointing walls of the property, including chimneys, should be carried out with a lime-based mortar to allow the bricks to breathe and help prevent them from perishing easily. The brickwork should be raked out to a depth of 2cm, prior to any work being carried out, to create a good key for the new lime-based mortar. Works to this part of the property are likely to require the erection of scaffolding.
The extension would have required Building Regulation approval from the local council. Your legal advisors should confirm that the necessary documentation is in place. Your legal advisors should also confirm that there is a Professional Consultants Certificate available, or other type of insurance policy, for the alteration/s, to cover you against latent defects occurring that were not visible at the time of our inspection.
There is what appears to be vertical thermal cracking to the front elevation and this is thought to be of little significance. This happens when the masonry expands and contracts in differing seasons. The cracks should be raked out to a depth of around 2cm and repointed with a lime mortar, with any damaged masonry being replaced. Lime should be used and not cement as it is more flexible and could help prevent the crack from opening up again in the future. If the cracks open up again, further advice should be obtained from a structural engineer, as the cracking could be difficult to prevent without the installation of an expansion joint.
Birmingham Surveyors
There is an alteration to the wall where there used to be a door and this work should have had Building Regulation approval. Structural alterations require Building Regulation approval to ensure that the work is carried out correctly, to modern standards. No serious movement or significant defects were apparent due to this alteration at the time of our inspection. Your legal advisor should however check for any documentation. Without documentation, there is an elevated risk that latent defects could occur. If problems do occur in the future, you should have some bricks removed for a structural engineer to inspect the inner fabric of the wall. We do however believe that the risk of problems developing is relatively low.
We can provide you with a quick turnaround from our Birmingham Surveyors, for either an RICS Homebuyer Report (level 2) or a Building Survey (level 3) at relatively short notice and provide a report within a limited time schedule.
