Full Building Survey from £400
Inclusive
Bruce offers the Level 3 Building Survey (also known as
the Structural Survey). This meets all the needs of the
homebuyer in one single Building survey.
The survey is
provided within 48 hours.
*(The level 3 Survey, provided by
Bruce is a bespoke
service suitable for all residential properties which
provides a full and detailed picture of construction and
condition. The survey will include extensive
technical information on materials and construction as
well of the whole range of defects, major to minor andit
is provided at best value.
The level 1 survey is a simple
valuation survey (site visit 20-30 minutes). The level 2
survey is a valuation survey accompanied by a standard
tick box proforma (typically 90 minutes) - this survey is not suitable for
properties which are not, or may not be, in a sound
condition - The level 1 and 2 Surveys are generally
provided by RICS
Surveyors)
Call Bruce on 07872106593
to discuss your requirements
or fill in
the on line form by clicking here and receive a fixed
price within 2 hours.
For other surveys, tailored to your needs, call Bruce on
07872016593
An Overview of
Structural Surveys, Building Surveys, Home Surveys and
the Building Surveyor by Bruce Spenser MSc MCIOB
Qualifications-
Firstly your building surveyor must be suitably
academically qualified. They should have a minimum of a
BSc in Building Surveying and should have received this
at one of the CIOB or RICS accredited University
courses.
Professional Membership
- Secondly the building surveyor should be a member of a
recognised body for example CIOB or RICS.
Insurance
- Third they must have professional indemnity insurance
to cover the building survey. This ensures that should
the fail in their duty of care to you (Be negligent) you
can, through the courts and damages, regain your
previous financial position.
Experience-
The author would recommend they actually have a diploma
in Home inspections and have worked Building, Restoring,
Renovating, Converting and Altering the properties they
intend to Survey - The main advantage of a CIOB Building
Surveyor is their on hands experience + their academic
qualifications.
Offer and Contract-
After your initial contact the Building Surveyor should
give you a clear offer of what he intends to do and any
limitations. Compare this to others. Also ask if the
survey will be carried out by a professional Building
Surveyor or a trainee. Ask if VAT will be charged.
Choosing your Surveyor-
The question then arises how do you choose your Building
Surveyor? The author recommends that you then go for the
symbiotic strength of the experientially and
academically qualified Surveyor who will have
continually professionally developed themselves by hands
on construction experience, training and academic study.
·
They understand by
hands on experience strengthened by academic study and
continual professional development what can go wrong in
the construction, alteration, extension and
refurbishment of dwellings and are therefore able to
advise when a trail of suspicion emerges how the
prospective purchaser can minimise or mitigate the
inherent risks associated with their purchase - this
after all is the reason you employ a building surveyor.
·
There are a number
of surveys on the market at the moment which seem to be
based on an escalating cost the more liability the
surveyor takes on. The author would recommend a full
building survey plus a combined home report and in his
view this will meet all the needs of the home buyer in
one Survey.
What can you then inspect
your Building Surveyor to do:
The Building Surveyor
provide professional services whereby they will inspect
problems with existing buildings.
Their Survey should reveal
the health of a building, hence the term Building
Pathology and from that Building Pathologist.
They will have a thorough
understanding of the the many construction processes
over the centuries of dwelling houses. Through this
understanding they are aware of the faults which affect
these different constructions and their possibilities
and they will advise you of them.
“I have ten thousand fighting
men they taught me all I knew; their name is what and
why and where and when and whom” - thanks to Rudyard K
Critical Analysis-
Rudyard K describes the process of critical analysis.
Critical analysis is an amalgam of education,
experience, training and the correct use of logic and
risk assessment*. The surveyor will gather the facts and
by experience and by reference to scientific authority
(published academic literature) diagnose why the
problems have occurred and how the problem can be
remedied.
Take for example cracks, by
experience and by reference to academic journals and
research for example the Building Research Establishment
(BRE) guides the Building Surveyor knows that Cracking
is caused by:
· Thermal expansion
· Moisture expansion
· Chemical expansion
· Subsidence and heave
· Creep
· Over Stress by a combination of live and dead
loads
· Inadequate design
· “Modern “design processes
· Mid war building techniques
· Adjacent Excavations and vibrations
· Mining -
· Foundation movement
· Timber rot within the supporting structure
· Removing structural support
· Drains
· Trees
The Building surveyor will
primarily assess the age of the crack and will seek to
determine if the structure has reached a new
equilibrium.
They will next assess the
depth of the crack, where it is located and its shape.
They know that nearly all buildings have cracks; their
job is to advise you of the seriousness of the crack.
The most serious cracks are associated with foundation
movement, alterations in the loading of the structure,
structural timber rot by for example conephora puteana
(Wet rot) or Serpula Lacrymans (Dry rot).
By reference to BRE 251, “
the classification of cracks in terms of their
reparability” The building surveyor will be able to
advise that if the cracks do not penetrate the full
width of the brickwork the cracks would currently fit
into category 0, 1 or at the very most 2 of the BRE
classification - ie very little action required except
aesthetic repair.
It will be noted that the
Building Surveyor’s degree will be a Science degree;
Master or Bachelor of Science; Science is essential in
the diagnoses of chemical attack, thermal expansion,
moisture expansion, rots, trees, stress and creep. For
example Sulphate attack of chimneys: rising damp, trees
and roots, chemical reactions between natural salts and
chemicals within building products, Electrolytic action
between different metals, the use of the noble gasses as
Insulants etc.
The building surveyor
should also have expert understanding of the Building
Regulations and of their evolution, common law and
statutes that affect dwellings for example the London
Building Acts, The Party Wall Act, Construction, Design
and Management Regulations etc.
Which is why the Building
Surveyor should not only be used for your home survey
but also when making structural changes to an existing
building or if designing a new building.
I
offer one product to home buyers, which is a bespoke
service suitable for all residential properties which
provides a full and detailed picture of construction and
condition.
This survey is likely to be needed if the property is,
for example, of unusual construction, is dilapidated or
has been extensively altered – or where a major
conversion is planned.
The survey will include extensive technical
information on materials and construction as well of the
whole range of defects, major to minor.
·
Conclusions, Summaries and Recommendations
·
Parameters of Survey
·
Property Type
·
Recent/long standing Renovations of Note
·
Construction
·
Brickwork
·
Pointing
·
Spalling or other weathering or defects
·
Efflorescent
·
Staining.
·
Painted brickwork:
·
Unusual items
·
Bays
·
Cracks
·
Bulges and other deformations
·
Subsidence and Heave
·
Chimneys and Flues:
·
The Stacks (Breasts)
·
Flues
·
Blocked off Fireplaces:
·
Ceilings:
·
Floors
·
Damp:
·
Leaks:
·
Timber Rot
·
Foundations and Structural loading
·
Roof Loadings
·
External Walls
·
Floors
·
Partition Walling
·
Opening
·
Front bays
·
Bresummer beams
·
Crack
·
Levels and Plumbs
·
Foundations and Tree
·
Front Garden
·
Rear Garden:
·
Walls
·
Roofs
·
Bay roofs:
·
Asbestos/Fibre Cement Slates.
·
Algae, Moss and Lichen Growth
·
Insects/Birds/Rodents/Wasps/Bees/Bats
·
Warm Roof and Cold Roof Construction.
·
Stack
·
Drains:
·
Stairs:
·
Windows
·
Doors:
·
Cills:
·
Decoration
·
Bathroom Furniture and plumbing
·
Kitchen Units and plumbing:
·
Extraction:
·
Ventilation:
·
Services.
·
Central heating and Hot Water
·
External surface water drainage
·
Water
·
Electrical installation
·
Gas installation
·
Smoke alarm:
·
Burglar Alarm and Security:
·
Fire -
·
Insulation
·
Ventilation
·
Building Regulation compliance
·
Other items.
·
Energy Performance Certificate:
·
Woodworm, damp
·
Pigeons
·
Asbestos, lead, deleterious materials and environmental
matters
·
Locality information
·
Site Sketch
· Site Photos
* The author mentions above that
critical analysis is an amalgam of Education,
experience, training, logic and risk assessment -
Scientifically the determination which is critical
analysis is also dependent on the Nature and Nurture of
the person - but these factors can generally be
discounted where the surveying of Buildings is concerned
- as long as a professional is employed!!
The
author mentions this as it is very important to
differentiate between the scientific approach which he
describes and the heuristic approach; The heuristic
approach is programmed beliefs and attitudes which are
either taught or inbuilt by evolutionary processes -
these generally serve people reasonably well but can
lead to cognitive biases and errors - The author is
reminded of the bricklayer who was taught by his father,
who was taught by his father (etc) that the correct
mortar mix to use when re-pointing was a 2:1 (sand:
cement) mix - the result of course was cracked pointing
- but when the author attempted to explain to the
bricklayer the problem, the error of his beliefs and his
training the bricklayer just became angrier and angrier.
The
point above emphasises the importance of utilising a
Professional to design, specify and oversee construction
works and of course to Survey your intended property.
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