When embarking on the adventure of buying an old house, especially one that needs significant renovation, the importance of a thorough survey cannot be underestimated! We knew this when buying our 1845 late Georgian/early Victorian house in Dover and realised from various surveys that our renovation budget was likely to get eaten up pretty quickly, and we’re here to share what we learned along the way.
When you realise you won’t actually be able to move into the house
…if the mortgage even gets approved!
When attempting to buy a period property, especially one that’s been largely untouched for decades, we knew it would come with its own set of challenges. Spending most of my childhood living in a house that was always being worked on, I’ve always wanted a proper project – and at nearly 200 years old, this house is definitely a project and a half.
This place is full of charm and character, but it also hides a multitude of issues – actually they’re not even hidden, some of them are screaming in your face, like the main electric service cable into the house – it’s seen better days to say the least
That’s why we decided to commission a full survey, separate from our mortgage application, to ensure we fully understood the condition of the property as best we could so we knew what we were up against. Not that a bad survey would have put me off!
It’s tempting to rely on the survey arranged by your mortgage provider, but be aware that this is often just a basic valuation. In our case, we were pretty confident the bank would only conduct a desk survey – essentially a quick check of the property listing online. However, we knew this wouldn’t be enough to uncover potential problems, especially with a house of this age. We also didn’t really want the mortgage company to go any further than a desk survey, as they may not lend on the property at all!
What we found… AKA what wasn’t actually condemned!?
The survey didn’t so much reveal issues, more made us question what wasn’t an issue. that we hadn’t anticipated. The surveyor strongly recommended a full electrical and gas safety inspection, as well as getting the leaky roof sorted out.
If that wasn’t enough, the survey also flagged the potential presence of asbestos, a common issue in old houses. Asbestos, if disturbed during renovation work, can pose serious health risks, so it was clear we needed to commission an asbestos survey as well, before starting any renovation work.
The one thing we thought was safe, was condemned
The gas safety survey was fun – when we first looked around the house we were chuffed that the boiler was relatively new, so we thought that might be the one thing we wouldn’t have to sort out immediately. Unfortunately our worst fears were not only realised but made even worse when the survey found it was leaking, and also that most of the gas appliances in the house were either not installed safely or had been condemned for use. We were met with a collection of warning stickers that made it clear we wouldn’t simply be moving in and start making cosmetic changes.
Another big challenge was that we had two gas meters in the house – one upstairs on the second floor, and one in the basement from where the house had been divided up.
This meant we had a mains pressure gap pipe running pretty much through the entire house – not ideal, and not really something you want to accidentally cut through! Getting this removed, and sorting out just having one meter with British Gas took way longer than you’d ever think!
Asbestos
The asbestos survey was equally eye-opening. While we had hoped the surveyor’s concerns would prove unfounded, they were, unfortunately, correct. Asbestos was present in some areas of the house, meaning we had to factor in the cost and time of safe removal by a licensed professional before any renovation work could begin.
Electrics
With lots of old houses like this often having surface mounted wires running all over the place, we knew a full rewire would definitely be needed.
We had our full EICR (Electric Installation Condition Report) completed, which came with a plethora of C1s = Danger Present, C2s = Potentially Dangerous, C3s = Improvement Recommended, and F1s = Further Investigation needed, which we expected to a point. We had no less than 6 CDUs, each an add on to the existing system.
We even had lights that were wired into socket circuits, with bare wires in some places. So with all the ‘Danger Present’, this meant we couldn’t exactly move a 2 years old kid into a house in this current state.
But we also didn’t appreciate that the power we currently had coming into the house wouldn’t be enough for the plans we had. So before we could even begin a rewire, we had to get the fuse upgraded. I wanted to get this done as soon as possible, so the rewire could start when the house completed, as we’d have to be living elsewhere.
Liaising with Southern Power Networks to upgrade the fuse to 100amps was such a ballache. From all the missed appointments, having to get the keys from the estate agents every time (as the house technically wasn’t ours!) – I dread to think of the hours and days this took.
Lessons Learned
Looking back, the money spent on a full survey was one of the best investments we could have made during the home-buying process. Personally I think it’s worth doing your survey as quickly as possible, even if there is a risk the sale doesn’t happen.
Without it, we would have been unaware of the serious safety issues that needed immediate attention. The survey came back around 10 weeks before we completed on the house, so this gave us time to prioritise the work that needed to be done, as well as plan where to live whilst the really dirty work took place!
We were also able to get some bits done early with the agreement of the vendor, such as getting UK Power Networks in to upgrade the Fuse. This helped us get some works to get underway as soon as we officially got the keys – saving us money in the long run with needing to stay elsewhere.
Is a Level 3 Structural Full Survey worth paying for?
In the event you’re buying a Listed Building, you’ll most likely have to pay for a full survey any way. But if the house you’re buying isn’t listed, I think it’s worth paying for a structural survey if any of these apply:
– If the house is old
– If the house had any significant alterations
– If you’re planning alterations
– If you’re worried about damp or structural issues
Some people may want to do a full survey in the hope something is uncovered that will help get a reduction in the price of the house they’re buying – in our case that wasn’t the main reason, but I know where this has worked for some people!
But in general, if you’re planning any significant changes, if the house has been subject to a lot of change over the years, or needs renovation, it’s definitely worth paying for a full survey. But bear in mind that if the house has been relatively untouched for a number of years, this may end up being the first survey/report of many. So that first £1000 you spend on your Level 3 RICS is the tip of the iceberg!
Conclusion
In my opinion, the full survey has been invaluable, and while the challenges it revealed were daunting, doing everything upfront has ultimately helped us make better decisions for our home. If you’re about to embark on a similar adventure, take the time to invest in a good survey – you won’t regret it.
Knowledge truly is power!