Why You Need A Builders Survey When Buying A New Home

Homes are not a low cost commodity and so you have to be sure you are investing in a structurally sound commodity when buying. A Builder's survey is one of the most sure fire ways to be sure you are getting something worth that money you're investing.

Consequences

According to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, only about one fifth of home owners actually go through with a building survey before they purchase a home. This for many has meant long and painful tenures as the home they buy is not often as it seems and there can be underlying issues you'll never realise without a survey.

Older Buildings

Builders surveys are more in depth than a home owners survey and often take about a day to complete. Though, for newer homes a home owner's survey may suffice it is advised that if you have an older property that you get a builder's survey done as they are likely to have far more issues. Older homes have structural problems as they are often built with less modern materials, are built without the knowhow of today and also are just old.

Damp

Wet and damp are very prevalent problems in the UK and though it may not be evident upon a first viewing, damp can play a terrible price on your home. Many older homes aren't damp proofed and this wet can get into walls and other areas that can really cause long term damage to the building. Damp can cause anything from unsightly stains, to more serious issues such as crumbling walls and ultimately the destruction of a home. A good builder surveyor will find any damp issues and notify you about any problems and how serious they are. Damp on timber is especially serious and as many older homes have a lot of timber in their construction, this can be detrimental.

Insulation and Drainage

For many homes insulation and drainage can be of serious issue. You may not realise how serious these issues are without an insight into the home by a building surveyor. If you understand how well the drainage in the home is working, as well as how much insulation there is you can account for something that could potentially cost a lot of money. A well insulated home will also save you a lot of money on power, heating and electricity and so can save you the price of a building survey within a year. It also has a lot to do with the damp a house may undergo.

Further Inspections

If a building surveyor under covers something that looks quite suspicious and could have a serious impact on the home and your living in the home, then he may advise you to get a further inspection. This inspection will allow you to determine how serious the problem is and then make a decision on whether you wish to go ahead and purchase it obviously.

So, as you can see building surveyors are almost essential in home buying.

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Home Buying Surveys - Essential Steps

When looking at a new property you may have organised all your searches and surveys but have you forgotten an important one?

The compulsory drain inspection only requires that the manhole be lifted and nothing more.

This means that there could be any number of problems with your drain system that will go undetected until it becomes a serious problem that could cost thousand. Replacing collapsed drains is costly, disruptive and to be avoided if at all possible. More seriously a drain seeping into the ground can affect foundations in extreme cases.

The good news is that you easily check the condition of the drains by having a CCTV drain camera survey of your drains carried out. This can be done by your local drainage contractor for a relatively low cost and will provide you with a video record of the condition of your drains. They will be able to highlight any problems such as displaced joints, cracked pipes and root penetration and will be able to give you a copy of the survey either on DVD or more commonly as an MPEG4 video.

Many of the common problems can be fixed without the disruption and cost of digging up pipes to replace them. Most drain camera systems also measure the distance that the camera has travelled so that it is easier to locate problems more accurately and other systems have a transmitter called a sonde that will allow the contractor to detect the exact location of the camera underground. This means that even if they do have to do some digging it will only be exactly where it is needed. Often repairs can be carried out without any need for digging by making use of "trenchless technology" to mend cracked and damaged pipes.

Compared to the massive cost of damaged foundations or a ruined garden getting your drains surveyed is a small investment that will give you peace of mind and could save you a lot of money and disruption. It is also a great tool if you are trying to sell your house. For the low cost of a survey you can give prospective buyers the peace of mind of having the survey but as a side benefit they will probably feel assured that you are the sort of person who looks after your home well and may feel more comfortable purchasing from you rather than a less conscientious home owner.

Call you local drainage contractor and organise a drain camera survey to make sure you don't get caught by hidden trouble.

How to Avoid Mold Menace in Your Home   Hiring and Managing a Home Renovation Contractor - The Do's and Don'ts   Radon Resistance Features and Detecting Test Interferences   What's Involved In Inspecting The Roof During a Home Inspection?   Reasons For Asphalt Option Over Concrete And Gravel Pavements