The property is a Grade II Listed Old School House end terrace residence arranged over two floors. It was built in 1838 and converted into separate accommodation in the early 1990s. The roof is pitched and covered with slate. The main walls are of solid sandstone and solid brick construction.
Main issues
4.3 Rainwater and Above-Ground Drainage Fittings
4.4 Walls
4.7 Conservatories
5.3 Walls
5.5 Chimney Breasts, Fireplaces and Flues
The internal fittings and decorations have been reasonably maintained, with no significant structural defects were apparent. Sadly, the external elements have been poorly maintained, and the use of cement-based mortars has started to cause delamination to the sandstone walls, and the cement-based pointing has cracked and blown out in many areas; further investigations by a stone mason are required to determine the cost of repair before the exchange of contracts.
4.3 Rainwater and Above-Ground Drainage Fittings
Condition
The front gutters are blocked. When your gutters become clogged, water will be unable to properly divert away. Instead, the water will spill over the side of your gutters, leading to a number of different issues like stains on walls, penetrating damp and foundation damage.
All the gulleys were blocked. A blocked gully can be hugely problematic, causing flooding that can damage your property and garden. A blockage can easily occur in a gully, due to rubbish and debris being nearby and water waste often containing potentially cloying substances, such as soap, hair, shampoos, grease, fat and the like.
The rear and kitchen extension downpipes are not discharging to any drain which could undermine the foundations.
All cast iron gutters downpipes and soil pipes require decoration.
Action Required
Blocked gutters should be cleaned out in the short term, if you get problems with leaf and moss build-up then look into adding a Hedgehog Gutter Brush Guard System. Prolong moisture on below walls will cause rapid deterioration of the wall and lead to damp penetrating which can cause mould and mildew to grow, damaging internal plaster and eventually causing wood to rot and weaken the foundation of your home, compromising its overall safety.
Unblock gulleys in the immediate term to stop any future flooding. A blocked gully can be hugely problematic, causing flooding that can damage your property and garden. A blockage can easily occur in a gully, due to rubbish and debris being nearby and water waste often containing potentially cloying substances, such as soap, hair, shampoos, grease, fat and the like.
Obtain quotes before the exchange of contracts, to discharge rainwater from the downpipes to the main drain or a soak-away. This work needs to be carried out in the immediate term, or the foundations could become undermined, causing subsidence due to erosion.
All cast iron gutters, downpipes and soil pipes require decorating in the short term to stop rust reducing their service life before they start leaking.
Fit a birdcage on top of the soil stack in the short term, open pipes can become a death trap for unfortunate birds that fall in.
4.4 Walls
Condition
The British Geological Website indicates the ground is of clay, which is a flexible base, and some slight seasonal movement is to be expected. There is some cracking to the rear kitchen-diner extension boundary wall, which could be related to some seasonal movement.
There is a (category 2) crack to the rear kitchen-diner extension boundary wall. Category 2 are typical cracks with widths from 1mm up to 5mm. Category 2 cracks can result from a variety of causes that are frequently very difficult to identify. This level of damage can result from a combination of factors like material shrinkage and creep, differential thermal movement in dissimilar materials, and poor detail design or poor workmanship. The cracks should be repointed and monitored for any further movement. If the cracks keep opening up, they should be further investigated.
Movement
No significant defects were noted, and the original walls were found to be structurally stable. No evidence was seen of any cracking, which might indicate that the property is subject to subsidence, unusual settlement, or other exceptional movements of the ground. Most properties are subject to slight settling down over the years as sub-soil consolidates and adjusts to changes in ground condition. This will frequently result in limited differential movement, which is often expressed as minor cracking or distortion of window and door openings and is rarely of structural significance.
The brick window lintels and vertical mortar junctions are all complete with no evidence of any movement. These areas are mentioned specifically as any movement to the property would be noted at these points.
There is some weathered pointing (mortar laid between bricks) to the rear extension elevation walls. The sandstone walls have been repointed using a cement-based mortar. Cement-based mortars do not allow the bed joints to breathe and reduce the ability to allow the stone to dry.
Moisture that has passed through the stone gets trapped behind the cement-based mortar, causing the stone to delaminate, which then makes the pointing fall away.
There is a lack of adequately sized and spaced air bricks around the property to ensure adequate ventilation to the underfloor voids to minimise the build-up of moisture that can promote the development of rot and other defects in the materials that support the floors. At the time of the survey, most of the air bricks were free from external obstructions.
An external render plinth has been incorrectly applied, bridging the external DPC to the front. It extends down to ground level and will absorb moisture from the ground. The moisture then can breach the DPC and also damage the render at the lower levels. Being a solid wall, this can allow damp to penetrate, which can affect the internal plaster finishes or cause rot to connect floor timbers.
The ground levels should be at least 150mm below the DPC. If not, splashing rain and snow can affect the wall above the DPC and cause dampness internally, the front ground levels are high.
Action Required
The crack to the rear kitchen-diner extension boundary wall should be repointed and monitored for any further movement. If the crack keeps opening up, it should be further investigated.
Repointed all of the sandstone, the category 2 crack, loose mortar to flashings and weathered rear pointing in the immediate term to prevent rainwater from penetrating the wall and plaster finishes. Also, see 2.2 Summary of damp issues and 5.3 Walls.
Repointing is the process of removing and replacing the mortar (‘pointing’) from the face of a masonry joint. Done properly, this helps exclude the weather and retard the deterioration of the stone and brickwork. Poor pointing is one of the easiest causes of penetrating damp to fix, but only if it’s caught early. If you leave it too long, the entire wall can become compromised, putting you at risk not just of penetrating damp but serious structural issues as well. The pointing should be the same mix of sand and lime as before, and weaker than the stone and brick strength, and should be finished off flush with the stone and brickwork surface and not recessed or “tucked” in any way. Again, this is how the building was designed and allows water to be shed from the walls in the correct way.
The delaminated and cracked stone should be redressed or replaced, depending on how bad the stone is. I recommend you instruct a local stone mason to provide costs to repair the sandstone walls before the exchange of contracts.
I recommended that additional and larger 150mm by 220mm airbricks be installed in the short to medium term around the property at two metres spacings where possible to improve sub-floor ventilation to reduce the development of rot and other defects. Ensure that the air bricks, visible at the base of the external walls, are kept clear to maintain adequate ventilation in the underfloor void. External paving and soil levels should not be allowed to rise above the level of the air bricks. A lack of ventilation can allow moisture levels beneath the floor to become elevated, increasing the risk of the development of moisture-related defects such as rot and infestations by wood-boring insects (commonly known as woodworm).
The external render plinth should be removed, and above mention stone repairs carried out. High moisture readings have been recorded on the inner plaster surface also see 5.3 Walls. The external render should be removed in the immediate term to stop damp affecting internal plaster finishes or causing rot to connecting timbers.
The front high ground levels should be lowered to 150mm below the DPC. You should lower the ground levels in the short term or install a premanufactured channel drain or a pea-shingle French drain. If not, splashing rain and snow can affect the wall above the DPC, causing deterioration to the walls and then causing dampness internally.
4.7 Conservatories
There is no conservatory or porch at the property. To be a conservatory 75% of the roof needs to be glazed. Also, see 3.1 Conveyancing Matters Extension and Alterations for possible planning issues. The rear kitchen-diner now has a 100% slate roof covering, the walls are mostly double-glazed in timber frames built of a low-level brick cavity wall. The floor is solid. If planning insists on returning the slate roof to glazing, overheating in the summer months and underheating in the winter months will be a massive issue for the kitchen-diner.
3.1 – Conveyancing Related Matters
Extensions: Rear kitchen-diner noted. The construction differs from the agreed replacement conservatory, which received planning approval. This change may not be acceptable to planning.
5.3 Walls
Condition
High moisture readings were recorded to and above skirting boards to areas shown in red on the floorplan indicating rising damp. [See general description & dampness, section B]. Rising dampness is caused by moisture rising in the walls by capillary action. Persistent rising dampness will take chlorides, nitrates and other salts from the soil, which are deposited on the face of the plaster as the water evaporates from the surface. Such salts are hygroscopic, with the effect that the face of the plaster tends to be persistently damp, particularly during periods of high humidity of the atmosphere, even after the rising dampness has been arrested.
The internal walls were found to be structurally sound. No evidence was seen of any cracking which might indicate that the property is subject to subsidence or unusual settlement. Internal walls are well maintained, and surface finishes are in a serviceable condition.
Some general unevenness was noted. This is due to normal disturbance of the surface by decorations, minor repairs and fittings having been attached in the past. Some cracking of the internal walls can be noted in a variety of locations, primarily on the inside faces of external walls. It is common for cracking to occur as the materials of the building expand and contract during normal heating and cooling. Often this cracking is focused on the weakest areas of the walls which are the openings, such as windows and doors. Commonly cracking is found around the top corners of windows and doors in the area where a supporting lintel is built into the structure. This occurs because the expansion rate of the lintel differs from that of the surrounding masonry.
Some of the internal walls are dry-lined or of timber stud construction. This means that special fixings will be required where heavy objects are to be hung onto or attached to the walls as the plasterboard facing the walls is not sufficiently strong to carry heavyweights. It will also be the case that picture hooks and other nailed-in fixings will only have a light hold within the wall facing.
Action Required
I recommend a further inspection by a specialist Timber and Damp company to understand what remedial works are required to treat rising damp. It may be possible that the external repairs will solve the issue. They will advise further as to the best course of action. Where floor timbers meet damp walls, there is a risk of wet or dry rot attack a subfloor inspection is recommended. I would advise obtaining quotations offering a long-term guarantee for treating the damp before the exchange of contracts. These works should be carried out in the immediate term. If left untreated, rising damp can cause extreme damage to the structure of your property. The cost of damp-proofing will be small in comparison to repairing your home interior and exterior fabric that you may have to replace. Rising damp can destroy decoration, and plaster and can cause rot to timbers within your home.
In most ground floor areas, I recorded high deep search mode readings and low pin surface conductance readings. This can indicate a developing problem or past damp proofing works where the deep scan is recording salts due to past rising damp problems and not moisture. However, you may wish to check if there are any existing guarantees and get all areas rechecked by a damp-proofing company before the exchange of contracts.
Normal maintenance is required, including filling and redecorating cracks as necessary.
Many of the internal walls are likely to be finished with lath and plaster. It is common for the surface plaster to become detached from the lath and plaster base and to fall away when surface treatments such as wallpaper are removed. You should anticipate that some repairs to the plaster surface will be required when walls are disturbed for any reason.
5.5 Chimney Breasts, Fireplaces and Flues
Condition
No significant defects were noted during my inspection and the chimney breasts were found to be structurally sound. High moisture meter readings were recorded on the chimney breast in the lounge and bedroom. It should be noted that no damp odours or damage to the decorated surfaces were noted. The dampness noted to the chimney breast, and raised moisture meter readings are most likely caused by failure of the external flashing that seals the chimney to the roof covering, open pots and the formation of hygroscopic (moisture-loving) salts within the brickwork of the chimney due to the long-term combustion of fossil fuels. Hygroscopic salts are deposits created because of burning fuel in your fireplace – these can travel to the surface of your chimney breast. Hygroscopic Salts attract moisture in the air within a room and create visible damp patches or make the surface damp to touch [See general description & dampness, section B]
Get your chimney swept regularly (up to twice a year) During use soot and tar build up in the chimney reducing the efficiency and increasing the risk of chimney fires. It is better to use a qualified chimney sweep who will be able to advise you on good burning practices for your open fire.
Action Required
I recommend a further inspection by a specialist Timber and Damp company to understand what remedial works are required for the chimney breast. They will advise further as to the best course of action. Where floor timbers meet damp breasts, there is a risk of wet or dry rot attack a subfloor inspection is recommended. I would advise obtaining quotations offering a long-term guarantee for treating the damp before the exchange of contracts. These works should be carried out in the immediate term. If left untreated, damp can cause extreme damage to the structure of your property. The damp-proofing cost will be small compared to repairing your home interior and exterior fabric that you may have to replace. Dampness can destroy plaster and decoration, and can cause rot to concealed timbers within your home.
All active flues should be checked by a reputable heating engineer specialising in flues and chimneys, before use. Flues should also be swept clean at this time. It is important to maintain an adequate airflow, using ventilation, through unused chimney flues to prevent the build-up of condensation within the chimney. Ventilation grilles should be fitted to all blocked breasts. If the flues are reactivated, they should be checked by a reputable heating engineer specialising in flues and chimneys, before use. Ventilation grilles should be removed. Flues should also be swept clean at this time.
Trusted, independent surveyors providing clear and reliable property reports. Whether you’re buying, selling, or investing, we give you the knowledge you need to make confident decisions.