Making that offer - Surveyor Query.

[Shire]

I am considering making an offer on a house.

I have contacted a surveyor and have been quoted around the €500 mark to get this done.

However, after a brief conversation it seems his report and my idea of what the report should be don’t tally.

I thought for the price it would be fairly comprehensive and check everything.

Things I’d like to get checked:

The walls – these are papered and yer man is not going to strip them for me. I’d like to get them checked for any issues.

The entire plumbing works, pipes etc. Does the jacks flush properly. Is the water pressure up to scratch?

The electrics. Are there any issues with the wiring? How many sockets are there and the locations of them.

The attic. Is it sound, it is suitable for conversion? Where would a stairs leading to this go?

The insultation of the gaff. What would be the best way to do this. Someone told me outside insulation will dent if a ball is kicked against it?

Ventilation – Is this something that can be checked? Open a window boss

The chimney. Does it do its job? I would prefer not to kill the family just yet.
Can he/she/they test this with smoke?

The heating. It is up to scratch.

Flooring – What lies beneath… that lino.

Roof. Will it hold?

Any issues with the foundations.

Extension. Is this sound – was it done properly – will it require attention?

**From the report **– A detailed report containing all of the above but including estimated cost for any repairs/work that needs to be carried out.

Now perhaps my expectations are too high for just the surveyor’s report/role.

Who else would I need to have on the case? A builder? A structural engineer? Duncan Stewart?

Can I be present while all this is being checked out? Not to wreck heads but just to see what I’m getting for the money I’m spending and ask anything else that comes to mind.

Will the EA be present too? I presume so as he has the keys?

The EA has fobbed off some of my concerns as just minor things – nothing a tenner can’t fix type of thing.

What would be the best way to proceed after getting this report with regard to the offer?

Do buyers make an offer subject to the report and deduct estimated costs from the offer or just make an offer after getting the report?

Obviously, I’d only like to get one survey done but I’d like to get it done thoroughly to avoid heart/ass ache in the future.

Any additional suggestions, thoughts or experiences welcomed and appreciated.

There’s never been a better time to buy – You’d be simply bonkers not to. !!!DUBLIN X BEAUTY!!! NOT TO BE MISSED!!! EARLY VIEWING ADVISED!!!STUNNING ACCOM****mODATION!!!FINAL REDUCTION FOR IMMEDIATE SALE!!!

[wii4miinow]

You are making a reasonable argument for what should be checked.

As long as those checks (not all of what you listed) are non-damanging or non-destructive then you are probably correct.

I’m hesitant about hiring anyone of a bad attitude and who’s age is less than 35 cause many of them youger lads are still living in the land of 2006, thinking that they should be charging 2006 prices.

Shop around. At least meet and visit 3 surveyors and aks to see 2 copies from each of reports that they have completed within the last year. You’ll learn a lot from that.

Ask if they work from a checklist and formally spend the time checking those things on the checklist or is it more like a walk through survey where they kind of just “keep a look out” for things. You can get good and bad of both. Ideally you want a guy/gal who works it both ways, keeps a formal thinking cheklist approach to ensure that he/she works the basics but also does a feeling based assessment to top up the fundamentals with other items that may not be regularly or oftentimes audited.

Does the audit include:

1. Recent certification from an electrician of the wiring in the house?
2. Checks of timber and proof of structural suitability? etc. etc.

[comstock]

Assuming that most houses are pretty much as they look and don’t hold many nasty surprises, I’d leave the formal survey until after my offer has been accepted (of course my offer would be subject to survey). I assumed this was normal practice in private treaty sales as the survey is generally a precautionary measure and isn’t central to price negotiations.

[robdel]

if you were selling would you think it appropriate that everyone thinking of making an offer would be allowed strip the wall paper to check the walls and spend a day running up the heating etc to check it adequate?
Post offer acceptance ( normal ) perhaps - but before they even make an offer ?

I think your issue may be with how little you get for your €500 but that’s because you live in Ireland where trades men believe they are the David Beckhams of Ireland and should be paid as such.

[superman]

I am considering making an offer on a house.

I have contacted a surveyor and have been quoted around the €500 mark to get this done.

However, after a brief conversation it seems his report and my idea of what the report should be don’t tally.

I thought for the price it would be fairly comprehensive and check everything.

Things I’d like to get checked:

The walls – these are papered and yer man is not going to strip them for me. I’d like to get them checked for any issues.
You’ll need to agree the extent of this with the seller.

The entire plumbing works, pipes etc. Does the jacks flush properly. Is the water pressure up to scratch?
A plumber is required.
The electrics. Are there any issues with the wiring? How many sockets are there and the locations of them.
An electrician is required. An electrician will not look for sockets though. You’ll want a survey drawn up - you need an architectural technician or similar
The attic. Is it sound, it is suitable for conversion? Where would a stairs leading to this go?
You’ll need a decent engineer to check the sizes - you’ll also need someone to draw up plans of the existing house to come up with a design you are happy with for the stairs. The architectural technician above might do - or the structural engineer if he can design as well.
The insultation of the gaff. What would be the best way to do this. Someone told me outside insulation will dent if a ball is kicked against it?
A BER consultant from a construction background. A lot of architectural technicians would have the qualification. Probably a good idea to get a good thermal imaging company to carry out thermal images of the property. What else do you want to know about the insulation? Will any opening up be required? Coring of the ground floor slab or external walls? Bringing in camerascopes?
Ventilation – Is this something that can be checked? Open a window boss
Ask the surveyor to do this. It is easy to check - certain rooms requires different types of ventilation. Habitable rooms require a 1/20 of floor space on demand immediate air access as well as background ventilation.
The chimney. Does it do its job? I would prefer not to kill the family just yet.
Can he/she/they test this with smoke?
Get a certified chimney sweep or similar to do this.
The heating. It is up to scratch.
A mechanical and electrical engineer. Possibly a knowledgeable plumber and a certified gas installer
Flooring – What lies beneath… that lino.
You’ll need to core the floor. Agree with the seller and get a builder in. Get the structural engineer mentioned above to check it.
Roof. Will it hold?
The structural engineer will be able to say this - ask for a structural survey.
Any issues with the foundations.
It depends on the level of information you want on this. If the house is a couple of years old and there is no visible cracking, then there are unlikely to be problems. If you want more information than this, you’ll need to carry out invasive testing (digging up paths etc.). I’d imagine that wouldn’t be necessary unless the neighbourhood was known for poor ground conditions.
Extension. Is this sound – was it done properly – will it require attention?
Structural survey, coring ground floor and walls as appropriate, ask for details on the type of supervision there was (by engineer/architect), ask for opinions of compliance with building regulations. Possibly ask for opinions on compliance with planning as well.
**From the report **– A detailed report containing all of the above but including estimated cost for any repairs/work that needs to be carried out.
A quantity surveyor would be needed. Given the extent of the project above, you’d need a decent project manager/architect to agree the brief for the amount of surveying you wanted and to get all the consultants to work together.
Now perhaps my expectations are too high for just the surveyor’s report/role.

Who else would I need to have on the case? A builder? A structural engineer? Duncan Stewart?

Can I be present while all this is being checked out? Not to wreck heads but just to see what I’m getting for the money I’m spending and ask anything else that comes to mind.
Sure.
Will the EA be present too? I presume so as he has the keys?
Not for all the work mentioned above.
The EA has fobbed off some of my concerns as just minor things – nothing a tenner can’t fix type of thing.

What would be the best way to proceed after getting this report with regard to the offer?
Say that "this is the amount of work estimated to be carried out, I’m reducing my offer that this amount
Do buyers make an offer subject to the report and deduct estimated costs from the offer or just make an offer after getting the report?
Not that I’m aware
Obviously, I’d only like to get one survey done but I’d like to get it done thoroughly to avoid heart/ass ache in the future.

Any additional suggestions, thoughts or experiences welcomed and appreciated.
Estimated costs for the above service would be something around €10k-€15k. You’d probably avoid the need for most of the above if you see that there were opinions of compliance in place for the construction of the house in the first place and that all works were properly supervised by somebody competent. That and getting the appropriate type of building survey [they are not all the same] would be enough for me. Possibly the thermal imaging as well. If you want design suggestions, also get an architect on board.
EDIT: I’d suggest that your expectations are too high for what is possible from a single individual

[Thrifty]

It is not necessary to get the building surveyed in a private sale until you go Sale Agreed (i.e. the vendor has agreed to accept your offer). When you pay the deposit always state and confirm by email that your offer is ’ subject to contract and survey. I recently obtained a house surveyor via posting a job on www.tradesmen.ie. I obtained a reputable architect for €280. He came out within 5 days and I had the report within another 5 days. Prices for a Building Surveyor can vary anywhere in the €500 region - give or take. Paying more does not guarantee you a better quality report or a better survey. A qualified reputable surveyor should be able to highlight any issues in the Report no matter the price you pay him.