Hi We are about to buy a 1970s bungalow which requires updating. There are two parallel cracks running the width of the house in the ground floor ceiling and down above the doors, the estate agent has told us a structural engineer had done a survey earlier in the year (for other buyers) and he had said the cause of the cracks is down the the fact some of the trusses in the loft had been cut, the cracks are directly under the point in which the bases of the 'W' shape trusses sit. The estate agent has a personal interest in the house so don't want to take his word for it! We are reluctant to pay for a survey when most of the work is obvious and there doesn't appear to be any other major issues. Question is would the damage to the trusses cause the cracks? or could there be another explanation, subsidence? The trusses have been temporarily braced and we plan a loft conversion with steels anyway so would deal with any issues it might have caused. Thanks in advance.
Jeepers, Rowan! As Sean says, how the hell can we tell?! Ok, here's an answer; yes, the cracks could well be down to the missing trusses. Yes, the cracks could well be down to other causes such as subsidence. Yes, the cracks could just be down to general 'settling' of the house so nothing unusual. There - did that help? Nope, I didn't think so. Clearly this is your call. If the agent doesn't give you a looksee at this report, then you are on your own with this one. To be more blunt, unless YOU pay for your OWN report, you are still on your own with this one - 'cos I believe you'll have no come-back with a 3rd-party report. If you fancy a gamble, you could just try your own investigations - was this house built at the same time as its neighbours? Are they the same style? If so, then knock on yer neighbs and see if they've ever had any subsidence problems. If 'no', then it's more likely that this is down to the missing trusses, so this could be a bargain since you will be 'sorting' it anyways.
that's not quite right, if the OP is granted a copy and sight of the report, and provided it is factually correct and prepared by a suitably qualified and insured chappy or chappesh, and is mentioned within the sale documentation it will be valid but - if the agent has an interest in the property it would be wise to have an a detailed report carried out, as it may be what is NOT in his report that might be of more concern - it would also be helpful if the second report could be carried out after having provided the surveyor with details of what alterations are proposed
Get an independent surveyor to do your own survey.. Don't use the one the estate agent might suggest. As others have said though, get a detailed report, before committing yourself.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Sean - if, if, if - as always... What kind of interest does the agent have in this property, Rowan?
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