A common defect that we find when surveying properties is a poorly weathered junction to flat roofs over extended parts to a property. This can take the form of a lead flashing that has not been securely wedged in place or a cement fillet that has started to crack.

We recently completed an RICS Level 2 Survey in the Rushmere St. Andrew suburb of Ipswich and the junction between the flat roof to the garage and the flank wall of the house had been weathered with upturned felt. Although the folds on the felt can be smoothed with the use of arris rails, they will always be more vulnerable to weathering and therefore generally fail before the rest of the covering. This was the case here where worn sections and splits were evident.

This was just one of many defects which our client was not aware of and which caused them to withdraw from the sale. They were however pleased with the ‘very thorough’ report and grateful that we helped them make the right decision.

A modern terrace of houses will have regular breaks in the masonry to accommodate thermal movement. Bricks and blocks expand and contract with the seasons and unless this is accommodated with expansion joints, cracks will occur. Expansion joints were not used in Victorian terraced properties, despite sometimes incorporating large expanses of masonry, but could nevertheless accommodate movement quite well.

We recently prepared a Level 2 Survey on a Victorian house on the outskirts of Woodbridge which was one of 6 in the terrace but, despite the terrace having a long unbroken front wall, only minor thermal movement had occurred. Victorian builders used a lime based mortar which was better able to accommodate minor movement than modern cement based mortars and would even ‘’heal’ over time. Where cracking had occurred, generally around openings, it was restricted to the mortar joints and could be easily repaired using materials similar to the original.

Our client was very happy with the report confirming that he would definitely be recommending us.

We’re often asked whether it is necessary to have a survey on a property that is only a few years old. With the exception of a just completed property, where a snagging list would be more appropriate, the answer is invariably “yes”.

As an example, our surveyor Justin Burns recently prepared a Level 2 Survey on a detached property just over the river to the south of the town centre which had been built in the early 2000’s. At first glance, the house looked like a new build but during the course of the inspection several defects came to light including cracked mortar to verges, failed glazing panels and hard to reach joinery that was overdue for decoration. While none were deal breakers on their own, the combined cost will likley run to a four-figure sum.

Our client was very happy with the report commenting ‘’… not only do we feel like we are walking into our house purchase with our eyes open, but we have already been able to get the seller to cover the cost of items we hadn’t appreciated were even issues. Worth every penny!”

A common defect on older style period houses is cracking at the junction between the front wall and the bay. The true cause can only be determined by a full investigation, including exposing part of the foundation at the junction between the bay and the wall, but it’s likely to be either foundations of insufficient depth below the bay or inadequate lateral restraint to the bay walls.

Justin Burns, one of our senior surveyors, noted a classic example of this type of movement on a recent RICS Level 2 inspection of a house to the east of Ipswich close to Rushmere common. There were cracks to both sides of the bay which had been previously made good but opened up again. Justin advised that the only long-term solution would be to strengthen the junction with tie bars or similar.

The buyer was pleased with our report and commented in particular upon the “great customer service”.

A common discussion I have with owners proposing to undertake works falling within the scope of the Act is whether to offer to pay for a schedule of condition when serving party wall notices. A schedule of condition is a written record of the parts of the adjoining owner’s property deemed to be at risk from the works with supporting photographs. Often, a schedule is all the adjoining owner wants so including the offer with the notice greatly reduces the risk of it being dissented to and all the delay and cost associated with that response.

This scenario played our recently where our surveyor, Justin Burns, served notice to cover an extension to a commercial property close to Ipswich Hospital. The adjoining homeowner was reassured by the offer of a schedule of condition, consented and the whole process was completed within a couple of weeks.

Our client was pleased with how the process was handled commenting that “everything was dealt with in a professional, speedy manner”.