The main walls were formed of 225mm solid brick construction.

The rear extension was formed of 300mm cavity brick construction.

From our inspection we advise that the walls were found to be level and upright with no undue bulging, dishing or deflection apparent.

Externally the main house has been rendered with a pebbledash render finish. Its presence makes an assessment of the condition difficult, however, where visible it was in a generally satisfactory condition.

Contrary to good building practice, the rendering has been taken down to ground level in most areas.

A property of this age and type is likely to incorporate a slate damp-proof course (DPC) but with this method of construction, any DPC is effectively bridged by the rendering, which thereby provides a path for rising ground moisture to bypass the DPC and saturate the brickwork above. Ideally, the rendering should be cut back to the level of the DPC and finished with a render bead.

Openings:

Lintels/arches:

Where there are openings in the walls, curved brick arches or flat lintels transfer the weight from above and around the opening. The thrust created at the support point is resisted by the weight of the masonry on each side of the opening. In older properties, like this property, it is normal to find a timber supporting lintel behind the brick arch or the flat lintel, which helps transfer the loads to the support points.

Most of the lintels were not visible due to the render finish. Where visible the lintels were in generally satisfactory condition, although as noted, any supporting lintels behind were not visible either and so no comment can be made on their condition.

Sills:

The sills are formed of a combination of timber and tiles.

A number of the sills are weathered and should be redecorated. The full extent of any decay to the softwood joinery may only be found on closer examination and rubbing down of the wooden surfaces prior to redecoration and all timbers found to be affected by wet rot should be cut out and replaced/repaired on merit.

Damp:

Dampness within a property can come from a number of sources, but commonly relate to penetrating damp, rising damp, leaks and condensation.

Moisture content readings were therefore taken in all appropriate places throughout the property for evidence of dampness and we can report that no significant dampness was found.

Low-level: Damp proof course (DPC): In most domestic buildings constructed after about 1875, a horizontal damp proof course of an impervious material is normally incorporated in the main walls at ground-level to prevent the natural ground moisture from rising up those walls by capillary action. The DPC was not visible due to the external rendering and it may be that it is being breached (see above).

Sub-floor Ventilation: There are an inadequate number of airbricks of sufficient size in the external walls to provide satisfactory ventilation under the floors. Without such ventilation, it is probable that dampness and condensation will develop, and this could potentially lead to an outbreak of wet or dry rot. It is recommended that additional airbricks are installed but it would also be prudent for sample floorboards to be raised to check for signs of subfloor damage or decay and for any obstructions to be cleared to ensure adequate crossflow ventilation in future.

Ground levels:

For a dampproof course to be completely effective, the ground level outside the main walls of a house should be at least 150mm below the level of the damp proof course.

Foundations:

The foundations support the whole structure although were not inspected. An inspection would only be possible by digging random pits adjacent to the walls. This is outside the scope of a building survey.

Condition Rating 2 – This is not urgent, but it should be undertaken in the near future or when normal annual maintenance is next carried out on the property.

You should obtain a price from a competent contractor for this repair so that your financial obligations are known.

The windows are of mainly formed of aluminium and double glazed.

The aluminium windows are set into timber subframes. This is a dated method of installing double-glazed windows. Nevertheless, the windows were in a serviceable condition. No obvious decay was noted to the timber sub-frames.

Some of the timber sub-frames were weathered and required redecoration. We refer you to our comments in Section E8 – External Joinery and Finishes for comment on the decoration to the window frames.

The exception to the aluminium windows is the window to the ground-floor front living room which is UPVC and is double glazed. This UPVC window should have a 10-year manufacturer's or installer's guarantee. You should request that the paperwork regarding the manufacturer and installer of the windows be passed to you with the sale of the property, in case you need to arrange for replacements of any fittings at any time in the future.

Your legal adviser should check whether these windows have either Building Regulation approval or have been installed by a contractor registered with FENSA.

The surveyor opened and closed the windows wherever possible and found them to be in a generally satisfactory and serviceable condition.

Some of the handles to the windows were a bit loose and some of the closure pieces where the cockspur handles were missing. These need to be replaced and the loose handles overhauled.

Condition Rating 2 – This is not urgent, but it should be undertaken in the near future or when normal annual maintenance is next carried out on the property. You should obtain a price from a competent contractor for this repair so that your financial obligations are known.