Hello lovely people! Clueless FTB alert, as promised. So we had our Level 2 survey done on the Edwardian semi we’re buying in the Midlands and I got the report back on Friday evening. I have read it three times now and I still can’t tell if the house is fine or if it’s about to collapse around our ears.
The surveyor has flagged a few things as amber (condition rating 2) which from what I can gather means they need attention but aren’t urgent. These include some cracking to the bay window brickwork, a bit of damp in the front reception room at low level, and some missing pointing to the side elevation. There is also one red item (condition rating 3) which is the flat roof over the rear kitchen extension, he says it has reached the end of its serviceable life and needs replacing.
My question is really for folks who have been round the block with older houses. Is this the kind of stuff that every Edwardian semi throws up and you just budget for it, or should any of these be genuine walk away territory? The flat roof thing worries me the most because I have no idea what that costs (a few hundred? a few thousand?). The bay window cracking also sounds ominous but maybe I’m overthinking it.
We’re FTBs with not a huge amount of cash left after the deposit so I want to make sure we’re not sleepwalking into something. Any thoughts from anyone who has bought a house of this era would be massively appreciated!
Almost every Edwardian semi I have ever looked at throws up some combination of damp, pointing, and dodgy flat roofs. It comes with the territory. The pointing and low-level damp are likely related, actually, poor pointing lets moisture in and it tracks through to the internal plaster. Getting the pointing done should sort both in time.
The flat roof is worth getting a couple of quotes for. Depending on size you are probably looking at somewhere between £1,500 and £4,000 for a full replacement with a modern membrane system. If the kitchen extension is small it will be at the lower end. Worth asking the surveyor for the approximate area if it is not in the report already.
The bay window cracking is the one I would want to understand better. On its own it might be historic settlement that has been there for decades and is going nowhere. But on Edwardian bays it can also mean the stone or iron lintel above the window is corroding and pushing the brickwork apart. If the cracks are above the window or fanning outward from the corners, that is more of a concern. Might be worth asking the surveyor if they have a view on the likely cause, or whether a structural engineer should have a look. That does not mean walk away, but it is worth knowing what you are dealing with.
Half the houses on my street have bay window cracks and they’ve been there since before I moved in twenty years ago. Get it checked but don’t lose sleep yet. The amber stuff is bread and butter for a house that age. The flat roof is the one to negotiate on, sellers expect it.
@halfpenny_doris and @greenwhistle_hants, thank you both so much, that has genuinely calmed me down! Quick follow up though, is it worth getting a damp specialist out before we exchange, or is that overkill for what is probably just old house being old house? Our solicitor hasn’t mentioned it but I don’t know if that means it’s fine or if they just don’t look at survey reports that closely (probably the latter?).
@Duckwithplan86, it depends on what the survey actually said about the damp. If it is just elevated moisture readings at ground level in an Edwardian semi with no DPC, that is the house telling you it is 110 years old, not that there is a crisis. Almost every pre-war house I have ever been in reads damp at skirting level on a moisture meter.
What I would avoid is one of those free damp surveys from a treatment company. They have every incentive to find a problem and sell you an injection DPC that the house does not need. If you do want someone independent to take a look, find a chartered surveyor who specialises in older buildings rather than a remediation firm. The RICS Find a Surveyor tool lets you filter by specialism.
Honestly though, if the Level 2 did not flag it as a serious structural concern, I would not hold up exchange for it. Just budget a few hundred quid to get it looked at properly once you are in, and in the meantime make sure the external ground levels are not sitting above the internal floor level. That is the number one cause of damp in these houses and it costs nothing to fix 
Quick update on this! Following @greenwhistle_hants’ advice I have booked a damp specialist to come out on Thursday morning. Found one locally who was recommended on Checkatrade and he charges £150 for a full inspection with a written report, which seems reasonable (I think?). He said on the phone that nine times out of ten with Edwardian semis it turns out to be condensation or failed pointing rather than rising damp, which is more or less what you all said, so that is reassuring. One thing I am not sure about though, should I let the estate agent know we are getting a specialist in, or is it better to just quietly get it done and then use the results in negotiation if it turns out to be something more serious? I don’t want to spook the seller or make it look like we are trying to find reasons to pull out, because we genuinely love the house and want to make it work. Any thoughts on the etiquette here from folks who have been through this?
Hi @Duckwithplan86, just to reassure you on the agent question. We had something similar with our 1970s semi where the survey flagged damp in the garage and some elevated readings in the kitchen. I did not tell the agent we were getting a specialist in and nobody batted an eyelid. The agent does not need to know, and the seller does not need to grant access because you are just getting someone to look at a property you already have a viewing arrangement for. Save the results for negotiation if needed.
@tommybrack82 thank you, that is really helpful to hear you went through something similar! So the damp specialist is coming tomorrow morning (fingers crossed he doesn’t find anything terrible). Quick question though, if the report says the damp needs treatment, can I just send a copy directly to the estate agent to back up a renegotiation or does it need to go through my solicitor?
@Duckwithplan86, from our experience you can send it to the agent directly. That is what we did with the garage roof quote. The agent then passed it on to the seller and we negotiated from there. Your solicitor does not need to be involved at the negotiation stage, though they will obviously handle any price adjustment formally once it is agreed. Good luck with the visit tomorrow.
Hello lovely people, quick update! So the damp specialist came this morning (bright and early, 8am, I was barely functioning). He spent about 40 minutes poking around the ground floor and the cellar and the verdict is… it’s basically rising damp on the front wall only, caused by the original slate DPC having deteriorated over time (which apparently is completely normal for a house this age). He said a chemical DPC injection would sort it and quoted £1,800 plus VAT for the front elevation, which includes replastering the affected area internally. He also said the damp readings the surveyor picked up in the bay window area are almost certainly condensation rather than penetrating damp, and just need better ventilation (he suggested a PIV unit but said even just opening the trickle vents would help). So I’m feeling a LOT better than I was last week! My question now is whether this is something we should go back to the seller on, or is £1,800 the sort of thing you just absorb as a first time buyer on an old house? I don’t want to be difficult but equally we’re already stretching ourselves a bit on the purchase price. Any thoughts from folks who have been through this?
@Duckwithplan86 that is a very reassuring report, honestly. £1,800 for a DPC injection on one wall is about what I’d expect. No harm asking the seller to split it or knock a grand off, worst they can say is no. On a house that age you’d be daft not to try.
Hello lovely people, tiny update from me! Following everyone’s advice (and @halfpenny_doris you were spot on about the DPC costs) we have asked the seller for a £900 reduction to split the cost of the DPC work. Our solicitor sent it over yesterday. Fingers crossed they come back with a yes, but honestly even if they say no we’re going ahead. The house is right for us and the damp is fixable, so we’re not going to lose it over this!