Construction

Papers
No. 89. 1998 Editor: Peter Harlow
E-mail: pharlow@ciob.org.uk

BUILDING SURVEYS
by H. S. StCIveley FRICS, FCIOB, FClArb

Professional Services
The Chartered Institute of Building
Englemere
Kings Ride
Ascot
Berkshire
SL5 7TB
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O The Chartered Institute of Building 1998

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Editorial Note
This paper was published originally as
Maintenance Information Service Paper
No15. The author has been responsible for
the necessary updating.
Steve Staveley, following war service,
became a building surveyor for the District
Bank a n d then Devon a n d C o r n w a l l
surveyor for H a n d G Simonds l t d a n d
senior surveyor for Courage(Western) Ltd. In
1968 he mbved into wrivate wractice and
for the next 20 years cArried oht capital and
maintenance works to hospitals, hotels, and
licenced and industrial premises, as well as
undertaking building surveys on all types of
property. Steve has served on many
government and professional committees.
He has published widely a n d his book
'Building Surveys' written jointly with
P.V.Glover i s now in its second edition.
TYPES OF SURVEY
The Construction Industry Council has
produced a highly informative leaflet'
entitled "Definitions o f Inspections a n d
Surveys o f Buildings" clarifying the
terminology used in conjunction with the
various kinds of survey. The introduction
states that "The term 'structural survey' has
come into common use to describe a survey
which covers all visible and accessible parts
of a building including those which are not
part of the structure such as roof covering,
windows and drains. The term should
be avoided since misunderstanding with
clients has arisen when, for example, a
'structural survey' has concentrated on the
structure alone."
Eleven different types of "survey" are
described and the one which is dealt with
here is a "building survey" which i s defined
as "....an investigation and assessment of
the construction and condition of a building
and will not normally include advice on
value. The survey will generally include the
structure, fabric, finishes and grounds; the
exposure and testing o f services are not
usually covered."
The current differences in survey
nomenclature are further set out in "Guide to
Surveys and Inspections of Buildings and
similar structures'' published b y the
lnstitution of Structural Engineers, "Surveying
Buildings" by Malcolm Hollis and Charles
Gibson and in Chapter 1 of "Building
Surveys" by H.S. Staveley and Peter Glover3
published by Butterworth-Heinemann. In
consequence, the term "building survey" has
been adopted throughout in preference to
the previous, outmoded "structural survey".
PURPOSE OF THE SURVEY
The primary purpose of a building survey i s
to give an independent professional opinion
on the structural condition of a property.
The wardnuindependent" probably requires
further explanation. In the strict sense of the
term the surveyor carrying out the survey is
acting on behalf of his client, the purchaser,
and therefore cannot be wholly independent
as he serves the purchaser's interests.
However, the main object of such a survey
i s to ensure that an opinion i s given by
someone who has no connection with the
vendor or his agents. In the same vein, the
surveyor acting for a building society cannot
be regarded as wholly independent as of
neccessity he or she must look a t the
building society's interests before those of a
prospective purchaser and i s therefore more
likely to " p l a y safe" i n the opinions
expressed.
Those who are best qualified to carry out
such a survey will have had considerable
experience in the performance of buildings
and their components as well as their design
and construction. This would suggest that
the chartered building surveyor, the
chartered builder or the architect would be
best suited to this type of work. Although it
is now common for estate agents and
valuers to be asked to carry out building
surveys, i t must be emphasised that
generally their knowledge of construction
and building performance is insufficient to
enable them to carry out a thorough and
efficient inspection. A structural engineer
may be called in when matters solely
affecting the structural stability of a building
are under consideration.
In addition to an independent professional
opinion on the building, the surveyor also
includes comment on the siting, environment
and planning of the property and also
reports on finishes, services and on some
major fixtures and fittings. It is also useful to
give observations and recommendations on
maintenance costs both immediate and
future.
Although not accepted as being the prime
purpose of a survey, each survey which i s
carried out provides a considerable amount
of important data on the performance of
buildings, their components and elements.
At present, there is no means of collating
this information obtained by surveyors in
this w a y and an invaluable source of
information is lost. Consideration should be
given to means of creating a central bank
of building performance data to which those
carrying out building surveys could
contribute. This could be done by
classifying buildings in terms of age, use
and type of construction and detailing the
performance of each b r o a d aspect of
construction, stressing the recurrent faults
which are a l l too often found when
inspections are made. Computer-recorded
information, illustrated where possible,
would be invaluable in this respect.
CLIENT'S INSTRUCTIONS
In the first instance the client should provide
the surveyor with the address and a general
description of the property concerned. In
particular, the type of property, its age, use,
size and the means of access thereto should
be noted.
Firm instructions are then obtained from the
client describing the extent of the survey
required and its purpose. This should be
confirmed in writing where time permits.
The client should be advised of the method
b y which the surveyor's fees w i l l b e
calculated. Sometimes it is possible to give
an approximate cost if the surveyor has a
knowledge of the property concerned, or if
the description by the client is sufficient for
the surveyor to assess the extent of the work
which will be required. For many years the
Royal lnstitution of Chartered Surveyors
attempted to compile a scale rate of charges
for building surveys but this in practice
proved very difficult. The reasons are
manifold but the principal difficulty i s that
more time and trouble can easily be spent
on a small two up and two down cottage
which is in a bad state of repair, than on a
large four or five bedroomed dwelling-house
set in an acre of land which is of modern
construction and in good order. The extent
of the fee is not therefore related either to
the size, the age o r the value of the
property. Generally, fees are charged on
an hourly basis at a rate to be agreed
between surveyor and client. Sometimes it
is possible to advise the client of a maximum
figure which will not be exceeded without
the further authority of the client.
The client must be advised that the surveyor
i s a "General Practitioner" and will not
provide specialist reports on drainage,
heating systems or electrical installations. A
broad opinion usually based on visual
observation is given in the report but if the
client requires more detailed information
then the surveyor must advise specialist tests
and reports which will involve additional
cost. Instructions by the client to carry out
such tests must always be confirme2 in
writing and wherever possible the client
should be advised of the approximate cost
involved.
If the building is in multiple ownership as in
the case of maisonettes or flats which have
been "sold" on 99 or 999 year leases, then
it will be necessary for the surveyor to carry
out an inspection of all those parts of the
totol premises where maintenance costs are
shared jointly with the other "owners". In
ihis case, the repairing covenants of the
details of the agreement with the "managing
company" should be studied and the client
advised of the additional cost and work
which will be involved. The tenant should
inform the surveyor of details concerning the
repairing liabilities of leasehold properties
and the arrangements which are made for
the maintenance a n d repair. This
information is more often than not obtained
from the client's solicitors.
The client should be asked to advise the
surveyor whether or not any alterations,
adaptations or extensions are to be carried
out to the property so that these matters can
be taken into consideration when the survey
is carried out.
In the case of a dwelling-house less than ten
years old a check should be made on the
cover afforded by the NHBC Agreement
before carrying out the survey
SURVEY PRELIMINARIES
Contact should first be made through the
vendor or his agent with the occupier of the
premises to be surveyed and arrangements
made for the inspection to be carried out at
a convenient time and date. The occupier
should be informed of what i s involved in the
survey and the extent to which he will
probably be inconvenienced. He must be
told how long the survey i s to take and how
many people are likely to b e present,
particularly if specialists are involved in
testing and inspecting the services. Whilst
the covering clause at the beginning of the
survey usually precludes the lifting of fitted
carpets and the moving of furniture, it may
be desirable to ask the occupier to allow
some of the furniture to be moved and some
floorboards to be lifted, particularly if there
is any suspicion that there may be dry rot,
extensive furniture beetle infestation, rising
damp or other such defects as could be
concealed by furniture and carpets.
The full permission of the occupier and the
owner should be obtained before any part
of the structure is opened up. Preferably this
should b e i n writing, although i t i s
appreciated that time is generally against
such a step. It is often the case that should a
surveyor cut floorboards, damage plaster or
even indent or fracture timber which has
already been affected by dry rot, then the
vendor will claim damages.
The surveyor should take steps to be aware
of any ~ l a n n i n grequirements which may
affect either the property which i s to be
surveyed, the adiaining properties or
anything else in the environment which will
affect the property under consideration. It is
appreciated that this is not strictly part of a
"survey" but it i s generally expected of the
surveyor as in some cases the structure could
be affected by such matters and steps
should taken to bring them to the notice of
the client. Local enquiries should be made if
the surveyor has insufficient local knowledge
of the area.
In the case of leasehold properties, i t i s
particularly important to study the repairing
covenants in the lease and in the case of
freehold properties, any restrictive covenants
which may affect the scope of the survey.
When a surveyor is working outside an area
of immediate knowledge, i t i s always
advisable to make enquiries regarding the
subsoil in the locality of the property. There
have been many cases in the past where old
mineshafts, wells, clay pockets and such
physical features have had a considerable
effect on the structure of the property, even if
all may seem well at the time of the survey.
INSPECTION
The surveyor should take either a clipboard
or notebook and a portable tape recorder.
The other items required are an electric
torch, bradawl, claw hammer, screwdriver,
manhole lifting irons, spirit level, 3m or 5m
steel tape, plumb bobline, binoculars,
moisture meter, folding ladder, Polaroid
camera, hand mirror and last but not least,
overalls. Optional equipment for special
circumstances could comprise an
endoscope, steel sensor, sonic measure and
radon detector. The surveyor may find it
convenient to use a portable tape recorder
from which a rough draft may be typed for
subsequent amendment in the ~ f f i c e .
Otherwise, notes may be taken and the final
"copy" dictated into a recorder on return to
the office. It is less likely that the surveyor
will miss anything if dictating direct into the
recorder. After proctice and with a logical
sequence imprinted in one's mind, it should
be possible to dictate the whole of the
survey into the recorder and this will save a
great deal of time. It is generally regarded
nowadays that to take notes and then write
out the report in longhand on return to the
office is not only extremely laborious but is
liable to error.
Each surveyor could write his own checklist
as a result of his previous experience and
this could vary from a very brief list of items
to a comprehensive schedule. W o r d
processors are widely used in contemporary
surveys and these can contain standard
clauses which can be added in or omitted at
will. Briefly, it is perhaps best to deal with
matters in the following order:
The Site
Gates, fences, boundary walls, paths,
drives, car parking areas, ~ a v e dareas, site
drainage, aspect. Geology - eg. liability to
flooding, subsidence, Radon gas etc.
Outbuildings
Garages, stables, greenhouses, toolsheds,
remote stores.
Drains
Ventilation, gulleys, manholes, drains,
interceptors, septic tanks, cesspools, soil
pipes, waste pipes, greasetraps, petrol
interceptors.
Building (Exterior)
Chimneys, flashings, roof, gutters, rainwater
pipes, bargeboards or gables, main walls,
external woodwork, external ironwork,
glazing, damp courses, subfloor ventilation,
foundations. Defective elements of
construction, eg. Mundic blocks, asbestos,
etc.
Building (Interior)
Roof v o i d including timbers, felting,
insulation, water tanks, visual aspect of
electric wiring;
First floor including all sanitary fittings and
describing ceilings, friezes, walls, floors,
windows, doors, carpentry and ioinery, and
electric lighting, power and heating;
Other floors all as above and basements
with special reference to waterproofing.
Electrical
Wiring, lighting points, power points,
lighting fixtures, meters, switches, main
switches, fuses, circuit breakers.
Plumbing
Cold water supplies, hot water supplies,
means of heating hot water, hot and cold
water storage.
Space heating
Means of space heating including type of
fires whether electrical, solid fuel, oil-fired,
gas-fired or any other means, central
heating boilers, separate water heaters, any
other type of space heater.
The surveyor is expected to carry out a
visual inspection of all parts of the property
which are reasonably accessible and, as
stated in the checklist above, this will include
all outbuildings, boundaries and pavings.
Although there is no necessity to follow such a
checklist, the survey must be carried out in a
methodical manner so that every single part
of the fabric i s examined properly in a logical
sequence. As explained previously, every
surveyor should provide a personal checklist
with its own his own peculiar sequence and
routine. In time, the sequence of such a
checklist will become a matter of habit.
It i s essential that manhole covers should be
lifted and the condition internally noted,
even when a drain test i s not included in the
survey. T h i s may cause considerable
difficulty as many manhole covers have been
buried under soil or concrete pavings for
years, many are rusted into the frames and
it i s necessary very often to tap carefully
round the ioint between cover and frame
with a screwdriver before trying to open the
cover. Most domestic type manholes are
provided with lifting lugs which usually
corrode away in a very short space of time
so that the only method of entry i s to lever
up between frame and cover itself. Beware
of lifting the frame out of the cement
bedding when dealing with a jammed
cover.
One most important factor to be considered
i s the presence of any nearby trees. The
position of these in relation to the buildings
and their type should be noted and the
client should be warned that trees can couse
considerable damage to a structure under
certain conditions due not only to the
physical damage caused to walls by their
roots but also from the amount of water
which a tree extracts from the subsoil
causing subsoil shrinkoge and foundation
movement.
The areas which should receive special
scrutiny in a physical survey for any type of
building could be briefly classed as follows:
EXTERIOR
Chimney stacks - particularly flaunching
to pots, metal flashings and cement fillets.
Roof coverings - missing or broken slates
or tiles, sagging timbers, defective flat roof
coverings.
Gutters and rainwater pipes - leaking
at joints, lack of stopped ends, insufficient
fall to gutters.
M a i n walls - pointing, condition of
rendering, whether vertical or not, any
structural cracks or signs of settlement,
weathering of facing materials.
Windows - if steel, whether or not rusting
i f not galvanised; i f of softwood, whether
sound or rotten, also condition of glazing
and window furniture; Upvc, if split or
distorted; if aluminium whether corroded or
ill-fitting.
External doors - security measures and
general condition of w o o d w o r k a n d
glazing, presence a n d condition of
thresholds and steps, including water bars
and rebates.
Damp courses - whether present or not, if
present, type and whether intact or not; i f of
bituminous felt is i t oozing out of the mortar
joint and beginning to perish? Positioning
ond effectiveness of vertical dpcs to window
and door openings.
Subfloor ventilation - is this adequate in
the case of suspended ground floors?
Special subfloor ventilation in areas affected
by Radon gas.
Insulation - i f the walls are of cavity
construction, have they been insulated with
cavity fill and is this effective? Is there roof
insulation? Are water pipes lagged in
exposed areas?
Levels - is the whole of the ground floor or
the damp course a minimum of 150mm
above ground level? Are walls plumb and
floors reasonably level?
Foundations - any signs of settlement or
ground heave?
INTERIOR
Roof void - any damp penetration or
wood boring insect infestation? Wet rot in
valley gutters? Is the roof underfelted?
Presence or absence of insulation between
ceiling joists.
Internal plastering - cracks and whether
shrinkage or settlement, state of decorations,
efflorescence, "bubbling", effect of rising
damp and causes thereof.
Internal woodwork - wood boring insect
infestation, dry rot, wet rot, cellar fungus?
Decorative finishes, shrinkages or other
defects.
Windows and doors internally - state
and amount of furniture? Hangings and fit of
components. Double glazing?
Floors - whether solid or suspended,
condition of timber and boarding in cases of
suspended floors and condition of floor
covering and substructure in solid floors.
Whether timbers infested with dry rot, wet
rot or furniture beetle and whether dry or
damp. Presence or absence of dampproof
membrane in solid floors. Additional
subfloor ventilation in areas subject to
Radon gas.
Condensation - presence or absence of
mould growth indicating condensation,
degree of ventilation, possibility of rising
damp or general damp conditions causing
condensation and defect not to be confused
with damp penetration or efflorescence.
Efficacy of double glazing?
DRAINS
Levels -whether free flowing or not. Check
for backfall.
Manholes - condition of inspection
chambers, covers, frames, benching of
channels at junctions, brickwork rendering.
Other equipment - mica flap valves,
interceptors, vent pipes, traps.
Septic tanks - "working scum", filters,
outfalls and soakaways, ventilation, general
condition, environment.
Cesspools - water-tightness, air-tightness,
means of emptying and access thereto for
vehicles.
This i s only a very brief summary of the
main points to look for in most types of
buildings but an operational checklist could
be formed for any building inspection using
this list as a basis.
REPORT WRITING
The report i s probably the most important
part of the building survey and if not written
correctly or accurately it can cost the
surveyor dear in terms of professional
indemnity!
A scrupulous report writer will ask, in regard
to every sentence, "What am I trying to
say? What words will express it?" and
"Could I put it more briefly?" One i s not
obliged, however, to go to all this trouble. It
can be avoided by simply throwing open
one's mind and letting the ready-made
phrases come crowding in. They w i l l
construct the sentences, even think the
thoughts and, if required, perform the
important service of partially concealing the
meaning. This is where care must
be taken when using standardised phrases
on a word processor.
A written report should always be made
although it i s often necessary to make a
verbal report to the client immediately after
the survey, particularly if the client is under
pressure to purchase. However, where a
verbal report i s made, the client must be
informed that the written report will take
precedence over whatever has been said
over the telephone or in person. When
making a verbal report, reference should be
made to written notes rather than placing
reliance on memory.
The report must be precise, free from
obscure technical terms and couched in
language which i s understandable by the
layman. A client's particular circumstances
must also be token into account when
writing a report. For the ordinary lay
client, a non-technical report must be used
as far O S possible, whereas i f writing a
report for an organisation where fellow
professionals are involved many more
technical terms may be employed.
The description, age and design of the
property must also be given and these
should be related to the cost of the annual
maintenance.
The construction of the property together
with any defects which exist or are likely to
arise must b e fully described a n d
elaboration must be made of any defects so
that the probable cause and the necessary
remedies are immediately apparent to the
client.
The points on which the surveyor is not able
to advise must be set out clearly and positive
recommendations made far further
inspection and reporting by specialists if this
is considered necessary.
Approximate estimates of costs of necessary
urgent repairs can be made but only in the
event of specific instructions being given by
the client for such information.
The surveyor's insurance company will
undoubtedly require that any building survey
report should include a clause required for
professional indemnity insurance. Such an
example could be;
"In accordance with your instructions I have
attended at the above property and carried
out a building survey a'nd'hav* to report as
follows:
I have not inspected woodwork or other
parts of the structure which are covered.
unexposed o r inaccessible a n d I am,
therefore, unable to report that any such
parts of the property are free from defect.
The report on services w i l l not include
electrical wiring test or a test of the woter
a n d drainage pipes unless especially
required. M y opinion and observation will
be based on visual inspection of the services
where these are accessible.
Central heating, space heating a n d hot
woter boilers have been visually examined
but no definite opinion can be given that the
equipment i s entirely free from defect, or, i f
not operating at the time of inspection, that
they are in good working order. A separate
test a n d report can b e arranged i f so
required.
This report is based on the condition of the
property on the date of inspection and no
l i a b i l i t y can b e accepted for a n y
deterioration in the condition of the property
after this date."
The report must conclude with a summary of
the principal defects and the general advice
of the surveyor must be given together with
an opinian on the overall condition of the
property. The age and construction of the
building will have a definite bearing on its
condition and the defects which exist must
be coloured by these two factors. In other
words, one would not imagine an old and
inexpensively constructed building to have
the same charocteristics as o more modern
building constructed to the latest principles
and where cost is of little obiect.
It i s not necessary to prepare a detailed
schedule of the accommodation but it i s
usually advisable to do so in an older
property in order to ensure that every single
detail of the construction and finishes i s
covered. In this connection it i s usual to
point out the goad features of a property as
well as the defects as this will have effect on
the decision whether or not to purchase.
The report should not, however, be written
out as a Schedule of Condition. A sketch
plan showing the layout of the property for
reference is often helpful.
It must be stressed that the survey must not
be written up as if it were a valuation or in
the same w a y as a building society
inspection report. A valuation of the
property should only be included at the
express instructions of the client, such a
valuation being subject to a separate
negotiated fee.
GENERALLY
In a great many cases, the surveyar will be
asked whether or not he recommends the
purchase of the property by the client. In
this case, the client's circumstances insofar
as they affect the question of purchase will
have to be known by the surveyor and it
must be remembered that surveys are often
used by the client as a "big stick" with which
to beat a vendor. In many cases, the asking
price of a property is considerably reduced
by the iudicious use of a building survey in
the hands of the prospective purchaser.
In connection with the above, where an offer
has been made subiect to survey, the
surveyor may be asked to advise on the
amount of a reduction in price OS a result of
that survey. T h i s will involve making a
deduction for the cost of immediate repairs
or remedial works and will immediately
raise the question as to whether or not o
formal valuation would be more desiroble.
Bear in mind that the cost of repairs does not
always have a proportionate effect on the
valuation.
The surveyor may be asked to indicate
possible future expenditure on maintenance
and repairs which may be required within
the foreseeable future. If so, it should be
mode clear that the figures which ore given
are at today's current prices. The use of a
discounted cash flow exercise to anticipate
future expenditure is over-speculative.
Only fully qualified and very experienced
professional surveyors should carry out full
surveys as the liability i s considerable.
Every error con cost the surveyor even
where covered by a professional indemnity
policy, since the surveyor would have to pay
a considerable excess on any claim.
Certain aspects of the survey such as
measuring, the taking of photographs and
the application of some tests may be carried
out by less qualified individuals but matters
requiring an opinion on the structure must be
dealt with personally b y a qualified
experienced professional who w i l l be
ultimately responsible for that opinian.
One further precaution is that the surveyor,
before accepting instructions from the client,
should check that instructions hove not
already been accepted from another client
i n respect of the some property. The
surveyor must also make sure that the sale of
the property is not already being handled by
the practice of the surveyor carrying out that
survey and that the vendor is not a client of
that practice.
Sometimes instructions are received from a
client who decides not to proceed before the
survey i s carried out. This must b e
confirmed by him in writing before the
surveyor accepts instructions from new
clients in respect of the same property.
The surveyor must ensure that the
professional indemnity policy is current and
covers the particular property to b e
surveyed. Any conditions attached to the
indemnity policy must be incorporated as
soving clauses in the building survey report
as necessary.
The surveyor must not allow the report to be
used by persons other than the client without
that client's express permission. The results
of the survey must not be discussed with
other parties, in particular the occupier of
the property or the vendor. If the client
decides not to proceed or the property is to
b e re-sold at a later date, i t must be
recognised that the survey i s the client's
property and that it cannot be "resold" by
the same surveyor. Any further fees which
might accrue due to the "re-sale" of the
survey to onother party would be due to that
client and not to the surveyor.
The responsibility for any defects which are
present at the time of the survey and are not
covered by that survey i s that of the surveyor
not the vendor. Any claim as a result of
such defects would then be mode by the
purchoser against the surveyor and not
against the vendor. This only goes to
emphasise the danger of such surveys being
carried out by the unqualified and the
inexperienced.
A building survey is a very personal service
where knowledge and experience are the
first essentials.
BUILDING SURVEYS -
A PERSONAL VIEW
The Surveyor
Ideal qualifications would include a long
experience of different construction methods
in properties of all ages, uses and designs
and also a knowledge of how a particular
building and its elements will perform in a
given environment. N o w h e r e is this
instinctive 'feel' for a building needed more
than in surveys of larger and more complex
buildings. In the writer's own experience,
surveys have been commissioned not only of
domestic scale properties which are being
considered for acquisition by a Health
Authority but also, for example, of a large
Methodist Church and Sunday School in the
West Country, local authority offices in
Devon, a whole working hospital complex in
the Reading area, a disused hospital and
finally a complete drainage system for a
very large hospital in the Bristol area.
As well as such ocquired knowledge, it is
essential that the surveyor should have on
inquisitive nature and be aware of the
surroundings. Whatever building is
entered, whether for the purpose of carrying
out a survey or not, the surveyor should
instinctively make mental notes on its
construction and condition. A sense of
humour i s also another useful asset!
Before undertaking a building survey, the
newly-qualified surveyor should spend at
least two years with an experienced
surveyor, going on visits and studying
reports. It may be advisable for the trainee
to write up his or her own survey notes
and to compare them with the experienced
surveyor's report.
Cautionary Advice
Very little is said, and certainly nothing has
been written, about the occupiers of
property where a survey i s about to be
carried out and of their reactions to such on
event. The wrong type of occupier can
distract and mislead the surveyor, sometimes
with calamitous consequences.
Broadly, occupiers fall into two main
categories, the first of these being "the
Angry Brigade" who consider any criticism
of their premises as a personal affront; the
second are the "ingratiating" who are
anxious to sell the property at all costs.
Bear in mind that both these categories
invariably have something to hide. These
IWO main classes may then be subdivided
into "male" ond "female", each with their
own characteristics:
Male
ENTERTAINING
This type has a fund of humorous stories;
you will discover many mutual
acquaintances and he invariably produces
the gin bottle which, it is hoped, will soften
the blow once you have found out about
that are0 of dry rot infected floorboarding
and ioists under the hall carpet.
ANGRY
Upon overhearing a critical comment when
dictating your report, he threatens to throw
you out of the house and report you to your
professional body. This attitude is perhaps
the more understandable and he is less
likely to be concealing something.
UAR
This one would tell you anything to ensure
the successful sale of his house and to have
you out of it as quickly as possible. The
answer is to take no notice, carry on as if he
were not there a n d above a l l never
believe what any vendor tells you.
ABSENT-MINDED
"Accidentally" locks you up in the garage
until after dark.
Female
FEATHERBRAINED AND HELPLESS
This one does not understand how anything
works, not even which way to turn on the
tops. She is completely baffled by twmway
switching, fuses, stoptaps and especially
drains. W h a t is more she i s usually
ignorant of their whereabouts.
VOLUBLE
She never stops talking. There is only one
answer and that is to go into the roof void
and pull up the ladder. There you can
continue your report in peace.
DECEITFUL
This is the one who places her immobile
grandmother in an armchair over the only
part of the floor where the boarding is
infested with furniture beetle and the ioists
are suffering from wet rot. She tacks down
all carpets immediately before the survey
and loses the loft ladder.
FRAIL
When an appointment for o building survey
is made, she immediately moves upright
pianos, wardrobes and Welsh dressers to
hide damp patches in the wall plaster and
dry rot in the skirtings.
SEDUCTIVE
Fortunately, these are in short supply but
when encountered are prepared to go to
almost any lengths to distract the surveyor in
the w a y of fluttering eyelashes, deep
plunges ond, in extreme cases, provocative
attire. They believe that this i s likely to
influence the surveyor in the preparation of
a favourable report but the consequent
distraction could often have the reverse
effect.
In cases such as this, on no account
retreat into the roof void where you will be
immediately cornered. Instead, make an
excuse to fetch further equipment from your
car and return to the office with all speed.
The solution is then to make either a new
appointment when the husband is sure to be
present or alternatively to hire a female
surveyor.
Characteristics of Buildings
The buildings themselves are even more
varied and sometimes more temperamental
than the occupiers; some inspire love, others
hatred, but they are never dull. A few brief
notes on typical differing types would not
come amiss.
Tudor and Elizabethan
Depending upon the part of the country in
which these buildings are to be found, OKe
can be very badly caught out on occasion
by historic mansions and country cottages.
Generally, walls are not plumb and vary in
construction from timber lath and plaster via
porous brickwork and eroded freestone to
disintegrating cob. Roof timbers are often
propped with tree branches from which the
bark has not yet been stripped. This i s
indeed fertile ground for furniture beetle
infestation and, depending upon
geographical situation, properties of this
age and type are most prone to this defect.
As a great deal of oak and hardwood was
also used in their construction; they are
unfortunately liable to death watch beetle
infestation as well.
It goes without saying that floors which are
either laid in stone flags or brickwork on
earth are very damp indeed and the walls
are usually prey to rising damp and, in a
great many cases, actual damp penetration.
In the case of cobwalled cottages, however,
the cob has to be damp otherwise if too dry,
the walls will disintegrate into a pile of dust,
having then no moisture content to make the
earth filling cohesive. Generally dampness
in such walls without a dpc does not rise to
a level of more than 1 metre above
adjoining ground level
Queen Anne, Georgian and Regency
These are generally attractive in
appearance but often of flimsy construction.
Solid wolls are frequently not thick enough
to keep the dampness caused by driving
rain out, one example being the 150mm
thick soft ashlar stonework used in the
external walling of classical terraced
housing, particularly in the Bath area. In
these cases, the stonework i s often battened
off internally and covered with lath and
plaster. Sometimes even the lath and plaster
are omitted and hessian is used instead, or
perhaps again battened and covered with
hessian and paper to conceal damp pbster.
In the above periods, one has to watch out
for lead flats, parapet gutters and valley
gutters which, i f nor properly maintained,
are often found to be l a i d on rotted
boarding. Roofs are generally slated, low-
pitched, not underfelted but have possibly
been parged in the past, the parging by
now having entirely dropped off leaving the
roof covering liable to penetration by
driving rain and snow.
Again, no damp courses are present and
therefore rising damp i s likely to b e
encountered and, unlike earlier properties, a
very good chance that dry rot may be found
in the timbers, ventilation usually being
inadequate. However, one bright spot i s
that roof timbers are usually good and
sound with king or queenpost roof trusses,
although again liable to furniture beetle
infestation depending upon geographical
location.
More often than not, floor joists are laid
directly on to the earth and almost always
subfloors remain insufficiently ventilated.
Later Victorian and Edwardian
These are usually well-found, ugly, solid
buildings but often, particularly in the case
of buildings having stone facings, having
too much fussy detail which collects pollution
of all kinds, creates maintenance problems
and very often weathers badly. Later
buildings in this category may have slate
damp-proof courses in the walls but the
normal troubles found in construction carried
out during this p e r i o d are d r y rot,
particularly in cellars and furniture beetle
infestation in roof and floor timbers. Once
again, walls were built solid during this
period but generally more substantial than in
earlier properties. This, in some cases, can
create damp penetration problems due to
lack of a cavity, particularly if the exterior
rendering, a p p l i e d o r i g i n a l l y O S o
waterproofer, has passed its useful life and
become off-key and porous as if often the
case in the West Country.
The 1 9 2 0 s
These are generally good sound buildings
with cavity walls, dampproof courses (often
slate) and well constructed pitched roofs of
good quality slate or clay tiles. Generally,
there is very little trouble experienced from
buildings erected during this p e r i o d
provided they hove been well-maintained
during their lifetime. However, flot roofs
were often covered in asphalt which by now
i s sure to have passed its useful life spon in
spite of maintenance, ond ties in covity walls
may have corroded to the point of
disintegration.
The 1 9 3 0 s
On the domestic scale, houses built during
this period were very often flimsy, "jerry-
built" and, being the age of the speculative
house, a quick turnover for large profits and
very often poor construction were the order
of the day. During this period, bituminous
felt damp courses were used and now, 5 0
years later, these are often found to have
perished a n d broken down. On
investigation, it i s sometimes found that the
early metal ties in the cavity walls hove
rusted through by not being properly
galvanised. Walls are then left in the state
of two separate unconnected leaves of
brickwork, often unstable. Cavities in such
walls should be inspected, where possible,
with an endoscope.
Unseasoned roof timber was occasionally
used which resulted i n warping a n d
distortion plus the possibility of furniture
beetle infestation as roof timbers were not
generally treoted and there was a high
proportion of sapwood present.
The 1 9 5 0 s
Buildings erected during this period were
generally simple, solid, unattractive on the
whole, built to a budget but reasonably
soundly constructed. There were, however,
felt damp-proof courses which, as stated
above, have a limited life, there was no
cavity insulation to the walls, most ground
floors were of concrete because of
restrictions on the use of timber and many of
these h a d inodequate damp-proof
membranes. Floor coverings often consisted
of magnesite composition, early
thermoplastic tiles or woodblocks.
Mognesite composition has a very limited
life and will disintegrate after o few years of
heavy use; the early tiles were brittle and
broke easily, particularly across the corners;
woodblocks, a g a i n often of largely
unseasoned hardwoods, are liable to attack
by vorious forms of rot. Flat roofs were the
fashion and if constructed of timber, very
often by this time w i l l have h a d their
problems. M a n y flat roofs were then
covered with asphalt which was unvented.
Interstitial condensation problems were not
considered important at that time due to
lower internal heating requirements and
therefore by now problems w i l l have
occurred in timber roofs covered with
b o a r d i n g a n d asphalt which are not
ventilated and which contain no vapour
barriers.
The 1 9 6 0 s
During this period, "experiment", often
wasteful of resources, was the order of the
doy. New and untried designs, methods
and materials were being used. There
seemed to be o strange lack of knowledge
about the principles of building construction
omongst designers and many of the new
methods which were not tested by time have
since failed, sometimes quite ropidly and
with disastrous results. This particularly
applied to the various novel forms of roof
construction which were used. Many of
such buildings are now, approaching the
millennium, being demolished and replaced
at considerable expense.
Once agoin, domestic construction was
becoming "jerry-built" and flimsy as in the
1930s and the use of felt and chippings to
flat roofs was probably at its zenith. The
motto during this period appeared to be
"Live now - pay later" as those who still have
to live with high-rise and curtain walling
reolise only too well!
The 1 9 7 0 s
Both design and construction appear to be
improving very gradually over this period.
More effective dampproofing arrangements
have been employed, the use of vapour
barriers and the problems generated by
condensation are better understood, energy
conservation is fully considered and thermal
insulation requirements are higher. The
message concerning the false economy of
using flat roofs oppears to have been driven
home and some pitched roofs are now
being employed on oll types of buildings.
It is worth mentioning that an architect
acquaintance of the writer had notices
printed which stated baldly, "All flot roofs
leak". He made each one of his assistants
pin a copy of this notice up over his drawing
board, a primitive but effective method of
performance feedback.
In this country, the obiect of a roof should
not be to hold water but to obtain the
swiftest run-off possible and, to this end,
perhaps the steeper pitched tiled or slated
roofs are the best answer.
The 1 9 8 0 s
A continual improvement in more practical
design and construction. One could almost
term it the decade of the orchitects' decline
in the sense that the more innovative and
"way-out" members of that profession were
no longer able to persuade the general
public to accept experimental, impractical
designs. They were increasingly influenced
by the building contractor, particularly in the
upsurge of design-build schemes. Flat roofs,
curtoin walling, prefobricated system-built
construction became increasingly unpopular
and the number of pitched, tiled and slated
roofs and brick or stone-faced walling
instead of rendering continued to increase
with more thought being given to the
elimination of maintenance-intensive design.
There was a phenomenal increase in the
number of regulotions governing design and
construction of buildings and their services
and many older members of the professions
were beginning to long for fhe pre-1965
days of local authority Building By-Laws! A
greatly increased - indeed almost universal -
use of UPVC for gutters, rainwater pipes and
windows with milled or anodised aluminium
used for the better quality windows.
The 1 9 9 0 s
In the first half of the decade many of the
late 1950s, 1 9 6 0 s a n d early 1 9 7 0 s
architectural innovations had become worn
out and only fit for demolition: so-called
"concrete cancer" was taking its toll, a
legacy of the 1 9 6 0 / 7 0 s "short cuts".
Building and structures 20-30 years old
were being demolished, the much vaunted
city centres of Crawley, Birmingham and
Plymouth were for large-scale
demolition a n d rebuilding. Even the
excellent modern, multi-storey hospital in
Exeter has had to be demolished due to
design and construction problems and
rebuilt as a range of low-rise, pitched-roof
structures. This was a tragedy because, in
the case of a hospitol such as this, the value
of the services which had to be scrapped
could have almost equalled the value of the
building. A prime example of services
outlasting the structure which houses them!
Lessons now seem to have been learned
and coupled with new and comprehensive
regulations governing buildings and their
services, construction i s becoming more
traditional and more thought i s being given
to designing for practical occupation and
ease of maintenance. M o s t modern
materials are now subject to rigorous testing
and certification before they are allowed to
be used in new construction. This makes a
survey of o 1990s building somewhat safer
for the surveyor than at any other time in the
post-war era.
Local characteristics
When carrying out building surveys, one
can often learn a great deal about how
design and construction should fit in with the
local environment from both the
geographical and climatic point of view.
For example, in the "Big Apple Restaurant"
which occupied the 1 10th floor of the World
Trade Centre in Manhattan, the author's
attention was drawn to the fact that the
management were very worried about
cracks which had appeared in the plastered
internal finishes to walls and ceilings.
Structural failure was suspected by the
occupiers but the inference should be
obvious - do not use plastered finishes near
the top of a 400m high building. The
amount of "sway" on this building is bound
to make any plastered or rendered finish
break down sooner or later.
Again, the writer visited a textile factory in
an exposed situation some 6,000 ft. up in
the Colombian Andes where complaints had
been made about water seepage through
the concrete flat roof over the singlestorey
office block. This had resulted in much
efflorescence and also in small stalactites
hanging from the ceilings in many of the
rooms. O n further investigation, it was
found that the 225mm thick reinforced
concrete roof had no means of built-in
water-proofing whatsoever, neither had it
any waterproof covering. The rainfall, heat
and humidity in the Andes being whot it is,
these penetration problems came as no
surprise. In addition, the lack of thermal
insulation gave the office occupants a hard
time under the equatorial sunshine and the
answer was finally achieved b y
superimposing a low-pitched, deep-eaved,
corrugated sheeted roof over the concrete
flat, so shedding the water rapidly owoy
from the b u i l d i n g a n d ~ r o v i d i na~
satisfactory degree of insulation from the
fierce heat of the sun.
As a contrast, on inspecting a dwelling-
h-ouse in ~ u ; k ean
~ the shores of the
Bosphorus, the writer found that this
property, which was some 120 years old
and four storeys in height, was entirely
constructed of 225mm brickwork clad on
the outside with cedar weather-boarding.
The roof was of simple itched
and gabled
construction and covered with red clay
pantiles having very deep overhanging
eaves which protected the wall surfaces
below from the wet winter weather. Joinery
to doors and windows was also in cedar but
of a harder and more durable variety than it
i s normal to use in the UK. None of the
woodwork was painted.
In spite of this property's repulsive
appearance a n d seemingly flimsy
construction, it had stood the rigours of the
last 120 years very well indeed and showed
no signs of any insect infestation, rot or
structural or settlement faults, in spite of the
fact that one side of the building was
literally in the water and the basement
contained a boat house from which one
could step comfortably directly into the
kitchen under cover.
The lesson from these examples is that
should one see a building constructed of
materials which are not indigenous to that
particular location and of a design which is
not traditional then one must begin to look
very seriously for potential defects.
Buildings of traditional construction using
local materials are very often the product of
up to 3 0 0 or 400 years of experience in
~erformanceof such designs and materials
for o particular locality. In such cases,
~ r a c t i c a feedback
l on performance has
probably been handed down over the
generations.
To take a few examples from this country:
Cornwall
In West Cornwall what appear to be solid
granite walls in large blocks often consist of
two thick slabs of granite laid on edge and
with a dry earth filling rammed down the
centre. Although the granite slabs may not
be more than 150mm thick, the total wall
thickness i s then ~ e r h a p supwards of
600mm which i s excellent both from a
thermal insulation point of view and for a
measure of protection from damp
penetration, but absolute hell if one wished
to make an opening in the woll as one
could easily be left with two granite skins
and no filling!
The roofs ore often of random "peggy"
slates which ore the cast-offs from the
Delabole or other local quarries, fixed with
oak pegs and over the years subsequently
covered with layers of cement slurry which
eventually causes the roof to become a
homogenous slab liable to crack in
inconvenient places and suddenly return to
earth, in whole or in part, but which is
extremely effective in preventing driving rain
from entering the roofing in these very
exposed areas.
In central Cornwall, the local stone which is
used, often unrendered, i s of a soft slatey
variety which i s often laid on the wrong
bed. In more than one property the writer
has been able to scoop stone out of the
surface of such walls with forefinger and
very often the only solution to prevent the
wall from disappearing altogether i s to
cover it with expanded metal, render and
roughcast - a favourite treatment for
decaying cob walls as well. The writer
recently noted that one wall which had been
given this treatment 4 0 years ago showed
no signs of any subsequent deterioration.
Devon
West Devon walls, particularly i n the
Plymouth area, are usually of local stone
(limestone in the case of Plymouth) which
has been rendered and painted externally.
These walls rely on the integrity of the
rendering and external ~aintworkfor their
weather-proofing qualities. Rising damp is
generally prevalent and if the building
happens to catch fire, the limestone i s
calcined and the load-bearing walls may
have to be demolished. Roofs are generally
of grey Delabole slating or similar, but laid
in even courses.
In East Devon, the traditional construction i s
cob and thatch. These cob walls vary in
width, sometimes being almost a metre thick
in ~ l a c e s . Such walls again rely on the
integrity of the external rendering as if this i s
allowed to crack or disintegrate then the
weather penetrates the cob which very soon
turns to mud. Be warned - some such walls
taper in thickness throughout their length!
Conversely, if one attempts to insert a damp
roof course of any kind into a cob wall,
there is a tendency for the cob to dry out
which means that one could be left in the
long term with a ~ i l eof dust rather than a
wall! Excellent from a thermal insulation
point of view, however, and curiously
enough, not much trouble from rising damp,
rot or other like ailments. The thatched roofs
seldom have gutters but have a generous
eaves overhang, the thatch slowing down
the "run-off" of rainwater and the eaves
overhang throwing it well clear of the cob
walls. One must not be alarmed by the
lumpy and out of plumb appearance of most
cob walls but beware of externol cracks.
Cob i s generally laid on o local stone plinth
up to 1 metre in height which usually
prevents rising domp problems but keeps the
cob in a cohesive state. The practice of
covering thatch with chicken wire should be
condemned since it hampers firemen in
tackling roof fires effectively.
Somerset
Somerset is the county of tiled roofs - usually
pantiles, double Roman tiles or the
"Bridgwater" interlocking variety. These are
sometimes replaced by concrete tiles of
various forms. Generally these are laid to a
reasonable pitch of around 40" and shed
the water very quickly but one must beware
of pantiled roofs. Very often these are not
underfelted, are ill-fitting and one can find
some alarming timber structures supporting
these Somerset roofs, very often heavily
infested with Anobium Punctatum.
Walls vary from local brick to local stone
and there are some particularly attractive
stones used such as Bath, Doulting and
Ham, all with rich colours but ohen rather
friable and with poor weathering qualities in
some cases. These stones are easily worked
and are very often used for the ornamental
dressings in some of the buildings, the more
local limestone random rubble being used
for the general walling with freestone
dressings to windows and door openings.
There is a particularly hard stone in South
Gloucestershire / North Somerset known as
"Pennant" which is often used for paving
slabs but can also be used for walling but
beware of internal wet spots in such cases
as some Pennant stone walls may be porous
in places, in spite of its hardness.
In General
One could ponder on traditional methods of
construction in various parts of the country
for a considerable time. For example, the
traditional Lancashire construction of solid
millstone walls with millstone flagged
pitched roofs; traditional Cheshire
construction of half-timbering with timber
lath and plaster infilling painted outside and
again flagged roofs; Berkshire and the
Home Counties, ohen hand-made brickwork
with solid brick walls a n d some half-
timbering with tiled roofs; Edinburgh with its
gaunt, begrimed stone buildings; Aberdeen
with its durable granite; North Wales with
its slate - the list is inexhaustible. Cumbria
has the very sensible system of constructing
slate stone walling with an outward slope to
all joints in the stonework.
Once again it must be stressed that the
surveyor should be very aware of traditional
materials a n d traditional methods of
construction for that particular locality in
which the survey is being carried out. This
awareness can only be obtained through
.experience. It is the surveyor's task to study
historical building methods perhaps more
than new forms of design and construction
as i t is more often thon not the older
properties which demand attention and on
which most time will be spent.
Conclusions
The surveyor should point out good points in
a property as well as the bad.
Remedial measures should be proposed for
defects a n d the immediate measures
required for emergency works identified
with a possible priority for future repairs.
An indicotion of costs at present-day prices
may also be useful.
The surveyor carrying out a building survey
shoulders a very heavy responsibility ond
any error can cost heavily both in terms of
reputation and damage to the professional
indemnity policy! Only describe what con
be actually seen. Take no one else's word
for anything and do not venture opinions -
stick to facts.
Remember that it i s often possible for o
purchaser to put a survey to a very
use by reducing the vendor's asking price.
Very often, the cost of necessary repairs to o
property,advertised as being in good
condition, can be deducted from the asking
price by negotiation.
In conclusion, remember that responsibility
for any defects which should have been
apparent at the time of the survey but which
were not detected by the surveyor is that of
the surveyor alone - not the vendor.
All this may lead the reader to believe that a
living which is largely dependent upon
b u i l d i n g surveys i s too hazardous to
contemplate. However, if one has a good
working knowledge of design o n d
construction, sticks to facts in the report,
ignores hearsay and does not venture too
many opinions, then building surveys con
help to make a rewarding career for the
surveyor. Every single building is different,
each has its own individual atmosphere and
character ond there i s no better woy of
appreciating the love and craftsmanship
which has over the years gone into so much
of our architectural heritage.
REFERENCES
1 CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY COUNCIL
(1997) Definitions of inspections and
surveys of buildings. RICS.
2 INSTITUTION OF STRUCTURAL
ENGINEERS (1991) Guide to surveys
and inspections of buildings and
similar structures.
3 HOLLIS,M A N D GIBSON,C ( 1 9 9 1 )
Surveying buildings. 3 r d ed.
Surveyors Publications.
4 STAVELEY, H.S. AND GLOVER, P (1990)
Building surveys. 2nd ed. Butterworth
Heinemann.