Structural Inspections

With domestic surveys, some purchasers only have a valuation carried out by the lending body. This is often very basic and tends to only pick up major issues but has minimal cost. If more information is required then a Chartered Surveyor can be commissioned to carry out either a Home Condition Report, a Homebuyer’s Report or an RICS Building Survey and this is normally carried out first.

If the report identifies problems such as cracking or distortion, this should be referred to a specialist Chartered Structural Engineer. The Engineer will then do a more detailed technical report, identifying the structural issues and often the remedial action required. In some cases, the surveyor reports on structural matters and gives an opinion on the problem and this can cause issues as these matters are often outside of his direct expertise and he may give inaccurate recommendations. If any structural issues are identified, it is best to get a report from a Chartered Structural Engineer who is qualified to report on these matters.

DFP have an extensive knowledge of structural inspections and appraisals for both residential and commercial properties.

Residential reports are tailored to satisfy all the criteria set out by mortgage companies and other lenders. Commercial appraisals can be undertaken as part of the ‘due diligence’ process of acquisition of property portfolios. They can also include advice on future conversions or proposed uses.

When an inspection is required as part of a house sale or purchase we can offer you a fast service and can often help the sale/purchase proceed by explaining any problems in simple terms and outlining the issues and options. These reports can be issued electronically so you can easily pass them on to insurers or other third parties. It is often helpful to be able to talk to both the vendor and purchaser to explain any problems and provide reassurance to help matters proceed.

The main areas that our engineers report covers are:

• The house location and surroundings for any structural risks such as vegetation near to a property in a clay subsoil location.
• Any cracking or distortions to the walls or roof.
• Any evidence of repairs having been made.
• Are lintels fitted incorrectly or issues after window replacement.
• Internal movements or distortions.
• Distortions to doors and windows.
• Excessive deflections or movements to the floors.
• Have chimney breasts been removed and is the remaining chimney adequately supported.
• Have walls been removed and if so is the support adequate.
• Form of roof structure and whether there are any distortions.
• Has the roof covering been changed and is the roof structure adequate for the extra load.

The main difference between our reports and the RICS report is we look at the bigger issues that can be expensive to rectify. We do not report on minor matters such as the condition of gutters or windows unless the problems are affecting the structural integrity of the building.

Residential Surveys

Fixed Price Surveys

Our structural reports for the domestic market are generally carried out as Fixed Price Surveys. The price (which includes VAT) covers properties with up to 4 bedrooms, built using traditional materials and usually no more 100 years old. If your property is different to this please contact us on 01582 70800 or click here to send an email now. In many cases, even if your property is outside the normal criteria, we are able to keep to the fixed price.

When carrying out the inspection and writing the report we try, where possible, not to leave any questions unanswered. If a problem with subsidence is found you can take advantage of our considerable experience in both dealing with the problem and helping people to understand the issues.

Subsidence Surveys

If when we are carrying out our fixed price survey, the property is identified as having a probable subsidence problem, we can give some very basic guidance within our fixed price report but normally recommend preparing a more detailed report which incurs an extra cost. For the reason behind this please see the section on subsidence.

Surveys of Listed or Historic Buildings

Listed or Historic Buildings require the same considerations as any other building, but normally require further considerations due to the age of the structure and the form of construction.

Typically, within the scope of our structural survey, we can give guidance on the overall condition of the building and identify main defects, but most times it is not possible to identify all the issues with historic buildings as these defects can only be identified with intrusive investigations, which are outside of the scope of our initial reports. With our experience of these buildings, however, we can generally advise whether this further investigation is needed.

Non-Traditional House Inspections

Non-traditional houses are houses built using steel frames, concrete precast panels or cast insitu concrete. Many of these have known types such as Trusteel Mk II, BISF, Wimpey No-Fines and similar. These often require a different inspection approach.

With the steel frame houses we normally need to have a builder on site at the time of the inspection to open up the walls so the frame can be inspected. Typically we require a hole about 75mm square to be made, close to the base of the wall, on the line of a steel frame. The cost of the our inspection is often the same as for a conventional house but obviously there is an additional cost for the builder to open up and make good afterwards. We have tried using an endoscope to inspect the steel frame through a less intrusive hole but the restricted view you get is rarely adequate to give a definitive answer and it is also very hard to determine the difference between rust and dirt/debris on the frame. If there is any rust on the frame then this fails the inspection, so a misdiagnosis between rust and dirt can have a large consequence.

With concrete houses we can carry out a visual inspection, but these can suffer from decay of the concrete and this requires specialist testing if a definitive answer is required. Within our visual inspection we can advise whether this additional investigation is considered necessary and advise on a specialist to do the further investigations.

Surveying structures for damage or defects

Inspection of any dangerous structures, or properties that have been damaged by fires or vehicle impact normally demands a quick response and recommendations for urgent remedial work. We can provide this service including out of hours response in special circumstances.

Commercial Properties

Commercial and industrial buildings are rarely straightforward so you should phone us and speak to an engineer. Depending on the situation, the reports can include desktop studies, historic mapping, previous site uses, potential issues from flood, subsidence, or mining activities and assessment of ground conditions.

On existing buildings and structures, we can advise you on load capacities, repairs and reinstatement, changes of use, and structural changes. Sometimes this is a two-stage operation starting with an initial inspection. This usually highlights areas that need further investigation, often following some “opening up” i.e. looking within the actual fabric of the building.

We also carry out inspections to consider the implications of any proposed change of use which may affect the structure.