Chartered Surveyor Daniel Stephens was told the owner of this house had spent a fortune having a new roof on their house in West London, but look at the bit the builder didn't do, leaving cracks in the cement parapet, now proudly promoting plant growth. It is not ment to be a Green Roof!
When a Chartered Surveyor (member of the RICS) inspects a property for a home buyer, maybe a Building Survey (sometimes referred to as a Full Structural Survey) or a House Purchase Survey, one of the many possible defects the surveyor is on the hunt for is any signs of rot in timbers, for instance those that hold up the floors, staircases or roof.
Rot causes wood timbers to lose their structural integrity, that is their ability to carry the load placed upon them, when supporting the floor or roof.
Surveyors need to be well versed in the different types of space and water heating systems, up to date with modern trends, and advise their customers how this will impact their home ownership. Chartered Surveyor Daniel Stephens reports on the return of the Communal Heating System.
I recently completed a snagging inspection at a new build apartment in Hackney, London, E8, which had a central communal heating system. Unlike the old pre-war communal heating systems, this modern system comprises a central gas fired boiler, which pumps hot water to each property, via very well insulated pipework.
More Home Buyer advice from Woodward Chartered Surveyors
When completing a Building Survey (particularly a Flat Purchase Survey) for our customers, one of the many things our Chartered Surveyors look out for is where the gas flue (the pipe that carries exhaust gases from a gas boiler) is situated.