The most fun you can have wearing someone else's shoes!
Last night saw the sixth annual bowling grudge match between Woodward Estate Agents of Harrow on the Hill and Woodward Chartered Surveyors. For the first time the competition was tripartite, the two previous holders joined in no holds barred battle by a group of despots branded "Woodies Oddballs". more ....
Replacement windows can lead to failings in the wall above (see photo), if they are not properly specified. But let’s not rush to judge poor double glazing installers too quickly. In this case, a wooden casement window was replaced by a PVCu double glazed window. Read on .....
Can you tell whether you are buying a timber frame or brick house?
Many modern timber frame houses have brick outer skins that make it very difficult for the untrained eye to tell the difference. This skin is not load bearing, but is the protective jacket for the inner timber frame. Other finishes on older timber frame homes, such as panels of wattle and daub, clap board or tile hanging tend to show all or part of the timber frame. ... more ...
Do I need consent to remove my chimney breast?
You may or may not need planning consent, depending on whether your home is listed or in a conservation area, and how much of the chimney you want to remove.
As chartered surveyors in London, we see many properties where only part of the chimney breast has been removed, for instance just ther ground floor, or up to the loft. read on ...
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!
Audi Partem Alteram (Hear the other side)
Around one thousand six hundred years ago, St Augustine spent time talking about how we interact with neighbours and disputes. This principle of a fair hearing has passed into natural justice. It is also the lead principle for Party Wall Surveyors. The Party Wall etc Act 1996 was created so that a neighbour affected by building works would be heard.
Yes, we are at it again, starting the search to recruit more of the very best Chartered Surveyors for our clients. We offer £500 to anyone who directly introduces us to a successful candidate, so it might be worth asking around!
Our Surveyors see a lot of strange things when doing Building Surveys for home buyers, but look at the photo and wonder how on earth did the builder manage this?
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.
Woodward Chartered Surveyors invite all their customers who book and pay for their survey on line (we are one of the few surveyors to take credit card payments) to provide feedback on all aspects of their exerience.
Rising damp – does it exist?
In a recent case review Stephen Cornish MA BSc FRICS FFPWS challenged the conventional reporting style of surveyors and asked the question “Does rising damp actually exist?”.
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.