Survey's back. How much do you expect to have to do when you buy a house?

[chicaguapa]

Our survey report has arrived and it has a few things that will cost to put right. This isn't everything, just what we'd need to do fairly soon after moving in.

Deteriorated flashings need replacing and check to see if timbers have rotted behind
Rotten, mouldy soffits and fascias need replacing and check to see if timbers have rotted behind
The double glazed kitchen door doesn't close properly and has a draft
Bathroom window seal has gone and needs replacing
Needs updated fuse box as the current one dates back to early 80s

How much of that should we just accept as being part of the costs of buying a house and what should we go back to the seller with? They know about the flashings already so are expecting to negotiate on that.

Or should I get some quotes first and then we decide what's acceptable for us to pay?

The soffits sounds like it's a big job, the fuse box might be if it needs rewiring through the house - not if its just a straight replacement.

I wouldn't bother mentioning the seals and draught stuff if it was me.

Hmmm, I remember when we were warned about problems with soffits when we bought our house (built 1974, bought 2002). There was all sorts of stuff about needing to replace rotting timbers with new treated ones.

We bought the house (it was a good buy for the area) anyway without asking for any reduction. Soffits needed repainting but that was it.

In November we had the fascias, guttering and soffits completely replaced as part of other building work. The contractor said that it was unusual to replace ones that weren't rotten and were in good condition.

It will be 400 for a condition report on the electrics. I don't feel like I want to spend that on top of the 600 we paid for the survey! The EA says the survey always says that about the electrics so they can cover themselves, but I don't know where that leaves buildings insurance cover if we don't get the report done?

I've requested some quotes from a couple of builders for the other work and will see what they say.

On the one hand we're not expecting to move in and spend nothing on the house, but on the other we don't want 1,000s of bills either!

I don't know about this kind of stuff but just came on to give my experience. Our survey came back mentioning similar kinds of things, however we had another survey done after we bought the house in order to get quotes for the work.... and most of the things mentioned in the original survey were actually fine, and neither survey caught the leak in the roof! We successfully asked the sellers for 10k off the asking price, this was before we had the 2nd survey done obviously, and used the freed up money to update the house. So in my experience the answer to your question is who knows. You do your best to get as much info as possible. We did update the electric box though!

if you are to change the fuse box for a box of breakers, the electrician will need to do a full condition report/inspection anyway. He's not allowed to replace the box without doing it.

The insurance question is interesting but houses with fuses are not uninsurable, no-one even asks. I live in one such, we're not replacing it as the rest of the wiring is fine. Be aware that you shouldn't use any outside sockets that don't have RCD protection.

'blown' double glazing will be under £200 odd to replace, hopefully a lot less. Expect all the others to go eventually - how old is the glazing?

a door that doesn't shut properly is an obvious security issue - another few hundred maybe.

where am I going with this? Get a quote for the soffits which will be the big one, stick on a bit more for the others and negotiate accordingly.

When we bought our house (built 1870) nearly 16 years ago we were told that the roof needed redoing in the next year. 15 years later we had it redone - not because it needed it urgently, but because we were extending and it seemed a good time.

Plus, our back garden was going to slip in to the garden behind...that hasn't happened. Loads of other things which I can't remember.

Soffits & facias are circa £50-£80 per metre plus scaffolding costs so agree you should budget for a few thousand. I wouldn't say it's an urgent job although they may be unslightly but are likely to last a while longer