Structural Survey or not

[am2541]

Hi, We are mature first time buyers have lived eons in rented accommodation. However have now got our offer accepted on a property. Its an old build from 1950s around. We got a L3 Survey conducted and it identified two major issues amongst other issues

1. The Chimney stack is potentially not supported properly after removal of chimney breast.
2. There is an extension done, and there are some cracks present in the property which the surveyor thinks could be due to extension. The extension was also done about 20 years back and does not have the build regulation certificate. It was approved but the completion certificate or building reg are not there.

For above two issues the recommendation is now to get a structural survey done. My question - Is this the right approach ? and if yes show should pay for structural survey? Should we buy the property with the above two issues ? Should we look to get some discount on agreed price or the seller should get any issues identified by structural engineer rectified ? We are in a fix as we want to buy but dont want a money put which needs work to be done. Also we think this property is good for us for next 5-7 years and then we may need to downsize.

1. how is the chimney potentially not supported? Surely it is or it isn’t? Is the chimney shared with the neighbours? How big is it?
2. it’s very unlikely the council did not do the inspections. Ask the vendors to contact the council to see what records they have. What sort of cracks?

Is the issue with the chimney that they just can't see how it is supported without drilling holes or some such? And are just putting it on the report that they can't confirm either way, or do they have some reason to believe from what they've seen that there may be a likely issue there?

FWIW we've bought 30s and 50s houses which are usually pretty solid but have always had a structural survey done as a matter of course.

I would probably want to know more about the chimney situation and would be less fussed about the extension, they often crack because of settling. I once viewed a house and was told that due to a problem with the chimney we would have to spend £2K on it before a mortgage could be taken out. We didn't buy it thought, that was a lot of money to us in the mid nineties.

Get the structural survey done.

Below are some excrepts from survey report. We have also got the searches completed and there are no building regs certificate for extensions.

A large number of cracks, indications of progressive movement to the extension (a structural engineer is required).- Inadequate support for the removed chimney stack.- Poor construction standards evident to the extension, such as cracks, bulging walls and wrongly connected new drainage, creates an elevated risk of latent defects (and potentially significant future costs). Your initial enquiries should be with your legal adviser to confirm all necessary Building Regulations approvals are in place for extensions/alterations.

A load-bearing chimney breast has been removed from the lounge and bedroom. Cracking was
observed externally. There is inadequate support for the remaining structure in the roof. Adequate
support should now be installed to prevent the possibility of collapse. You should obtain a
structural engineer's specification for any necessary repairs, and a quote for works, as these are
likely to be expensive, potentially involving new a Rolled Steel Joist (RSJ) to the roof, or the
installation of gallow brackets. This work will require local authority Building Control approval. A
Party Wall Agreement will likely be required, which will also be costly

Get a structural survey done. Neither these would necessary put me off (depending on the cracks/settling/if the chimney is unsafe). Chimney might need support - get a quote and get it knocked off the price of the house.

Op, from a the report that house sounds like a nightmare money pit!!!

I always though rsj meant reinforced steel joist . That’s probably why im not a surveyor 🙂

Surveyors often recommend you get other specialists in to look at the electrics/roof/structure etc, generally just covering themselves in case an issue arises in the future. This extract you have shared, though, sounds far more serious. This isn’t arse-covering, this sounds like major structural issues. I’d walk away unless you think you stand a good chance of negotiating a reduced purchase price and are prepared for the upheaval of major repair work. And if you need a mortgage, check whether the lender will be prepared to lend against it before you incur any more costs.

I probably wouldn't buy this house - the extract from the report sounds far worse than anything you might expect from a survey on an older house. You may not even be able to get a mortgage on it because of the chimney issues.

Bulging wall = no thanks.
The chimney is shared with the neighours then? Cracking was seen externally? Where? If you are lucky, the neighbours will still have their chimney breasts, the party wall is solid, and you’ll be able to fit gallows brackets.
If you’re unlucky, the surveyor seems to be proposing steels, to be sat on new padstones set in the party wall and on top of the upstairs bedroom walls. Plus repair the chimney if it’s cracked.
I’d be more concerned that the extension was built by an amateur ( surprising how many builders think they can lay bricks! ).
It sounds like this house should be very heavily discounted, not just 10k cheaper than comparables.

From your first post I was about to say, sounds like standard surveyor arse-covering. However, from the second post, I'd say it sounds like time to walk away.

I'm reading that as not "potentially" not supported, but definitely not supported, and that has already caused damage. To be honest, after 20 years it doesn't really matter whether building regs are in place or not - what DOES matter is that a surveyor has identified multiple defects in the extension. It might all be fixable, and you might be able to negotiate a reduction, but it sounds like very significant works to be done and with no real limit on quite how big those works might be.

Given what has been found I might wonder what else is there to find?

I'd not bother with the structural survey unless you are prepared to buy the house and remedy the issues.

I'd walk away.

Bulging walls are a worry. Inadequate support for removal of chimney breast is serious as it can bring the house down.

This would not be the house for me. It may be for you, but you would need deep pockets to remedy this.

Thank you all for your inputs, we have asked the vendors to get structural survey done and remediate defects identified.
Lets see how it goes.