Major red flags in a Victorian terrace

[LawdAMercy]

Viewed a house which I live and views to die for. It has been a family home for 20 years and I guess the owners have not done much in that time.

Has a fairly modern fuse board but warning sticker about asbestos. Some of the rooms smell slightly musty, indoor walls look like they would need skimming at a minimum. There was an issue with a missing roof slate so might need a whole new roof.

if we bought it we would have to save and/or do DIY to slowly bring up to standard.

On the plus it’s big enough as a forever home.

What is the cost range (minimum-maximum) for these jobs?

Actually what I meant to ask was -
what are major red flags signalling serious/costly issues when it comes to damp/leaks/dodgy roofs?

I have quite a bit of experience in doing up victorian terraced houses so, here are my thoughts.

1. From the outside, can you see any sagging in the roof? That may mean the timber are warping and need work. In one of our houses we had to replace quite a few of the roof timbers.
2. Cracks in the walls - inside or outside - that look like lighten strikes / forks. The direction of a crack can be a good indicator of the cause and 'strikes' are often a sign of movement stress. Horizontal cracks outside, around doors and windows can be a sign of a lintel issue - you'll have to get those checked out.
3. Thoroughly check around a bay window (if it has one) for cracks. Bay windows often have shallower foundations than the house and are a known issue. These can be very easily sorted but will continue to move if it already is.
4. You'll probably have damp in a victorian terrace in some shape but if it is just musty that may be a lack of airing. Condensation damp is quite easily fixed - don't let that put you off.
5. Wood rot - is there any? It can be lethal and you absolutely have to stop it or it just keeps going. That is why some victorian houses have the wooden floor ripped out and replaced with concrete.
6. If there is asbestos, where it is / how much? An old extension roof isn't really that bog of a deal - just get a professional to deal with it as the first job. If you think there is a lot of it and it is really integrated into the house then I would have a think.

Am sure I could come up with lots more but that's a starter for 10!

Thanks @TaupePanda thats helpful.

No cracks or signs of movement/subsidence that I could see, and roof appears ok at first look.

How would I identify wood rot? I didn’t notice any rotting timber but wasn’t looking at joists/floor or whatever

I noticed there was a sticker warning for potential asbestos on the fuse board, but no idea about how extensive, would a surveyor pick that up or I’d need to get an asbestos survey done?

Asbestos you can get things tested yourself. You can take tiny samples whilst masked up and post them off for testing and seal the broken bit with duct tape. It isn't expensive, was about £20 per sample i think? As long as you aren't planning on major destruction, you probably don't need to worry too much. It tends to be in artex, occasionally in plasterboard but you can normally tell as it is really heavy and textured a bit like handmade paper, sometimes in old lino from the 70s. I suspect it might be in the board that the fusebox is attached to. If you take a pic I might be able to tell if it looks like stuff I have dealt with before.

Ta but I don’t have a photo so will have to stick to google for now.

just took a closer look on google maps and spotted some kind of pins in the chimney stack. Looks like it might need some attention?

Can't you just pay for a full survey - we can't do one for you!

Those metal bits in the chimney just look like an old aerial bracket. Can't see any massive holes in the pointing from that photo but chimney stacks can often be a source of damp. It's clearly not the original roof.

Best to get a survey. I would agree look for signs of subsidence.

Did you mean to link to a bra conversion chart?
OP - Just get a full survey done.

@TaupePanda is it possible to partially replace a roof, or is an all-or-nothing job? We are looking at 3 storey semidetached victorian and the survey has mentioned that the roof will need replacing during our period of ownership (rather vague but I assume it means in the next 5 years or so). It is making us think twice about going ahead!

It's definitely possible to partially replace a roof but it depends on the structure and the issue. I'd maybe get a builder to come look at it -- why do you need to replace? A few timbers and refelting is very different to peeling the roof and replacing everything. Tiles can be expensive so that can get costly, plus a 3 storey scaffold around the entire house will cost. Definitely get someone out to have a quick look

I think that sounds pretty OK tbh. Though do check the thickness of any external render - it should be fairly think and thicker render can indicate newer layers (that might be to cover something up).
Re wood rot, a surveyor will be able to recognise wood it no problem. If you have had water ingress - most likely from a roof leak - then get it thoroughly checked. It's totally fixable but you have to catch up as it essentially spreads.

If you need to save to do work then I wouldn’t even consider it. There’s always something that needs done asap.