The installation of a clay tiled roof is far more complicated that it looks and requires the expertise of a specialist contractor. The tiles are often different sizes and will need to be sorted through and the different sizes established. Great care is also required for the finer detailing around dormers and valley gutters. The contractor in charge of this project in Reigate has neatly stacked the tiles on the roof ready for fitting, making the job a lot easier.

We noticed this whilst carrying out a HomeBuyer Survey for a Client nearby in Reigate.

During a Structural Appraisal Inspection in the Surbiton / Kingston area, we noted cracking to a block of flats located in a good residential area in Surbiton. A common inherent structural defect in 1960’s properties is cracking around window lintels. This occurs due to the dense concrete lintels having a different coefficient of linear expansion than the adjacent brickwork. For example, the concrete lintel hardly moves at all but the brickwork does. As a result, this causes characteristic cracks to develop. This commonly takes the form of stepped cracks and is often seen internally where the plasterwork is cracked.

We would recommend simple raking out of defective / cracked pointing and use of a flexible mortar.

During recent Full Building Surveys and Homebuyer Reports in Dorking and Holmwood in particular, we have especially noticed that concrete roof tiles can very easily lose their colour and become stained with age.  Significant build-up of moss is another issue which is not serious but if the moss develops to a high extent then much of it will fall into the gutters and can cause blockages. To prevent such blockages you should arrange for the roof to be cleaned by a specialist contractor, which can also involve the roof being checked by a reputable roofing contractor – all of which is good husbandry. Not only will it give you peace of mind as to the condition; it also improves the appearance of the property.

During a recent ISVA HomeSurvey Inspection of a property in Purley, there was noted to be considerable damage to a meter cupboard.

The damage to the brick structure was caused by a large tree adjacent to the structure. The brick structure is now beyond repair and completely unstable.

Whilst recently undertaking a Structural Appraisal Report on a block on flats in the Croydon area, we noted that around the boundary of the flats was a retaining wall. Retaining walls are usually designed to prevent soil on an unnatural slope falling.

Whether or not to erect a retaining wall will usually depend on the soil type. Usually, retaining walls are used in conjunction with softer soil such as clay. Here, the property is on sandstone and a retaining wall is not necessarily required.

Brian Gale Surveyors are pleased to be involved in Sport Relief which is a very worthy and worthwhile charity which raises money to help transform the lives of some of the poorest and most disadvantaged people both at home in the United Kingdom and across the world. Money raised will be spent by Comic Relief.

We were pleased to sponsor Patrick Moyle, our Building Surveyor, who undertook the swim-a-thon on Sunday 23^rd March and swam 5k / 200 lengths of his local pool.

On a recent Full Building Survey in South West London, whilst inspecting the roof structure we found that old baling twine had been used to strap together a broken purlin.

This had probably been intended as a temporary repair but clearly had been undertaken many years ago ( and then forgotten ). It was clear that more recently, further splitting of the timber purlin had occurred as the temporary twine had stretched – this had caused deflection of the purlin and adjacent rafters and resulted in surrounding damage to tiling.

Steel plates should have been bolted to both sides of the split purlin and the repair regularly inspected. Now there is more associated repair in the vicinity of the problem which could have been avoided.

Our experienced Chartered Building Surveyors are “tuned in” to finding these type of defects and giving the right advice to Clients before they buy – another reason why a pre-purchase Full Building Survey is a must when buying a property – be sure to get the experts in.

Recently we undertook a Full Building Survey in Chiswick, where the street scene was Edwardian high value houses.

On the public footpath there was a row of large London Plane Trees, which were quite close to the houses. The house we surveyed did not display any signs of structural movement that was recent or ongoing but it was clear that some of these properties had been affected structurally by the proximity of these trees in the past.

They appeared to have been pollarded by the Council in the last 10 years or so but were now starting to grow very large again. The houses are beginning to come “within the sphere of influence” again.

Before buying a house an assessment of the size, proximity and danger to drains and foundations of Council owned trees should be undertaken as it can sometimes take a long time to get the Council to react to the danger. We always report on this type of danger in undertaking Full Building Surveys for Clients.

We recently carried out a Full Building Survey on a property in Pollards Hill, Streatham. Whilst surveying, it was hard not to notice the poor state in which the windows were in, showing just how neglected this property had been. It is clear that the windows have never been protected, allowing moisture to penetrate the woodwork and in turn cause rotting and decay. In this instance, the entire window frame will need to be replaced – a far more costly and laborious job than treating the windows on a more routinely basis!

We have just recently carried out a Full Building Survey of a property which has a large number of fields which can be used for Equestrian use; however, the grazing on the land is limited by the fact that the fields and paddocks are a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The fields in the summer are home to a variety of orchids. Therefore, the fields cannot be ploughed, treated with weed killer or modern fertilisers used. This therefore, restricts the number of horses or amount of livestock which can be kept and the SSSI also relates to parts of the garden.

Therefore, when buying property especially in rural areas and not just down land, it is important that solicitors carry out all relevant checks and any conditions from English Nature or equivalent bodies are disclosed, otherwise enforcement action can be taken if the sites are damaged.