Retaining Wall

[Stephg]

Hi.  I am new to this forum.  My husband and I are interested in purchasing an old property that has been fully renovated inside.  However, in the back garden there is a large retaining wall with reinforcements.  Here's the link for the house https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-83083451.html .  We are in love with the area and the house.  There is a large garden opposite which we would enjoy working on.  Our only worry is this back wall.  We will obviously have a full structural survey for peace of mind but we're looking for advice before we put in an offer.  Does it look good or should we be concerned?  Any advice would be appreciated!!  I have attached an additional picture taken from the left side so you can see just behind.  The stone wall right at the back of the image is the boundary wall of a house further up behind us on the mountain.

[Conor]

Nice location.

 

Looks ok to me at a glance. Looks like block work construction?  What height is is at its highest? Are there any obvious cracks in it? Signs of water penetration? If it's not adequately drained at the back and protected from water ingress, water can cause damage over time. Would be stoned behind and ideally a damp proof membrane behind the wall of it's block construction.

 

Should also enquire as to owns it... Does is belong the the property or shared with the bounding land?

[joe90]

I would simply ask the agent fir any paperwork related to that wall (if it exists!), re, Structural engineers design, sign off, if not a house structural survey should cover it. Or If it ain’t got no cracks and been there a while ?‍♂️.

[Stephg]

Thanks for the advice.  I haven't measured the wall but I would guess about 12 feet in the centre?  There are no cracks at all and the base has lots of drainage holes.  We've been told by neighbours that a builder with a really good reputation renovated the house for his mother so I'm assuming he did it well.  It's been there for at least ten years as isn't showing any signs of stress that I can see (but I have only googled what to look for!).  No cracks, signs of water leaking anywhere or bulging etc.  It is on the deeds as being our boundary wall if we purchase.  We did ask the agent about it and he didn't say he had any information on it.  I agree joe90, wouldn't buy without an in-depth structural survey.

[joe90]

48 minutes ago, Stephg said:

I agree joe90, wouldn't buy without an in-depth structural survey.

a note of caution, my mate bought a bungalow recently and had a full survey, only a few minor things mentioned, however when the removal chap entered carrying a heavy bed, he went straight through the floor!!! Turns out the whole ground floor had extensive woodworm and he has had to replace the whole ground floor, joists included. Tried to make a claim against the surveyor but their “get out clause” is they are not allowed to lift carpets ?........ buyers beware, surveys are not all they are cracked up to be (I have never had a survey, but I was a builder ).

[Stephg]

I would be fuming!  That's good to know actually.  Maybe we should get my brother-in-law to take a look around as well.  He's a builder so might see things we haven't noticed.  Thanks again.

[Conor]

Yep, that's the thing with a home buyer's or structural survey... they are completely non-invasive. The guy that surveyed our purchase didn't even go in to the attic as there were no floor board. Luckily what wood worm was there was mostly around the loft hatch so was picked up and got us a couple £k off. along with a drainage problem and rotten fascias. So if something doesn't present at the surface, it may be missed.

[joe90]

When we sold my parents house after they passed away a buyers surveyor made a lot of assumptions that just were not true. Biggest was he said the chimney breast in the front room had been removed (not true) with no support for the chimney breast above  (wardrobes had been built either side of the chimney breast) if he had only opened the doors To the wardrobe he could see the wardrobes were deeper than that between them, unbelievable.

Edited July 14, 2020 by joe90

[Ferdinand]

2 hours ago, joe90 said:

a note of caution, my mate bought a bungalow recently and had a full survey, only a few minor things mentioned, however when the removal chap entered carrying a heavy bed, he went straight through the floor!!! Turns out the whole ground floor had extensive woodworm and he has had to replace the whole ground floor, joists included. Tried to make a claim against the surveyor but their “get out clause” is they are not allowed to lift carpets ?........ buyers beware, surveys are not all they are cracked up to be (I have never had a survey, but I was a builder ).

 

Presumably the next time the chap buys one he will have jumped up and down on all the floors.

[Mr Punter]

The wall looks fine from the photo.  If it is reasonably upright or leaning back into the hill and it does not have any bulges or cracks there should be no issue.  Lovely views.  My main concerns would be traffic noise and having to cross the road to get to the garden.

 

[joe90]

12 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

 

Presumably the next time the chap buys one he will have jumped up and down on all the floors.

funnily enough he did and noticed a “slight bounce”. Where the removal bloke went through the floor was where the old ladies bed was which was the worst spot (plus the removal guy was a lot bigger than my mate ( 9 stone soaking wet!).