Selling an old house - what would you do?

[Country Geek]

5 minutes ago, ProDave said:

I would love to know what happened there.  the "join" ends 2/3 of the way up. Above that the bricks are bonded across properly.  It's like a small building got extended to the side and over the top?

 

How do you know it's going to be an issue in surveys if there is no sign of movement?

 

Any attempt to cover it up would just be seen as trying to hide a fault.

Its an end of terrace of a row of 5 cottages that used to be farm outbuildings I think. 

 

I just know it was an issue last time round but I never got to the bottom of why there were issues. Nobody actually gave us the exact reason, I am only assuming it was this that flagged up.

 

I don't know where I'd be able to find the buildings full history ? Any ideas?

Edited November 23, 2020 by Country Geek

[Pete]

Search maps historically for your area, it may show up what it used to be like 

[ProDave]

Is that "join" within your property or on the boundary with next door?

 

Is that your front or back wall or end wall?  Just trying to visualise better.

[Country Geek]

Thats the end wall of a row of 5. Thats our wall not shared 

[joe90]

24 minutes ago, Country Geek said:

of 5 cottages that used to be farm outbuildings

there you go, altered/extended, proper join, unless there is evidence of movement it’s not a problem. Tell any buyer that!!! If you can find any history, buyers like that sort of thing.

Edited November 23, 2020 by joe90

[Ferdinand]

Is there another one on the other end of the terrace?

 

I would say it looks like a small terrace or barn that was extended for growth 150 years ago reusing the structure, and for some reason the bit on the end was removed afterwards. May have been a former house or some sort of barn. To make a road?

 

There may be foundations under that bit of the path / side track. The mortar came out over time and someone bodged it with goo.

 

IMO a surveyor should mention that as it is obvious.

 

F 

[Ferdinand]

Invent a Ripping Yarn about it ?.

 

[ProDave]

One thing that would smarten it up and to a small extend "hide" the obvious joint is paint the end wall white to match the front.

 

If the front is render, not just paint, then render the end wall would certainly hide the issues.

[Jilly]

How about trying a bit of soot to colour it like the rest of the pointing?

 

 

Edited November 24, 2020 by Jilly

[Dave Jones]

repoint the whole wall, wouldnt cost too much and it would blend it in.

[Country Geek]

43 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

Is there another one on the other end of the terrace?

 

I would say it looks like a small terrace or barn that was extended for growth 150 years ago reusing the structure, and for some reason the bit on the end was removed afterwards. May have been a former house or some sort of barn. To make a road?

 

There may be foundations under that bit of the path / side track. The mortar came out over time and someone bodged it with goo.

 

IMO a surveyor should mention that as it is obvious.

 

F 

The other end is rendered. 

 

31 minutes ago, ProDave said:

One thing that would smarten it up and to a small extend "hide" the obvious joint is paint the end wall white to match the front.

 

If the front is render, not just paint, then render the end wall would certainly hide the issues.

Yep, could do, big job though, and as I say its not really a buyer issue it's more mortgage lender surveyors. We had lots of interest last time round and not one person (buyer) noticed it. 

[Ferdinand]

19 minutes ago, Country Geek said:

The other end is rendered. 

 

Yep, could do, big job though, and as I say its not really a buyer issue it's more mortgage lender surveyors. We had lots of interest last time round and not one person (buyer) noticed it. 

 

In which case I would probably tidy up the joint (and perhaps apply some dust to the mortar ... think hidden tunnel entrances and Colditz ?), and have a clear explanation ready for when anyone asks. Including that piccie showing where the extra building used to be, plus any maps etc.

 

My usual source for old maps is https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/ there are others.

 

F

[joe90]

16 minutes ago, Country Geek said:

We had lots of interest last time round and not one person (buyer) noticed it. 

I rest my case m,lud.

[Ferdinand]

1 hour ago, joe90 said:

I rest my case m,lud.

 

So your audience to convince is surveyors.

[joe90]

4 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

 

So your audience to convince is surveyors.

if a surveyor says that’s a crack then yes I would challenge it, it’s obviously a join and no sign of settlement above or below that join. I have challenged surveyors before (and won). When selling my late parents house a surveyor made several assumptions that were plainly incorrect and when I presented my evidence they retracted their findings. 

[ProDave]

3 hours ago, Country Geek said:

The other end is rendered. 

 

Yep, could do, big job though, and as I say its not really a buyer issue it's more mortgage lender surveyors. We had lots of interest last time round and not one person (buyer) noticed it. 

Does that mean a sale fell through because a survey stopped someone getting a mortgage?

[ProDave]

1 hour ago, Ferdinand said:

 

So your audience to convince is surveyors.

Which repointing the joint will not do, that will just draw attention to it and make them suspicious.

 

The best thing for a surveyor is leave it alone so he can SEE the joint is old and there is no movement or cracking, and an explanation of how the building changed many years ago to leave a joint like that.

[Country Geek]

3 hours ago, Ferdinand said:

 

So your audience to convince is surveyors.

Correct

[Country Geek]

1 hour ago, ProDave said:

Does that mean a sale fell through because a survey stopped someone getting a mortgage?

Correct 

[Ferdinand]

Would an indemnity policy cover this?

Did you try offering one to the previous potential purchaser. I think it would work as the risk is insurable imo.

[Country Geek]

19 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

Would an indemnity policy cover this?

Did you try offering one to the previous potential purchaser. I think it would work as the risk is insurable imo.

How would I go about getting an indemnity policy? Who would issue it? 

[Ferdinand]

You ask your solicitor.

[TonyT]

i would repoint with lime mortar, to give a sympathetic repair to the existing building, it will make the building look very smart indeed, the lime has many benefits to period properties

[Ferdinand]

You now have lots of multiple-choice advice, and need to decide what to do ? . Best of luck with it all.

 

The centipede was happy quite

Until the frog in fun asked

"Pray,  which leg goes after which?"

She worked her mind to such a pitch

she lay distracted in a ditch

considering how to run.

 

[Country Geek]

37 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

You ask your solicitor.

Thanks, I always thought indemnity policies only covered building work with no building regs, not necessarily structural defects. Are all conveyancing solicitors much of a muchness or are there some specialists in older houses?