Surveyors Birmingham Logo

0121 607 8165

steve@buildingsurvey.co.uk

Suite 2A, Blackthorn House, St Pauls Square, Birmingham, B3 1RL
 
8.30am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday 

      Building Surveyors - Fees     

Homebuyers Surveyors - Fees 

RICS Valuation Surveyors 

   Boundary Surveyors  

Experience 

Expert Reports

Contact

 

Surveyors in Birmingham for Independent House and Residential Property Surveys

Birmingham Chartered Surveyors for RICS Homebuyers Reports Structural and Building Surveys

Steve Butler Chartered Surveyors and Valuers are independent RICS Surveyors with offices in Birmingham and the West Midlands. Our Birmingham Surveyors provide full RICS Building and Structural Surveys, Homebuyers Survey Reports and Property Valuations, including Help to Buy Valuations, of houses and residential property in the Birmingham area and West Midlands.

Steve Butler Chartered Surveyors Birmingham are members of the The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors which is an independent professional body established by Royal Charter. Since 1868 the RICS has been setting and upholding the highest standards of excellence and integrity. It is the world's leading professional body for surveyors.

Photographs from a surveyors report on a 1950' Birmingham Property

Front of a bungalowPatched roof repairMetal framed windowWet roof strcutureMissing insulation

Our Birmingham Surveyors noted the thin roof and sides of the dormer are likely to have limited if any insulation. The surveyors report suggested that improvement of these areas might be difficult.

Our RICS surveyors noted extensive moss growth which is often an indicator that there is no insulation in the roof. The Structural Survey report advised that the moss will block rainwater goods and impede water flow off the roof. Our surveyors noted that a downpipe blocked probably due to moss catching in the bend.

The structural survey report noted that blanket insulation had been stuffed into the angled roof voids. Our Birmingham Surveyors recommended the whole void should be insulated with ridged insulation that will allow air to flow over and remove condensation

The back of the roof void partitions had no insulation. Our surveyors considered that this was relatively easy and inexpensive to rectify.

Damp skirting board rotting were noted during the full structural survey. Our RICS surveyors thought that the damp was caused by a poor juncture of the floor and wall and easy to rectify.

 

Report from a RICS Homebuyers Survey of a property near Birmingham

Old buildingDry rot decayDangerous boilerBeetle infestationBlocked coal drop

The problems in found in this Birmingham building survey were all caused by the blocking up of a former coal drop and a lack of any other underfloor vents. Without good ventilation cellars become damp. Still air also encourages dry rot which had infested a timber door frame. The problem with dry rot is that it can travel from a source of moisture to other parts of the building which are dry, and if disturbed the fruits can expel millions of spores. The cellar also had a small plant growing on the wall which is probably wet rot. Beetles also like damp timber. Dust from their boring has been trapped by the cobwebs. The cellar also contained an open flued boiler which in an unventilated cellar would cause an extreme danger of carbon monoxide poisoning

 

Birmingham surveyors building survey and report on a 1910 semi detached house

Front of 1910 houseDamaged plasterWater leakDamp damaged plasterOld garden wall

This property has been constructed with a shared side path and side doors to reduce plot width saving land costs. The walls are solid and will be cold.

The property also has an angled ceiling in the annex again to reduce the expense of constructing full room height walls. The angle is unlikely to be insulated and will be cold and prone to condensation. It may be possible to push rigid insulation down from the roof void. Stuffing soft insulation into the angles should be avoided as it prevents ventilation encouraging condensation.

Our Birmingham property surveyors were unconcerned by a solider arch that had dropped as it was probably due to historic foundation movement and as the bricks drop they jamb tightly together thus repairing the arch.

Our property surveyors were much more concerned by a leaking downpipe as the water can easily soak through the solid walls. Large escapes of water can trigger dry rot decay.

Our property surveyors were also alerted by a missing chimney breast. Most pre WWII reception rooms have a chimney breast. The lack of one in this room may be indicated to our property surveyors that the first floor attic chimney breast is no longer supported.

 

RICS CPR35 Expert Witness Surveyors Reports for Court

Steve Butler has completed the RICS Expert Witness Training Certificate to ensure that my expert reports for Boundaries, Rights of Way, Property Valuations, Negligent Surveys and Workmanship Disputes continue to be of the highest standard.

The thirty hour course includes Agreeing the Terms of Engagement, Managing the Appointment, Expert Meetings, Effective Report Writing and the all important Witness Box. As part of the course an expert report was prepared for cross examination in the witness box by a leading barrister.

 

RICS Chartered Surveyors Expert Witness CPR 35 compliant Report for Birmingham County Court

An OrangeryPoorly laid blocksUndermined foundationChannels in concrete floorTimber frame and wall

This Birmingham RICS Surveyors Expert Witness report report related to an extension with lantern roof that had been constructed in the place of a relocated conservatory The relocated conservatory was at high risk of fracturing as no ground preparation had been undertaken before pouring the concrete foundations.  The extension floor has been laid at the wrong level and had a slope in it as it approached the existing house. The slope has created a dam that filled up whist the extension roof had yet to be constructed causing a pond of water to distort the existing dwellings door.  It appears that the installation of the underfloor heating elements had been forgotten when pouring the floor as channels had been retrospectively cut out to house them. Unfortunately, the channels bared no relationship to any underfloor heating elements on the market and made no provision for insulation to stop heat loss to the ground. The channels would also have resulted in the heating elements being too widely spaced. The roof structure had not been bolted together properly and steel lintels were sitting on out of plumb bearings which are likely to cause the bearing to try and rotate. A bock wall rocked when pushed with a hand. Our RICS Expert Surveyor thought that the extension would have to be demolished.

 

RICS Surveyors for Valuations including Help to Buy Valuations Birmingham

Our RICS surveyors undertake residential property valuations for all types of purpose such as matrimonial disputes, probate and insolvency. We are fully familiar with the requirements for Help to Buy Valuations

 

 

RICS CHARTERED SURVEYORS BIRMINGHAM

Birmingham Surveyors for RICS Homebuyers Surveys and Reports, Structural Surveys and Building Surveys

INDEPENDENT CHARTERED SURVEYORS - BIRMINGHAM WEST MIDLANDS

 

For cheap Homebuyers Survey Fees in Nottingham try Steve Butler Nottingham Chartered Surveyors

RICS Chartered Surveyors in Sheffield  - RICS Chartered Surveyors in Leicester  -  RICS Chartered Surveyors in Wolverhampton  -  RICS Chartered Surveyors in Birmingham  -  RICS Chartered Surveyos in Stoke on Trent

RICS Building Surveyors in Sheffield  -  RICS Building Surveyors in Leicester  -  RICS Building Surveyors in Wolverhampton  -  RICS Building Surveyors in Birmingham  -  RICS Building Surveyors in Stoke

www.chartered-surveyor-sheffield.co.uk  -  www.buildingsurvey.co.uk  -  www.chartered-surveyor-wolverhampton.co.uk  -  www.chartered-surveyor-birmingham.co.uk  -  www.building-surveyor-stoke.co.uk

 

 

Building and Homebuyers Surveys in Oldbury Redditch by Birmingham RICS Chartered Surveyors