Buying a House - Structural Survey or Engineer's Report

hadoken13

Hi,

We have just had an offer on a house accepted and are unsure as whether to get a Structural survey or Engineer's report.

The house is approximately 1600 sq feet, detached, connected to public waste (so no septic tank), B3 BER Rating.

I have a friend who has lived in the estate since they were built and he has had no problems so far. The house appears, on a quick walk through, to be in great condition.

What would people on here recommend?

We are getting a few quotes on Engineer's reports ranging from €250 - €600. What would be a reasonable price?

For Structural survey's what kind of cost are we looking at for these?

Thanks

godtabh

How old is the house?

kkelliher

hadoken13 wrote: »

Hi,

We have just had an offer on a house accepted and are unsure as whether to get a Structural survey or Engineer's report.

The house is approximately 1600 sq feet, detached, connected to public waste (so no septic tank), B3 BER Rating.

I have a friend who has lived in the estate since they were built and he has had no problems so far. The house appears, on a quick walk through, to be in great condition.

What would people on here recommend?

We are getting a few quotes on Engineer's reports ranging from €250 - €600. What would be a reasonable price?

For Structural survey's what kind of cost are we looking at for these?

Thanks

I am struggling to see the difference between structural survey and an engineers report?

The only reports that are available are a mortgage valuation (for bank mortgage purposes) and a structural report. I cant see what other report you could get that would be of any benefit if not one of the two noted. Costs for reports are less than €200 for the mortgage and anywhere from €300-500 for the structural.

hadoken13

godtabh wrote: »

How old is the house?

I think between 10 - 12 years.

kkelliher wrote: »

I am struggling to see the difference between structural survey and an engineers report?

The only reports that are available are a mortgage valuation (for bank mortgage purposes) and a structural report. I cant see what other report you could get that would be of any benefit if not one of the two noted. Costs for reports are less than €200 for the mortgage and anywhere from €300-500 for the structural.

That's what I thought but they are different according to http://www.structuralsurvey.org/:

Mortgage Valuation Report. A building surveyor will visit the property and carry out a very basic inspection to ensure that the property is in reasonable condition, and worth the purchase price. This is the cheapest type of survey, and it will not highlight any defects which aren’t immediately obvious. For example, building surveyors would spot any tiles that are missing from the roof, but would not generally test for damp problems.

Homebuyers Survey.This is a mid-level survey which is more in-depth than a Mortgage Valuation Report, but not as comprehensive as a complete structural survey. When a firm of chartered surveyors carries out a Homebuyers survey, they will make an overall assessment of the condition of the property. In addition, they will also report any problems which may require urgent attention or repairs.
Once the survey has been completed, you’ll receive a comprehensive report which includes an approximate calculation of the rebuilding costs of the property. This report will also highlight any problems which have been discovered which could affect the value of the property in the future.

Structural Survey. A full structural survey is the most comprehensive type of building surveys. A firm of structural engineers will carry out a detailed structural survey of the property from top to bottom. In this structural inspection, they will look at all aspects of the building structure (for example: the types of materials used, the condition of the roof, the state of the foundations and the integrity of the walls)
When carrying out a structural survey, structural surveyors will actively search for potential problems and building defects – even if they are not immediately obvious! Once the survey has been completed, you’ll receive a detailed structural survey report which will identify any problems found.

They also point to the reasons behind getting a structural survey and it looks like we wouldn't need to get one done:

But you should always consider having a structural survey done if:

• The building obviously needs structural work (i.e. if it’s in a dilapidated or run-down state)
• The property is of unusual construction (e.g. it’s thatched or timber framed)
• The building is more than three stories in height
• The property is over 50 years old
• You intend carrying out major alterations (e.g. converting or adding an extension to the property)
• The property is expensive

bee06

I think you'd need both the mortgage valuation and the structural survey. The mortgage valuation will basically satisfy the bank that the property is worth what you are paying for it. The structural survey will make sure there are no major problems with the property that will end up costing you money down the line. I got both when I bought.

hadoken13

bee06 wrote: »

I think you'd need both the mortgage valuation and the structural survey. The mortgage valuation will basically satisfy the bank that the property is worth what you are paying for it. The structural survey will make sure there are no major problems with the property that will end up costing you money down the line. I got both when I bought.

Did you get an actual structural survey or an engineer's report (as outlined by the Homebuyers survey I mentioned above)? Some surveyors class an engineer's report/pre-purchase report as a structural report.

How much was the report?

bee06

hadoken13 wrote: »

Did you get an actual structural survey or an engineer's report (as outlined by the Homebuyers survey I mentioned above)? Some surveyors class an engineer's report/pre-purchase report as a structural report.

How much was the report?

It was a structural survey. Can't remember how much it cost though.

kkelliher

hadoken13 wrote: »

I think between 10 - 12 years.



That's what I thought but they are different according to http://www.structuralsurvey.org/:

Mortgage Valuation Report. A building surveyor will visit the property and carry out a very basic inspection to ensure that the property is in reasonable condition, and worth the purchase price. This is the cheapest type of survey, and it will not highlight any defects which aren’t immediately obvious. For example, building surveyors would spot any tiles that are missing from the roof, but would not generally test for damp problems.

Homebuyers Survey.This is a mid-level survey which is more in-depth than a Mortgage Valuation Report, but not as comprehensive as a complete structural survey. When a firm of chartered surveyors carries out a Homebuyers survey, they will make an overall assessment of the condition of the property. In addition, they will also report any problems which may require urgent attention or repairs.
Once the survey has been completed, you’ll receive a comprehensive report which includes an approximate calculation of the rebuilding costs of the property. This report will also highlight any problems which have been discovered which could affect the value of the property in the future.

Structural Survey. A full structural survey is the most comprehensive type of building surveys. A firm of structural engineers will carry out a detailed structural survey of the property from top to bottom. In this structural inspection, they will look at all aspects of the building structure (for example: the types of materials used, the condition of the roof, the state of the foundations and the integrity of the walls)
When carrying out a structural survey, structural surveyors will actively search for potential problems and building defects – even if they are not immediately obvious! Once the survey has been completed, you’ll receive a detailed structural survey report which will identify any problems found.

They also point to the reasons behind getting a structural survey and it looks like we wouldn't need to get one done:

But you should always consider having a structural survey done if:

• The building obviously needs structural work (i.e. if it’s in a dilapidated or run-down state)
• The property is of unusual construction (e.g. it’s thatched or timber framed)
• The building is more than three stories in height
• The property is over 50 years old
• You intend carrying out major alterations (e.g. converting or adding an extension to the property)
• The property is expensive

Thats an english website. There are only 2 in ireland that i have ever seen and the middle one has little value as a report anyway.

If you need to get a mortage valuation done get them to do both but make sure they are on your banks approved panel

hadoken13

kkelliher wrote: »

Thats an english website. There are only 2 in ireland that i have ever seen and the middle one has little value as a report anyway.

If you need to get a mortage valuation done get them to do both but make sure they are on your banks approved panel

The mortgage valuation report will be carried out by the bank, so we are going to get the other report done by someone we hire.

In relation to the middle report mentioned earlier, these are the details that nearly all surveyors outline when we ask them for a quote - none of them have so far mentioned details in the structural report i.e. the types of materials used, the condition of the roof, the state of the foundations and the integrity of the walls.

So I am going on the assumptions that a) they don't carry out a full structural report or b) they think a full structural report is the middle report mentioned above. And we got quotes from more than 5 engineers.

kkelliher

hadoken13 wrote: »

The mortgage valuation report will be carried out by the bank, so we are going to get the other report done by someone we hire.

It will be carried out by a bank appointee but you will be paying for it. You are free to have it carried out yourself once the surveyor is on your banks approved panel and if there is an eingineer / surveyor on the panel why not get him to do both and save yourself some money in the process.

hadoken13

kkelliher wrote: »

It will be carried out by a bank appointee but you will be paying for it. You are free to have it carried out yourself once the surveyor is on your banks approved panel and if there is an eingineer / surveyor on the panel why not get him to do both and save yourself some money in the process.

We are meeting with the bank next week so we will ask them. Thanks.

reamann

Just so that you are aware, an engineer is not covered under their PI Insurance to carry out bank valuations ( in terms of purchase cost ie. value for money )in terms of a structural report v's an engineers report - it comes down to what a professional is going to take responsibility for, an engineers report is based on a visual survey, a structural report is more detailed thus they assume more liability therefore it generally costs more. I would also advise that you attend at the time of property survey, you will get a good appreciation of any issues or discuss possible changes you may want to make.

Also make sure that your title boundary is checked vs the title deed map, this is a common issue and sometimes overlooked.

Remember you get what you pay for.

hadoken13

reamann wrote: »

Just so that you are aware, an engineer is not covered under their PI Insurance to carry out bank valuations ( in terms of purchase cost ie. value for money )in terms of a structural report v's an engineers report - it comes down to what a professional is going to take responsibility for, an engineers report is based on a visual survey, a structural report is more detailed thus they assume more liability therefore it generally costs more. I would also advise that you attend at the time of property survey, you will get a good appreciation of any issues or discuss possible changes you may want to make.

Also make sure that your title boundary is checked vs the title deed map, this is a common issue and sometimes overlooked.

Remember you get what you pay for.

According to kkelliher above he says there is no difference between an engineers report and structural report - when I was under the assumption they are two different reports. But that is what I have been saying all along, some surveyors in this country pass off an engineer's report as a structural report when in fact they are different.

reamann

Well i would say a structural report would be more comprehensive. It will depend on the professional employed and what way they taylor a report and the area of expertise and the quality of the job they do.

My reports will be more Structurally / function orientated as i`m a structural engineer and being honest i wont be the best on the cosmetic issue`s ( marks on the wall, etc, etc ). As i would be of the opinion that the house should be functional and that any minor / cosmetic issue should be expected where a person is purchasing a 2nd hand house.

As for snag list`s - dont do them - i would be of the view if a person can`t see poor workmanship - ( poor painting, tiling, etc ) i would wonder, again i would aid a purchaser, but the purchaser should take the lead in terms of snags lists.

hadoken13

We ended up going with Property Price Check - I'll provide my findings when the report is complete next week.

sanny82

Hello all

we just got sales agreed too on a 24yrs old Bungalow. Inside looks all a bit old and I would feel more comfortable if a structural engineer could check it out and gives us a report.

Can anyone recommend a structural engineer in Maynooth if so please PM me.

Thanks a lot
Sandra

BryanF

sanny82 wrote: »

Hello all

we just got sales agreed too on a 24yrs old Bungalow. Inside looks all a bit old and I would feel more comfortable if a structural engineer could check it out and gives us a report.

Can anyone recommend a structural engineer in Maynooth if so please PM me.

Thanks a lot
Sandra

here please
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056682402&page=18