Snagging Survey vs Building Survey for new builds – What are the differences?
Collier Stevens | Building Surveying Advice Hub
by Daisy Abraham
8M ago
When you buy a new-build property you rightly expect that it should be perfect, ready for you to move in your belongings and live comfortably without the upheaval of the associated projects an older property might need. And because their home is brand new, many buyers assume that a building survey is not required on their new build.  Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case and many buyers are left disappointed when they start to spot issues in their new home, anything from small cracks and poor finishes, to some major safety concerns. You might think that the developer will do the inspe ..read more
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Nervous About Your Home Buyers Survey? – A Guide to Home Buyers Surveys and Reports
Collier Stevens | Building Surveying Advice Hub
by Daisy Abraham
8M ago
Buying a new home is one of the biggest decisions you will ever make and is also one of the most stressful things you will ever do. If you are a first time buyer it can be even more difficult. And the industry doesn’t make it easy.  So much jargon, estate agents for one thing, solicitors for another, then there’s the mortgage broker or bank to contend with – all before you get to the tricky decision of whether to spend yet more money on a survey. Not least, which survey to have. Collier Stevens Chartered Surveyors try our hardest to make things easier for you though. There’s no doubt when ..read more
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A Guide to Roof Surveys – What is included?
Collier Stevens | Building Surveying Advice Hub
by Daisy Abraham
8M ago
There are a variety of reasons you might need a roof survey.  The most likely is that you have a leak, structural or other damage that needs to be professionally assessed – almost certainly, if you are making a claim on your home insurance to repair or replace your roof, you will need a survey conducted to provide evidence from an independent source. The same will be the case if you live in a leasehold property and need to present evidence that work is required by the freeholder.  You might be planning a project that involves work on your roof so you need to make sure that the roof i ..read more
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Extensions: maximising space with eccentric foundations
Collier Stevens | Building Surveying Advice Hub
by Andy Robson
2y ago
Eccentric Foundations – a guide If you live in a semi-detached or terraced property you have a right to build up to the boundary, and ‘if necessary’, a right to put foundations on your neighbour’s land, however, you will almost certainly need party wall agreement. So, for example, if you want to extend to the back or side of your house you must get a party wall agreement. Your neighbours can say no to you putting foundations on their land and in that case, you will need to change the design of the foundation. There is a type of foundation, an eccentric, or offset foundation, that allows you to ..read more
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When should gallows brackets be used?
Collier Stevens | Building Surveying Advice Hub
by Steven-Way
2y ago
When do I need to use Gallows Brackets? You may have read our article about removing a chimney breast and the requirements by law to ensure you have the correct agreements in place with your neighbour if the chimney breast is on a party wall, never mind a decent builder who understands structural concerns. What we don’t talk about much in that article are chimney support brackets, or gallow brackets, which you might need to consider once you have removed the breast. What is most important though is to make sure the remaining chimney stack is properly supported to prevent it collapsing. What yo ..read more
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Taking out a chimney breast – Party Wall Agreements
Collier Stevens | Building Surveying Advice Hub
by Nichola Evans
2y ago
Removing a chimney breast and why you need a party wall agreement Taking out a chimney breast. It can look like an easy way to make a room bigger in an older house. At first glance it seems easy, knock it out with a sledgehammer, bag up the rubble, plaster the wall, decorate and hey presto a few extra square metres of living space. But… it isn’t that easy. And you also need to do a fair bit of paperwork. Read on to find out more. How easy is it to remove a chimney breast? Chimney breasts are part of the building’s structure and taking them out should be approached in the same way as taking out ..read more
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“Help! My house is subsiding!”
Collier Stevens | Building Surveying Advice Hub
by Nichola Evans
2y ago
Is my house subsiding? We can’t tell you how many times in a month we get a call from a homeowner expressing concern about cracks in their walls. In fact, people often tell us their house has cracked over the weekend. It hasn’t. What has happened is that you suddenly start noticing cracks because you’re looking for them and assume that they are all new.  Here we explain what subsidence is and how you can identify if you should worry about cracks in your house. Do cracks mean I have got subsidence? More often than not no.  All houses crack sometimes – after all they are big solid boxe ..read more
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Getting accessibility right
Collier Stevens | Building Surveying Advice Hub
by Nichola Evans
3y ago
Paving and parking Making sure that access to the built environment works for disabled people can be a minefield for building companies or contractors who have not had the relevant training and are simply completing works according to architect’s drawings or to their own design. In our experience it is always a problem when final, detailed, design is left to a contractor to sort out and they very often get it wrong. As a firm of Chartered Surveyor experienced in accessibility issues, we are always pleased to receive calls from contractors asking for our advice and opinion on things they are un ..read more
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Getting accessibility right
Collier Stevens | Building Surveying Advice Hub
by Nichola Evans
3y ago
Paving and parking Making sure that access to the built environment works for disabled people can be a minefield for building companies or contractors who have not had the relevant training and are simply completing works according to architect’s drawings or to their own design. In our experience it is always a problem when final, detailed, design is left to a contractor to sort out and they very often get it wrong. As a firm of Chartered Surveyor experienced in accessibility issues, we are always pleased to receive calls from contractors asking for our advice and opinion on things they are un ..read more
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Do I need a party wall agreement for…
Collier Stevens | Building Surveying Advice Hub
by Nichola Evans
3y ago
Dealing with party walls and neighbours are often not considered by homeowners when they are planning works, renovating or have a project on the go. Most people know they will need planning permission and building regs/control, but many haven’t heard of party wall notices and agreements, never mind when they are required. This article explains some common examples where party wall agreements are usually needed. First, what is a party wall? A party wall can be defined as one of the below: A wall that ‘straddles’ the boundary line between two premises is a party wall, even if it has not been bu ..read more
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