What a £59 builder review looks like
This is a full worked example: one house, one RICS Level 2 survey, every finding turned into a priority, a realistic cost range and a next step. Yours comes back the same way, written for your survey, within 24 hours — followed by a call.
This is an illustrative example, not a real customer’s review. The house and the survey wording are made up so that nobody’s report or address ends up on a website. The cost ranges are the real ones we work to — the same figures behind our repair-cost calculator.
Nothing in this survey is a reason to walk away. Two items are worth raising with the seller before you exchange — the chimney and the missing sign-off on the extension. Everything else is budgeting, not negotiating. If the chimney and the slipped tiles are dealt with, the house is in normal condition for its age.
Your surveyor said: Condition rating 3. Concrete tiles, original to the 1930s build, with slipped tiles to the rear pitch.
What it means: The phrase does not mean the roof is about to fail. A 1930s concrete tile roof is usually good for a few more winters once the slipped tiles are put back. Re-bed the slipped tiles now, then plan the re-cover. Ask for the slipped tiles to be fixed before completion — it is a cheap job and it stops water getting in over the winter.
£250–£900 Full re-cover when it comes, including scaffold: £8,000–£18,000
Your surveyor said: Recommends repointing and renewal of lead flashings; damp staining noted in the chimney breast in bedroom 2.
What it means: This is the likely source of the bedroom damp, not rising damp. Water tracks down the stack and shows up inside. Worth doing properly while the scaffold is up, rather than a patch-up.
£900–£3,500
Your surveyor said: Stepped cracking to the front elevation above the bay, further investigation recommended.
What it means: Bay windows on houses of this age were often built on shallow foundations and drop slightly — very common and usually not subsidence. But "further investigation recommended" is a phrase your lender may ask about, so get a structural engineer’s letter rather than guessing. Budget for the engineer, then the repair only if they call for one.
£2,500–£12,000 A structural engineer’s report first, typically £400–£900
Your surveyor said: Consumer unit appears dated; testing by a qualified electrician recommended before occupation.
What it means: Get the EICR done in the first month — it is cheap and it tells you whether this is a £900 consumer unit or a £9,000 rewire. On a house last done in the 1980s, expect the unit and a handful of remedials, not a full rewire.
£180–£350 Consumer unit if needed: £700–£1,500. Full rewire, worst case: £6,000–£12,000
Your surveyor said: Heating system not tested. Boiler appears to be beyond its typical service life.
What it means: It will probably run another winter, but price a replacement into your first-year budget rather than your offer. Ask the seller for any service paperwork — if there is none, assume none was done.
£2,400–£4,200
Your surveyor said: Single-storey rear addition of indeterminate age; documentation not seen.
What it means: This is a solicitor question before it is a builder question. Ask for the completion certificate. If there isn’t one, the options are an indemnity policy (cheap, protects you from enforcement but not from bad work) or regularisation (the council inspects it). What I can tell you from the photos is whether the work itself looks sound.
£800–£6,000
Your surveyor said: Elevated moisture readings noted to the base of the rear wall; damp specialist report recommended.
What it means: Check the obvious causes before anyone injects a chemical DPC: the path outside is above the damp-proof course in your photo 6, and the gutter above it is overflowing. Fix those two and re-read it in the spring. A "damp specialist" who sells the treatment is not an independent opinion.
£600–£3,000 A genuine rising-damp job, if it comes to it: £2,000–£8,000
Your surveyor said: Fittings are dated. No defects noted.
What it means: Nothing here is a reason to renegotiate, but it is real money if you want them changed in year one. These are the ranges we see for a house this size.
Kitchen £9,000–£22,000 Bathroom £5,500–£11,000
- Ask the seller’s solicitor for the building regulations completion certificate for the rear extension.
- Get a structural engineer’s letter on the bay — your lender may want it anyway.
- Ask for the slipped roof tiles to be re-bedded before completion, or take the cost off.
- Book the EICR for the first month after you move in.
- Budget the boiler for year one, and the kitchen for whenever you want it.
- When was the rear extension built, and who signed it off?
- Has the chimney ever been repointed, and when was the flashing last done?
- Is there any paperwork for the boiler, the electrics or any damp treatment?
- Has the crack above the bay been looked at, or has it been decorated over?