STRUCTURAL SURVEY
For a complete survey, an experienced Property Surveyor, Architect or Engineers is recommended; over the years they've encountered every problem possible to imagine

SURVEY CONTENTS
This begins with a description of the property giving details of construction, dimensions, boundaries, etc. It appraises: foundations, water-supply, drainage, external and internal walls, roofing, chimney stacks, flooring and ceilings, pipes, drains and gutters, heating and plumbing, electrical wiring, windows, doors and hallways, etc.
The extent and cause of cracks in the masonry, bulging walls or loose mortar must be checked. In a modern house the walls consist of either - Plastered hollow block walling or Cavity Walling - more often a combination of both is used, e.g. in a brick fronted house with plastered side and rear walls. Since 1991 Building Regulations require insulation to both of these types of walls, but houses built prior to 1991 have no such insulation and may require expensive dry lining to reduce condensation and home heating costs.
Cracked walls or crumbling brickwork and mortar joints may be due to ground movement, foundation settlement, frost action, incorrect building mixtures, water penetration or ineffective pointing.
Bulging walls, or wall surfaces leaning inwards or outwards are defects due to plasterwork coming away from the wall, lack of wall support, or spreading of the roof span. Blisters or bubbles on the surface coatings or paintwork due to organic or chemical attack. Such surfaces often hide problems of dampness underneath.
Staining or semi-permanent dampness on walls indicates rain or moisture penetration due to an absent or ineffective damp-proof course, deteriorating brickwork, joints or rendering or defective pointing on brickwork.
Movement or subsidence can also cause the squeezing out of the damp-proof course. In exceptional cases defective walls may require shoring or underpinning, and even demolition and rebuilding.
The roof must be carefully examined for sagging, loose tiles, and proper ventilation. Chimneys must also be examined as they are a well-known source of hidden problems. Windows, Doors and External Joinery must be checked for their condition and fit. Surrounding masonry should present no threat of shifting or subsidence.
Wooden floors may display a number of defects, including warping, shrinking, curling, disintegration or collapse for a number of reasons and should be checked. Concrete floors or surfaces (screeds) may show signs of lifting, curling or cracking; floor tiles may also have lifted and should also be checked.
Electrical systems may be worn and in need of partial or total re-wiring. Circuits may be easily overloaded and represent a fire hazard. The ESB may refuse to reconnect your electricity supply if they believe the system is unsafe.
Problems to finished internal walls, ceilings and joinery include hollow, loose or falling plaster; loose or falling tiles, peeling wallpaper due to damp or loss of adhesive action; and lime bloom caused by leaching out of lime from cement.
Check Water Supply, Heating and Drains - is the water supply good? Is water pressure from the taps slow, the hot water and central heating systems adequate, etc? Local Authorities are responsible for mains water supply, but some districts suffer from low pressure, or poor water pressure may indicate blockage in the pipes. Drains can suffer blockages from under-sized pipes or other causes, leaks from taps and radiators are potential hazards and should be checked as well.
A Surveyor's Report should generally describe the property and comment on the structural condition, which repairs are needed and how much they are likely to cost. The report should also comment on the asking price for the home and whether it is reasonable considering any state of repairs needed.
Most House Buyer's Reports are accompanied by limitation clauses, which is understandable - some parts of a building cannot be inspected because they are covered up or inaccessible. In all events, a good report is worth paying for. Firms charge different rates for this, cost can depend on the size of the house. It is possible to cut down on these costs by undertaking part of the survey yourself, a group of Chartered Surveyors produce booklets which allow buyers to carry out most of these inspection checks themselves and make substantial savings on their costs. A follow-up inspection on the technical aspects is then carried out by one of the Property Checkers. As the surveyor's time on a visit is reduced savings of 25% to 75% can be passed on to the intending buyer.
By buying a house in need of repair, you are in a position to improve it structurally and alter the design. All the while you will be making a Capital Improvement that is increasing the value of the house. The surveyor's advice will give you a true idea of the value of your prospective new home and help keep your bid in perspective.
Borrowing finance to buy (and to renovate) an old house is similar to buying a new house, in that the home loan is paid subject to a surveyor's approval of the completed work. Before buying you must furnish the Society/Bank with approved estimates for the work. The Building Society then issues the loan in two stages - the loan amount for house and the loan amount for the renovation, subject to surveyor's approval.
Because building work will commence prior to the second stage, you may require a Bridging Loan to pay the builder in installments. But as more lending facilities become available bridging may not be necessary. The Lending Agency will send Provisional Loan Approval to your Bank, who furnish you with the Bridging Loan, that is the whole sum borrowed from the close of sale to completion of the building work.
All contractors and sub-contractors must be registered and insured, otherwise stage payments will not be paid by the Bank, the ESB will not re-connect your electricity supply if the re-wiring is not done by a qualified electrician. Neither will the Building Society forward the second part of the mortgage.