Field notes · building pathology · claims
Plain-English notes on surveys, defects and claims — written to help you look more carefully, ask better questions and make stronger decisions.
FIELD NOTES
PUBLISHED
Published register
Party wall matters catch out more buyers and owners than they should. What the Act actually covers, when it applies, and how it interacts with what a survey finds.
A survey report that changes nothing about the deal has only done half its job. What genuinely moves a seller, what doesn't, and where negotiation isn't the right response at all.
Drone inspection has changed what's practical to check on a roof — but it hasn't replaced judgement. What a drone genuinely adds, and where it still falls short of a hands-on look.
Finding a defect is easy. Finding the actual cause is the job. A look at how a proper defects investigation separates symptom from source, with real examples.
Most cracking isn't subsidence. A practical guide to reading a crack properly, drawn from years of technical surveying across stone and brick property.
Most 'rising damp' isn't. How the three main types of dampness behave, why misdiagnosis is so common, and what an independent survey looks for.
Level 1, 2 or 3? A plain-English guide to choosing the right home survey for the property you're buying.
What happens after you report cracking to your insurer — investigation, monitoring, repair and the Certificate of Structural Adequacy — from someone who handled these claims.
New observations