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
Where asbestos is found in UK homes built or refurbished before 2000, including Artex and AIB ceilings, why it's often best left alone, and how testing and removal work.
What Awaab's Law is, who it covers, the deadlines social landlords must meet on damp and mould, what's planned for private renting, and how to find the real cause of the damp.
What buyers need to know about septic tanks, cesspits and treatment plants: the Environment Agency's general binding rules, what to ask the seller, and why a specialist drainage check pays.
Chimney breast removal needs Building Regulations approval and proper support. What that support should be, gallows brackets, party walls, the paperwork to ask a seller for, and indemnity policies.
Why ceilings and plaster crack, how to tell harmless shrinkage from movement or a leak, lath-and-plaster vs plasterboard, and when a crack in the ceiling needs a professional look.
What an independent damp and mould survey covers, what the written damp report should contain, and how it helps landlords, letting agents and tenants fix the real cause.
An honest guide to damp-proofing quotes: what firms typically propose, when it's right, the red flags to look for, and why an independent diagnosis before you pay can save you money.
What drives the cost of a damp survey, why a free survey from a treatment company isn't the same as a paid independent one, and what a proper fee should buy you.
What the direction, shape and taper of a crack tell you — stepped and diagonal cracks, horizontal cracks and wall ties, vertical cracks at junctions — and how the BRE damage scale works.
Using the GOV.UK flood risk checker, what high, medium, low and very low risk mean, flood searches, Flood Re, asking the seller, and signs of past flooding to spot on a viewing.
A practical guide to crack monitoring at home: pencil marks, crack-width gauges and tell-tale monitors, how long to monitor for, and how to read the results.
Why windows stream with condensation, the fixes that actually work (ranked), what misting between the panes means, and when wet windows point to a bigger damp problem.
Why an independent damp surveyor gives a different answer from a treatment company, what a proper damp survey involves, the qualifications to look for and the questions to ask.
Why hard cement pointing damages soft brick and sandstone on pre-1919 houses, how to tell lime from cement, how repointing should be done, and the signs of bad pointing.
How to check if a property is listed, what listed building consent covers, why a Level 3 survey usually fits, common problems in listed homes, and why unauthorised works matter to buyers.
How damp meters work, why the scale is set for timber, what normal readings look like, and why salts, foil-backed plasterboard and condensation can make a dry wall read wet.
How to get mould off bathroom grout, silicone and ceilings, the extract fan rates the Building Regulations set, and when ceiling mould means a cold spot, missing insulation or a leak.
What lenders mean by non-standard construction, the common types (PRC, no-fines, BISF steel, timber), designated defective PRC houses, repair certificates, and what to check before you buy.
How to read the UK radon map, what the 200 Bq/m³ Action Level means, how a three-month radon test works, what the CON29 search shows, and how high radon is reduced.
What roof spread is, why roofs sag (heavier tiles, cut ties in loft conversions, undersized purlins, rot), the signs to look for, and when a sagging roof is a real problem.
Why brick and stone faces flake off (spalling), what the white salt deposits on brick (efflorescence) mean, the role of cement pointing and masonry paint, and how to fix the cause.
Why lenders and valuers worry about spray foam in roofs, what RICS, the PCA and the Energy Saving Trust say, what a survey can and can't see, and what removal and evidence involve.
What a 'structural survey' really is, what drives the cost of a Level 3 building survey, when it's worth paying more than for a Level 2, and when you need a structural engineer instead.
How to spot cavity wall tie failure, why older steel ties corrode, how it's confirmed with a borescope, what wall tie replacement involves, and what it means if you're buying.
What a damp survey involves, from the outside inspection and moisture readings to sampling, thermal imaging and the written report, and why a moisture meter alone can mislead.
What Wimpey no-fines concrete is, how to identify a no-fines house, the usual issues (cold walls, condensation, cracked render), mortgages, insulation and what to check before you buy.
Usually, yes. Most subsidence is fixed by removing the cause and repairing the damage. When underpinning is genuinely needed, what the alternatives are, and what drives the cost.
What a damp proof course does, the difference between a physical and injected DPC, what drives the cost, and why a new DPC is often sold where it isn't needed.
Usually not, but in the wrong wall or the wrong location it can. How retrofitted cavity insulation leads to damp, how to recognise it, and what can be done about it.
Usually not for gradual damp, sometimes for damp caused by a sudden event. What buildings insurance typically covers and excludes, and how to give a genuine claim its best chance.
Most buildings insurance covers subsidence, with a higher excess and some important exclusions. What's usually covered, what isn't, and how long you have to declare it.
It can, but how much depends on whether the movement is historic or active, how well it was fixed and documented, and whether the house can still be insured and mortgaged.
What dry rot and wet rot look like, what causes each, why dry rot is treated so differently, and why fixing the moisture matters more than any chemical treatment.
How long the inspection takes for each survey level, how long before you get the report, and how long from survey to completion — with the factors that make it quicker or slower.
How to check a surveyor's RICS membership and firm regulation, what AssocRICS, MRICS, FRICS and 'chartered' actually mean, and the other questions worth asking before you book.
A practical, surveyor's guide to removing black mould safely, fixing the moisture behind it, and knowing when mould on walls points to a building defect rather than condensation.
Most damp-wall treatments fail because they treat the symptom. A surveyor's guide to working out which kind of damp you have, and the fix that matches it, inside and out.
How to identify Japanese knotweed through the seasons, what RICS's 2022 standard changed, your legal responsibilities, and what knotweed really means for buying, selling and mortgages.
Level 1, 2 and 3 home surveys, valuations, specialist reports, snagging and more. What each type of house survey is for, what it covers, and which one you actually need.
What a building surveyor actually does, how the role differs from a quantity surveyor, valuer, building control surveyor and structural engineer, and when you need one.
What a surveyor actually checks during a house survey, room by room and outside, what they don't do, and a short checklist you can use yourself at a viewing.
The RICS HomeBuyer Report has been replaced by the Home Survey Level 2. What changed, what a homebuyer survey covers now, and how it compares with Level 1 and Level 3.
Rising damp is real, but it's far rarer than it's diagnosed. What it actually is, the signs that point to it, why older houses are different, and what a proper fix involves.
The signs of subsidence in a house, what actually causes it, how it differs from settlement and heave, and how to check a crack — from a practice with extensive subsidence claims experience.
The buyer arranges and pays for the survey, not the seller, the agent or the lender. When to book it, how access works, who the report is for, and whether you need one at all.
How to recognise woodworm, tell active infestation from old holes, identify the common beetles, and decide whether woodworm treatment is actually needed — before you pay for it.
What actually drives the cost of a home survey — the level, the property and the add-ons — plus how to compare quotes and why the cheapest survey is rarely the most useful.
A lender's mortgage valuation is not a survey, and mistaking one for the other is how buyers get caught out. What each one is actually for, and why the valuation doesn't protect you.
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. How to read a crack properly — the patterns that matter, the measurements that matter, and what a real investigation involves.
The answers estate agents and sellers hold — and buyers rarely request. What to ask, why it matters, and which answers should change your offer.
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.
Survey reports list every defect they find, which makes normal houses sound alarming. How to read ratings, prioritise findings and use the report in negotiation.
New-build homes routinely complete with dozens of defects. When to book a snagging survey, what it covers, and how to get defects fixed.
A home survey is visual and non-invasive by design. What that means in practice, where the blind spots are, and how a good surveyor handles them.
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