Home Buyers Survey in Taunton

Will a chartered surveyor in Taunton look into the condition or the safety of the gas flues?

A surveyor will visually examine any accessible parts of the gas system, and the survey will include the meter location and position, as well as gas-associated items, such as chimney breasts. If there are any gas fittings, they won't be removed and the gas system itself will not be tested, because your surveyor is neither authorised nor licensed to perform those tasks.

Most people are aware that gas is potentially dangerous, and, should you have any concerns relating to gas installations, call a Gas Safe engineer. Taunton-based companies include:

• Gas Care 4U Ld., 77 Normandy Drive, Taunton, TA1 2LE (Tel: 07868 280663)
• MEH Plumbing and Heating, Four Polars, Hyde Lane, Taunton, TA2 8BX (Tel: 07584 318375)
• If you smell gas, call a Gas Safe engineer immediately, or contact the National Grid emergency helpline on 0800 111999

Get your instant and competitively-priced survey quote from Surveyor Local by filling in a few details in the form at the top of this page. Want one of the best chartered surveyors to work on your survey? Call us now on 08000327649 and our advisers will get your survey under way today.

What impact will wet weather have on a Taunton home, and, where there are problems, what should we do?

Regular rainfall is common in Taunton as it is across the country, but the impact rain can have on a house is often ignored, as most people are inured to the weather. As an example, spattered mud around the bottom of downspouts strongly suggest that the gutters are blocked and may lead to lasting damage to the fabric of a home, if the problem is not addressed quickly.

Whether buying in Taunton or elsewhere, having problematic gutters does not necessarily mean that you need to pull out of the transaction, because such matters are often simple to resolve. But, where this is not unblocked on a regular basis, the damage becomes increasing costly to remedy.

For your instant Taunton Home Survey, visit our generator online (scroll up to the top of the page for the form), or give our team of advisers at Surveyor Local a call on 08000327649.

There is a detached house in the TA2 postcode area priced at £375,000. What things does a surveyor consider when calculating house prices in Taunton?

A qualified RICS surveyor will go to the property as well as considering the wealth of area knowledge and factors that have a bearing on the value of property. There are a huge number of issues that could affect house prices (for example, the quality of nearby schools, or whether the garden is overlooked). It can help to benchmark selling-prices recorded for similar properties in Taunton.

This means the average price of completed transactions for detached houses in Taunton in June 2018 was £361,023, which is £13,977 less than the asking price for the cited property. With regards to other types of property, the averages for the same month in Taunton were:

Price	Property type
£234,268	All properties
£134,196	Flats/maisonettes
£188,317	Terraced
£232,627	Semi-detached
£361,023	Detached

Information © 2018 HM Land Registry. Retrieved from HM Land Registry website on 24 August 2018

An impartial way to get a formal house valuation is with a RICS Level 2 Survey, which includes a Property Valuation Report (PVR) as a core component. A qualified RICS surveyor will be part of the Valuer Registration Scheme, which reinforces professional standards.

If you need further guidance, why not try our online Home Survey Quote generator (scroll to the top of the page and fill in a few pieces of information) or call our team on 08000327649.

Is it best to get a RICS Level 2 Survey, RICS Level 3 Survey or Full Structural Survey on a house in Taunton, and which would be the cheapest?

For your interest, the Full Structural Survey has changed its name to the RICS Level 3 Survey but is basically the same comprehensive survey.

If the Taunton property is an apartment, or is an older property, has been extended or modified, or is built of unusual materials (e.g. thatched roof), the RICS advise that you commission the cheaper RICS Level 2 Survey, whereas if you are thinking about whether to do any significant alterations on the Taunton property, you should you order a RICS Level 3 Survey, which more expensive but will give you a thorough analysis of the Taunton property's general condition, as well as including information on defects and the various maintenance options.

For more detailed advice, you can get a Taunton Homebuyers Survey Quote online from Surveyor Local (scroll to the top of this page and fill in a few details in the form) or call us 08000327649 to speak to a member of our team.

What should we be concerned about if we are buying a home in the region of the Dunwear Landfill Site, and landfill sites generally?

Sites used for landfill take many forms (e.g. industrial waste material disposal, or general waste management like the one at Dunwear). Thousands of these sites affect hundreds of thousands of people throughout the UK (including Taunton). Concerns include the possibility of toxic chemicals and gases leaching into the environment.

A surveyor carryout a RICS Level 3 Survey or valuation in Taunton will report any structural problems directly resulting from the proximity of the property to the site. Your conveyancing solicitor will perform environmental searches of the British Geological database, as well as talking to Taunton Deane Local Authority, informing you if the search uncovers a local landfill site and any issues associated with it.

Worried or anxious about what your survey will reveal and what to do about it? All the chartered surveyors at Surveyor Local have a great deal of experience and local knowledge to sort out these types of problems. So, we really are your best choice. To get your survey started, call our friendly advisers on 08000327649.

What will the Chartered Surveyor look for on a stucco-rendered, Victorian semi-detached home in Taunton that we wish to buy?

Stucco is a form of solid render that is usually layered over brick to form a smooth surface that is sometimes scored with a trowel to resemble stone. Stucco render is highly attractive and was often applied to Regency period and Victorian buildings, but it can contain lime (which makes it set harder) in addition to a grid underneath to help prevent cracks.

As with all building materials, stucco has its own set of problems and propensity for defects to surface, and Taunton surveyors identify common issues, including trapped water (resulting in problems with damp requiring costly repairs), or attack from sulphates or salts absorbed from bricks. Fixing problems may be costly as the skills are becoming harder to find. For a local reputable expert, you can try: Ian Kilpatrick, 10 Cyril Street, Taunton, TA2 6HW (Tel: 01823 215852), or Luke Cross Plastering Services, 53 Charles Crescent, Taunton, TA1 2XP (Tel: 07817 844516).

Need to talk through some of your concerns? Call one of our friendly advisers at Surveyor Local on 08000327649 and they will provide you with information on the survey and get you set up.

If we are buying in Taunton, what advice does a surveyor in Taunton give about a residence built with brick walls? Is age a factor?

Brick has, for many centuries, been the building product of choice and, as such, it means that many styles and designs for laying the brick courses have been developed. Examples of decorative or unusual usage of brick include adding other characterful elements of masonry, such as flushwork.

Brick Taunton apartments and houses will be subject to various issues and defects, with a common one being sulphate attack, which is caused when a cement mortared-wall suffers a prolonged period of damp, and it is effectively impossible to treat.

Your surveyor might identify any number of brick-related defects and may suggest further that work should be completed on any remedy without delay. For this reason, it would be worth getting a number of quotes from reputable local builders. You should also consider the advice of both the surveyor and a builder or other specialist if any potential structural defects arise during the survey.

For more advice on what to expect from the survey, give Surveyor Local a call on 08000327649, and talk to one of our survey advisers.

We are purchasing a property in Taunton and saw cracks along one external wall. How could this affect the property, and what related matters will the RICS Surveyor investigate?

Subsidence is the movement of the foundations of a house, which compromises its structural integrity. Most houses will experience cracking at some stage, and new buildings and properties with new structural alterations will be particularly susceptible. In contrast to subsidence, 'heave' can occur when a tree has been removed, moisture builds up, causing the soil to swell, forcing the foundations upwards, and can be as destructive as subsidence.

Subsidence is not always easy to identify, as what a surveyor will look for could easily be caused by other factors. A sudden change in the weather can impact a house susceptible to settlement, potentially because of poor construction.

Finding the cause of any subsidence is key. It has been estimated that around 70 per cent of cases of subsidence are caused by tree roots taking the moisture out of the soil. Specialist geological and drain surveys may also be required as the movement of soil can sometimes crack drains or water mains.

To discuss your options further, why not give Surveyor Local a call on 08000327649?