Building Surveyor?

[Malcolm]

Can anyone recommend a good local building surveyor they have used to provide me with a Homebuyer's or full buildings survey for a house I'm buying? Doesn't necessarily have to be the cheapest. Thanks.

 

[Lucy]

Alan Appleby. He's based in Stone.

 

[dr watson]

Alan Appleby has carried out 2 first class professional surveys for me during the last 20 years.
Google The Flint Mill, Stone for his details - and his own brilliant restoration project

 

[Malcolm]

Thank you both.

 

[hop]

Can anyone recommend a good local building surveyor they have used to provide me with a Homebuyer's or full buildings survey for a house I'm buying? Doesn't necessarily have to be the cheapest. Thanks.

To be honest most RICS surveyors are a joke. They only perform a visual inspection and try and cover their arse for everything by saying they haven't moved this box or lifted the carpet etc...

I have used Robert Demaus (01568 615662) based in Leominster but he will travel nationally. Rather than just using his eyes and performing a visual inspection he will use specialised non invasive diagnostic techniques such as IR Thermography and micro bore drilling.

You can see a few articles he has written on numerous conservation websites pertaining to heritage and some interesting articles such as this.

Price wise he is pretty good, standard day rate of £685 or hourly rate of £85 both +VAT and standard milage rates @45p a mile.

If it's an older property i.e. solid wall construction you could also try Pete Ward.

Older properties and solid wall buildings are all to frequently messed up. Idiots repoint them with cement rather than lime mortar and then use gypsum rather than lime plaster, they paint them with modern plastic paints rather than lime wash and distemper. Then they claim the house is damp.. Wonder why... You stopped it breathing... You didn't understand the construction and you ruined a perfectly good house by not using heritage techniques. A lot of RICS idiots can't even spot such bodges or realise the damage it will cause. They recommend things such as silicon injection for damp when the real cause is mistreatment of the building with modern materials.