At Acorn Property Preservation, we have Certified Surveyors in Remedial Treatment (C.S.R.T) for damp and timber problems. With our experience and knowledge, we can assist you in safeguarding your most valuable assets. We can protect you from future costs resulting from excessive moisture, wood boring insects or wood rotting fungi that can attack the walls and timber within the building. We provide you with accurate diagnosis and remedial treatment of damp and timber problems in buildings.
The current property market shows a significant rise in the sale of properties in need of refurbishment and many property owners are borrowing to extend, renovate or upgrade their existing homes. Costs of refurbishments of older homes are often underestimated because damp problems and timber defects are overlooked. In other cases, these costs are overestimated. To ensure you have an accurate valuation of the property, Acorn Property Preservation will provide an independent survey report regarding damp and timber decay.
A recent survey conducted by Red-C Research and authorised by The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland shows that 60% of potential property purchasers do not carry out a professional pre-purchase survey. Buying a property is a huge investment and for the sake of a few hundred euro you can find out if there are any defects or hidden costs associated to the property before agreeing to a sale.
Questions to Ask Before Buying a Property
As a potential buyer, there are a few questions that need to be asked before buying a property:
- If defects are detected, has the property price been reduced by the amount needed to rectify the issue?
- If you are borrowing to buy the property, have you factored in the cost of repairing the damp/timber defects?
- Could the cost of repairing damp/timber defects prevent the property being returned to a level where it is liveable?
- If this is an investment property and the damp issues are not addressed, could it affect future rental income?
Defects such as Rising damp, Dry rot, Wet rot, Woodworm, leaks and much more are often found after a sale has been agreed and can cost up to thousands to repair.
The Survey
The surveyor will inspect the exterior of the property to identify any defects that may cause moisture ingress. Some of these defects are uncapped chimney pots, damaged brickwork, damaged roof coverings, damaged external rainwater goods, cracks to external render and damaged/faulty seals around doors and windows.
Then using the latest, non-destructive technology and equipment the surveyor will examine the property internally looking for dampness and timber decay. Internal testing is carried out with a moisture meter to identify moisture content and areas of concern. A miniature boroscope camera is used to identify problems in hidden areas without being destructive. Thermal imaging is used to determine heat loss and water leaks.
All areas found to be suffering the effects of dampness would then be noted and a full report will be provided with recommendations for any damp proofing or timber treatment.
Protecting Buyers
Getting a damp and timber survey report can influence the final purchase price of a property and potentially save the buyer thousands of euros and endless heartache. With a full property report conducted by a professionally qualified chartered building surveyor, buyers know what they’re getting into. The report will bring any costly building defects to the attention of the seller.
If the buyer goes ahead with the purchase, the detailed damp and timber survey report will specify remedial treatments and works to be carried out by our experienced team of technicians and trades people, or work in conjunction with their local trusted trades people.
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