Cob Houses
A significant contribution to the character of the West Country including Dorset are the commonly seen cob walled buildings. The oldest example in Dorset of a cob house dates back to the 15th Century. Cob is a mixture of earth…
Differential movement/ settlement
Settlement of buildings. All buildings move to some extent and for a variety of reasons. During and after the building construction, settlement (akin to movement) of the foundation structure is considered normal and acceptable to a certain extent – especially…
Flying Freeholds
A flying freehold is when part one property either overhangs or lies beneath another property. There are a number of different types of flying freehold, such as: a semi-detached or terraced house where two neighbouring properties do not have a…
Vapour Control Layers (VCL)
Vapour control lining forms part of a buildings external main walling. Vapour control lining, or VCL for short, is a plastic layer that restricts the movement of warm, moist air from inside a property into the external main walls. VCLs prevent…
Thatch and chimneys
When carrying out a Level 3 Building Survey at a Listed thatched house in Chardstock our surveyor was concerned about the height of the chimney in relation to the thatch. The top of the chimney pot must be at least…
Japanese Knotweed claims up
It is reported by Environet UK that legal claims against vendors over Japanese Knotweed have risen sharply over the last year, due in part to buyers and sellers rushing transactions to win stamp duty holiday savings. Environet UK says there…
Thatched roofs under threat
In the next 20 years thatched roofs in rural England could disappear, Historic England warned recently. Traditional thatching material is a straw made from long-stemmed winter wheat grown in the UK but harvests in 2019 and 2020 were poor, creating…
When does a leaning chimney become a problem?
Our surveyor was called out to look at a chimney on a house that is part of a row of old coastguard cottages in Dorset. The chimney was leaning which was causing concern to the owner but was it a…
The rush to buy a new home in the country
Ever since Lockdown 1 was eased in June 2020 there has been a mad rush to leave the City and buy into the rural idyl of the South West, but will this last or will it all come crashing down…
Condensation in the roof void
Now that winter is here and temperatures are dropping, it is important to check your roof void for condensation. On a recent home survey at a relatively modern semi-detached house our surveyor found evidence of condensation to the underside of…