Condition survey of an historic building.

A condition survey is one that is made to assess the health of the building in general. While it pays attention to the historic fabric the survey is principally to discover and highlight any current or potential problems which will affect the condition of the building.

It is often said that a good hat and boots are all that you need and this applies to any house too. The condition of the roof, the rainwater goods and the drains is paramount to the protection of the fabric of the building.

Giveaway signs like damp, dry and wet-rot and wood boring beetles all point to the ingress of water. Chemical treatment is expensive and ultimately futile. Once the effects of the chemicals have dissipated the problems will return if the root cause has not been identified and corrected.

Timber-frames by their very nature are prone to failure and early identification can save thousands of pounds in repairs later on. See my thesis on Historic Ironwork Repairs for a detailed explanation of causes of failure.

During this survey photographs are taken of the problems areas, a written report is made and recommendations given.