So we are looking at buying a 3-bed detached house in Leeds. It is 1930’s and in need of some cosmetic updating after the old lady moved into care. We have just had the home buyers report back and there a few things which need checking with the vendor and a couple of things which might need a builder to look at (I haven’t detailed them all here you’ll be pleased to hear!). However I was wondering if there are some people who might have some experience in repointing and damp.

The report states

The front stack flashing appears to be leaking or there is damp within the stack as damp staining was noted to the wall adjacent in the front bedroom at first floor level.

Damp was also noted to the underside of the rear chimney stack in the roof space, any timbers in contact could become defective.

The stacks are weathered.
A few bricks are spalling.
The mortar pointing is also weathered and has fallen away in places.
The chimney pot on the rear stack is cracked.
The mortar base (flaunching) to the pots is weathered.
The flashing to the rear stack has lifted slightly.

And…

Several bricks around the property are badly stained, are weathered and are crumbling and spalling.
The mortar pointing in several places has failed and fallen away.

He then goes on to note several localised area of damp in the house. None which seem major, but all of which would be better dealt with. The house isn’t lived in, so just some life and open windows would help, but I am also wondering if some of it is due to the failed pointing and bricks?!

How much are you looking at for some touch up pointing; or alternatively full repointing (though I dont think it really needs this from our visits!)? And the chimney flashing needs replacing. I am guessing the big cost here is arranging the access?

The surveyor also noted:

The brickwork above a number of window and door openings has cracked. This is due to inadequate lintel support to the structure above the openings. None of the openings (windows and doors) appear to have adequate lintel support and all openings should therefore be considered suspect and in need of improvement.

We have asked the solicitor to look into this for us. I am guessing this is a really expensive job to sort out? There is an upper and lower floor bay, plus 2 other downstairs windows (the others are in a more recent extension) and 4 upstairs widows.

If this is going to cost us vast amounts beyond the cosmetic work we are going to have to walk away, but its a tough call and we have never done a place up so dont really have an idea of costs (apart from knowing its always more than you think!)!

the4 first bit is just wear and tear and not hugely expensive if you can get someone who doesn’t require masses of scaffolding to do it.

above the windows. Expensive but all ’30s houses were built like that and unless you really want to sort it out I wouldn’t worry. If you have any of the windows replaced Building Control woudl want to see new lintels fitted though, I expect.

the4 first bit is just wear and tear and not hugely expensive if you can get someone who doesn’t require masses of scaffolding to do it.

Thanks – surveys always list everything as RED and you never really any idea what it actually means.

If you have any of the windows replaced Building Control would want to see new lintels fitted though, I expect.

We think the double glazing went in during the last 5-10 years (waiting to hear from vendor) so I’d thought would have to be done under building control. A bit odd if it hasn’t been which worries me a bit…

from a similar chimney/roof situation, the lead work, the repointing and the scaffolding were approx an even split of the cost. It wont get better

Do you mind me asking how many zero’s it had on the end of the cost?

Short n sweat

The house has been standing for near 100 years …. if it hasn’t fallen down yet, it’s not going too.

Buy it

Cracks above windows/doors … did you see them? Can you get fingers into them … I’m guessing not …. its ar5e covering by the surveyor… see my first point and buy it.

Roofs of that age will probably need a bit of TLC

Cracks above windows/doors … did you see them? Can you get fingers into them … I’m guessing not …. its ar5e covering by the surveyor… see my first point and buy it.

Lol – thanks Ro5ey! No, we didnt see them! But I guess if the windows are only 5 years old and without support this may get worse! I full get your other point though – one of the reasons to look at buying an older house – they tend to be pretty robust!

Any idea whether the walls are solid 9 inch brickwork? Can you see the bond of the bricks. Back in t day Windows would have been fitted then used as a profile to build over, with the outer leaf tied in to the inner leaf via headers. The inner leaf would and still should have a wooden lintel. The movement is caused when the old widows are ripped out. A good check to test for any further settlement in the brickwork is actually opening the sash’ and see if they are sticking/binding. Simple l shaped lintels would suffice as structurally they are still sound but need added support for cosmetic reasons as much as anything. And as usual on here building control get a mention, you don’t need building control for replacement windows just a fensa registered fitter or whatever the latest version of fensa is.

iro £2k
flashing, fillets, a ridge tile, repoint chimney…so the project was yay big *holds up hands a bit apart*

Any idea whether the walls are solid 9 inch brickwork?

Hopefully I have understood correctly, but no it’s a cavity wall construction.

Do you mean the bond of the bricks above the window? I can try and post a picture tomorrow from the estate agent photos which may or may not help.

1930s cavity walls can have problems with the metal ties that hold the two leaves together corroding, has any cracking/bulging been noted in the walls (apart from over windows)

1930s cavity walls can have problems with the metal ties that hold the two leaves together corroding, has any cracking/bulging been noted in the walls (apart from over windows)

Thanks timba – they note that due to the age of the property the wall ties could do with being checked (but only give it a 2 rating) and don’t note any bulging.

I thought there was a side image which showed one of the windows better, but must have imagined it – only a front view from a distance which isn’t that helpful! Time to get a builder to have a look I think!

FWIW one of our stacks had lost a load of pointing and we had water dripping down the stack into the lounge on rainy days. A correspondingly cold wall in the bedroom next to it which came along with the inevitable mould growth over time. No crumbly bricks though.

It cost:

petrol to borrow long ladder from in-laws, £5
tub of pre-mix, £10 (I think)

However, I’m reasonably happy shinning up a ladder and tying it off to the stack, and it easy access (stack on end of house) etc.

With the pointing + flaunching fixed, the damp eventually dried out, and the mould has not repeated since.

Currently repointing & repainting other locations on the house, it’s just par for the course with an older property.

Heh. Lintels and pointing. My nemesis for a couple of years 🙂

Price wise, I paid £2k for a full repoint of a 2 bed semi (but on the larger side) and an extension, so probably not far off your total surface area. Also in Leeds. They did a very good job, albeit bloody animals with any biscuits/cakes and tea left each day. 6 days work for 3 guys so couldn’t complain at that price.

Similar aged house and also had front lintels done and ended up haggling the window company to do @ £120 pm needed, which looking at the faff of sorting some of them, wasn’t half bad!

They’re not needed if only a small span window (say less than a meter). As WS says, BC not needed if replacing existing and Fensa (or the other one) registered. It’s probably not a problem until you need to replace Windows, but it could easily be they were done by a mate/non Fensa and just not mentioned to solicitor (pretty sure that’s right, but I’m not a conveyance solicitor).

My pointing was shagged, and what I didn’t realise was how much water was coming in (very exposed and high up). Now the pointing is done and house is drying out, the internal wall upstairs of the exposed side is just a furry, salty (?) mess! But, bone dry now 🙂

You’ll struggle to get much interest for pointing in patches, and it’ll possibly look a bit shit. A decent repoint makes a hell of a difference to the appearance.

Chimney wise, my unbelievably unreliable, but very good, roofer, charged a very reasonable amount to repoint part of chimney and sort flashing. About £100 IIRC.

I can recommend a few people for the work you need doing, if you wanted to, drop me an email.

I taught bear all he knows about building btw 😉

Pfft, it’s the other way round 😀

Sorry, just catching up on this! Awesome, thank you ever so much, in particular Bear! May well drop you an email for some contacts if we do decided to go ahead. Sounds like getting the flashing etc sorted might not be too bad! My Dad has reminded me this morning he has scaffolding, I am not so sure my mother will think that is such a good idea though!!

I think it might be a mate of a neighbour who did the window replacements, so just wondering if there is a hidden paper trail which might get dug out once we start asking a bit more. The one I am mainly concerned about (on reflection) is probably the lower bay window, which will really need some form of structure to hold up the bay above!