(edit title) Buying a house from the 50s Common technical issues Options

[kulaki0]

Hi,

I am considering to buy a house and tomorrow I will have the visiting. The hosuse is from the 50s but the facade and windows were renovated in 2008. Most of the things including the roof are still the originals. What are common problems to look at tomorrow. Any advices?

The roof is a clay tile roof, from outside it looks good (just some darker spots due to moss I guess). What is the general life expectancy of a roof in (south) Sweden?

Another question I have is about the technical survey. I have read that it is recommendable to do it. But is it worth it? It costs between 6.000:- and 12.000:- and I heard that the cheaper version is just to check things that you can spot yourself...

Thanks a lot!

[skogsbo]

Damp in any basements or cellars.

[Mo]

...Another question I have is about the technical survey. I have read that it is recommendable to do it. But is it worth it? It costs between 6.000:- and 12.000:- and I heard ... (show full quote)

...

Another question I have is about the technical survey. I have read that it is recommendable to do it. But is it worth it? It costs between 6.000:- and 12.000:- and I heard that the cheaper version is just to check things that you can spot yourself... ... (hide full quote)

How much is the house ?
How much is the survey ?
How much building experience do you have ?
If the survey finds a fault you can either - avoid buying into a nightmare - or - renegotiate the price

I know what I would do .

[*Trowbridge H. Ford*]

I do too - I'd go for the survey.

All you have to miss is something serious - like a difficult-to-find leak in the roof, faulty hidden wiring in the walls, serious problems with the pipes, etc. - and you can have an incredibly expensive problem on your hands after the place is yours.

The house is just too old to take anything for granted.

[kulaki0]

How much is the house ?How much is the survey ?How much building experience do you have ?If the survey finds a fault you can either - avoid buying into a nightmare - or - rene ... (show full quote)

How much is the house ?
How much is the survey ?
How much building experience do you have ?
If the survey finds a fault you can either - avoid buying into a nightmare - or - renegotiate the price

I know what I would do . ... (hide full quote)

Hi,

The house costs 1 Million SEK. I know 12.000 is a much smaller amount. But I still need to work a couple of weeks to earn that. What I meant to say was if yhat survey was a proper survey, because I heard they just look for humidity in wood/walls and things like that. And I have been told that the seller is oblied to tell any know problem.

I would like to avoid not buying the house and loosing those 12.000 by trying to spot problems today

[Yorkshireman]

because I heard they just look for humidity in wood/walls and things like that. And I have been told that the seller is oblied to tell any know problem.

Not the one I had in the past, they even provided a risk report of potential fixes/renovations needed in the coming years. eg. Roof-paper under the tiles would need replacing within a few years. If You do find faults after a survey even after a certain period of time, if the surveyor didnt include it in the report, even as a risk, then they are liable to pay for fixing it. They should also include any findings of renovations etc... that are done outside of building-standards. ie. wrong plaster boards in bathrooms, ventilation, radiators, wiring etc...

The seller has full disclosure, but that is balanced by the fact the buyer also has an obligation to check the property. Think of it this way, the seller/agent will tell You everything wonderful about a property, the surveyor will tell you everything that is not.

If the fault is visible, but you just didnt check, and even if the seller didnt mention it, you cannot claim. eg. If the house has a chimney and the roof-ladder is missing or not-approved. Seller may not say something, and You didnt mention it. Your problem, since it was obvious and not hidden.

There could be faults that the seller is not aware of. You cannot claim against them for those if they were something that would have been spotted by a survey, if you did not do one. ie. They are not really hidden.

Hidden defects is something that can be claimed upto 10 years from purchase, but it can be a drawn out processes with lawyers ... since you claim against the previous owner, maybe they didnt know so they claim against the people they bought it from etc... a little time consuming chain reaction.

Only bring in the surveyor when You are sure that this is the property You want to buy. When you come to sell the property You can include the cost of the survey as a cost of purchasing the house when calculating profit/loss.

[skogsbo]

I would second 'yorkshire', many things you can spot once you remove your rose tinted glasses, forget I really want this house, any house, don't be too desperate to buy. Take a friend with you, who is ideally knowledgeable, but even if not, they will see things you don't.

If you see any of the following then get a survey or run! Old and new wiring, fuse boxes where fuses screw in, old flat roof that aren't metal sheet, cellar or basement wall with any signs of damp - discolouring etc, signs of major internal repair, chimney damage, weeping pipes - again any discolouration, test the taps for water pressure - hot&cold, shower room - damp/mould etc.. Just be Mr or Miss Critical for a day!

have a look at the roof from about 30m back, you'll see more, try and have a look in the attic too? How much insulation? Wood all dry? Signs water running down the outside of any chimneys into roof space? Any rodent damage? Boiler last serviced? Do you know anyone in that area in similar era house to get a feel for common faults.

Is the water pumped from a well, or mains? Sewage, storage tank? If so how old is it?

Be cheeky, ask what they paid in bills to heat the place last winter, compare this to what you paid where you are now, or friend with a similar size property.

Just don't dive in, take your time. View it twice and have a coffee in between to review mentally, what you forgot to look at or check. It's the biggest debt of your life, so better to be very cautious.

[kulaki0]

Thanks a lot for the good tips!

I am very convinced about doing the survey if I am finally wanting to buy the house.

What worries me is to need to do important fixes soon after buying the house. For example the roof: 60 year old tile roof sound like it might be on the edge of its life? The tiles look fine and aligned (appart from the colour spots) but how much could be a re-make of the roof? How likely is that it needs to be done soon?

The houses in the neibourhood are all different but more or less about the same age. Some have also the original roof while some other have brand new tiles.

About the EL installation. To have "old-style" ceramic fuses means that the inastallation is too old? In my current flat we have those.

Another thing I heard is that there is a new law which forces propietary to renw ald pipeline systems. How can I see if this is the case?

Any other tips are also welcome!

[kulaki0]

Here a picture of the house's roof

 

 

[Yorkshireman]

The house has flower beds direct up to the structure? ... You need to find out how they protect the lower walls/foundation from water. The surveyor will certainly comment that! More common now to dig out the flower beds, put protection against the foundations, and fill a trench right around the house with stones/pebbles.

Clay roof tiles can last for centuries ...find out though when the roof paper was last changed.

Old fuse box, with ceramic fuses, no worries, just a pain when you find you forgot to restock fuses ... not a giant job to change to newer fuse box with switches.

As for pipes, not heard of any new law on that? I can imagine that insurance companies would like to be sure that old pipes are not rusting, as that would increase chance of water damage.

If there is a pump house that uses salt for filtering ... check that they didn't use copper pipes, over time they corrode away due to the salt content, replace with plastic

Do they have the chimney checked every year? When was it last pressure tested? etc...

[kulaki0]

For the chimney I was told that it has been checked and they have a report. I have to see when was the check done...

[skogsbo]

your roof tiles will be less than 1/2 way through their life, regardless of your age, 99% will outlive you!

Ceramic fuses are OK, but more hassle than just a trip switch. Plus these style circuits will only protect you from over loading, they don't trip with a leakage to earth etc. so there should be trip switchs, RCB, RCCBs somewhere on the board too. Just be aware of electrics that looks amateur. Old electric cables are OK, we just replace one on a barn today, that was 75yrs old, still worked fine, but we were putting new cable in before and after it, so better to have one continuous run. Old cable are only dangerous, when you move then or meddle with them, they have become brittle and tend to crack and split. The same with old style plastic / bakelite switch and connection boxes.

As yorkshire says check the surrounds, if people have allowed the soil to build up too high, or plant growth is blocking underfloor vents etc.

Looks in reasonable nick, but take nothing at face value!

[jostein]

A good thing with this house is that its from the 50ies. Swedish houses from the 60ies and 70ies have much worse reputation, particularly when it comes to dampness from below causing mould and rot.

[byke]

My first impression from the picture says VENTILATION.
In terms of spores and mould issues.

And that extension ... how old , what quality etc.

[kulaki0]

After visiting the house everything isn't that pink...

Main issues:
- Draining protection needs to be re-made. There are two walls in the basement clearly afected by muisture.
- The roof hasn't been touched since the house was built. There were a few marks from water in two spots at the atic.
- The electricity installation is also the originals wighe some wires outside the walls, few sockets, etc.

Apart from that the kitchen and bathroom should be renovated but I was counting on it.

Probably everything together cost too much that the house price isn't that atractive...