The House Projects Thread

[JonMad]

ok, maybe a hose and a brush then, to remove any stains.

[Foz]

That's me got the keys yesterday.

And so it begins

[Foz]

Anyone using the current iPhones with lidar scanners to help create plans etc of houses or construction projects?

[Foz]

[KiwiDave]

That's pretty cool Foz.

I've been toying with making a 3D map of our place, as much for curiosity for where stuff downstairs pops out upstairs and so on. Would also be good to help visualise how changing things might look. True to form though as it's really only for curiosity I'm looking for something free and easy

[dinny_g]

Question - the place we're buying had Ivy on the front (now, thankfully, all gone) but there is a zig-zag run of about 18" where the mortar only has cracked. Not brick, just mortar.

I've asked 2 or 3 knowledge mates who've said it's nothing major - just needs re-pointing etc but all the same, the nagging doubt is creeping in. A full Building Survey is the best part of a Grand which would give peace of mind but on the other hand, it's a bit of a waste if the surveyor will take one look at the crack, say "That'll need filling" and then spend the rest of the time on checking out the rest of what is a fairly new house.

What do you think ??

[Rich B]

I've always gone with a full survey anyway - it can help with negotiations. On my first house the survey uncovered a removed chimney breast that wasn't supported correctly and something else which I can't remember. It totalled about £2-3ks worth of work that I got the seller to do before we bought it.

[speedingfine]

Always get a survey, you'll feel like a right bell end if you only find out about another deal breaker down the line and you can't sell it yourself.

[Foz]

Question - the place we're buying had Ivy on the front (now, thankfully, all gone) but there is a zig-zag run of about 18" where the mortar only has cracked. Not brick, just mortar.

I've asked 2 or 3 knowledge mates who've said it's nothing major - just needs re-pointing etc but all the same, the nagging doubt is creeping in. A full Building Survey is the best part of a Grand which would give peace of mind but on the other hand, it's a bit of a waste if the surveyor will take one look at the crack, say "That'll need filling" and then spend the rest of the time on checking out the rest of what is a fairly new house.

What do you think ??

Photos?

[Foz]

That's pretty cool Foz.

I've been toying with making a 3D map of our place, as much for curiosity for where stuff downstairs pops out upstairs and so on. Would also be good to help visualise how changing things might look. True to form though as it's really only for curiosity I'm looking for something free and easy

I spent a few hours doing the house after buying an IPad Pro with LiDAR Scanner, in clear rooms it’s great, some of the rooms were not clear so it’s all over the place.

Handy tool, and free..0

[Jobbo]

Always get a survey, you'll feel like a right bell end if you only find out about another deal breaker down the line and you can't sell it yourself.

Conversely, I deliberately had no more than the mortgage valuation survey on the last two properties I've bought. A full building survey will tell you stuff you can see for yourself if you know what to look for, but it won't find the annoying stuff like bodged electrics which have been plastered over etc. But then I try to avoid buying properties in a normal way so there is no opportunity to haggle something off the price

[dinny_g]

The more I think about it, the full survey is probably a good idea anyway to check over the kitchen extension that was put in 4 or 5 years ago.

Cheers all

[Carlos]

The more I think about it, the full survey is probably a good idea anyway to check over the kitchen extension that was put in 4 or 5 years ago.

Cheers all

If you are buying with a mortgage get the full survey done Independently of the lenders valuation. I've had some lender's refuse to lend or put large retentions in place for minor work you would be happy to take on and rectify.

[Jobbo]

What Carl said. If you want one, let the mortgagee do its own valuation survey and instruct the full structural yourself, using someone other than the valuation surveyor.

[dinny_g]

Yeah, going to opt for that Jobbo.

[240PP]

Had an offer accepted on a 4 bed/2 bath in Cheltenham. Waiting to hear on underpinning works carried out in 2014 for the basement conversion. It was signed off by the council at the time but I’m toying with having a full structural survey done, and the lender might require it anyway.

Solicitor is saying all the conveyancing can be complete within 4-6 weeks

[Foz]

Underpinning will make your home insurance a chew..

[Swervin_Mervin]

Underpinning will make your home insurance a chew..

Home Protect for that. Very pragmatic. Got a great deal with them this year.

[240PP]

The work was done to lower the basement floor to create living space rather than because of an existing issue with the house, but I’m looking at the insurance aspect at the moment. It was previously a shop..

Handy for the boozer.

[DeskJockey]

Spent the day sorting out shelves in the shed and it has been a bit of a faff, although mostly self-inflicted.

When you're an ignorant amateur with limited skills and tools, you're reliant on the shops/trades to get what you need. Been to three different places to try to get the wood I need and so far I'm still missing some. Local Selco appears to have it all in stock, but as I'm not trade, I can't buy from them.

But I've managed to hang two (out of ten) shelves. Still need to source wood for three of the remaining ones.

The self-inflicted bit was eyeballing the screws and getting it wrong. Twice. Turns out the 3.0 X 35mm ones are just long enough that the tip pokes through the board. Luckily I tested it on an offcut before the actual shelf.

Less impressively the shed we had built by professionals is not level, nor are the walls flush. Thought I would have the shelves level with the windows, but the frames protrude making it impossible to get the brackets to sit flush. At one end they're flush, at the other end of the window they sit about 2-3mm proud. So I hung them 20mm lower, no big issue. Using my trusty spirit level I made sure that all the brackets were level and when standing back to admire my work, noticed that while the shelf is level with the bottom of the window frame at one end it is about 25mm lower at the other.

But, it is only a shed, so I'm not really that bothered. I'll hang the rest later in the week.

Apart from that the fan in the bathroom (barely two and a half year's old) has stopped working. Sometimes it does start, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it comes on with the lights other times it'll take half a minute or so. The timer function seems to have completely given up. Very annoyed, so have booked a sparky to come replace it with a not-a-Manrose one.