Can anyone help us with any/all of the following (which our surveyor suggested we get sorted before exchange of contracts, i.e. ASAP)?

The house we're buying is a Victorian semi, in S6, built c.1900.

The survey recommends:
investigate all subfloor areas for timber defects
inspection of wall ties

NICEIC registered electrical engineer to inspect the electrical installation, and electric shower
Heating engineer to service gas fire and central heating system
servicing of burglar alarm system


We also need quotes for the following, which will all need to be carried out ASAP after we get the keys (October/November).:

dampproofing by a VWPDA registered company
improving subfloor ventilation
strengthening roof timbers and replacing the velux window
repairing the main roof covering
replacing a defective manhole cover

And there'll be other work to be done over the next year if anyone's interested (e.g. replace shower cubicle, refit kitchen, check flues/ventilate sealed fireplaces, landscape gardening).


All quotes, recommendations, contacts numbers, etc. gratefully received! We look forward to hearing from anyone who can help with any of the above.


P.S. Thanks to everyone who has already posted recommendations on various threads throughout the forum (I have been searching!) There's a few numbers I might try but it'd be great to see who responds here anyway; in particular, if anyone specialises in renovations and has a team that could do most/all of the above (rather than me having to find 3/4 different individuals)...

I could do the gas/plumbing/heating side. I'm also quite local to you (i'm S11).

I'd also recommend any of the gas/heating engineers who reularly post on the forum (JL Heating, Vision, TPS Plumbing, Aquarius etc :thumbsup: )

there's a sticky thread at the top of the jobs section in which people are recommending tradespeople.

my thought would be to give whitecliffe's a ring (sorry, don't know their number) - they're highly reputable, and can do pretty much any renovations that are needed, so may be prepared to do a survey for you. they're also very fair and won't try to butch up what you do/don't need doing (so won't wind the vendor up too much), although they're reasonably expensive anyway.

good luck

im a builder and cover all aspects of building repairs.full insurance.portfolio of work.free quotes 07906168660

I bought a house in August and have had various bits of work done, so I can recommend a couple of people.

Dower Tekron (tel 2462434) for the damp-proofing and timber work - they did a survey for me and were able to fit me in at short notice (I only had 28 days to have all the surveys done, sort a mortage and complete the purchase!), emailed their report and quote the next day, and were extremely helpful. They were also able to book me in at short notice to have some damp-proofing done and some subfloor timber replaced, but unfortunately I had to cancel them with a view to having the work done next year instead, as I discovered that I was going to have to get a new boiler fitted and I couldn't afford to have the damp-proofing done as well, so I can't actually comment on Dower Tekron's work myself. They were recommended to me by someone else though, and from my dealings with them I feel confident that they'd do a good job as they were very professional and helpful.

For plumbing/heating/electric shower, I'd recommend Ged at D&G Plumbing (tel 07748 907382) - they fitted a new shower for me quickly and with no mess (the old shower was from the 70s and there were all sorts of difficulties with the wiring not being suitable for a modern shower!) and have been to give me quotes for fitting a couple of new radiators. One of the main things I liked about them was that they're honest about work that needs doing or not. I was looking to get a radiator fitted in an attic room and Ged advised me against having one put in as the height of the F&E tank would mean that it was pretty inefficient, even though it meant there wouldn't be any work for him to do!