Load-bearing chimney problem

[ms27 10]

Hi - I'm looking for some advice from anyone with knowledge or experience of this problem:

We are currently in the process of purchasing a house and the survey has uncovered that a load-bearing chimney breast has been partially removed on the first floor of the house. This was done a while back before the current owners purchased the property. There are no documents showing regarding building regulations and the surveyor cannot comment on whether any replacement support has been put in place. There are no signs of damage caused by excess weight, so I can only assume the load from above is sufficiently supported but obviously this is a concern. The sellers have taken out an indemnity policy for the lack of paperwork, but as far as I'm aware this would not cover us if any problems occur in the future e.g. The chimney collapses! Has anyone had this problem? Is the solution to get a structural engineer out to examine it (and if so, what sort of cost could I expect)? If this happened would it be an invasive procedure that would cause any damage (and hence further costs)? I would really appreciate any help anyone could give! Thanks.

[mega_monty 10]

Personally I would walk away, why should you inherit someone elses problem that could cause you further issues or should you wish to sell in the future. I wouldn't assume anything and have it checked properly.

 

I imagine it could prove invasive by having to strip back plasterboards etc to gain access to look for supporting structures. The vendor may not be willing to do this. Think also if the chimney collapsed could it cause damage to next door? in which you could be faced with a claim from the neighbours.

 

If this is a property you've set your heart on, you could negotiate a large reduction in the asking price to reflect this and having the issue rectified so that it wont cause you problems in the future.

[dan2802 53]

This is more common than you would think.

What has the surveyor said ?

[ms27 10]

The surveyor says that the remaining chimney should have been provided with some sort of support, but this is now concealed within the fabric of the building and there is no clear evidence of the additional support. Therefore they cannot confirm its adequacy or existence. They have then gone on to highlight that this is potentially very hazardous and that we should seek out the building regulation paperwork (which we know there are none, as we were already aware indemnity insurance was taken out) or carry out physical examinations to determine if immediate work is necessary.

[ricgem2002 11]

cant you just buy the insurance if you buy the property ?

[ms27 10]

The insurance just covers the lack of building consent if that ever became an issue and the council came calling - as far as I'm aware it does not cover costs if it becomes apparent that the support is not present, cracks appear or, in the worse case, the chimney falls down.

[ricgem2002 11]

take a look here http://www.gocompare.com/mortgages/title-indemnity-insurance/#A6aKq8tpfEyByDQl.97 some good information there. especially if the homeowner has lived in the house more than ten years seems unlikely that the council will come calling. btw without exposing the ceiling to see what/if any supports have been put in you not going to know. hope this helps

[handypandy 14]

If the chimney isn't a shared type, personally I would just get a roofer to dismantle the chimney from the roof and tile/slate over.

 

If it is a shared type, then the "concealed" part, to which the surveyor refers needs to be exposed in order for a structural engineer to examine and advise.

 

As Dan says, this is very common. Some diy'ers seem to think that brickwork is held up by skyhooks.

 

 

.

[spider1 11]

I would tell the seller to sort the prob out and you want the necessary paper work or you will walk away .If you go in the false roof you should be able to see if there are any R.S.J or support in

without pulling ceiling down . A common prob i guess Stack shared on party wall type I have done quite a few we used to put an r. s.j in to span off 2 load bearing walls but the builders put special brackets in these days [ I think they call them gallows brackets some builders do them regular so they would know best. You should not buy a house without any necessary paper work end off

Edited March 12, 2017 by spider1

[handypandy 14]

I would tell the seller to sort the prob out and you want the necessary

paper work or you will walk away . He will have same prob with next buyer

 

I agree....or at least the likely cost deducted from the price. The "it was like that when WE bought it" is the oldest story in the book.

[spider1 11]

I agree....or at least the likely cost deducted from the price. The "it was like that when WE bought it" is the oldest story in the book.

 

:hihi:

[ms27 10]

I would tell the seller to sort the prob out and you want the necessary paper work or you will walk away .If you go in the false roof you should be able to see if there are any R.S.J or support in

without pulling ceiling down . A common prob i guess Stack shared on party wall type I have done quite a few we used to put an r. s.j in to span off 2 load bearing walls but the builders put special brackets in these days [ I think they call them gallows brackets some builders do them regular so they would know best. You should not buy a house without any necessary paper work end off

 

Agreed - we wouldn't be willing to buy the house in the hope that it's all ok and safe. There are a few other bits that appeared on the survey that we are willing to bite the bullet and fix when we move in, but we cannot take a risk on this. We will ask the sellers to get a structural engineer to check it out and go from there. Thanks for all the advice. Fingers crossed it's all ends up ok.