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There are over four million Victorian and Edwardian houses in the UK and many are crying out for some serious care and repair work, according to chartered surveyors. Buildings of Victorian and Edwardian age account for a disproportionately high number of the 'essential repairs' listed in mortgage valuations and survey reports, says the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. One cause of problems arising today can be traced back to the Victorian builders who were not always averse to taking shortcuts and skimping on materials, with the result that ‘inherent defects’ developed in later life. Experienced surveyors will know how to identify common problems like damp, timber decay, and structural movement. But they will also know when not to worry, when apparent defects are not significant, according to a RICS qualified chartered surveyor Ian Rock. He pointed out that large numbers of homes of this era have suffered from a long term lack of maintenance. Worse, many old buildings have been subjected to inappropriate repair work, leading to a loss of valuable original features. ‘In some cases well intentioned repairs have had the effect of exacerbating the problems that they set out to solve. Works such as re-pointing and rendering in modern cement based materials, the use of plastic paints and the retrospective application of unnecessary damp proof treatments can all be detrimental to the health of such buildings, in time leading to accelerated decay and irreparable damage,’ he explained. The most inappropriate works commonly carried out on traditional buildings include replacing original good quality sash windows with inappropriate modern aluminium or PVC-U casements and stripping out original period doors. There is also unnecessarily injecting chemical damp proof courses or injecting them incompetently, and re-plastering or rendering main walls with cement based materials rather than traditional lime, thereby trapping damp in the walls. Damp, rot and beetle infestation is encouraged by blocking ventilation to floors and roofs, and by allowing high ground levels such as flower beds to build up against external walls. Removal of chimney breasts or load bearing internal spine walls without providing adequate support to the remaining masonry above can also cause damage. Others are neglecting badly eroded mortar joints to external masonry, allowing damp to penetrate and frost damage to occur and re-pointing walls with cement mortar that prevents walls from ‘breathing’, and re-pointing in visually dominant ‘show off’ styles such as protruding ‘weather struck’ pointing. RICS also points to botched repairs to flashings to stacks and roofs with short life materials such as self-adhesive tapes or mortar fillets and a failure to provide enhanced structural support to roof structures where original lightweight slate coverings have been replaced with heavier concrete tiles. Damage can also be caused to these old buildings by not lining old flues before lighting fires or using appliances, and failing to cap and ventilate disused flues as well as weakening floor joists with excessive cutting for cable and pipe runs. ‘RICS members have a pivotal role to… Continue reading →