Inspecting an old house starts the moment you walk up the garden path. Look around the gardens and grounds as you make your way up to the house. If there are trees near the house, this can mean settlement of the foundations if the soil underneath the house is clay based. The trees will remove the water from the soil and you should spend some time finding out what type of soil the house is built on.
If the subsoil is gravel or sand based, make sure you check the house drains which, if leaky, can remove the finer, smaller particles from the subsoil and increase the risk of settlement. Cracks, even small ones, in the external walls of the side of house nearest the trees is one sign that settlement of the house may already have occurred.
Many older houses do not have damp proof courses, but if there is one fitted to the house, make sure that it is two brick courses above garden paths or driveways surrounding the house. Leaking roofs, gutters or downpipes can cause bricks to absorb water. Signs of this dampness include green algae growing on a exterior wall, or wallpaper that won’t stay pasted onto an interior wall, which may also have black mould growing on it.
It is essential in order to prevent water finding an alternative path from the ground into the house walls, that paving or paths are never built higher than the line of the DPC. Also check that rubbish or soil is not piled up against walls. A moisture meter may help in determining the amount of damp that has penetrated the inner walls of the house.
Examine as much of the roof as you can reasonably obtain access to. The majority of flat roofs will inevitably leak. Rainwater entering the house from a leaky flat roof may gather for some time, causing wet rot in roof timbers without staining the ceiling.
Windows and doors are easier to check than roofs. Although many older houses owe much of their appeal and charm to non standard building methods, you still want doors and windows to fit properly and floors to be reasonably level.
This article is only intended as a basic general summary and you should always seek professional advice where necessary.
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