Structural Surveys

Are you thinking about buying a new property or selling an older building? Perhaps you want to renovate or convert an existing property’s structure, but aren’t sure about the structural implications or potential risks?

A structural survey report – sometimes known as a home survey, property survey, or building survey – can be essential in providing a detailed analysis of the property’s condition. This will reveal any potential issues with the structure that could affect your plans to buy, sell, or make alterations to the property’s structure.

After conducting a structural survey with a thorough inspection, assessing either specific structural issues or structural elements throughout the entire building, you’ll receive a written report with an in-depth analysis of the property’s condition.

When carried out by highly qualified engineers – like the experienced team at RD Engineering – these structural survey reports will not only evaluate the structure’s safety and stability, but also provide comprehensive insight into any major problems that may require remedial action to restore its structural integrity.

A full structural survey report will present the findings of a detailed inspection of the property, identify potential problems, and provide recommendations for necessary repairs or maintenance work.

There are several reasons why you may need a full building survey, and why the valuable information they provide makes structural survey costs worth paying.

Firstly, this type of property survey is vital when planning to inhabit a building or to make changes to the condition of the property before inhabiting or selling it, as it is a legal requirement to make sure a property meets building safety standards.

Secondly, a structure’s ability to withstand various loads and comply with safety laws can also affect the property value, purchase price, and insurance coverage. Both sellers and potential buyers will want to be confident in the building’s longevity, ensuring it is in reasonable condition and fit for purpose.

Detailed surveys are therefore highly recommended because most mortgage lenders, insurance companies, developers, and prospective buyers or investors will want to see a structural survey report before proceeding.

Avoid major issues and address urgent defects

Whether the property is residential or commercial, structural survey reports can help buyers to make an informed decision before committing to buying a property.

They can also guide sellers in completing necessary repairs to avoid legal problems from latent defects down the line, especially in older properties.

It’s also imperative to conduct a full structural survey on any existing building that you want to alter structurally before pursuing renovations, for both conventional properties and other types with a more unique layout.

If you don’t get a building survey with a structural engineer report, there is a high risk that underlying structural problems could continue to worsen over time.

If left unaddressed without further investigation, worsening defects could result in serious property damage and even structural collapse, potentially causing injury and inevitably reducing the value of the building.

Similarly, if you’re living or working in a building that is showing signs of structural damage, such as cracks in the walls, you should arrange an in-depth inspection as soon as possible to analyse the cause and establish what you should do next.

To receive a comprehensive survey report, you must hire a chartered engineer to conduct a structural survey of the building or the part that’s causing concern.

Experts like RD Engineering will use specialist knowledge and techniques to assess a property’s structural integrity, diagnosing existing damage or structural defects that pose safety risks and pursuing further investigation to help rectify them.

You may want a full structural survey of the whole building, or a focused inspection of a particular load-bearing element that you have specific concerns about.

For example, people often need a structural survey to identify insulation problems, advise on the proper installation of roof solar panels, or assess whether a chimney breast is still in good condition.

In any case, a structural survey by experienced engineers can spot both internal and external issues and provide guidance in a thorough report.

Engineering advice for structural repairs

From damaged brickwork to distorted window or door frames, cracks in ceilings to uneven or bowing floors, drainage problems to damp and mould – a structural survey report can catalogue the extent of underlying defects, identifying likely causes and what needs to be done to fix them.

In some cases, following a site inspection, a more intrusive investigation may be required to find deeper underlying causes of structural issues – especially if there could be a more severe defect present that’s likely to deteriorate further without urgent intervention, such as underpinning floors to tackle subsidence.

In addition to descriptions of any defects found and advice on further inspections or remedial measures, if requested, extended structural survey reports may also be able to provide estimated costs for repairs to help you to plan and budget for them.

As you can imagine, commissioning structural reports and acting on the information they provide can make a massive difference in restoring buildings, ensuring they are structurally sound and maintaining safety and property values.

With a full range of structural engineering services available, if action needs to be taken quickly following a structural survey, you can also engage RD Engineering Associates to assist with structural repairs or new building plans.

Should you need a structural survey report for your property or building project, RD Engineering has a team of experienced structural engineers on hand to help you.

We use standard visual inspections and detailed technical procedures to assess structural integrity, producing a structural engineers’ report reviewing our findings as quickly as possible – without compromising on the quality of our work.

We communicate clearly and don’t clutter our reports with too much jargon, helping you understand the outcome of our unbiased observations and explaining the next steps you must take to make sure your property complies with building regulations and the relevant health and safety legislation.

Whether you suspect there is structural damage in your property or you want us to inspect a property before you purchase or renovate it, your structural report will be in safe hands when you entrust this process to the RD Engineering team.

To learn more about our full structural survey service or to arrange a no-obligation consultation, call the RD Engineering office on 01257 445 010.

Alternatively, submit your enquiry and contact details through the form below, and we will be in touch soon to discuss your structural survey requirements.