A prospective buyer contacted SERL based on a recommendation from their chartered surveyor. They had endorsed us due to our well-known expertise and independence.
The client required a structural engineers report to address their concerns with regards to cracking that had been noted by the mortgage surveyor to the rear elevation of the property concerned.
SERL is an independent, and highly experienced structural engineering firm specialising in Structural Engineers Reports for residential properties in Barnes and the South West London area.
In response to the client’s requirements our qualified Chartered Structural Engineer recommended a General Structural Inspection (GSI) report.
SERL offers two types of structural reports:
1) A localised, specific, and limited Specific Structural Inspection (SSI) report or a Structural Engineers Defect Report.
2) A broader General Structural Inspection Report (GSI) or Structural Engineers General Movement Report which focuses only on matters of cracking and movement.
The property is a purpose-built first-floor maisonette from the early 1900s, featuring solid brick external walls and suspended timber floors and roof framing.
The structure follows the traditional ‘L’ shape, with a full-width frontage between party walls and a narrower rear extension.
The property’s rear elevation showed localised cracking specifically around a brick arch lintel above an external shed and WC.
Importantly, the cracking was intermittent, not originating from the building’s edges or related to settlement or subsidence.
The damage was due to a slight deflection of the original brick arch lintel owing to age and its modest construction.
We were able to provide the client with a confident assessment, enabling them to plan financially for the modest repairs.
We recommended a straightforward crack repair, costing a few hundred pounds, and suggested either replacing or reinforcing the brick arch. This decision would require coordination with the freeholder or ground floor lessee, depending on the lease terms for the first-floor maisonette.
We believe the mortgage surveyor would have been satisfied with our findings as the extent of the damage was limited and the low cost involved in the repairs.