Welcome to Cockrams Surveying Blog

The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 makes provision in respect of party walls and adjacent excavation and construction in proximity to certain buildings or structures. It is important to follow the procedures set out in the Act when undertaking works to your property as failure to do so can leave a project at risk of … Read More »

We use a few different pieces of equipment as part of surveying kit but the one a lot of people see during our inspections and want for themselves is our telescopic ladders. These are a useful bit of kit as they are easy to carry and provide access to loft spaces and parts of the … Read More »

We were recently asked to re-attend a property which was previously confirmed to containt to an isolated area of the property. The building owner had removed the wall and required confirmation that the mundic content had been removed for reclassification. Upon taking additional samples to the previously affected area, these samples were returned as A1 … Read More »

Do you think the effects of Brexit will be long-lasting in the UK? Well, they are certainly. You can see the market scenario even today after a considerable time has passed after Brexit, the trend looks to be bearish. Property rates have been tumbling at quite a fast rate as compared to the massive crash … Read More »

Market dynamics change according to the change happening in the surroundings. In light of the new regulations, lending rules, and tax scenario, the buy-to-let market expects several changes. If you are a landlord (or potential investor), then it is all the more essential to minimize overheads by cluing up on the obligations. Pursuing knowledge about … Read More »

The value of a drain scan can be seen by a recent survey carried out on a property locally with misaligned joints and rats within the drainage system. In addition, it became clear that there were no traps within the drains which were not immediately obvious from the outside. In addition, the rainwater drainage system … Read More »

A building survey that we undertook this week was a stone built cottage which probably dates back to about 1850 with a rear tenement type extension which was probably completed around 1900 along with further additions in the 1960s. The main original roof appeared in reasonable overall condition with no slates notably slipped or missing. … Read More »

Surveyors must always be wary of their own personal safety as well as of those around them when undertaking surveys. This is demonstrated as per the photograph of a recent survey whereby the property boasted private access via a narrow set of stone steps from the property down to a secluded beach area. The lack … Read More »

We recently undertook a survey on a substantial Victorian house and noted bees had swarmed in the rear chimney flue/pot. It is possible that these are masonry bees and if this is the case they could cause significant damage to the brickwork. It is our understanding that these bees are protected and as such can … Read More »

We started undertaking “look see” drain scans on properties in 2010 initially as a ‘unique selling point’ (USL) but have long since realised the benefits of these scans to find very significant defects even when there are no blockages evident. This was certainly the case on a recent property where we undertook a Building Survey … Read More »