From one county to another, this time, no cathedral, but an abbey, 12th century and one of the finest ‘market cross’s’ in England, 14th century. Malmesbury to be precise, where, by comparison, the house that I looked at today for my Client was rather mundane, but nevertheless it was sound as a pound, as the saying goes. It was built on the site of the town’s former abattoir, but not many people know that, by a well known building company who had their origins in Bristol. Now, where will I be tomorrow???   more »

A gem, a real gem is what I have seen to day. It was not the sort of gem you - your ‘partner’ would want to wear on her finger, because it was a grade II listed Somerset Farmhouse, standing adjacent to the village church, known as the above! Well I liked it and so do my Clients and I can’t blame them. It is not without its problems, but these all have to be seen in the greater context. Fortunately there was nothing that should be desperately off putting, but when a building is over 400 years old nothing is going to be straight and doors will only fit their frames where they touch!. Death watch beetle is running around the house, though I do not think it is being held up by them holding hands! So, they can move in and start work, piecemeal, area by area, room by room and in twenty years time they will have magnificent house, but all the time will have been living in a delightful house, with an Aga (of course!) a garage, green house, outbuildings and an in door heated swimming pool. And they do not have to go far for divine inspiration…   more »

The last few days have seen me on roofs, on scaffolding and to-day high up on a mini multi-storey block of flats in Westbury Park, but with the name that it was given I could have been forgiven for thinking I was in North Somerset! The block was, if memory serves me right, designed by a well known Bristol architect, who lived in the top floor apartment – a real 'pent house', because it was the only top floor flat and not a flat on the top floor shared with others, if you see what I mean! (See last Wednesday). Well he moved out and someone else moved in, but that was over seven years ago and anyway, I was not looking at that pent house, but a flat on a lower floor! It was fine, but my Client will have do re-model the flat, new kitchen and bathroom and cloakroom, possibly a new boiler and certainly refresh the decorations and will then have a charming home in which to live. Any drawbacks? Well the lift is small. It serves all floors, but will only take three people, but they will have to know each other very well, and only then if their combined weight does not exceed 280Kg!. Still, living on the second floor, a lift should not really be necessary, should it, unless you want to get to know your neighbours...   more »

The Right Reverend John Percival, Bishop of Hereford was the first headmaster of Clifton College, and not a lot of people know that, particularly, those I expect at, wait for it…Clifton College. Even if they did, do they know that prior to that he had been President of Trinity College, Oxford and Headmaster of Rugby School. This man’s fame just goes on and on and it’s no wonder, then that they named a road after him! And that is where I have been today in a ‘sort of’ Arts and Craft movement house that I found, by and large in reasonable condition. It had suffered from some historic settlement, but had is the operative word – good! It had a ‘new’ roof, but I suspect that was over thirty years ago but it was a shame that the original clay plain tiles were discarded in favour of concrete, particularly as clay tiles are still available, even new. Some funny little oddities – a skylight that could not be reached unless you are a member of the jolly green giant family, a blocked access hatch onto the inner roof slopes – where do builders come from - and a stop tap that could not be turned of because the trap was so small, unless you were a child (and children don’t have the strength to turn off such taps), but of course it is in Clifton, so you must expect such things but have faith...   more »

There I was climbing out of a top floor window to get to the scaffolding at the rear of this house in Cotham - I must be mad! Fortunately it was a reasonably fine day, no wind or rain!. Cotham is high enough up with out getting on to the scaffold to look at a chimney stack and a roof, and it’s a pity that all houses don’t have scaffolding attached to them as it would make my life much easier. Anyway, stack and roof seen, report completed and now back on terra firma…   more »

If this property was in Chew Magna, they'd be about eight houses with the same name! I suspect that in 'Clifton' there are a number of similar coach houses, but I don't know how many, although I've seen six in the past, so this is No.7, but even so, I've had a grand day out! This particular coach house is in a quiet backwater, but it was a bit 'un-tidy' – and here I'm talking about the inside, and fortunately not the structure, I almost thought that the Were-Rabbit had been there! Rather like last Tuesday, when I was in Sneyd Park, this dwelling is also an up-side down house, which makes it a bit more interesting, though no real 'views' – and I was on the roof in the wrong trousers – again – another close shave! There is, however a pleasant garden having a southern hemisphere plantation with tree ferns, well just the one, and other jungle vines. Not a bad place for a coachman, (his horse) and dog to live, and certainly, not a matter of loaf and death...   more »

The last time I entered this building was to deliver a file to a Bristol firm of lawyers, but where are they now? I suspect that they have morphed into a much larger practice and gone on to bigger and better things! Such is life, as the conversion of their former offices, where the developer was able to construct another couple of floors on top of the existing, so there are now some sixty or so ‘purpose built’ flats on the market in the middle of the City. My Client is purchasing one of the top floor flats. (No doubt it is known as a ‘penthouse’ flat, but in my view, penthouse flats do not share a floor with any one else, but it’s all in the marketing.) It’s an interesting project, light and spacious and with secure parking, even if the parking area had an odour of sewage – I’m getting used to this (see Feb 10th) – but I’m sure that it’ll be sorted out. A lift to all floors is installed and can be used by eight people at once, providing they don’t weigh in excess of 630Kg! There is a balcony and a terrace, but each seems a little ‘hemmed in’, by the neighbouring offices. Nevertheless with one’s head in the clouds…   more »

If I remember correctly this house in Sneyd Park was originally built by one of Bristol's better building contractors, a pair of brothers, one of which actually lived in the house, but sadly both have passed on to that vast construction site in the sky! They were builders of repute and this dwelling did not disappoint; it was well constructed with seemingly good quality materials and it has been well maintained. Even the softwood timber windows are original and they have not suffered from 'traditional' decay, but of course they are only single glazed. It was designed 'up side down' - the bedrooms are at ground level - so the living accommodation can take in the open aspect of the surrounding area. It has been extended, but this extension is in keeping with the original. It has also been well modernised, a tribute, perhaps to the builders...   more »

Portishead maybe the biggest cul de sac in Europe, but it has quite good local amenities including a Waitrose that is within half a mile of the house I saw today, which is more than my Clients have done! Seriously, it does happen, occasionally I admit, but I do have clients, well another, two come to think of it, Clients who purchase a house without having seen it and they’re still there now, many years later. I’m asked to take a lot of photographs, so that they can see what they are buying! In this case a larger than average detached stone built house, probably constructed in 1870, or thereabouts. It was in fairly good condition and there should be nothing off putting about buying it. I shall let them know about the strengthening of the roof and modest settlement and the lack of Building Regulations for the removal of a wall, but none of this is going to give me sleepless nights, so I hope that it won’t my Clients. I suppose there is a reason to move back from France to Portishead…   more »

Alma – the battle in 1854, a bridge, a book, Alma mater and Alma Cogan all come to mind but Alma Court is where I have been today. It was built by Beazer Homes, now gobbled up into a much larger house building operation, back in the 1980's, probably the late 1980's. It's in a very convenient position just behind the Clifton Down Shopping complex – so that's very useful. It is a surprisingly quiet spot, which is no doubt one of the reasons my Client likes it. All that has to be done is to replace the 'orrible old timber windows to deal with the unbearable condensation and then live the life of Riley, thinking of the bridge, whilst reading about the battle and listening to Miss Cogan...   more »

Porthkerry is a large park on the coast at Barry, Glamorgan in South Wales. This Porthkerry is in a small village to the west of the God fearing city of Wells. A large seemingly well built property, but a shame about the windows, some being single glazed and others that are double glazed are breaking down. But, it does have a magnificent garden and paddock. A lovely village, an easy commute into Wells, on a Sunday?, a quiet location in a rural area, with a dozen or so chickens in the farmer's yard at the rear. But, is there a cockerel in the flock???   more »

Well I've never seen a house quite like this before! I was asked to look at a property in Fishponds today, that turned out to be a look a like 1930's house, but one that was really built in the very late 1940's, although I suspect in the very early 1950's. It's moved and settled. So has has neighbouring house to the extent that they seem to be dropping in towards each other! It's a bit of a worry really as a mortgage might not be forthcoming – difficult enough these days anyway – and will an insurance company insure it? All points to ponder in this topsy turvey world...   more »

I knew there was a question with the drains before I even arrived at this property in a pleasant road in Clifton, as I was asked not to go until it had been sorted out. It had, so here I was. I found no real deficiencies externally (chimneys, a bit, roof, gutters, walls and windows), but when I got into the flat the sewerage odour was almost overpowering…drains. Many years ago I looked a Georgian house in St. Margaret’s Building, in Bath, where there was a serious, and I’m talking SERIOUS difficulty with the drains that had collapsed into the basement and sewage was all over the place – I do get to some charming places!. As a result I have never forgotten that smell and I can pick it up wherever there is drainage glitch. It exists here, but hopefully the real problem has been sorted out and after a short while so will that dreadful odour…Nothing to do with surveying, but I just wonder if that smell, all those years ago has affected me, as I’m not very good at distinguishing the bouquet of a bottle of wine…   more »

Here we are again, in the thick of it – snow everywhere so I can’t do much today, as I am not able to see roofs, but as every cloud has a silver lining, I was able to catch up on some (long forgotten) paperwork. Isn’t it a joy when that is finished! Monday was spent finishing off some of this work and taking enquiries from potential new clients – even if I don’t get the work, then at least it shows that some thing out in that miserable world IS happening! Then I get a call form an old Client to look at a house he’s thinking of purchasing, if he can get the price right, so here goes – I must look at it today because I am busy for the rest of the week, when I get a call to look at another house in Fishponds, must be done this week. Hurry, hurry, hurry…   more »

I was asked to look at and advise on the ‘development’ of a basement over which my Client has a right of way. The neighbour wants this right to be ‘extinguished’ – a legal term apparently – so he can extend into the basement from his ground floor flat. A good idea, but that right of way could be worth a small fortune, as my Client is not bound to give in and the other party has no right to it. Stokes v. Cambridge comes to mind. All very interesting and it had to be done today despite the snow…   more »

I was in Winterbourne today as I had been asked to look at what turned out to be a pleasant detached house just a few years old and I am pleased to say that it was in good condition – I really didn’t expect much less. I was, however, somewhat surprised to find painted softwood joinery at roof level, because this makes for additional maintenance – laminate would have been, in my opinion, better. However, as I always say whilst plastics and laminates are sold on the basis they are maintenance free, they are, but they are also a ‘magnate’ for dirt and grime and as a result they will need more regular cleaning than would naturally painted softwood, if their pristine condition is to be kept up to scratch, but that’s life. The house had a smallish garden overlooking open fields, almost giving it a ‘pastoral aire’…   more »

I have not been to this cul de sac in St George (dragon, get it??) before and was very pleasantly surprised to find this, a well maintained house that had been occupied at least for the last seventy – one years by the vendor, who had been born there. Her father had purchased it, so this was the first time, since new that it had been on the market – and what a market with which to start! Never mind, her father and later her husband had kept it all in pristine condition, so my Client can safely proceed with her purchase, and buy a considerably better house than the one I looked at on her behalf last year. However, she will need the dragon to melt the ice, though hopefully by the time she gets there, it should all have melted…   more »

I have just re-visited a turn of the century terraced house in Southville, where my Client was ‘complaining’, in the nicest possible terms of damp and mould growth. We spoke initially over the dog (and bone) and I gave him my thoughts. When I arrived it was as I had suggested, mould growth that was caused by condensation. He and his partner used the bedroom and kept the window closed at night, because, in this weather it is cold. Nevertheless I advised that they sleep with the window OPEN and leave it slightly ajar during the day. Condensation is a very hard subject with which to deal in a satisfactory way, but if you don’t or can’t then you end up with Black Mould…

Then I went to see a Client who was having a dispute with his neighbours... and than another Client came to see me. They were having a dispute with their neighbours... All in all a bit of a black day for all concerned...   more »