I had to go back today and look at a very pleasant garden flat that I had seen a few weeks ago. This time there was much less an odour of the drains that met me than when I walked into this flat the last time. It had not totally gone; there was just a little ‘whiff’ to greet me as I entered – no doubt to keep me on my toes! (I had a bit of a cold, so nasal passages my not be up to full strength, but…). Most of the remedial work has seemingly been completed, so hopefully the sale will eventually plough ahead…

…I then went over the bridge to look at an extension a Client of mine was building. He was having a spot of bother with his designer and builder – an odd combination I thought, but did not say so – but, hopefully that problem has now been successfully put to bed. I have to say that I don’t envy these Clients, as they are living in a building site and the builder doesn’t seem capable of keeping even a whistle clean – it left a bit of a different odour in the air…   more »

Fortunately it did not rain today, instead it was a pleasant spring Wednesday for me to inspect a fairly standard mid terraced late Victorian villa in the Parish of Brislington – ‘Bris’, as it is locally called. It was owned by a real Bristolian couple who made me very welcome. They had had enough of this country and were moving to Spain, to rent a flat and only pay a few euro’s a week to have their bin emptied (didn’t know the Spanish empted bins) as opposed to the £1500 they pay here! They had lived in the house for the past eighteen or so years, but had not kept it as well as many other houses that I see. It was not falling down, unlike the garage, where one risks one’s life to enter and the roof of the house was weather tight – just. The front stack needs some attention as does the front gutter and the windows need replacing or renovating. The rear elevation also need attention – why are the French doors permanently sealed? - The house, realistically speaking, needs total renovation. Still it is in a reasonably quiet road and I hope that my Clients, who are moving from London, will be happy. Let’s hope the Vendors take the rain to Spain…   more »

I've enjoyed my time today looking at what I suspect was originally a six roomed house that was then extended so much so that it has now become a building that houses four self contained units. Two are a bit boring and need renovation, one is ok and the forth has been renovated into something entirely different, a three bedroomed maisonette. This is a Grade II listed building, but I think that the conservationist have got it a bit wrong, as it probably dates back to the 1720's or thereabouts. It was probably 're-faced' with Bath stone in the Victorian period, when the two bay windows were added, and it has been extended twice to the rear at much the same, but different times. Whatever,it is old and my Clients have found a charming property, but it is a dwelling that could act as a sponge and soak up money on it's restoration. However, one of the main areas, the roof has been entirely up-graded with lead flat sections and new clay (interlocking) pan tiles that will please the conservationists, but they may die of apoplexy if they see the 'Velux' skylights! Its probably quite an 'important' building, as buildings go and maybe the 'listing' is on he low side, certainly, in my opinion it should be a GradeII*, and possibly a GradeI. The joy, for me, one of the joys for me in this specific instance was the fact that I could park my car in the cellar, close the doors and not get a ticket, and give my parking fairy a day off! My Clients must remember not to hang their washing out to dry on this hill, as it's against the bye laws!!!   more »

A few years ago I looked at property in Clifton – the 'village' – you know, and reported to my then Client that the roof was leaking in about seven places. Well, this got back to the vendor. I did not know him, but I knew of him, if you see what I mean. He told his estate agent that his roof did not leak so there etc. and he wasn't going to lower his price for repairs. I replied that it was leaking when I was in the roof space and I saw the water coming in, but that I did not see him in the roof space at the same time – he was very large (and pompous), so he would not have got there anyway! It was raining equally hard today, but fortunately not for so long. The vendor said he hoped his roof was not leaking, he is an architect who designed and had built this house, and of course he was right, but I didn't expect him not to be. He planned a lovely home and it was well built with good quality fittings, though, sadly they are all some twenty plus years old now, so, perhaps a little out dated. Nevertheless,I hope that my Clients, who are moving back to the UK from across the 'pond' will be very happy there, so long as they can get used to...the rain...   more »

Just one of those tenants and fortunately they are very few and very far between, - I don't think that I have ever met such an unpleasant disagreeable tenant – but she's gone! In her favour she left the flat spotless, everything had been removed, but she forgot one loo roll! I had been trying to get into this flat for over six weeks, the estate agents had done everything they could have done, but all to no avail, so termination of tenancy and the flat is regained. It is in a very convenient position right in the middle of the 'village' and opposite Smith's, so it's not far to get the Sunday papers – are they open on Sunday, well if not there's Tesco down the road! The flat has a delightful sitting room and two bedrooms and an en suite. It was all up together and largely in good condition. There is no parking of course, but my 'parking fairy' did not let me down and found me a space nearest but one to the building, and I always say thank you to her! Thank you parking fairy...   more »

Oh! I do like to be beside the sea side, I do like to be beside the sea, and I was when I was at Weston today. Unfortunately the donkeys were not out so I had to console myself with an inspection of a large late Victorian mid terraced house that I am pleased to report to my Client was in fairly good condition. The chimneys were sound as was the roof – all recovered 20 or so years ago – but modest attention to the front guttering will be needed. Main walls ok, but some of the replacement windows have failed. Insulation in the roof needs improving, but the house was reasonably dry. Fitments were not too bad, so, all in all it had a reasonably good report. A nice sunny day, so now where are those donkeys???   more »

The vendor of this small but attractive house had, over the years, lived in each of the three houses that form this small courtyard development on the slopes of Clifton. Don’t ask me why, I don’t know, but I suppose that she had her reasons. They were built about thirty years ago, probably by a cheap builder who did everything on the cheap. However the actual bricks used for the walls were expensive, but just poorly finished – a shoddy finish – that my Clients (and every one else who lives in these houses) I’m afraid will have to accept. The main roof is ok, but the lead to the parapet walls has failed, the support for the gutters is minimal. The flat roof over the study leaks and the whole will need replacing. Decay is evident in the external roofing timbers and the windows are likely all to need replacing. There is NO insulation in the roof space and I could not see the boiler because it was covered with ‘mess’! I have never seen so much ‘stuff’ crammed into such a relatively small space as the garage when I asked to see inside it – I could not see a thing, barely the ceiling; forget the floor or the back of the garage! Oh and just for good measure the vendor has painted (badly) the otherwise very pleasant (and expensive) brick walls at ground level. Hey Ho! Nought as queer as folk…   more »

This morning I have been to see a modern house in Nailsea that was originally built by Heron Homes. Heron were keen exponents of the ‘Radburn’ system that of segregating vehicular and pedestrian traffic and many of their developments were set out in this style. It was a good concept, as concepts go, but it was found that every one used the back door and not the front! The result is that the ‘backs’ of the houses are rather ‘unimaginative and boring’, whilst the front, which nobody sees are really quite attractive! Nailsea is also a past coal mining area, so as my Client and her solicitor are from out of town, I have advised them to get ‘coal searches’ from Bristol Coal Mining Archives, because British Coal, in their wisdom, sold all their record to them! Another Great British foul-up, but the house was fine and it has a pleasant outlook, onto a green, that probably was an area for mining as Heron would otherwise have built on it…   more »

I have just been to see a 1930’s semi-detached house that has been occupied by the same family for the last thirty or so years. The vendor who is selling as the house is now too large for her told me that her husband was a ‘Master Builder’, and that he had made the various alterations and had extended the house to its present size. Well, I didn’t meet him, he is on another building site somewhere in the sky and I’ll bet he’s doing another good job there! When he extended the house here, he re-used the hip rafters and the original hip beams and they all married up with the original, so he knew what he was doing and he was re-cycling all at the same time! You could not see the ‘join’ between the original and new walls; you could not see any scarring from where the chimney breasts had been removed and you could not feel even the slightest ‘bump’ between the old and new floors. He had built a double garage and had landscaped the garden, and it was all well maintained and in good simple decorative order. My Clients have found a very pleasant house, and these Clients of mine are good at that…   more »

Well having got back in one piece from rural Gloucestershire I was off to rural Somerset today. I didn’t have to go far, just far enough over the bridge, (not saying which one!) to look at a barn conversion. To be accurate, and we surveyors do have to be accurate, it was a converted piggery! It was converted about ten years ago after the previous owner passed on, but for years he had no interest in pigs and the whole place was a wreck – I'm surprised somebody even bought it, but they did, and a little ‘ham fistedly' (small pun not intended) sorted it out into it’s present very pleasant accommodation. The present vendors have, however had to sort out a few problems and my Client will have some more ‘sorting out’ to do, but it is in a most delightful setting and only a short distance from the centre of the city, so they’ve got the best of both worlds…   more »

I don’t normally say where I am going, not the actual address and I don’t ever say what I’m up to at week-ends, but this week-end I did go and visit a small public house in very rural Gloucestershire. It was so small that the landlord, who had been serving one of two real ales for the past 45 years, drew beer from a 'bar in the corner, next to the fireplace! When he bought it, he did not tell his wife, but they’re still together, though she does not go to it. I’m not telling you where it is so please don’t ask!!!   more »

I was quite expecting a liveried coachman to meet me when I looked at this mews house today, but he had long since disappeared, probably in 1860, or thereabouts, so there was nothing intrinsically evident of his past lodging remaining. The coaches have now been replaced by LARGE 4x4’s, and like the livery men or yore, the owners like to keep them tucked away in their 4x4 houses and woe betide ANYONE who even thinks of parking close by – out will come the private army, you will be harangued and told, not asked politely to move off or else…Ah!, the delights of the ‘village’! The house itself was interesting and largely in good condition. It was light and spacious and needed little by way of repair or modernisation. The floor to the third bedroom or study was down three steps. Here I have advised my Client to consider introducing a raised floor so that it was level with the landing; it would give the room a better proportion and make it less of a shoe box on its side…   more »

I looked at an ex Local Authority semi-detached house to day. It was built with a single pitched sloping roof, which the estate agent thought looked rather like a ‘ski lodge’! It was in a green and pleasant setting close to the ‘village’, but no snow about, so no off-piste skiing here, but I suspect that the occupiers may come back to the house after a night in the village a bit off piste! (A little while ago the same agent suggested that a wall mounted central heating boiler, in another house, was where it was and not hidden behind a convenient wall… because the vendor wanted to make a ‘feature’ out of it…) Well, that’s how to sell houses in a recession in Westbury on Trym…   more »

I suppose a productive day, but a day of work that I don’t particularly relish. I was instructed by the ‘Trustee in the Bankruptcy’ of the Bristol County Court to place a value on an extended cottage a few miles north of Bristol. In fact I had to place two values on it, one as at today’s date without a two bedroomed extension and conservatory and the second as at today’s date with the extension and conservatory. Well this involved a lot of too-ing and fro-ing here and there backwards and forwards to get all the relevant information available to complete my report and to satisfy the Court. From my point of view, if this type of work is not set aside to complete in a certain specific time it can linger on and no one will thank me for that – so It’s done and dusted and I a can finish the day a happy man…   more »

The third Duke of Richmond was a distinguished general and statesman and a member of Pitt’s cabinet in 1783, so this Terrace was named after him, but neither he nor Pitt ever came to Bristol, as far as I know! I do know that the Luftwaffe tried to demolish the terrace during enemy action of the last war, but they didn’t succeed and the Management Company have kept the building in fairly good condition, apart from leadwork to the roof that needs attention. The vendor has kept the flat largely in good condition, but there’s a little bit of rising damp that also needs attention, sorting out before my Clients move in. The flat is in a convenient situation, an easy walk through Victoria Square and Boyce’s Arch and into the 'village', though, as always, parking could be a problem as could noise from a certain club, that’s not very far away…   more »

…that two neighbours could be so viciously vitriolic about the owners of the house between them, particularly as they had both passed on – TWO years ago! The previous owners of this 1950’s built detached house that I saw today MUST have really upset both of them. Neither neighbour had a good word to say about either of them, so my guess is that each was as bad as each other in this life. And I spoke to the neighbours separately! Apparently, none of the street liked these people, so I suppose that my Clients are already standing in good stead, because nothing they do is likely to cause any further upset! They will have to modernise the house, and in doing so may have to take down some walls, because it is very poorly planned. They may even want to extend over an extension, but each of the neighbours that I spoke to ‘seemed’ perfectly reasonable. The house is in a quiet road in a very pleasant garden that has access to playing fields. Hopefully they will be able to carry out the works and re-modelling and then sit back and enjoy a bottle of wine with their new neighbours and instead of them reminiscing about the past, think of the future and of the lovely family that have moved in next to them…   more »

I have been in St. Andrew's today looking at a pleasant late Victorian end of terraced house. There are some roads in various parts of Bristol, where there are architecturally interesting houses, and North Road is just one of them. Perhaps the house I saw was not quite of this calibre, but certainly those opposite are and the owners will look right down onto them! This house was built on three floors, but the lower floor is only half a floor, if you see what I mean. The staircase has been blocked off from above and the lower stairs removed as this lower level is separately let out (a bathroom, kitchen and bedroom, that looks as though Tracey Emmin lives there). The upper two floors are conventionally laid out and as a whole the house was not in bad condition. The two units can easily be re-united and the property will become a pleasant home, perhaps with a name...   more »

I have been to Clevedon today to see a pleasant three bedroomed semi in a quiet location, not far from good local amenities, and the sea is not far away either! It was built in the 70’s and has seemingly been well maintained, but it was never very well planned. The bathroom is internal and had the stairs and the bathroom been transposed, the bathroom could then have had natural light and ventilation. The builder’s didn’t even consider a window in the side elevation that would have helped to lighten the spiral stairs, but that’s builders for you. Then I went on to Nailsea, but the bungalow I looked at was not so well maintained as the house and here there was some fairly significant cracking of the brick main walls (a calcium silicate brick, if I’m not mistaken), but this cracking was probably due to roots from a growing beech tree about three metres from the walls. It was all a bit shabby really, shabby walls, shabby windows (that will need replacing), shabby decorations, but it may look better when empty! and a shabby garden and garage to boot. So it all needs a very good re-modelling program to be put in hand. And then it will be a very pleasant home, a bit like that in Clevedon, so don’t worry about the coal mining, it was deep and many years ago…   more »

I really can't understand the citizens of Clifton, and for that matter Cotham, Redland and Kingsdown, who all said "No", to Controlled Parking Zones. The result is that their roads are more than fully congested with commuters cars parked all day. Of course they don't want the CPZ because they would have to pay 50 quid a year and they might not be able to park their wretched car right outside their home – in other words they are just too lazy to walk a few yards from car to home! Oh well that's up to them then. Today I looked at a very pleasant garden flat right opposite Christchurch, facing the green, whist parking on double yellow lines (no fine though). The flat was sound, a bit of damp to sort out and a bit of a small second bedroom, but a very convenient position, if you can park your car...   more »

I looked at what I thought was to be a Listed Building today, but it just turned out to be another old farmhouse, semi-detached at that! But, what a semi-detached farmhouse it is. It was, I was told the oldest part of the dwelling, that dated back to at least 1500, so I'm very surprised it was not listed, particularly as having now seen it. The main living room had exposed cross beams into which were double rows of mortices, cut into them to take the original double tenoned floor joist ends! The wall between the living room and the smaller drawing room was an introduction, so giving the ground floor the aire, almost of a baronial hall – terrific! It creaked and groaned as I walked through the upper levels and most, if not all the exposed timber was fairly heavily attacked by death watch beetle (no, the house was not being held up by them holding hands). There were two fire places in the 'hall as a whole' and decent solid flagstone floors, where exposed. It sits in a good sized garden, almost paddock like and has a delightful approach round a large ornamental pond on which Mr and Mrs Muscovy Duck were living, along with their neighbours, The Moorhens and Mr and Mrs Goose, who had flown in from Canada...   more »

I wish I did not have to look at today’s house, because it really got me mad! The vendor’s knew the survey was being carried out today, but nevertheless left the access to the roof void full, and I mean FULL of clothes – a double rail of clothes – well they will have to move them if my Clients want me to look properly into the roof space. To make matters worse, there was no access onto the centre valley gutter, because the sky light had been sealed, and the set of double ladders that I would have willingly used were padlocked up. The rear bedroom window could not be fully opened to see the bathroom roof because it jammed on the render and the double glazing had misted. Clothes everywhere and every other cupboard so full that it was not easy to close the doors! I’m not having a very good day today, and I end up thinking it’s a pity that Hitler’s Luftwaffe missed this house instead of the others they took out! Tomorrow I’m seeing a grade II house that is if the vendor can tare himself away from his golf – amazing - does he really want to sell???   more »

Here I was today looking at a very large and substantial semi-detached house in Westbury on Trym. It is going to auction later in the month and my Client wanted to meet me at the house to go through things that I thought were necessary to renovate the dwelling. “Easy!” I said, “Do the lot!” The lot means, here possible re-building of the bay window and re-pointing the front elevation. The remaining elevations can remain, as is so to speak! All the original windows will need renovation, but because they are in such poor condition, it may be easier to re-place them, like with like. The ‘plastic’ windows should also come out and be re-placed like the original. There will be masses of replastering where the original has perished, new wiring (boy, even my electrician would have been amazed!) plumbing, heating, kitchen and bathrooms – quite a lot to do! Then I went over there to East Harptree to discuss my (other) Clients' loss with regard to a previous oil spill. Hey ho, as I said Here and There today – what will tomorrow bring???   more »