I don’t generally think Bishopsworth to be a Victorian area of the City, that is becaus it is not, but it does have some Victorian homes and I have just been to see one such house today. It was all in fairly good condition, re-pointed stacks, mostly; new roof, mostly; new rainwater goods, mostly. No serious movement of the walls and replacement windows. Externally it was not in bad shape. Internally it wasn’t in bad shape either. The roof space had been converted, but it is approached from folding wooden ladders. However, the floor has been strengthened, so just install a staircase and there you have it, nearly, a third bedroom! It does still need some improvements, but with a garage and garden, I hope that my Clients will be very happy there; there’s no reason for them not to be…   more »

The famous Sion Spring used to be in the Pump Room of what eventually became St Vincent’s Rocks Hotel. So, the Pump room has gone and so has St Vincent’s Rocks Hotel as it has been developed into flats. No one knows the whereabouts of the spring, but there are still roads named after it and I was in one such Place today. I was looking at a very substantial Georgian house, a Grade II listed property. As I say, it was substantial and has been occupied by the same family for many, many years. They have kept it reasonably well maintained, but in doing do they have renovated the roof in a style that the Conservation Officer might not like. It does require a lot of hard earned cash to renovate it, re-model it and rejuvenate it, but, in the end it should be worth it. It is substantial (I’ve said that three times, so you’ve probably got the picture); it is large and spacious, light, bright and breezy and close top the ‘Village’. It also has a double/triple garage and one of the most pleasant gardens I have been in, in such a central area. I really hope that my Clients are not too afraid of hard work, because then there will be a great joy in the area, even if they don’t find that elusive Spring…   more »

Chaucer was a teller of tales, amongst them was the Miller’s Tale a notoriously ‘naughty’ tale of lust and drunkenness, which could have well been written in these here parts, but it wasn’t; it was written about an Oxford student, who eventually get a branding on his backside for all his trouble!. I was not in Oxford to day, but a few miles away from my office in Clifton whereupon I espied an interesting Grade II listed building, where I expect the would be miller got a little bored and kept his property almost as it was when perchance he finished it to where it is today, in need of completing. I know what my Client likes and I know how this is going to be finished and I shall look forward to seeing it then, because there is no reason not to proceed, and then they can tell their own tales…possibly about the Conservation Officer…   more »

...cry God for Harry, England and St. George! wrote Shakespeare. What that has to do with where I have been today only my Client will know! But where I have been today was a very pleasant country home a few miles south from the centre of Bristol. It is not, as far as I am aware a listed Building, though, possibly it should be! Whether it is or isn't, it was still a very pleasant house that has been extended in keeping with it's original age and character, so well done whoever completed the work! One of the ceilings has a 'Jacobean' style to it, but, I am unsure if it is original, or whether it was 'imported'. If it was 'imported', then it was 'imported' a long time ago. A delightful house with which I really hope my Clients will be very happy; they should be, particularly as I was able to inspect it earlier than I expected!!!   more »

So the road was named after the lower field, and the vendor’s family have owned that house for the past 85 years, which if nothing else is something of an achievement. Unfortunately they replaced the original slate roof with concrete tiles that are significantly heavier than slate, but did not think about strengthening it; pity really. The houses opposite were destroyed by the Luftwaffe, not friendly fire at that time, but this dwelling has not suffered too much. There’s little evidence of any serious movement, but some war glass still remains. It has been cut up a bit and loosely converted into two units. The original staircase has been lost, but there is still part of the lower section from which to make a replica. My Client has found an attractive house, needing the full Monty, but it will stand him and his family in good stead for years to come. And, he has a pleasant garden to grow his veg…   more »

Just fired off a missive to BH, FRICS, MICArb, 0045275 at RICS HQ – London. Residential Survey Working Group Commander. Not too happy about the new HomeBuyer format. Not too sure what the troops will think of it. Hey Ho into battle July 1st I’m reliably told! Tally Ho! Onwards and upwards!!!   more »

The land on which this house that I saw today was known as Little and Great Snowdown, so the name ‘Everest’, is perhaps apt, I almost said ‘alps’! It was an end of terraced property that was in reasonable condition, but equally, a house that really needs modernisation and dragging and screaming into the twenty-first century. It needs it, as it is in a convenient location, a busy-ish road, but parking space is available in the rear garden, that also needs landscaping - it’s just a concrete pad. So my Client can go ahead in the knowledge that the house will not fall down, but that it does need a lot doing to it…   more »

I had a day off today and took two of my grand children to the Three Counties Show at Malvern. I like the animals, they like sitting on the tractors that are on display, so do I, and the weather was good.   more »

I have been to see a 1930’s, I guess a late 1930’s house today. It was not in bad condition, but a previous owner, probably a little old lady or even an old gent were conned into having their then roof , the underside of the tiles all sprayed with foam. They were probably told that if they didn’t carry out this work, then all the tiles would slip off the roof, and it would make the house warmer and that they would save money. Totally un-necessary and not even a good idea, because it prevents the roof void from breathing, and it can create water traps, where rain will lie on timber battens and rafters, so exaggerating decay. It will not make the house warmer. It was all very carefully concealed with polystyrene panels cut tightly into the exposed beams, but there were tell-tale sign. That aside, it was not a bad house, but I think it deserves a name, and being close to a roundabout, ‘Three Ways’ would sound better than Foam Home…   more »

Finally I went to see a brand new house, oddly in the same village. It was raining by then and I found water running where water oughter norta run!!!   more »

I then went to see a former water mill which had been converted into a residential property. There was no water, but there was a water wheel and most of the gearing was still in place, but this was my initial inspection,so time will tell…   more »

I have been to see a 1950’s detached house today in a former North Somerset market town, but, sadly like many of the old market towns dotted around Bristol, the livestock markets have all disappeared, a shame really. Never mind, the house, which was extended about twelve years ago by a previous owner, I believe an architect, did a good job and there are no essential repairs and no real problems. The garden has a large fish pool, but I wonder if the fish will disappear like the market???   more »

I have a Client that is good enough to recommend me to their Clients, who asked me to talk to their group. This group find houses for other people, a bit like an estate agent in reverse. They take all the slog out of searching for a suitable property and when they have found the house that their client wants to buy, I then go and prepare a Full Building Survey of it, and I have to say there are some interesting houses at that. The group have been in business for twenty –five years, so it was a pleasure to go and talk to them. I’m not a great public speaker, but the question came in thick and fast, so I hope that all went well. Perhaps there is potential for me to speak elsewhere!!!   more »

I was asked to look at a mid terraced town house today that my Client is hoping to purchase and then let out to the local ‘executives’. Well, he may well do, because I found nothing intrinsically wrong with the property other than a lack of insulation and some asbestos, which ‘executives’, of course do not like. Even so, not a bad buy, given the circumstances…   more »

Later on I looked at what initially, and only for a moment thought was a 1930’s house, the way it had been modernised, but I realised quickly that it was in fact an1880 house of brick and ashlar that had been modernised to, almost the 1930’s style! It is in a little known area where the street was though to be an old field name derived from old English, ‘brad’ – broad and ‘hyst’, a hill often wooded. It may have been, but if it was, then it was a long time ago…   more »

I had a look at a purpose built block of flats today that were originally built in the 1960’s, fairly large two and three bedroomed flats, that at the time were ‘extravagantly’ built, (copper roofs and rain water goods) so much so that at the time they did not sell and they ended up being rented out. Well, eventually they came of age and slowly got sold. The flat that I saw was largely in good condition and it comes with a double garage with a useful loft above it, which many people have converted into an office! The rest of the building that chairman (not chairperson) ensures is also well maintained by the Management Company. An un-envious unpaid job, but he seems to thrive on it. The flats have come of age, but so have, in some respects, the roofs…   more »

I was on my way to my next ‘assignment’ to day, walking through ‘new’ Broadmead, to the Quaker’s Friars development when I was hit on the head by a sea gull that collided with me. No real damage and I live to tell the tale, but I wonder whether or not had I been wearing my ‘High- Viz’ jacket and hard hat that I had to don when I arrived on site he would have seen me! It was back to good old ‘Health and Safety’. No, I could not go up a ladder, because it did not belong to the developer. Anyway, I did not have harness, and oh, ‘”We don’t own the roof, so we’ll need 48 hours to get a pass”. Pass on…   more »

I have been to see a pleasant one bedroomed flat in St Andrew’s today. The house had been divided into two units and my Client was purchasing the lower flat. The property as a whole was in reasonable condition as was the flat in particular, though the garden is shared, which I think is a bit of a disappointment, as was part of the under croft, but I thought that this was less of an intrusion. Never mind, so long as my Client is happy, then so am I…   more »

I suspect that at one time, many moons ago in the long forgotten annals of history, there was a fire that burnt up a row of ash trees, and this farm house was named after it. Odd I know, but I can't think of anything else. The farm house is a grade II listed building, but, unfortunately little remains of the original. The roof was being renovated by the owner shortly after he bought it, but during a storm, it must have been a very severe storm, the roof structure was demolished so he had to build a new one! It is covered with natural (Argentinean) slate, but as the property dates back to 16something, slate would not have been used; pan tiles would have been the order of the day. But, it was ‘listed’ with slate, so it has to be slate and don’t argue with the conservation officer, because he knows best. Originally I doubt there was a parapet wall in front of the roof; it was built to stop slates from slipping. It was never meant to have a parpet wall, but it was listed with one, so...It was re-built, but, though I say it myself, with little finese, which in my view rather detracts from it. Unfortunately there was not much else left of the original house, because many of the ‘cross beams’ had also been replaced, but they would have looked far better had they been a little more ‘distressed’, which was how I felt at the end of the day…   more »

I have been all over Bristol today looking at five substantial properties four of which had been converted into flats of one size or another and a very large eight bedroomed house used as bedsits with communal ‘amenities'. In all, I think seventeen valuations, so now I’m flat out, I think I need some lunch. Oh!, it’s five to six, a drink, perhaps? I think I deserve one…   more »

I came a long time after the Romans, who set up Aqua Sulis, a small town in the providence of Britannia, otherwise known as Bath. Then, after a while came the Georgians, who liked the spa waters and buns, and then the Regency lot and the Victorians, when I suspect was the time this ‘serpentine’ of terraced houses was built. Why it is reputed to be a grade ONE listed building I do not know. I would give it a II* certainly, maybe a II grade, but Grade I is very questionable? Any way, this flat in particular and the building in general were each in good condition, so my Client will be happy that I was eventually able to get all over it, but found no Romans, not even a coin had they left behind…   more »

You would have thought that with the property market not in the best of health that vendors would try their hardest to fulfil a surveyor’s, not un-reasonable requirements, but they just don’t seem to care! Trying to get vendors to arrange access to other parts of a building they don’t occupy, but nevertheless have responsibility towards seems to be beyond their capabilities. Trying to get to a building site in the meantime was a nightmare, because the sales agent did not respond to telephone calls. So, having discussed this with my Client, the developer will have to wait, and then of course there’s the ‘Health and Safety issue…’ Another ‘drudge day’, but at least I’m up to date and everything is now, hopefully planned for the remainder of the week and for part of next, so long as there are no difficult vendors in sight…   more »

I always like slightly different houses and my Clients here have found an unusual house in Westbury Park, because it is detached. It was, possibly the original builder’s house, the house of the builder who constructed the majority of the neighbouring houses. This was a bit ‘grander’ than the remainder, it had a bit more ‘panache’ to it, but over the years some of the features have been lost. So, what were once pretty ‘bonnet’ roofs over the dormer windows that were covered with plain and decorative tiles are now flat and hideous, and one had leaked, and there is now an awful conservatory over an original flat roofed entrance. The gutters are likely to leak and the sash windows all need overhauling. Ivy, an evil pernicious weed is starting to take hold and the pointing to the walls is porous, but at least they will dry out quickly by evaporation. It is all a bit sad, but having met my Client, this will become their ‘project’ house, and having pointed out the deficiencies and listened to them and their ideas, I think that they have found a house that will suit them admirably…   more »

Today I have just returned from inspecting a modern house, built a few years ago in the grounds of a former (mental) hospital. There is a complete mixture of property here with narrow streets and open green spaces with mature trees, and some young ones. Originally town houses were called ‘terraced houses’, but when they went up another floor, they became known, for what ever reason as ‘town’ houses, probably because there is no such thing as a ‘sub-urban’ house, or anything like it. Nevertheless, and for a really pleasant change, I came back very pleased that my Client has found such a different house, that is attractively designed from the run of the mill, in a reasonably quiet area (no kids around as they were, or should have been at school, but I don’t know about the weekends), a house that has been fairly well maintained and, for a change, nothing to do. It all fits together well and to boot there is a landscaped rear south-ish facing garden, garage and a parking space, so, no surprises here…   more »

Rumour has it that the Duke of Wellington ‘cocked a snoot’ at the late Lord Nelson on his column on hearing that Bristol had twelve streets named after him as Nelson only had two! My Client has found a pleasant two bedroomed purpose built flat in Clifton. It was built after enemy action destroyed the original houses by the Local Authority in the early 1950’s. It was therefore fairly basic, fairly ‘utilitarian’, particularly the ‘communal areas’, but nevertheless the flat was largely in good condition and the building adequately maintained by the Local Authority. I think that my Client has found a pleasant property about which he can be cock a hoop!!!   more »

The house I have just seen in St. Andrew’s today that suffered from settlement, and was the subject of under pinning. Why I do not know, but I suspect that it might have had something to do with the drains. It is built on the side of a slight incline, facing a fairly busy local main road, that does not help the situation, and neither did the Luftwaffe, when they dropped bombs over Bristol and indeed not very far away, in the same road there are some ‘post war re-builds’. The under pinning was carried out over twenty years ago and all seems well, and in fact the house was in better condition than I was expecting, so my Client will be pleased. He is purchasing it for his son who is going to the University of WoE (West of England), and he will also be pleased, because the No.70 bus has a stop right outside the house, and where does it go? To the University and Wallop…there you go…   more »

I have just seen a pleasant two bedroomed garden flat, this time a level garden flat, or in other words a flat level with its garden! It is in need of fairly significant TLC, which my Client, who lives in Lanzarote, is hoping to buy. There is no reason not to do so. However, the flat also comes with a garage, but the Management Company want to knock them down and re-build them. They want to purchase one of the garages from one of the elderly folk still residing there who don’t use their garage so that they can have one less garage and more space for the remaining owners to garage their larger cars! Get stuffed would be my response, because the garage is worth much more to an owner, even if a large car can’t be parked in it. Buy a smaller car, save the planet, is what I will of course point out to my Client, but I expect they will have too much else to think about, coming back from the sunny isles…   more »