At the very end of last year, just when we were about return to work after Christmas the weather became cold and it snowed for about two weeks and I was unable to do much, because unfortunately my car is rear wheel drive. Today I looked out and saw the snow, though it was not like earlier in the year, so going off to Long Ashton and up a hill was not a problem. The house I saw today was originally built for the Local Authority and was finished to a reasonably good standard; it has stood the test of time well. However, it does have what could be termed, an ‘un-authorised conversion’, whereby the roof space has been converted into an attic bedroom. It was converted before the current vendors purchased it and here it has a reasonably good access from a traditional staircase and the floor has been separated from the ceiling below by way of steel joists. It may need a fire escape Velux and the doors to the lower levels will need to be half are a fire resisting and self-closing, but after that well, it ain't in bad nick. Insulation within the roof space could be improved, double glazing is provided but I suspect the wiring and heating are coming to the end of their useful life, so these services are likely to require updating. My Client is purchasing a house in a reasonably quiet area but must be careful how money is spent so, as not to over capitalise on it…   more »

I felt very self-righteous this morning as I was collating all my outstanding work, and getting as far as practicable up-to-date, when I left for a three-hour meeting organised by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors at a local hotel just off the M5. They were providing (a good) lunch, but I suspect the hotel had thrown in lunch for hire of the rooms; so not a bad deal. The President spoke; the Chief Executive spoke; the local area chairman spoke. They all spoke eloquently and without umming and arring. They were all equally as boring as each other. I nearly fell asleep; the chap next to me did fall asleep at the end of three hours I thought I would not go there again probably for another 30 years by which time…   more »

Today I was in one of the highest parts of North West Bristol, but I saw very little, I suppose because I was in the bottom of the hill. What I did see, however, was a well built semi-detached house constructed in my opinion to an above average standard; not many roofs are boarded. The house itself had been well maintained and was largely in good condition. Its roof had been renewed and at some stage someone has had a go at introducing a roof void conversion. They did some work but not all of the work and had they done all of the work to meet building regulations, well life and been so much easier. It doesn't bother me too much in this particular instance. The contractors had a go at separating ceiling and floor joists, they even found a steel joist from somewhere other, and laid it directly over the first floor ceiling joists, but fortunately there was little evidence of any serious cracking. There was no fire escape Velux, the doors onto the landing weren't far enough away from it, there was no handrail and there was no fire alarm and the lower doors were not half are a fire resisting or self-closing. Oddly, I'm not too worried about this because most of the breaches can be ironed out and so long as Mrs Vendor provides an insurance indemnity for my Clients, there should be no problem in the future, and anyway my Clients may well be able to sort out most of the difficulties. The house is in a road where many of the other houses are slightly different style and they're all seeming well maintained. There may not be a view but I quite like this house for all its breaches…   more »

Had the Cistercian monks still been tending their Orchards close to the cathedral I am sure that they would have been horrified at the complete lack of taste of the vendor of the house that I saw today. It is a Grade II* listed property, a Georgian terraced house built on four floors and cellar, and for those in the know, at one time it was a lawyer's office. When it was lawyer’ offices it had charm and character. Now it has been divided into 2/3 units, it is brash, coarse, and frankly appalling. I suspect that it has been let out to tenants who couldn't give a dam looking at the water staining beneath bathrooms and kitchens. However, I am delighted that my Client wishes to restore the house to its former glory and one of the first things to do will to rip out the cheap, awful laminate floors that had been laid throughout the upper levels. Fortunately of course they are laid on a thin film of polystyrene so hopefully the original boards will not have suffered. They won't be straight, but then there's a lot that is not straight in this house for one reason or another. There is however no reason as far as I can see why my Client cannot safely proceed with their purchase providing they obtain estimates for the work involved which is mostly of a superficial nature, and of course the blessing of the Conservation Officer, and that would be most unusual but nevertheless very necessary, so that it reverts back to a proper townhouse. Then, the monks can return and heap praise on my Clients and wonder where all the apple trees have gone…   more »

Was where I was today looking at an interesting terraced house on Jacobs Wells Road. The history of this road is probably longer than my report as there was at one time an important spring close the junction with Constitution Hill and on the opposite side on the slopes of Brandon Hill there used to be a Jewish cemetery. I suspect the well was used for purification rites according to good old Mosaic law. Anyway that is not important. What is important is that this house is a right mess but, fortunately most of it is a superficial nature and it is a house that my Clients can hopefully purchase and renovate in the sure knowledge that structurally it is largely in good condition. The roof and parapet walls are covered with ivy, moss, lichen and dead leaves, I've never seen so much and the chimney stack requires modest rebuilding but after that - wahay - there ain't much to do externally! Internally, well there is a bit to do in sorting out the damp and condensation problems. There will probably be a new shower room and possibly a new bathroom probably a new kitchen at one level and certainly, definitely, as sure as eggs are eggs, a new kitchen at the other level. Hopefully the heating systems will work but new boilers may be required. The wiring can probably be adapted to the 17th addition brought out in 2008. After that outhouse will need redecoration but, when one gets bored, then one can walk up Brandon Hill or round the corner and look at SS Great Britain…   more »

would give a clue as to where I have been today. Fortunately the house I saw was in better condition than the pier that was completed in 1867, three years after the Brunel suspension bridge, to a design by Eugenius Birch. It suffered severe storm damage in 1984 and rather more storm damage again in 1990 and was finally closed for safety reasons in 1994. It is I suppose a Grade II*wreck. This house is not a listed building and was completed in the mid 1930s but, Wikipedia does not tell me who the architect was, or indeed the builder. It has been occupied for well over 20 years by the present owners who have kept it well maintained though now it does require a certain amount of modernisation and improvement which I think is realised by all parties. Unlike the pier, it is not falling down and it is a house which can be modernised to become once again a very pleasant family home with a good-sized garden in a quiet road in a popular area…   more »

Was a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1935 from a book written by John Buchan and starring Robert Donat, amongst others. And what, may you think has this to do with the property I saw today? I will tell you; there were 39 steps from the hall to the top of the house and I went up and down several times. Not to mention the stairs leading down to the basement and the steps leading up from the pavement to the front door and then of course there's the ladder up into the roof and onto the roof and it was cold and windy today. The house I saw was a very large four floored substantial semi-detached house occupied for the past 22 or so years by the same family who have kept it fairly well maintained. I lost count of the bedrooms but it does have a very pleasant aspect out onto the playing fields of one of Bristol's better-known schools, is within quarter mile easy walk from the centre of ‘the village’, has a double garage and a reasonably good sized garden. It is a house that requires a certain amount of updating, because some of it is a little outmoded, but my Client can probably move in and hopefully improve the house around him and his family counting the steps as he goes up and down…   more »

is how Horace Batchelor used to give his address when he tried to persuade listeners to Radio Luxembourg to purchase his football pool secrets – the ‘infra draw method’; there was probably a PO box in front of it. There was no box in front of the house I saw today, a pleasant cottage style property of slightly indeterminate age because over the years all the original features have long since disappeared. The roof space has been converted into a larger third bedroom than existed because the small bedroom, No. three is now used for a staircase to lead into the attic conversion, if you see what I mean. The cottage has been well renovated by the present owner who has been in occupation for the past six or so years and has introduced new floors, new partitions, dry lining, some new windows, new heating, a new bathroom and a new kitchen, and all in all I found in really quite good condition. There are one or two areas that I am sure my Client will wish to alter and maybe even rebuild one of the chimney stacks, if a real fire is required. The cottage is in a convenient location close the centre of the High Street which is an easy two or 3 minute walk away. I like Keynsham; it is almost midway between Bristol and Bath, there is a main line railway station and the omnipresent Tesco is just round the corner. There used to be free parking; I'm not so sure now, but this cottage comes with two parking spaces, that's spelt…   more »

In Illinois, Randall Road is a major north-south highway in McHenry and Kane County. It serves the Fox Valley suburbs of Chicago metropolitan area. In Bristol it is little cul-de-sac serving a dozen or so houses on one side of the road only. In Illinois it is cold, but reasonably dry today; in Bristol it was cold and reasonably wet though warmer than over the pond. The house I saw today had been divided into two units and I was inspecting the lower of the two which I found in reasonable condition. However, the building has suffered from some past settlement and a structural engineer advised tying the rear wall into the ground floor joists to help prevent further blowing of the wall. This work was completed about seven years ago and seems largely successful though there may, there may just, just be a teensy-weensy bit of further movement; it's difficult to tell on a days outing. That aside it was not an unattractive property, it benefits from a pleasant garden and is in a reasonably quiet location close to all the amenities the village has to offer. It can be improved and I suspect my Client has alterations in mind…   more »

He had 10,000 men, but they couldn't have been billeted in this street let alone this house even though it had been extended. I was at today in the Ashley Down area of the City in a relatively narrow road bugged by cars no doubt belonging to students and staff at what was formerly Bristol Poly Technical College, because their car parks had been taken over and used for new buildings; a government sell-out. The house was largely in good condition and it transpired owned by a ‘designer’ and one could tell. I'm sure I've said this in the past that designers, well some designers really do have and eye for well, design and they know what they're doing as was the case in point here. The house had been renovated, lead had been used where lead should have been used and, what's more Pete, the plumber, knew what he was doing as the lead had a good finish. The walls were straight and generally speaking dry. The windows have been draught proofed but even so some of the sashes were slightly jammed. The roof space had been extended into a bedroom and the party walls here will also dry. The staircase had of course been extended to get to it, but the staircase was replicated from below so it looked a natural extension as opposed to being somewhat contrived as often I find. Good quality fitments were provided in the bathrooms and kitchen and in all I liked this house; I think the grand old Duke of York would have done so as well as my Client...   more »

Today I was where I should have been yesterday, but be that as it may I am here today. Today I am at a mid-terraced private dwelling house, a stones throw from Clifton village. It was a tall and relatively narrow building with an extra floor compared to its neighbours on either side of it. It is also a listed building, but either Bob, the builder or Rog, the roofer took the cheap way out and used a plastic capping over the coping stones that can be seen by all and sundry. He'd used lead to re-line the parapet and centre valley gutters and he should have used lead and not plastic to cap the parapet walls; so that will have to go. Structurally it was in reasonably good condition but the basement suffers from a certain amount of dampness, more I suspect due to lack of use and lack of heating, no serious damp but nevertheless some dampness was evident. There is also a hint of wet rot, possibly dry rot just starting to break out in some of the door and window frames at this level so I have concerns there. That aside the house was all fairly well maintained and, being occupied only by a couple, no kids, no cats and no dogs; so no mess, no smells and no scratches, all in all this was a pleasant property...   more »

Today I woke up feeling awful. I had a 24-hour bug and now I'm better. I have to say, however, it was quite pleasant having the bug on Monday because normally, when you're self-employed, as all self-employed people will know, you have to be ill at weekends, on high days and holidays; Christmas is always a favourite time! Never mind, up and at ‘em today…   more »

Today I have looked at an interesting house built just over 20 years ago by a former policeman, so my spies tell me. They also tell me that in the last 20 years, the house has been on the market five times so my Client will be the sixth owner, but why people do not like this house I do not know. It was seemingly well built though perhaps the design could have been better. The entrance hall is provided with a real fireplace, but unfortunately you don't see it until you turn and go out again which seems a bit remiss really. The main bedroom has a stonking good open view over the surrounding land and over towards Swinford and North Stoke, but lying in bed in the morning one doesn't see it because the entrance to the bedroom is opposite that window, so you can't place the bed there. All the windows are dark stained, but they are dark stained both externally and internally and what with the stained doors and skirting boards it all makes it a bit gloomy. Decorations may I suppose have been renewed over the years but certainly the kitchen and bathroom fitments have not. Although structurally it is in good condition my Clients are going to have quite a lot to do, though fortunately all of the work is superficial but, kitchens and bathrooms can be expensive. One of the delights of the property is its young landscaped garden, which I suspect will mature into something quite spectacular, though the hard landscaping needs to be completed. My Client is moving back from Australia, so I suppose he will get used to the rain fairly quickly…   more »

Today I thought I was going to St Andrews, where my secretary had arranged for me to collect key to the property I was going to visit. I arrived at the estate agents only to be told that it wasn't convenient and that the estate agent had known this yesterday but she hadn't bothered to tell me or anyone else, and do you know what, that gets me really p****d off. I have of course advised my Client because there is no way the estate agent would have done so; I put the boot in! Fortunately, I was able to make rearrangements and looked at a four floored brick built house on a hill, just off Wells Road. I don't need to tell you what the weather was like today, as you must already know, wind and heavy rain, then a lull, then even more heavy rain and more wind so, for once I was not too unhappy that I was unable to get onto this inverted ridge - ‘V’ -shaped roof. I was only just able to get inside it, because here Chris the chippy provided an extremely narrow access hatch, but I was able to pull my sylphlike self through it! It was an interesting house with the bedrooms at ground and first floor level together with a bathroom whilst the kitchen and living room were on the lower ground floor and to boot there was a basement. I was up and down all day but at least I got the job done and my Client will no doubt be happy that her report will be winning its way to her more quickly than expected…   more »

Today I went down to the past coalmining town of Nailsea, a pleasant conurbation lying about 8 miles south west from Bristol. I can't remember how it got its name but that is hardly the point. I think I did know and I might even have mentioned it in a previous blog, so if you're interested you're just going to have to find it. It was a past coalmining area and because of coa,l glass was also manufactured there, but regrettably for the Nailsea’ans, it was poor quality low-grade glass, bottle glass, but the Tesco supermarket has taken its place; is there a a connection here? Today it is a thriving town and I've just been to look at a pleasant semi-detached house built in the late 1970s. This is the second house I have looked at for my Client and I have to say I'm very pleased he did not proceed with the first. That one was an awkwardly laid out house with two sets of stairs and a potential serious fire hazard. This one was far more conventionally laid out, but again there is a modest fire problem because people seem like removing partitions in order to open up rooms, but forget how they are going to get out if a fire occurs the kitchen; a bit like the chips they fry. That aside there is no reason why my Client should not proceed with his purchase. Although of course there is no sea in Nailsea, there is a fish farm that sells trout, so you can guess what I am having for supper tonight, with home-made hollandaise sauce, new potatoes and petit pois, oh and a chilled bottle of Pinot Gris…   more »

Back in years gone by, well before you, I or anyone else in the city was even born, the then Bishop of Worcester owned quite a lot of land in the Bristol area which does seem somewhat surprising. Nevertheless if it was not for him then I doubt Abbeys would have been built and if they weren't built they wouldn't have been able to fall into dereliction, which no doubt they did, because at one time there was an Abbey close to the centre of Westbury on Trym, the name of which I believe comes from Westminster though how that was derived, I'm not quite sure. Anyway, enough of my ramblings today I was looking at a fairly modern house in a sea of houses built in the 1930s. The land for the house was fished off a larger plot so it has a slightly small garden, but the current owner has managed to restore some of the side garden by reducing his drive in and drive out drive to drive in and reverse out drive, if you see what I mean. Structurally house was seemingly in good condition and although I was unable to look at the roof, because I suspect the Vendors either have a cardboard box fetish, or they like collecting cardboard boxes which they store in the roof; I have never seen so many, but I think it unlikely that there will be problems in the roof. There is however a lack of insulation which can be improved upon. The windows are double glazed and there is a reasonable bathroom and cloakroom but the kitchen is a bit limiting as there are no wall units, principally because there are no useful walls on which to hang them. I think the house probably has the original ceramic fuses so it will need rewiring; thank cod my Client is an electrician, although no doubt he seen that already…   more »

Was what Lady Caroline Lamb said of Lord Byron which possibly seems a bit hard? He was however the son of Captain John ‘Mad Jack’ Byron so maybe he got it from his Dad. He was of course noted for his writings but also for his aristocratic excesses, his huge debts and his monumental love affairs; probably quite a good bloke if the truth be known. I was looking at a house in a road named after him today and that was interesting. Later I went to make an inspection of a closed restaurant on behalf of both the landlord and the new tenant so that my schedule of condition can be tied into the lease for both parties. In the afternoon I looked at a small one bedroomed house having a kitchen, bathroom and a living room. It was pavement edged and originally I suspect it might have been a stable. It was damp but I'm sure that my Client will be able to sort all that out. It was in a reasonably quiet area, where sailors once roamed.
Byron, roaming sailors, meadowsweet and cattle and not a bad day to boot…   more »

It was not quite the day for hunting, shooting, or fishing but it was a good day for looking at roofs because of all the rain we've had and if the roof is leaking it should show up. Fortunately I could find no evidence of water penetration of this substantial house that I looked at in Sneyd Park today even though some of the plain clay tiles are damaged from weathering. Mr Stride and his brother knew how to build houses and they have lasted. Unfortunately not all of the subsequent occupants really knew how to look after them, and this particular house had been knocked about a bit. Never mind, structurally it was in good condition but internally my Clients will have quite a lot to do in its modernisation. Whether or not they will never find a carpenter with the skills of the Stride Brothers chippie I am unsure, but I doubt it. The house stands in a very good-sized garden, it has a stable, it has a fishpond and if truth be known there are probably badgers and foxes in the garden so my Client will be able to go hunting, shooting and fishing, that is, once he has modernised the house…   more »

But when it comes to houses I suppose the quotation “one man's meat is another man's poison”, probably comes to mind. The house I saw today was a traditional 1930s end of terrace property with one of the ugliest extensions on top of it I think I've ever seen; it looked a bit like a warehouse built into the roof - square, slab sided, plain and with a flat roof, sort of sums it up. Apart from that, this house wasn't in bad condition. I wasn't able to see much of the chimney stack because of the slab sided extension or of course its roof but what remains of the original roof, frankly just a few rows of tiles here and there, were in reasonable condition. Rainwater goods were in acceptable condition and there was little evidence of any settlement of the main walls. The windows had been replaced, but those on the front were much older than those elsewhere and were perhaps, somewhat antiquated, even though they too were double glazed. The house needs a little bit of modernisation and improvement but it does have a garage and a garden even though it is in two halves; there is probably no reason why my Client should not proceed, providing he does not look up too often…   more »

At first it was on, then it was off and the next day it was back on again. My Client is interested in purchasing a buy to let property but had been gazumped and although everything was ready to go, because he had been gazumped I was held off. I was able to rearrange things and waited a phone call for the off, which I received in the morning because the agents were waiting to hear from me. I managed to complete the work but later on the way back, my Client phoned me to say he had been gazumped yet again - so we are halfway there, but not there at all if you see what I mean. It's a bit like the weather; one moment it's wet and the next is dry…

I then went to see a new Client who is being coerced into selling their property back to the Local Authority from whom they purchased it some 20 or so years ago. They purchased what was known as an ‘Airey’ built house that subsequently was deemed defective under the Housing Act of 1985. My Clients received a 90% grant to have all the cancerous concrete removed and it was, as they say, ‘re-bricked’. It is in a reasonably quiet corner at the front of a cul-de-sac where the Local Authority still own 12 of the 14 houses which they wish to pull down and sell off the land as a building site. My Client’s need an up-to-date open market valuation to help them in their case with the local authority. Here we go again…   more »

I have just been to see an interesting property in war-torn Bedminster. I say war-torn - Hitler and his Luftwaffe dropped bombs all over the place near my Clients proposed purchase of this end of terrace house. My Client had advised me that there was some damp by a second-floor window. He was absolutely right there was damp by the second-floor window, all second-floor windows, all the first floor windows, all the ground floor windows and in the basement. The parapet gutter was leaking in two places as were each of the chimney stacks, so the house is going to need an awful lot of money spending on it to bring it back up to standard. At present it is used as a tenanted property but all the tenants have gone apart from one and looking at the state of it I'm really not surprised; it was damp it, was disgusting and even the Buddleias is growing in the chimney stack, in the front wall (3), the side wall and out of the rainwater hopper didn't make it look very pretty…   more »

I had a quiet end to last week so I slopped off early up to Worcestershire and took part in an RNLI quiz. I didn't do very well at all, in fact I did appallingly badly but fortunately my team who must take all the credit came in second and we would have romped home had we played the Joker on literature! Today I have been looking at a purpose-built flat in the middle of Clifton and although it was on the ground floor, I nevertheless felt very at home there. It is always a bit galling, however, to have to pay for a lift in the maintenance charge, when you probably don't really use it. (You shouldn't of course use a lift to go upstairs, you walk up stairs and take the lift down to keep fit). So I dealt with that then I went to see an old Client of mine who also lives in another ground floor flat where the bathroom suffered from certain amount of dampness and am awful sewerage odour. My Client hadn't had a bath for years with the result that the water in the waste trap had evaporated. (She did tell me that she showered on a regular basis.) I then went to look at another ground floor flat where the boiler had overflowed the previous week and caused some water damage but I think that my Client need have no fear for any lasting damage. A little bit decoration that is not even worth discussing with his insurance company…   more »