I just got back from a trip to Dannevirke, to be present when the builder undertook his survey. Met up with Harry, Dad, and Chris as well. All in all, a good afternoon. Took a quick photo for Alex to show where the fridge goes (we couldn't remember it from the first visit).
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| Interesting feature - the little door panel beside the backdoor is for the old "meat fridge", where the pre-electricity colonial houses would have a small cage outside to keep the meat in to keep it cool. |
There were some issues shown up by his survey but not enough to walk away, so that's positive.
The main three issues were:
- The weatherboards need doing, and this could cost $2k or more.
- The fireplace/flue is in dire conditions, and is basically not legal or safe in any way.
- The piles aren't tied to the wood supports underneath the house, and this needs to be done before an earthquake rocks the house right off the concrete studs.
Number 1 we knew about, and we just wanted to know the extent of it. Bad but not as bad as it could be. Not bad enough to walk away.
Number 2 was in much worse condition than expected, and will need attention. Rather than getting it fixed though, we plan on replacing the open fire with a heat pump instead.
Number 3 was a surprise finding though, and is obvious to spot if you know what you're looking for. I did not, so I'm glad we got the report done.
We are now hoping to renegotiate the house price by a couple of thousand dollars. I've sent a letter to the lawyer to that effect - hoping to hear back today.
Meanwhile, I've asked the plumber and the electrician to go ahead and do their reports now.
