Loft / Attic Conversion

[nickyb]

Hi All, 1st time on here...
I am in the process of buying a house, the house is a 1960's build and has an attic conversion (not to building regs)
The loft is not classed as a room but that was not an issue for me.
I have now received a structual inspection report from the owners completed just over a year ago.
The important bits read as follows:-

the original roof construction was of a cut roof construction. This consisted of 2 intermediate trusses spaces at third points between the parts wall and gable wall, supporting a ridge board and purlings, with inclined rafters fixed to these.

from evidence that exists within the loft room and behind the side walls, the main roof trusses have had their internal members removed in forming the room without an alternative structual support being introduced. the floor is supported off 100x50mm joists laid perpendicular on top of 100x38mm ceiling joists. 100x50mm verticals from the structure of the side walls, off a 100x50mm sole plate laid on top of a chipboards floor and birds mouthed under the 200x50mm purlins

currently the floor to the attic room and the roof is supported by nonloadbearing walls at the 1st floor / ground floor.

it is unlikely that this is structurally justifiable and currently likely to result in overstress and reduction in safety factors in some members.

How bad is this sounding?
I know nothing at all about building regs etc...

My mortgage company did a valuation on the house a week ago and they have said this will not affect my mortgage.....

if it was unsafe would they refuse to mortgage?

im very stressed by this and with the move going through im not sure what to do.
Thanks All

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

When was the conversion carried out? Any sign of bowing ceilings or cracking between the ceiling and the walls etc? In the loft are any timbers bowing significantly? The reports is suggesting that whilst it may not pass the scrutiny of full calculations it is not necessarily dangerous. Was this carried out by a qualified structural engineer or a general surveyor or what?

 

[Richard C]

currently the floor to the attic room and the roof is supported by nonloadbearing walls at the 1st floor / ground floor.
it is unlikely that this is structurally justifiable and currently likely to result in overstress and reduction in safety factors in some members.
How bad is this sounding?

Not good IMO. Unless the vendor did the remedial work to reinstate the integrity of the original roof trusses & properly support the loft room & whatever is likely to up there, (at his expense) I wouldn’t touch it with your barge pole let alone mine. It’s a buyers market, why purchase a property with problems that someone has created through their own stupidity unless it’s really cheap & you intend to put it right. Non compliance with BR’s as a loft conversion is another matter & as long as you’re happy with that & the price reflects it; but, remember, it’s always likely to come back & bite you at sometime in the future if you want to move on. You should also be aware that the existence of such a report will almost certainly invalidate your buildings insurance with regard to any problems that may occur in the future which the insurance company can even remotely associate with this problem.

My mortgage company did a valuation on the house a week ago and they have said this will not affect my mortgage.....if it was unsafe would they refuse to mortgage?

I’m surprised but it depends on the % of the value your borrowing. A valuation survey is just that & as long as the property has a residual value equivalent to the amount your borrowing then they may not be too bothered, they will still get their money back if they have to sell it from under you.

 

[nickyb]

Thanks for the reply's:

I think the loft was converted 8-10 years ago, the full survey was done a year ago by a structual engineer when a couple bought the house, they have since split up and sold it to us (at a good price) there are no signs of bowing on the ceilings or roof however i can not check behind the plastered walls / carpet covered floor.
My plan is to get up up to reg's in the future but not thow money at it right now as other rooms need updating 1st.
I know it shouldnt be used as a room as it stands but i just need to know that it is not going to cause issues / damage as it is.

I have now contacted a family friend who is a surveyor, she has kindly offered to check it out this week!

Fingers crossed its all safe...

Any other advice or experiance would be a huge help.
Thanks

 

[chappers]

It's not good really, I suspect the floor will probably be fine but the integrety of the roof has definitely been comprimised by removing the trusses.
I am not surprised to see you are in Cardiff. I have seen loads of adverts in the local papers down there offering loft conversions for £10K.
Personally speaking I would be very wary and I suspect that when you come to convert the loft properly that, at best, none of the new structure will be able tobe rteained and that , at worst you may need to do remedial work to the modifyed original structure.

 

[nickyb]

I have now had the attic looked at, by the sounds of it we need to add 2 joists to support the floor, the joists can then inturn support the existing structure of the roof. (it sounds as though its going to cost a 4-6k to get it sorted) obviously more to get it up to reg's.
Im going to see if i can get the 4-6k off the price of the house then i'll have to cover getting it up to reg's - I dont mind doing this as we knew it was not to regs when we made our offer (we did not know however that the floor needed supporting) sounds like a fair offer to me.