Need assurance on tiling before buying flat.

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A few days away from buying a flat built in 1990. It still has original tiles and bathroom suite. Looks OK to the eye and no smell of damp etc.

Still, I think there is something that looks a bit risky: The shower is in the bathtub and the wall behind the bathtub has a window, i.e. you can in theory peek out the window while having a shower (except the glass is frosted of course). The tiles run all the way around the window and the window recess is covered all the way round with the same tile as the wall. Again, it looks OK, but I reckon common sense dictates that there is a high risk of some crack where water can come trough and behind the tiling. This could be costly for me as a new owner.

Question; should I hire a surveyor with particular knowledge of wetrooms, perhaps someone with a humidity meter? Can all surveyors be trusted to handle this issue? What would you have done?

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if you hire a surveyor all they will tell you is what could be wrong, the only way to confirm a problem is to strip the tiles off. so you'll just end up more worried than before. Checkout out the tiles - tap them and see if they sound hollow in patches, if so then its likely that water has got behind and caused a problem.

if its been done properly the sill should have a slight slope on it to allow the water to run off.

To be honest re-tiling an area that size wont cost a lot (relative to the purchase of the flat) i'd suggest that if there is no real sign of water damage and if the silicone\grout etc all looks good then its fair to take a chance.

I'd also suggest that frosted glass is never that frosted when your standing near it - i'd want a curtain that loops all the way around!
 
if you ask them questions they must answer you honestly otherwise they are liable
ask when it was tiled if recently ask if there had been a problem if so what was it and has it been sorted

ask who done the work and if there's gtees with the work

ask iff any gas electrical or structural work has been done when it was done if they seeked any permission /notified as required who done it ask for any certificates

if you dont ask they have told no lies
 
if you ask them questions they must answer you honestly otherwise they are liable
ask when it was tiled if recently ask if there had been a problem if so what was it and has it been sorted

ask who done the work and if there's gtees with the work

ask iff any gas electrical or structural work has been done when it was done if they seeked any permission /notified as required who done it ask for any certificates

if you dont ask they have told no lies

just ask JC....
oh. sorry... he seems to have disappeard......

but hey ho... ask dickie
 
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Excellent chaps. Really appreciate you taking the time to answer.

Current owner told me original tiles and no problems with bathroom ever. A look at the wood in the windowsill suggests she is right. However, I could still become a victim of her ignorance.

I am surprised there are no such thing as "wet room inspectors" or similar?
(As you can tell I am an absolute newb to property buying).

But anyway, good advice in this thread. Will send off an email with questions in order to secure answers in writing.
 
Dont know if there are any surveyors on here to comment but my experience is that they have to (understandably) take a defensive view and give a list of what may be wrong, and its all educated guess work as surveys have to be non destructive. phrases like 'may be evidence of damp' and 'electrical installations may need to be inspected' dont really give you any more peace of mind and certainly give no redress!
 
The bathroom in my own property had a similar over bath shower arrangement when we moved here in 2004 but I swung the bath through 90 degrees & moved/resized the window during the refit. It’s far from ideal &, as stated, even frosted glass can be very revealing if you stand too close to it! If you cant’ see or smell any problems & the tiles don’t sound hallow when tapped, chances are it’s still OK; how long have the tiles been on there? I would certainly advise you install another curtain you can pull over the window reveal to avoid water damage to the reveal.

I’d be more concerned with what looks like a huge pipe running along the ceiling, what on earth is going on there? I assume it’s not a soil pipe! I'd factor a bathroom refit into your move budget before too long as it looks like it could do with it.
 

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