Sulphate floor and house value

[Iara]

Hello all,

We've just gotten a survey report back on our 1950s house's concrete floor. The survey states we have Class 3 (on the lower end) levels of sulphate present in our floor, due to the use of red ash common in buildings of the time. This could lead to damage in the future if the levels of humidity rises due to flood or pipe leak etc. The chances of this are relatively low, considering there is zero sign of sulphate attack damage in the structure and these conditions have been present in the house for 70 years. What concerns me is when it comes time to sell our house, how will it affect the value if there is Class 3 level sulphate present in the floors. I know this is quite common for houses built 50s-70s, and a lot of people live with the sulphate floor as long as it isn't currently causing damage, but I worry about this seriously decreasing the value of the house. Basically we would consider spending the large amount of money to replace the floors only if not doing so would be detrimental to our ability to sell/profit from our house. Any advice welcome, thank you.

 

[^woody^]

Some mortgage lenders wont lend on properties in sulphate prone areas at all, some will after certified works, some will, and yet properties still get sold with no work done. Its the luck of the draw on what potential buyer you may get, how they may finance a purchase and what lender they may have lined up

Don't bother doing any work unless there is an actual problem that is so bad that work needs to be done.

Despite the fill condition, sulphate attack is random and not a certainty.