Commercial Building Survey of a Manchester Office Block
Allcott Commercial’s team includes experienced chartered RICS surveyors with extensive knowledge across all sectors of Manchester commercial property.
Brief: Structural survey of an office unit that was being purchased by our client.
Property: A row of self-contained offices, in a converted building dating back to c1900.
Instructed by: Events company.
Want to know more?
Like to discuss a potential project with our consultants or get advice on any aspect of building surveying or engineering?
Project specification
- The property consisted of a row of self-contained offices, built c1900 and refurbished c2000.
- It was a mid-terraced, 3-storey office unit, constructed from a steel frame with masonry elevations and party walls.
- All three floors were used as offices, with WCs, an entrance lobby and kitchen unit also present.
- We were asked to carry out a structural pre-acquisition building survey to get a thorough understanding of the condition of the property, and what costs need to be budgeted for in terms of repairs and maintenance.
Key survey findings
- Overall, the property was found to be structurally sound and maintained to an acceptable standard.
- However, several defects were noted, and our surveyor provided detail on the issues, the repairs required to rectify them and estimated costs. These included:
- replacement of damaged slates on the roof, along with repointing of damaged areas of the ridge (~£500)
- minor repointing works and brick replacements to prevent water ingress (~£350)
- repairs to timberwork (~£900).
- In addition, the fire detection system and disabled access were identified as being inadequate for modern day standards.
- We estimated that maintaining the property and its finishes in the medium to long term would cost in the region of £2500 every 5–7 years.
- We also recommended that the quantity of WC accomodation should be reviewed as part of any future refurbishment.
Read more about our pre-acquisition surveys here, or find out more about our Manchester commercial surveyors.
We're here to help
If you would like to discuss a potential project with our consultants or get advice on any aspect of building surveying or engineering, please don’t hesitate to complete our contact form, call us on 0333 202 6386, or contact one of our regional offices.
