RICS Level 2 HomeBuyer Survey Bro Machno

Bro Machno centres on 2 principal settlements, Penmachno at the meeting point of the Afon Machno and Afon Glasgwm rivers, and Cwm Penmachno further up the valley. Much of the housing here comes straight from the area's industrial past, especially the terraces put up in the 1870s for men working at the Penmachno and Rhiwbach slate quarries. Rows such as Rhiw Fach Terrace and Rhos Goch are strong examples, built in local stone rubble and usually finished with traditional slate roofs, the sort of construction that needs a surveyor who knows what they are looking at.

There is more here than quarry housing. Bro Machno also includes notable older buildings such as Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant, a Grade II* listed 16th-century farmhouse, along with other properties that also date from the 16th century. Surveying buildings of this age brings its own set of problems, from reading movement in old stone walls to checking whether original lime mortar pointing has been wrongly replaced with cement. We know these local building methods well, and we spot the defects that tend to crop up in Welsh vernacular properties.

Recent sales show the spread of values in the area. 11 Machno Terrace sold for £150,000 in April 2024, and Bron Heulog reached £181,000 in December 2024, which gives a fair picture of the market in this sought-after Snowdonia National Park community. There is another angle too, with 36% of properties thought to be holiday homes or empty homes, so buyers need to think about occupancy restrictions and the condition of houses that may have stood vacant for long stretches.

New-build supply is limited here. In fact, the only relatively recent scheme is Maes Y Waen in Penmachno, finished in February 2014 by Cartrefi Conwy. It included 6 homes and marked the first new social housing in the village in 40 years. The Bro Machno Housing Partnership and Cynnal Bro Machno are still looking at ways to buy and refurbish existing homes for affordable local use, which says a lot about the housing pressure in this rural Welsh valley.

• Traditional stone terrace houses
• 16th-19th century farmhouses
• Modern social housing (Maes Y Waen, 2014)
• Converted agricultural buildings

Set in the upper Conwy valley and next to Gwydir Forest, Bro Machno has a geological background that can affect property condition. Slate is a big part of that story because of the area's mining history, and it can bring ground stability issues that we keep in mind during an inspection. Homes on, or close to, former quarrying land sometimes hide deeper concerns, including voids below ground or movement that may have consequences for foundations.

Flooding is a real point to check, especially for homes on the valley floor in Penmachno where the Afon Machno and Afon Glasgwm meet. During our inspection, we look at the position of the property and any visible clues, such as previous water staining, signs of flooding, or flood protection works already in place. We comment on what we can see, but we also advise clients to consult Welsh Water flood maps and the natural resources Wales flood information service for site-specific flood risk detail beyond the scope of our physical inspection.

Many Bro Machno houses pre-date modern construction standards, and that matters. Older Welsh stone properties are often built with solid walls rather than cavities, so damp proof courses may be missing altogether or fall short of present expectations. We are used to inspecting this sort of building and can see where later works have clashed with the original fabric, for example where breathable lime mortar has been replaced by cement-based renders that trap moisture and lead to structural trouble.

We see a familiar set of defects in Bro Machno properties. Damp is high on the list, partly because so much of the stock is older, and that can mean rising damp in solid stone walls as well as penetrating damp caused by worn slate roofs or failing pointing. Modern damp proof courses are often absent in traditional buildings, and the wet Welsh climate tends to make matters worse, especially where walls are solid rather than cavity built. We check all accessible walls, floors and ceilings for signs of moisture ingress and, where needed, recommend a specialist damp survey.

Roofs need close attention in this part of North Wales. Slate is the traditional covering and usually the right one for the setting, but older roofs can suffer from slipped or deteriorated slates, damaged chimney flashings and perished sarking felt. Given Bro Machno's long connection with the slate trade, many homes still carry their original or early slate roofing. Full of character, yes, but it needs proper judgement on condition, remaining life and likely repair work. We inspect accessible roof spaces for leaks, timber decay and poor insulation.

Services are another area where period houses often fall behind modern expectations. Homes built before the 1970s may still have fabric-covered cabling, old consumer units and too few sockets for current living patterns. Plumbing can be much the same, with lead or galvanised steel pipes still in use in some places, affecting both water pressure and quality. Our Level 2 survey reviews these visible service installations and flags where professional updating is advisable.

In older homes, movement is one of the bigger structural concerns, especially on the hillside plots found around Cwm Penmachno. We look carefully for stepped or spreading cracks, sloping floors and doors or windows that catch or stick, all of which can point to foundation movement or subsidence. The exact shrink-swell risk linked to Bro Machno's local geology would need site-specific investigation, but where movement is visible we record it clearly and rate it in the report.

• Damp and condensation issues
• Slate roof deterioration
• Outdated electrical systems
• Plumbing systems
• Structural movement in period walls
• Missing or damaged chimney flashings
• Inadequate insulation
• Woodworm and timber decay