RICS Level 2 Survey in St. Levan

Our RICS Level 2 Survey, previously called the HomeBuyer Report, is a careful visual inspection of all accessible parts of a St. Levan property. We look over the roof structure, walls, floors, doors, windows, damp levels and timber condition throughout. Our team is alert to movement, decay and deterioration, all of which matter in Cornwall's older housing stock, and we give each element a clear condition rating so the overall state of the property is easy to grasp.

Granite cottages and other period homes are a familiar part of St. Levan, so our surveyors pay close attention to the way these buildings were put together. We check solid walls for damp penetration, inspect original timber windows, and review any historic alterations made over time. The maritime climate in Cornwall brings problems that are less common elsewhere. Salt air can speed up decay in external timbers, and driving rain can work its way into solid wall construction that might behave very differently in a more sheltered part of the country.

We also review the Energy Performance Certificate, or EPC, rating as part of the Level 2 survey, so you have a clearer picture of the home's energy efficiency. In St. Levan, that can be especially useful because many older properties have solid walls, single-glazed windows or dated heating systems, all of which can affect thermal performance. Knowing the EPC rating helps with planning improvement works and keeping an eye on running costs. We include the property's environmental impact too, along with practical suggestions for making it more efficient.

Each inspected area is marked with a simple traffic light rating, red for urgent defects needing immediate attention, amber for issues likely to need repair later, and green where the condition is satisfactory. If our surveyor sees something that calls for closer specialist input, such as possible structural movement or the kind of significant damp problems often found in older Cornish homes, we set that out clearly. The report is written to be useful, not vague, so you can act on it before you commit to the purchase.

• Roof and loft structure
• Walls, floors, and ceilings
• Windows and doors
• Damp and timber survey
• Electrical visible items
• Plumbing visible items
• Boundary and outbuildings

Across St. Levan and the wider TR19 area, the housing stock is mixed, from historic farmhouses to contemporary homes. Grade II listed buildings add another layer, because their maintenance needs are often quite different from those of standard modern properties. Our surveyors are used to assessing traditional Cornish buildings and understand how age, materials and local weather patterns shape condition over time. We have seen, repeatedly, how this climate speeds up wear on certain parts of a building.

Granite is a big part of what gives this corner of Cornwall its character, but it also creates buildings that need careful upkeep. Our Level 2 survey takes account of the technical differences between natural stone walls and modern cavity wall construction. We check solid walls for movement, inspect pointing and mortar joints, and note vegetation growth that might suggest moisture trouble. Granite can last for centuries, but only with proper maintenance and early attention to defects.

In this coastal parish, exposure matters. Our inspectors look at what wind, rain and salt air are doing to external finishes, joinery and roofing materials, and we regularly find that homes within a mile of the coast have weathered faster than those further inland. That is why our reports call out maintenance points linked to the coastal environment. Salt corrosion on metalwork, timber decay near lower levels and erosion of mortar all turn up time and again around St. Levan.

The area near Penzance has been built up in phases, from older farmsteads to more recent residential schemes, and that history helps shape our inspection. Homes built before 1919 tend to present very different issues from those dating from the mid-twentieth century. Our inspectors are trained to spot those distinctions and apply the right assessment approach to each property, rather than treating every house the same way.

• Traditional granite construction assessment
• Coastal weathering evaluation
• Listed building considerations
• Historic modification review
• Energy efficiency assessment