RICS Level 3 Building Survey in Felliscliffe

Felliscliffe’s housing stock is very different from what we see in urban areas, with most homes detached and built from local stone. They are handsome properties, but they do bring their own issues, so they need a surveyor with the right background. Many older houses here use solid walls rather than a cavity, which means damp can pass straight through the fabric if insulation or modern alterations have ignored breathability.

A great many village properties go back to the 18th and 19th centuries, and a few farmsteads and cottages are older still. That age profile means movement is often historic and stable, but it still has to be checked so we can tell harmless settlement from a live structural problem. Homes on the slopes down to Tang Beck, a tributary of the River Nidd, need extra care over drainage and ground conditions. Our surveyors know the Nidd Valley terrain and how the topography affects properties here.

Carboniferous Millstone Grit underpins the local geology, giving excellent building stone while also shaping ground conditions. We look closely at whether any property has been affected by movement, especially on steeper plots where foundations may be shallower than modern standards would allow. Watercourses matter too, so flood risk, although usually localised, belongs in the overall assessment.

Some Felliscliffe properties sit within conservation boundaries, and others are listed buildings, which adds another layer to the survey. We look at the implications of listing status, the care needed for historic fabric, and the limits on alterations as part of our assessment. Any listing status is identified during the survey, along with issues that could affect how you use the property.

• Solid-wall stone construction assessment
• Traditional roofing condition inspection
• Structural movement analysis
• Drainage and ground stability evaluation
• Listed building status assessment

Traditional homes in Felliscliffe usually have solid walls of local gritstone, reflecting the Millstone Grit geology beneath the village. Unlike modern cavity walls, these walls are generally 450mm to 600mm thick and depend on mass and porosity to manage moisture. That behaviour matters, because unsuitable modern work can do real damage to historic fabric.

Roofs across Felliscliffe are usually covered in natural slate from Wales or Westmorland, or in the local stone tiles known as 'grey slates' from Yorkshire quarries. Both last well, but they still need regular maintenance, and the pitched roofs here often include dormer windows or cat-slide extensions that deserve a careful look. Many homes also have chimney stacks, often in the same gritstone as the walls, and those can suffer from weathering and mortar decay over time.

Older pointing should really be done in lime-based mortars, not modern cement, since cement can hold moisture in the wall and make stone faces spall and break down. During our survey we check the pointing closely and pick out any places where cement mortar has been used inappropriately, which is a common problem in homes that have had ill-judged maintenance. Rainwater goods are part of the picture too, because cast iron and lead gutters typical of period properties need regular care to keep water out.

• Traditional gritstone solid-wall construction
• Welsh and Westmorland slate roofing
• Local Yorkshire stone tiles
• Gritstone chimney stacks
• Lime mortar pointing
• Traditional cast iron rainwater goods

Surveying properties across the Nidd Valley, we keep seeing a few themes that recur in Felliscliffe. Damp and timber decay are among the most common, especially where original features have been compromised by unsuitable modernisation. Solid-wall stone construction needs to breathe, and once non-breathable insulation or cement mortar is introduced, moisture can become trapped and start to damage both the stone and the timber.

Roofing issues show up regularly in our reports on traditional homes. The slate and stone-tiled roofs common here are usually durable, but they still need upkeep, and we often find slipped or cracked tiles, lead flashings around chimneys that have deteriorated, and ridge pointing in poor condition. Because so many properties sit high in this hilly area, roof checks matter, and we use drones where appropriate to look safely at the roof surface.

Structural movement needs a close look, even when it is historic rather than active. Homes in Felliscliffe on valley slopes can show movement linked to ground conditions, so we need to establish whether it is ongoing or settled. Our surveyors examine crack patterns, sticking doors and windows, and floor levels to work out the nature and cause of what we see.

Radon gas is a factor in parts of North Yorkshire, and older homes with limited ventilation can be more exposed. It is not relevant to every property, but our surveyors will flag it where it matters and recommend further testing if that is justified. We also look closely at properties near watercourses such as Tang Beck for any sign of flooding or waterlogging in the immediate area.

• Rising damp in solid-wall properties
• Timber decay in roof structures
• Slipped or damaged slate tiles
• Historic structural movement
• Chimney stack deterioration
• Drainage and guttering issues
• Radon gas consideration
• Localised flood risk near watercourses