RICS Level 3 Building Survey in Great Strickland

Our RICS Level 3 Building Survey is the fullest assessment available for residential property. In Great Strickland, with so many homes built from local sandstone and finished with traditional slate roofs, that extra detail really matters. We inspect all accessible parts of the building, including the roof space, sub-floor areas, walls and foundations. Our surveyors also assess structural elements such as load-bearing walls, beams, joists and the building’s overall stability.

Moisture and damp get close attention in a Level 3 survey, and with older Cumbrian property that is often where problems start. We look for penetrating damp, rising damp and condensation, all of which can affect stone-walled buildings. The report also covers timber defects, including rot in floor joists and roof timbers, along with any sign of wood-boring insect activity that could weaken the structure over time. As part of our normal process, we use moisture meters and damp detection equipment.

Roofs are another key area, particularly in Great Strickland where traditional slate remains common. We check for slipped slates, nail fatigue in older roof structures and failed flashings that may allow water ingress. Because many village properties are of some age, we pay close attention to lintels above windows and doors, which can fail in older stone buildings. Chimney stacks and flashings are examined carefully too, as they are frequent sources of water ingress in traditional Cumbrian homes.

• Structural condition assessment
• Damp and moisture investigation
• Roof and chimney inspection
• Electrical and drainage overview
• Thermal efficiency comments
• Detailed defect identification with photographs

Great Strickland sits in the Eden District, an area known for traditional Cumbrian architecture. Local sandstone is the main building material, quarried from different points across the valley and used in everything from small cottages to sizeable farmhouses. It gives the village much of its character, but it also creates particular issues for owners and surveyors. Depending on where the stone was quarried, its hardness and porosity can vary, which affects how different stretches of wall cope with weather exposure.

The geology of the Eden Valley also has a bearing on how buildings perform. Many properties stand on clay-rich soils, and those soils can move through shrink-swell processes. Subsidence risk in Great Strickland is generally low overall, but older houses with shallow foundations may still show movement over time. Our Level 3 survey includes an assessment of the foundations and checks for signs of structural movement or settlement. We look at internal cracking patterns and examine outside walls for bowing or other movement that could suggest foundation problems. In our experience, where village properties do show notable movement patterns, it is more often linked to nearby tree growth or historic drainage issues than to general ground instability.

Great Strickland is not a Conservation Area, but the village does include various listed buildings that fall under strict planning controls. Any property listed as Grade II or higher will need Listed Building Consent for most alterations and repairs. Our surveyors understand those restrictions and can explain how identified defects may need to be dealt with while still complying with listing requirements. That kind of local knowledge is useful when you are budgeting for remedial work flagged in the report. We have surveyed several listed properties nearby and know that traditional lime mortar repairs are usually required, rather than modern cement-based solutions.

Foundation behaviour is a key part of buying in the Eden Valley. The clay-rich soils beneath much of the area expand and contract with changes in moisture, a process known as shrink-swell, and that can affect foundations over time. Great Strickland is not in a high-risk subsidence zone, but many older village properties were built with shallow strip foundations that would not meet modern building regulation standards. Our surveyors look for warning signs of movement, including diagonal cracking around window and door openings, doors that stick or fail to close properly, and uneven floors.

We also look beyond the building itself. Trees and hedgerows near a property may have grown a great deal since it was first built, and that can influence foundation stability. Because Great Strickland is rural, many homes sit among mature trees and established vegetation. Our Level 3 survey takes those outside factors into account and considers their possible effect on structural integrity. We note where trees stand in relation to the building and assess whether root systems may be affecting foundations, especially where the property has the shallower foundations typical of its era.

Where we identify possible foundation concerns, we may recommend further investigation by a structural engineer. That could mean opening trial pits to check foundation depth and condition, or installing monitoring equipment to see whether movement is still ongoing. Serious foundation problems are relatively uncommon in the village, but finding them before purchase gives you the chance to budget for repairs or renegotiate the purchase price. Our report sets out clearly whether that next stage is justified by what we saw during the inspection.

Great Strickland is still mainly a rural village and does not have large-scale housing development, but there has been some recent planning activity. An outline planning application was submitted for Oak Farm to redevelop agricultural buildings into up to five dwellings. There is also planning permission for five new homes on a village centre site, including semi-detached and single-storey properties. For now, these modest schemes represent the main growth in the village and may interest buyers who want newer homes within the community.

Buyers looking at new-build property in the area should still think about a professional survey. New homes may come with NHBC or a similar warranty scheme, but a Level 3 survey can still pick up snagging issues or construction defects that are not obvious to an untrained eye. Across Cumbria, we have identified defects in new-build homes that were missed during developer handover walks, including problems with window installation, roof detailing and moisture management that could cause trouble later if they are left unresolved.

New additions to the village housing stock can also have an effect on neighbouring property, especially where drainage and access arrangements are concerned. As part of our inspection, we assess these outside factors so you have a clear picture of both the property and its setting within the village. We note nearby development sites and consider whether building activity could affect the property during your period of ownership. It is a broad view, but an important one, because the building never sits in isolation from what is happening around it.