Detailed property inspections for Cardiff's Pennant sandstone terraces, Bay conversions, and pre-war housing stock
Cardiff has around 146,000 households spread across a city shaped by the docks boom of the late 1800s. Inner suburbs like Splott, Canton, and Grangetown are packed with Pennant sandstone terraces built between 1870 and 1900 for workers in the coal export trade and steelworks. These homes sit on shallow foundations over alluvial river deposits, use a local grey-blue stone that weathers very differently to English brick, and have been altered repeatedly over the past century. Ordering a Building Survey gives you the detailed, room-by-room analysis of condition and defects you need before committing to a Cardiff property purchase.
£268,000
Average House Price
28%
Homes Built Pre-1919
Older than UK average
From £500
Building Survey Cost
Cardiff pricing
33,000
Flood Risk Properties
Highest LA risk in the UK
Cardiff sits where the River Taff and River Ely meet the Severn Estuary, giving it the highest flood risk of any local authority in the UK. Natural Resources Wales estimates that 33,000 properties could face flooding by 2050 — roughly 17% of the city's housing. Beyond flood risk, the dominant housing stock is Victorian-era Pennant sandstone terraces with solid walls and no cavity insulation, shallow foundations laid on alluvial clay and river deposits, and decades of modification by successive owners. These properties accumulate defects that only a detailed Building Survey can identify and cost.
This type of survey goes room by room through the entire property, inspecting the roof structure, walls, floors, windows, services, drainage, and external areas. The surveyor records the condition of every accessible element, flags defects, explains what is causing them, and provides repair recommendations with approximate costs. For Cardiff homes, this means checking for damp penetration through solid Pennant stone walls, assessing whether lime mortar joints have been damaged by inappropriate cement repointing, and examining floor voids and sub-floor ventilation in terraces where timber decay is common.
Cardiff Council maintains 27 conservation areas across the city, including Pontcanna, Cathedral Road, and parts of Roath. If the property you are buying falls within one of these areas, your Building Survey will help you understand what alterations are permissible and what restrictions apply before you commit. The survey also picks up unauthorised works — a frequent issue in Cardiff's student rental areas like Cathays, where Victorian houses have been converted to HMOs and then sold on without reversing structural changes. Welsh building regulations apply, and your surveyor can advise whether previous work was done to the required standard.
Source: ONS Census 2021. Cardiff has an even split of terraced and semi-detached homes, each making up nearly a third of the stock.
Cardiff faces the highest flood risk of any local authority in Britain. The city sits where the River Taff and River Ely flow into the Severn Estuary, and tidal surges, river flooding, and surface water runoff all threaten different parts of the city. Properties along the Taff corridor through Pontcanna, Riverside, and Canton are particularly vulnerable. The Cardiff Bay Barrage manages tidal risk in the Bay itself, but upstream areas remain exposed. Flood damage remediation in Cardiff typically costs between £10,000 and £30,000 depending on the extent of water ingress. Your surveyor will check for evidence of historic flooding in the building fabric — something a mortgage valuation will never do.
| Survey Type | Cardiff | National Avg | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building Survey | From £500 | From £550 | -£50 |
| RICS Level 3 | From £600 | From £630 | -£30 |
| RICS Level 2 | From £380 | From £400 | -£20 |
Building Survey
Cardiff
From £500
National Avg
From £550
Difference
-£50
RICS Level 3
Cardiff
From £600
National Avg
From £630
Difference
-£30
RICS Level 2
Cardiff
From £380
National Avg
From £400
Difference
-£20
Prices based on a standard 3-bed property. Cardiff pricing is slightly below the national average, reflecting Welsh property values and market conditions.
The RICS-qualified surveyors we work with in Cardiff have hands-on experience with the building materials and defects specific to South Wales. Pennant sandstone behaves differently from the red brick and London stock brick found across England — it is a harder, less porous stone, but its lime mortar joints deteriorate faster and react badly to cement repairs. Our Cardiff surveyors can distinguish between cosmetic weathering and structural decay in stonework, assess whether Bay area conversions from the 1990s regeneration were properly waterproofed, and interpret the ground conditions that affect properties across the Taff floodplain.
Enter the property details — address, type, approximate age, and number of bedrooms. You'll receive a price straight away. Book and pay online, and we'll contact the seller or their estate agent within 24 hours to arrange access to the property.
A local RICS-qualified surveyor visits the property. For a typical Cardiff Victorian terrace in areas like Splott or Canton, the inspection takes 3 to 5 hours. Larger detached homes in Cyncoed or Whitchurch, or properties with extensions, basements, or significant alterations, may require up to 6 hours on site.
The detailed Building Survey report is delivered within 5 to 7 working days. It covers the condition of every inspected element, lists defects with explanations of their cause and severity, provides repair cost guidance, and flags items your solicitor should raise with the seller. Our team can talk you through the findings and arrange specialist follow-up inspections if anything requires further investigation.
Many Cardiff terraces have had their original lime mortar joints replaced with modern cement mortar. This looks tidy but causes serious long-term damage. Cement is much harder than the sandstone and traps moisture inside the blocks, leading to spalling, cracking, and gradual stone decay. Proper lime repointing of a full Cardiff terrace front costs £5,000 to £10,000, but ignoring the problem can lead to structural stone failure. Your Building Survey will assess the condition of mortar joints throughout the property and flag whether inappropriate cement repairs have been used.
Cardiff's residential character was forged during the coal boom of the 1870s to 1910s, when the Marquess of Bute developed the docks and thousands of workers' terraces sprang up across the south of the city. These Pennant sandstone rows in Splott, Adamsdown, Grangetown, and Canton share a common construction pattern: solid stone walls about 450mm thick, shallow strip foundations on alluvial ground, Welsh slate roofs, and timber suspended floors over brick sleeper walls. North of the city centre, Edwardian and inter-war suburbs in Roath, Heath, and Whitchurch use more conventional red brick, while the post-war estates in Llanrumney, Ely, and Fairwater introduced concrete and system-built construction. Cardiff Bay's apartment blocks date mostly from the 1990s and 2000s regeneration, bringing their own set of concerns around cladding, service risers, and waterproofing.
This range of building eras and materials means a Building Survey in Cardiff needs to be tailored to the specific property. A Grangetown stone terrace presents completely different risks from a 1960s Fairwater semi or a 2002 Cardiff Bay flat. The surveyor adapts their inspection focus accordingly — stone decay and damp in the Victorian stock, concrete defects and cavity wall issues in mid-century homes, and cladding and communal area problems in newer apartments. Whatever the age and type, the Building Survey provides the same outcome: a clear, detailed picture of the property's condition and the cost of putting right anything that needs attention.
Explore our full range of property services available in Cardiff
From £600
The most comprehensive RICS survey for Cardiff's older and complex properties, with full structural analysis.
From £450
Focused structural investigation for Cardiff homes showing signs of movement, cracking, or subsidence.
From £250
Specialist roof inspection for Cardiff properties — check Welsh slate condition and timber structure.
From £60
Energy Performance Certificate for Cardiff properties — required for sales and lettings.
With Cardiff's average house price at £268,000, a Building Survey costing £500 to £900 represents less than 0.3% of the purchase price. Compare that to the cost of problems the survey might uncover. Lime repointing a full Pennant sandstone terrace front runs £5,000 to £10,000. Treating rising damp in a solid-walled Victorian house costs £3,000 to £7,000. Flood damage remediation after a Taff corridor event can reach £30,000. Replacing a deteriorated Welsh slate roof on a typical Cardiff terrace costs £8,000 to £15,000. That report arms you with the information to negotiate a price reduction, request the seller fixes problems before completion, or walk away entirely if the defects are too severe.
Without a survey, you are relying on your own judgement and the seller's disclosure. Many defects in Cardiff's older properties are hidden behind plaster, under floorboards, or in roof voids that you won't access during a viewing. Subsidence on alluvial ground, concealed damp behind dry-lined walls, and structural alterations from HMO conversions are all issues that a trained surveyor will find and a casual viewer will miss. A professional survey is the only way to get an independent assessment of what you are actually buying.
Building Surveys in Cardiff start from around £500 for a standard 3-bed terraced house. Prices increase with property size and complexity — expect £700 to £900 for larger detached homes in areas like Cyncoed or Whitchurch, or for properties with basements and extensions. Cardiff pricing sits slightly below the national average because Welsh property values are lower than the English average, though the prevalence of older Pennant sandstone properties can mean longer inspection times.
Yes. Cardiff has the highest flood risk of any local authority in the UK, so checking for evidence of past water ingress is a standard part of any Building Survey here. Your surveyor will inspect below-floor areas, look for tide marks or staining on walls, check whether flood resilience measures have been fitted, and assess the overall condition of areas most vulnerable to water damage. The report will note the property's proximity to the Taff, Ely, or Rhymney rivers and whether flood history has affected the building fabric.
For a typical Cardiff Victorian terrace — the most common property type in the inner suburbs — the on-site inspection takes 3 to 5 hours. The surveyor needs time to inspect the Pennant sandstone walls, check mortar joints, examine the roof void, and test sub-floor conditions. Larger homes, properties with extensions, or converted HMOs in Cathays and Roath may take up to 6 hours. The written report is delivered within 5 to 7 working days after the inspection.
For purpose-built apartments in Cardiff Bay dating from the 1990s and 2000s regeneration, a Level 2 survey is usually sufficient. But if the apartment is in a converted warehouse or dock building, a Building Survey is the better option. Conversion-era buildings can have structural compromises, inadequate waterproofing, and service installations that no longer meet current standards. The surveyor will assess whether the conversion work was carried out properly and flag any concerns about communal areas or building management.
Pennant sandstone is the grey-blue local stone quarried across the South Wales coalfield. It was the standard building material for Cardiff's Victorian terraces, used extensively in Splott, Grangetown, Canton, and Adamsdown. The stone itself is durable, but the lime mortar between the blocks degrades over time. A common and damaging mistake is repointing with cement mortar, which traps moisture and causes the stone to spall and crack. Your Building Survey will assess mortar condition throughout the property, identify areas of inappropriate repair, and estimate the cost of proper lime repointing where needed.
A recent renovation does not guarantee that work was done properly or to building regulations standard. In Cardiff, many Victorian terraces have been renovated for resale or converted from HMO use back to single-family homes. Your surveyor checks whether structural alterations were carried out with appropriate approvals, whether new installations meet current standards, and whether cosmetic improvements are concealing underlying defects like damp or timber decay. Renovated properties in conservation areas also need checking for compliance with local planning restrictions.
A Level 2 survey records visible defects and rates them using a traffic-light system. It suits newer properties in reasonable condition. A Building Survey is more detailed — the surveyor inspects every accessible part of the property, investigates the cause of defects rather than just noting them, and provides a full written narrative of the building's condition with repair cost estimates. For Cardiff's pre-1919 terraces, flood-risk properties, and homes that have been altered or extended, the Building Survey gives you the depth of information you need to make a sound buying decision.
Absolutely. If the survey reveals defects that need repair — and in Cardiff's older housing stock, it almost always does — you have solid, professional evidence to support a price reduction. Buyers commonly use Building Survey findings to negotiate £5,000 to £20,000 off the asking price depending on the severity of the issues. Sellers find it harder to dismiss a costed defect list from a qualified surveyor than a general request for a discount. The survey also protects you from buying a property with problems that would cost more to fix than the saving you thought you were getting.
Most surveyors take 1–2 days to quote.
We'll price your survey in seconds.
We'll price your survey in seconds.
Get Your Instant QuoteHomemove is a trading name of HM Haus Group Ltd (Company No. 13873779, registered in England & Wales). Homemove Mortgages Ltd (Company No. 15947693) is an Appointed Representative of TMG Direct Limited, trading as TMG Mortgage Network, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 786245). Homemove Mortgages Ltd is entered on the FCA Register as an Appointed Representative (FRN 1022429). You can check registrations at NewRegister or by calling 0800 111 6768.
