RICS Level 3 Building Survey in Chippenham

This is our most detailed visual inspection. We look at the elements that matter most on a larger or older Chippenham property, including the roof coverings, chimneys, walls, ceilings, floors, joinery, loft space where it is safe to access, and sub-floor voids where there is access. We also assess how the property is built, what materials appear to have been used, and whether age-related wear, poor alterations or movement are showing through. The survey follows the RICS Home Survey Standard, so the report has a clear structure and a clear line between what has been seen and what needs follow-up.

Our reports do not stop at naming defects. We explain what the defect may mean, what can happen if it is left alone, and which repairs need prompt attention. That can be the difference between a light maintenance job and a bill that keeps growing, especially on pre-1920s houses and extended homes around Chippenham where old and new fabric meet. A crack by a bay window, a sagging ridge line or a patch of blown plaster is not just a cosmetic note. It can point to movement, moisture ingress or failed detailing.

A Level 3 does not mean opening the structure or carrying out destructive tests. We do not lift carpets, expose hidden timbers, run drainage CCTV, or test electrics and gas systems as part of the survey. Those are specialist follow-ups, and we say so clearly when the evidence points that way. The report gives you the best possible visual read first, then spells out where a structural engineer, damp specialist or other expert should come next.

• roof coverings and chimneys
• loft space where safe to enter
• visible walls, floors and ceilings
• accessible sub-floor and external joinery

Chippenham's mix of older terraces, bay-fronted houses and newer homes at Oak Hill Rise creates different survey problems from one street to the next. In the older stock, we look hard at damp staining, chimney flashings, roof age, failing mortar and timber decay, because those issues often sit behind a tidy room finish. On Victorian and Edwardian houses, a careful eye on the bay window, the party wall junction and the roof slope can tell you more than the decoration ever will. A neatly painted room can still hide movement.

A property close to the River Avon or on lower ground can deserve extra attention at ground level. That means looking at air bricks, bridging, drainage falls and the condition of any suspended floor or cellar space, since persistent moisture rarely stays in one place for long. Where clay soil is in play, shallow cracks around bays, side returns and extensions can open and close with the seasons. You need the report to distinguish between seasonal hairlines and something that is steadily moving.

Alterations are another pressure point. Where extensions, dormers or knock-throughs have been added, our surveyors want to know whether the work looks well tied into the original build or whether cracks, patched plaster or uneven floors are telling a different story. If a property sits in a conservation area, roof coverings, window changes and boundary walls need a more careful read because repair choices are often constrained. On a Level 3, those clues get the space they need.

• Victorian damp and chimney leaks
• Edwardian bay movement
• 1930s solid-floor issues
• 1960s flat roof wear