RICS Level 3 Building Survey in Taunton

Around The Crescent and Middle Street, the Level 3 survey is the most detailed visual inspection we provide. Our surveyors examine all accessible parts of the property, then judge the building as a whole rather than commenting on one fault in isolation. That approach suits older Taunton stock, especially where a house has been altered near Castle Green, Bath Place or the forecourts off Fore Street.

Taunton's fabric is varied. Otter Sandstone, Blue Lias, North Curry Sandstone, Westleigh Limestone and Ham Hill Stone all weather differently, so a repointing job that looks neat on one wall can still leave moisture paths open elsewhere. A hairline crack on a terrace near the River Tone is not the same as a stepped crack through a bay window at a house in TA2, and our report explains that difference.

We set out repairs, priorities and maintenance, and we say what may happen if a fault is left alone. We do not carry out destructive opening up, lift carpets, drill into walls, run drainage CCTV or test electrics, gas, heating or plumbing, so hidden issues often lead to a separate specialist instruction. That is common in older homes around Castle Bow, where timber decay, damp staining and roof defects often travel together.

• Roof coverings
• Loft timbers and insulation where visible
• Walls, floors and joinery
• Damp, ventilation and timber decay
• Rainwater goods and visible services

Taunton's older streets bring together stone, brick and timber in ways that need careful reading. The town has conservation areas at The Crescent, Staplegrove Road, Mount Street/Vivary Park, South Road, Haines Hill, Park Street, Middle Street/High Street, Castle Green and Bath Place, and the former Taunton Deane district contains 38 Grade I listed buildings, including Taunton Castle and Castle Bow. That is where lime mortar, masonry repairs and timber joinery often matter more than a quick visual tick.

The ground under the town can create its own problems. The Vale of Taunton Deane uses Permo-Triassic sandstones, breccias and conglomerates in the west, with Lower Jurassic limestones in the central belt, and a new-build survey in the area specifically recorded high susceptibility to shrink-swell related subsidence. On shallow foundations, trees close to a boundary can pull moisture from the soil, so diagonal cracking, sticking doors and uneven floors around TA1 or TA2 deserve a proper read.

River Tone flood warnings do not mean every house is at risk, but they do shape what we inspect. As of May 2026 the river flood risk is very low for the current day and the next five days, yet warning areas still run from Silk Mills Bridge to Bathpool and cover Roughmoor Crescent, Weirfield Green, Riverside, Northfield Avenue, French Weir Close, Cleveland Street, Portland Street, Belvedere Road, Albemarle Road, Priory Avenue to the Firepool area and Crown Industrial Estate. Homes near those streets need extra attention to air bricks, ground levels, external drainage and signs of historic damp.

Newer schemes are not exempt. Orchard Grove, between the A38 Wellington Road and Honiton Road in Comeytrowe, has phases from Taylor Wimpey and Bovis Homes, Hartnells Farm sits on Knights Lane in Monkton Heathfield, and Nerrols Grange runs along Nerrols Drive. On those sites we still look for settlement, poor sealant lines, roof void ventilation issues and unfinished external works, because a fresh estate can still hide defects if the build sequence was rushed.