RICS Level 3 Building Survey in Wrexham

A RICS Level 3 Building Survey is the most detailed RICS home report we offer for a purchase in Wrexham. Our surveyors carry out the most detailed visual inspection of all accessible parts of the property, then comment on construction, materials, defects, condition, repairs needed and the order in which issues should be tackled. If a terrace off the older parts of Wrexham shows cracking, roof wear or damp staining, the report explains the likely cause, the repair route and the likely effect of leaving it alone.

The inspection is still visual. We do not lift carpets, open up walls, cut into timbers or carry out destructive investigation, so hidden defects behind the plaster or under the floorboards can only be suspected, not proved. We also do not include drainage CCTV, gas testing, electrical testing or specialist servicing checks, because those are separate instructions if the findings point that way. A mortgage valuation is not the same thing, and it will not give you this level of detail about a property near Wrexham General Railway Station or out towards Johnstown.

In Wrexham, this depth matters because the housing stock includes Victorian brickwork, later render, timber roof structures and older extensions that may have been stitched together over time. Our reports are written for buyers who want to know where the money may go first, which defects can wait, and which ones can turn into bigger repairs if left alone. On a house built from Ruabon brick or Cefn sandstone, the survey may put pointing, roof junctions, chimney stacks and damp pathways higher up the list than a buyer expected.

• Loft timbers and roof coverings
• Floors, ceilings and visible sub-floor areas
• External walls, windows, doors and rainwater goods
• Visible services, drainage clues and boundary conditions

Wrexham's older stock grew out of pre-20th-century industry, and the town still shows that in brick, tile and terracotta. Ruabon red brick and Cefn sandstone appear in houses that were built to last, yet the joints, chimneys and roof junctions still age in the same way as anywhere else. On a Victorian workers' cottage, our surveyors look hard at failing mortar, loose slate, damp bridging and timber decay at the eaves, because those defects can quietly spread if they are ignored.

The ground under Wrexham is not uniform. The built-up area sits on flat to gently undulating lowlands within the Dee Valley, shaped by glacial deposits of sand and gravel on the Wrexham Delta Terrace, with floodplains along the River Dee and tributaries such as the River Gwenfro. That is why we pay close attention to external levels, drainage clues, sub-floor ventilation and signs of movement at bay windows or boundary walls, especially where clay soil or made ground may be part of the story.

Later housing brings a different set of problems. The 1960s stock, including the kind of concrete-built blocks that Wrexham has seen rise and fall over time, can suffer from flat roof fatigue, leaking joints, poor thermal performance and repairs that were not designed for the long haul. The demolition of Hightown flats in 2011 and the removal of the brutalist police headquarters in 2020 are reminders that some forms of construction age badly if maintenance is delayed. Modern render systems, such as those seen on the Heol Offa project in Johnstown, need careful checking around window heads, movement joints and sealants.

• Failed pointing in older brickwork
• Chimney stack movement and roof wear
• Damp bridging in solid walls
• Flat roof and render defects on later homes