Location: Falmouth, TR11

Cost: £150 + VAT plus booking fee

Now booking for..:

17th July 2024

Why you should do this training day

There are no accurate statistics but it is generally thought that there are probably well over 200,000 homes in the UK with spray foam insulation products applied to the underside of the roofs.   The vast majority of these installations have been installed after the original construction.   Earlier installations were largely sold on the basis of stabilising a failing roof surface but more recently they have been sold as thermal insulation upgrades.

Over the last few years, mortgage lenders have become increasingly concerned about the long-term problems being increasingly discovered from the use of closed-cell foam installations.   Some of these are now over 20 years old.  There are many cases of severe wet rot being discovered when roof replacements are done.   As such, it is now the case that mortgages are very hard to obtain on properties that have spray foam installed.

This has created considerable uncertainty for surveyors on what the foams look like, how to identify potential problems and how to report when they are found.

This training day will provide an opportunity to see a closed cell spray foam installation before it is removed.

This is a really unique opportunity, even for experienced surveyors.

This visit will only be available to a small group.   Find somewhere locally to park and then walk to the house.

You will get to see the whole building and, as a group, we will discuss how a pre-purchase building survey might be undertaken on it and what advice should be given to the owner or potential buyer.   You will be within a safe and nurtured environment in a very small group of like-minded people.   Use the opportunity to ask any questions that arise.  There is no such thing a silly question.

By the end of the training you will be more confident and aware of..:

• Understand your responsibilities and liabilities as a professional building surveyor
• Have a better understanding of the client needs now and risks for the future
• Make better decisions on the advice that you will provide to your client
• Learn about when it might be necessary to make a referral for further inspections
• Have better confidence in yourself
• Be able to write confident and well presented reports for your client

Training Format

This training will be delivered in-person at the house, which is located in Falmouth, TR11 post code area.  It is a private residence.   The full address and joining instructions will be given nearer to the date of the training.

Suitability

Professionals from a wide variety of disciplines including residential surveyors and valuers, building surveyors, architects, and structural engineers as well as the many conservation trades will benefit from this training opportunity.

This is also perfectly suitable for anyone with a general interest in older buildings.   That can include homeowners and buyers, for example.   Students, from all backgrounds, will find this especially valuable to their learning.

It will be particularly suitable for those who have some limited experience of doing RICS Level 2 and Level 3 building surveys and want to know more about older buildings.   It will also be suitable for more experienced surveyors who wish to broaden their knowledge of this type of building pathology.

This training is open and available to everyone.  Please do consider your own personal circumstances and your ability to use stairs as this is very likely to apply to the venue, town walk and/or any private property visit.  There may be uneven terrain and during any walkabout we may be crossing roads. Do let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments and we can discuss this further and try to adapt where possible.

Timing

This is a private home and we are not asking the owner to provide any catering facility.  We won’t stop for a lunch break, as such, but you are, of course, welcome to bring your own drinks and snacks/sandwiches.

Please find roadside parking nearby and then walk to the house.

10:00 –  Meet at the house

We will be constantly walking and talking, with ample opportunity for questions, discussions and explanations.

14:30 –  Depart.  This time is entirely flexible but we need to be finished by 3pm.

CPD

This training will provide up to 4 or 5 hours of formal CPD.

Training Instructor

This training will be taught by Prof. Duncan Philips FRICS.  Duncan is one of the UK’s most experienced Chartered Building Surveyors regarding historic and Listed Buildings, having been doing this work for over 35 years.   He runs Listed Building Surveys and he was Chair of the RICS Building Conservation Steering Group 2017 – 2023. He is the lead author of the new RICS Professional Standard – Conservation of Heritage Buildings and Assets, which will be published in late 2024.  Duncan teaches building surveying, architectural history, building pathology and building conservation to undergraduate, postgraduate and mature students and also to the general public and the trades.