Alder - Specialist Building Surveyors

My ethos "I independently survey, using specialist forensic equipment to honestly tell you what / if any treatment is required & I will save you money". I moved over to the UK in 1983. I am the sole proprietor of Alder Specialist Building Surveyors Ltd. or, A.S.B.S

About me:
I have been in the timber decay/woodworm/damp industry for over 35 years. I worked my way up to directorship of a nation co

mpany, then started my own successful company (Alder Timber Preservation Ltd.) and ran that for 21 years (without any claims on guarantees issued!). 7 years ago, I started ASBS, which was the consultancy & project management arm of preservation the business. I shut the preservation side down 6 years ago and to focus on the consultancy and “forensic style” external & internal building defects surveying and project management. With over 35 years of experience and numerous qualifications, and a healthy investment in hi-tech surveying equipment, I have learned how to make buildings give up there hidden secrets to me. My ethos in this profession is to provide an honest assessment of a property that may have building related defects (inclusive of rot/woodworm/damp) and endeavour to provide the reasons why, how bad they are and offer assistance on remedies (most of which you can sort out yourself), through my detailed reports provided. I can even provide budget costs & project management. One of the most outstanding aspects in my ethos is “if it doesn’t need works/treatments, then I will tell you that” and put it in writing. This is how my surveying approach differentiates me & this is how I can help you save money as I am not undertaking the survey looking to get the follow up work to fix the problem. If the issue is small or something you can fix yourself and more often than not, it is something you can treat yourself then I’ll tell you. Equally if it’s a huge job I’m not afraid to tell you the full extent because I don’t have a vested interest in securing that aspect of the work. The housing market in Scotland is lead by the Home Buyers Report, often referred to as HR. My professional colleagues providing the HR’s, provide a wealth of information on a property, though it is not in there remit to focus on the specific details of defects, and I know this frustrates them. That is why they categorise defects or “potential” defects from 1-3, and follow that by recommending you consult with a specialist in that field and in this market, that is a main feed for the preservation industry. To bore you further, between January 2015 to November 2017 I visited 644 domestic properties. (I also do a lot of commercial work). Out of those domestic properties inspected, 94 of them (14%) had no issues at all. 193 (30%) of them were misdiagnosed (example being woodworm being called “active”, when it was “inactive” , then treated unnecessarily)….that is a fact! Moving forward to 2022, I estimate that 7 out of 10 properties I have visited require minimal, if not “no works/treatments” with regards to woodworm/decay/damp and I report that accordingly. Often the money lending institutes will usually only lend the full sum required on the basis of defects highlighted in the HR being rectified and long-term guarantees provided. My findings of “no treatments required” have never been rejected and have always been accepted by the money lenders in my 35 years of operation. If you are looking for a reliable, friendly, honest and thorough assessment of one of the biggest investments you might make, it maybe worth your while to drop me a line and or have a look at my website www.aldersurvey.com. Thanks for taking the time to have a read.