Which report do I need?

If there’s more than one issue, or you’re not sure what you’re dealing with and want the whole building properly checked, this is your report. It covers the full load-bearing structure, foundations, walls, floors and roof, so you get the complete picture rather than an answer on just one thing.

If it’s a single crack or one specific concern, our Specific Structural Inspection (SSI) is the faster, more affordable option.

Quick facts

Fee	From £810 inc. VAT. Fixed once quoted.
On site	About 2–3 hours
Report	Within 24 hours
Carried out by	George Lifely, CEng MICE

Is this the right report for you?

Sometimes the question isn’t “what’s this one crack?”, it’s “is this house actually sound?” That’s a bigger question, and it deserves a proper look at the whole structure, not just the bit that’s easiest to see.

It’s the right report if:

• Your Level 2 or Level 3 survey has recommended a structural engineer without pointing at one specific thing.
• Your lender or valuer wants the structure assessed before the mortgage goes ahead.
• You’re buying a property in poor overall condition and want to know whether the problems are structural or cosmetic.
• There’s cracking in more than one place, on different walls or different floors.
• The vendor has declared a history of subsidence or underpinning and you want an independent view.
• You’re a landlord, executor, or management company and need a clear structural position on a property.

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The kind of situation we’re asked to look at

“Your surveyor recommends further investigation by a structural engineer.” The most common reason people call us. A Level 2 survey has flagged movement but stopped short of diagnosing it, because that’s not what a Level 2 survey is for. We pick up exactly where it left off.

A property with a declared history of subsidence. Often previously underpinned, or monitored and closed as no further action needed. You want to know whether the ground has genuinely settled or whether it’s still moving. The answer is very often reassuring, and having it in writing is what unlocks the mortgage.

Cracking in several places at once. Front, back, and inside. When damage isn’t confined to one spot, looking at a single crack in isolation gives you the wrong answer. The pattern across the whole building is the actual diagnosis.

A period property in generally poor condition. Sagging roof lines, bowed walls, sloping floors, past alterations of unknown quality. You’ve accepted it needs work. What you want to know is whether the structure underneath it all is sound before you commit.

An older house that’s been heavily altered. Walls removed, chimney breasts taken out, a loft converted. We inspect what’s visible and tell you plainly what we see.

Non-traditional construction. Concrete, steel-framed, or timber-framed properties, where lenders often make a structural engineer’s report a condition of the mortgage. Worth noting: we can’t carry out invasive inspections, which steel-framed buildings often require, we’ll tell you upfront if that’s the case for your property.

Peace of mind, before or after a purchase. Not everyone wants a condition survey. Some people just want to know, structurally, where they stand.

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What we actually look at

A GSI covers the primary load-bearing elements of the building:

• Foundations — inferred from the movement patterns above ground, the ground conditions, the age and form of construction, and the surroundings. We don’t excavate.
• Load-bearing walls — external and internal, including verticality, cracking, wall tie condition, lateral restraint, and previous alterations.
• Floor structure — deflection, slope, notching, support, and any evidence of overloading, so far as visible.
• Roof structure — rafters, purlins, ties, spread, and any alterations, wherever there’s safe access.

We also note ground conditions, drainage, and vegetation nearby, all of which drive movement across Bristol and Gloucestershire’s clay soils.

What you’ll actually receive

The same report format as an SSI, but covering the whole structure:

• A description of the property and the ground it sits on
• Photographs of what we found, inside and out
• Our interpretation of any movement or damage
• A clear conclusion on the overall structural condition
• What to do next, written in plain language

What’s not included

• Visual and non-invasive. No opening up, excavation, or lifting of floors.
• No damp, timber decay, or infestation.
• No building fabric: roof coverings, gutters, rainwater goods, finishes.
• No doors, windows, or services.
• No calculations, drawings, or repair designs.
• Not an RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a GSI goes deeper on structure but doesn’t cover general condition. They answer different questions, and plenty of buyers sensibly get both.

And we don’t carry out repairs or design ourselves. Nothing in your report is something we stand to profit from.

About the fee

The fee starts at £840 including VAT and depends on the size and complexity of the property, a two-bedroom terrace takes less time to assess properly than a six-bedroom detached house with three extensions.

We quote a single fixed fee before you commit, based on what you tell us on the enquiry form. Once quoted, that’s the fee. It doesn’t move afterwards.

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Still not sure whether you need an SSI or a GSI?

Describe the situation on the enquiry form and we’ll recommend the right report along with your quote. If an SSI genuinely answers your question, that’s what we’ll quote, we’d rather you paid for the report you need than the one that costs more.

	Specific Structural Inspection	General Structural Inspection
The question it answers	“What’s causing this, and is it serious?”	“Is this building structurally sound?”
Scope	One area or element of concern	The whole load-bearing structure
Typical trigger	A crack, bulge or slope that someone has pointed at	A survey, lender or valuer asking for the structure to be assessed
Usual reason	You know what’s worrying you	You don’t know where to look, or damage is widespread
Fee	£570 incl. VAT, fixed	From £810 incl. VAT, fixed once quoted
On site	1–2 hours	2–3 hours
Report	Within 24 hours	Within 24 hours
What’s excluded	Damp, building fabric, services, calculations, repair design	Damp, building fabric, services, calculations, repair design

Still not sure? Don’t spend time deciding. Describe the situation on the enquiry form and we’ll recommend the right one when we send your quote.

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How it works

• Tell us what’s concerning you — a five-minute enquiry form
• We send a fixed quote — within one working day
• You confirm, we book the date — usually the same day
• The inspection — typically within 1–2 weeks, about 2–3 hours on site
• Your report — in your inbox within 24 hours

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Who’s doing the inspection

Every inspection, and every report, is carried out personally by George Lifely. No site technician, no report-writing team, just the person who looked at your property writing down exactly what he found.

George is a Structural Engineer (CEng MICE) and an Associate of the RICS (AssocRICS), an unusual combination that means he reads a building the way a surveyor does and analyses it the way an engineer does. Having spent years writing Level 2 surveys himself, he knows exactly what a surveyor’s flagging when they recommend an SSI or GSI.

He’s carried out thousands of inspections across the South West and beyond, on everything from Victorian terraces to bridges and multi-storey towers. That range matters here: understanding how a building’s meant to behave is how you spot what’s actually gone wrong with one that isn’t.

Lifelys was started in 2007 by his father as a surveying practice. George grew up around it, studied at the University of Bristol, and lives in Bristol now.