7 Ashcombe Lane, Bristol
Homeowner photo survey completed. Owner-occupier on oil heating, hoping to go ahead within six months. This pack follows the pre-survey brief and settles its open questions with evidence.
1 · At a glance
Every open question from the desk research has been settled, and all of them settled in the right direction. The 2008 certificate was pessimistic: the house is fully double glazed, the loft was topped up in 2019, and the cylinder space that could have killed the job is intact. The heat-loss range has narrowed accordingly, the household is engaged and realistic, and nothing found in fourteen photos blocks a quote. The remaining unknowns are the ones that genuinely need your visit.
2 · What was verified with Aldous
The pack is built in two passes. The public record is checked the moment the enquiry lands; the homeowner's photo survey then tests that record against the house as it stands today. This is the journey from the desk research to the finished article.
Verified at the desk, before the homeowner opened WhatsApp
Freehold, owner-occupied
HM Land Registry
No listing, conservation area or Article 4
Local planning register
Off the gas grid, oil-fired heating
EPC register
Then verified in the home, by the homeowner
The records said
The survey showed
Evidence
Records:Single glazed throughout (2008 certificate)
Survey:Double glazing on every elevation, fitted around 2016
Photo + answer
Records:Loft insulation 100 mm (2008 certificate)
Survey:Topped up to around 300 mm in 2019
Photo + answer
Records:Cylinder space unknown; combi conversions common
Survey:Original cylinder in place, room for a 180–210 L unvented
Photo
Records:Boiler age and condition unknown
Survey:Oil-fired, around 2009, tidy but ageing
Photo + answer
Records:Radiators not covered by the records
Survey:Doubles downstairs, two singles likely to upsize
Photos
Records:Outdoor unit placement unassessed
Survey:Three metres of clear wall on the side return
Photo
Section 3 carries each of these in full, with the photo evidence and what it means for the install.
3 · What the survey settled
1 · Glazing: replaced, fully double glazed
Before the survey: 2008 certificate said single glazed throughout
The homeowner's photos show uPVC double glazing with modern spacer bars on every elevation photographed. Their answer dates the replacement to around 2016 (“all done about eight years ago”). The deep window reveals visible in the close-up also support the cavity-wall reading from the build era.
The biggest pessimistic assumption in the desk estimate is gone. Heat loss moves to the bottom of the range.
2 · Cylinder space: confirmed
Before the survey: Possible deal-breaker; combi conversions common in this stock
The airing cupboard survives with the original vented cylinder still in place (approx. 170 L by eye). Shelving is removable; the footprint looks workable for a 180–210 L unvented cylinder, to be confirmed with a tape measure on your visit.
The one potential blocker on this property is off the table. Quote with a cylinder swap in scope.
3 · Loft: topped up to ~300 mm in 2019
Before the survey: Certificate showed 100 mm (2008)
Photo up the hatch shows deep quilt insulation well above the joists; the homeowner dates the top-up to 2019 and recalls “about 300 millimetres”. Coverage looks consistent in the area photographed.
Second pessimistic assumption gone. Fabric is in better shape than the record shows.
4 · Boiler: oil-fired, approx. 2009, ageing
Before the survey: Age and condition unknown
An oil boiler of around 2009 vintage (“came with the house, serviced every year”). Tidy installation, accessible pipework, no visible corrosion. But it is the most expensive appliance in the house to run and in its final years either way.
Urgency is real but not desperate: the household is planning ahead of a failure, not in one. Strong replacement conversation.
5 · Radiators: mostly doubles, two singles upstairs
Before the survey: Not covered by the records
Downstairs radiators are doubles in good condition with TRVs. Two bedroom radiators are singles; at heat-pump flow temperatures both look likely candidates for upsizing, subject to your room-by-room calculation.
Budget two radiator swaps into the estimate before the visit rather than discovering them on it.
6 · Outdoor unit: workable spot on the side return
Before the survey: Placement unassessed
Roughly three metres of clear wall on the side return, over a metre to the boundary fence, with straightforward pipe runs to the utility room. The oil tank at the rear will be decommissioned with the boiler, freeing further space.
Sensible placement available under permitted development, subject to your noise assessment.
4 · The property record, verified
| Finding | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1930s semi-detached house, cavity walls | High | EPC register; window-reveal photo |
| Freehold, owner-occupied | High | HM Land Registry |
| Oil-fired heating, off the gas grid | High | EPC register; boiler photo |
| Floor area approx. 92 m² | Medium | EPC register (2008) |
| Fully double glazed, approx. 2016 | High | Homeowner photos and answer |
| Loft insulation approx. 300 mm (2019) | High | Homeowner photo and answer |
| Hot water cylinder in place, space confirmed | High | Homeowner photo |
| No listing, conservation area or Article 4 | High | Local planning maps |
Every fact carries its source. Where the records and the photos disagree, the photos win and the change is noted.
5 · Heat loss, narrowed by evidence
The pre-survey range assumed the 2008 certificate's single glazing and 100 mm loft. Both assumptions fell to photo evidence, so the range narrows toward the bottom end. This remains a scoping estimate to shape your quote conversation; it never replaces your MCS heat-loss calculation.
6 · Grant position
Appears eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, and as an oil-heated, off-gas home, for the stronger end of the running-cost case. Framed to the homeowner throughout as "appears eligible, confirmed when your installer applies", never a promise, so nothing you say on the first call has to walk anything back.
7 · Still open for your visit
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Consumer unit / fuse board photo: the homeowner ran out of evening light. Check supply capacity and fuse rating on the visit.
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One bedroom radiator was not photographed; assume a single until seen.
A pack lists what it could not gather. Nothing is padded to look complete.
8 · First-call talking points
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Open with the oil costs: an off-gas home replacing an ageing oil boiler has one of the strongest running-cost cases there is, and this household already knows it.
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The fabric story is good news you can deliver: the 2008 certificate undersold their house, and the survey proved it. Well glazed, well insulated, cylinder space intact.
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Flag the two bedroom radiators early so the quote holds no surprises.
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The boiler is ageing, not failing: they are planning, not panicking. Match that pace.
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The grant has been framed as “appears eligible, confirmed when your installer applies”, so you can confirm it without contradicting anything they were told.
9 · Where the homeowner stands
They walked their own house for this pack, so they arrive at your first call unusually well prepared: they know what an install involves, why an oil-heated home has a strong running-cost case, and that the grant is confirmed by you, not promised by anyone else. Timeframe restated during the survey as "within six months, sooner if the boiler misbehaves". Expect an informed conversation, not a cold start.
10 · Sources and evidence
- Homeowner photo survey over WhatsApp: 14 photos, 6 answered questions, completed across two evenings
- Energy Performance Certificate register (certificate lodged 2008)
- HM Land Registry: title and tenure
- Local planning register: listed buildings, conservation areas, Article 4 directions
- GOV.UK and Ofgem guidance on the Boiler Upgrade Scheme
This pack assists your assessment of an enquiry. It is not a survey, a design, or a certification, and it never replaces your MCS survey. Homeowner photos appear in real packs with the homeowner's consent and are shared only with their installer. Property details are fictional for this sample, and the photos are shown as illustrations.