Removing Enclosed Terrace & removing Polystyrene Ceiling tiles

Hi all - we looking at two houses at the moment but each has an obstacle:

House 1: they have built on the terrace - it looks unfinished and I'd worry about structure safety and planning permission. I'd also prefer it to be a terrace for outdoor space. Is it expensive / difficult to bring down a celing and walls that have been built to cover in the terrace?

House 2: Has Polystyrene Ceiling tiles. I'm concerned about these both from perspective of being a fire hazard/toxic fumes and also in terms of what they might be hiding underneath. Is there a way for a surveyor to check dampness without taking these down and is it expensive to remove them (I know it would depend on the state of the ceiling underneath but just trying to get some idea of possible work / costs etc).

Many thanks

Hello Emile and welcome to EOS.

If you intend to have the terrace structure removed it’s safety and planning permission will be irrelevant. Only a qualified and reputable builder who is able to examine the structure will be able to fully advise you on the difficulty and costs involved. To gain advice from a forum member you would need to provide detailed photographs and exact specifications.

With regard to Polystyrene Ceiling tiles and what’s behind them. You would need to engage a professional surveyor to take drilling samples and/or use x-ray equipment. Once you have the surveyor’s report you will then be able to get a quote from a specialist to carry out the necessary work. I doubt any forum member will be able to inform you what is behind Polystyrene Ceiling tiles on a property they have never seen.

Emile123,

The questions you pose are impossible to answer. 

It's always going to be a risk - is it really that substantial?  Whenever you buy a property there are always a few surprises, usually more so in Spain!

But if you are otherwise happy with the two properties and checked out their planning permissions etc you might opt to just put in low offers on both and see what happens.  If you base your offers on the worst case scenarios you shouldn't get your fingers burnt.

The best way to test the flamability of polysytyrene is to quietly "acquire" a small bit (if this is possible) and set fire to it.