Age and type of house

What should you ask if you are buying a converted church rather than a house built as a house?

Ask what the surveyor could actually reach. Converted churches are often tall, with roofs, valleys and windows far above a normal house, and with rooms built into a volume that was not designed as a dwelling. A home survey is still a visual inspection. It does not become a longer ladder because the building was a church, and it does not prove the conversion was approved.

Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.

What is the fuller explanation?

Papers for change of use and for the building work are the solicitor’s questions. A finished-looking interior does not prove fire separation, structure or drainage. RICS home surveys say what was inspected and what was not. High roofs are a common limit if a ladder would be unsafe or higher than the level allows. Listing, if it applies, is separate. The survey does not grant listed building consent.

Heating a large volume, a mezzanine floor, and a roof you cannot see are three different costs. None is a national tariff. Do not use a house-survey fee comparison from a forum. Tell the firm it is a former church before they quote, so the limit is agreed rather than discovered on the day.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Which high parts were not inspected?
What remains of the original structure?
Which approvals are you leaving to the solicitor?

What are the typical next steps?

Tell the survey firm the building’s former use before you accept a quote.
Do not assume a loft ladder reaches a church roof.
Keep listing, planning and condition in three piles.

Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.

Also asked about this

Is a converted barn the same inspection?

It is another conversion. The limits depend on height, access and what was opened. Do not copy a church sentence onto a barn.

Does a beautiful interior mean the roof was seen?

No. Decoration is not access. Read the limitations.