Outbuildings and conservatories
The conservatory floor hides its base and no edge was exposed. What foundation under that floor was not seen?
The foundation under the conservatory floor was not seen. The floor hides the base and no edge was exposed, so the survey could not tell whether there is a proper foundation, a ground slab, or something slighter. What is unknown is the base itself. The inspection recorded the concealment. It has not assumed a foundation is missing, and it has not assumed one is adequate. The floor finish is not the foundation under it.
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?
Conservatory bases often differ from the house foundation: a slab, a ring beam, or a shallow edge the floor then covers. Without an exposed edge, a crack, a binding door or a gap at the house are only clues. None of them shows the concrete below. The survey did not dig. Approved Document A is structural guidance in the building regulations. This visit did not apply it as a design check, and it did not expose or approve the foundation.
If you need the base known, ask a structural engineer or a conservatory contractor to establish what is under the floor, which this report has not done. Tell the solicitor the foundation was not seen. Do not let a remark that it was built properly stand in for the hidden base. The survey has not approved the structure and it has not condemned it. It has said the base stayed concealed.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was any edge of the conservatory base exposed?
- What foundation, if any, could you actually see under that floor?
- Have you left the base neither approved nor condemned?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the foundation as unseen, not as proved or disproved.
- Tell the solicitor the conservatory base was concealed.
- Ask an engineer to establish the base if you need it known.
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
If the conservatory doors shut, is the base adequate?
Doors that shut are not a view of the foundation. The floor hides the base and no edge was exposed, so the survey did not see what is underneath. A working door is a door. It does not show a slab, a ring beam or the lack of either. The foundation remains unseen.
Does an old conservatory receipt describe the foundation?
Only if the paper actually describes it, and the survey has not verified that paper against the ground. A receipt can name a firm without naming a base. No edge was exposed. Do not treat a sales document as the inspection that was not possible on the day.