Choosing a survey level
The house has a cellar and an attic. Why can a time written for a two-storey house not be assumed to include both?
A time written for a two-storey house cannot be assumed to include the cellar and the attic because those spaces are not the two storeys the figure was built on. A cellar adds volume below the ground floor, often with restricted headroom, damp risk and its own walls. An attic adds a roof void or a room in the roof, with access that may be a hatch rather than a stair. The quoted duration describes the house as the firm pictured it. It has not, unless the firm says so, priced the time to inspect both extra spaces.
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?
Survey time is not a national constant. It follows the size, the age, the access and the level of report. A two-storey terraced house without a cellar is a different walk from the same footprint with a basement and a roof void full of stored goods. Hatches, ladders, lighting and the need to record what could not be reached all take time. If the quote never mentioned the cellar or the attic, the duration attached to it is not evidence that both were included.
Tell the firm, before you accept the time, that there is a cellar and an attic, and ask whether the stated duration includes each, and what happens if access is blocked. A shorter visit that skips them will leave those areas not inspected, which is a limit, not a pass. Do not fill the gap by assuming the surveyor will simply stay longer on the day. Agree the scope while the time is still a quotation.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Does the time you quoted for a two-storey house include this cellar?
- Does that same time include the attic, including a hatch rather than a stair?
- What will you mark as not inspected if either space cannot be entered on the day?
What are the typical next steps?
- Tell the firm the house has both a cellar and an attic.
- Ask whether the quoted time includes each space.
- Treat any space left out as not inspected, not as clear.
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 cellar is empty, does the two-storey time still cover it?
Not by assumption. An empty cellar is still a cellar, with walls, a floor and often a damp storey the two-storey figure never named. Emptiness may make the walk easier. It does not put the space inside a duration written for a house without it. Ask the firm to say that the cellar is included.
Can the attic be treated as spare time inside a standard slot?
No. Spare time is not an inspection. An attic needs access, light and notes, and a hatch can take longer than a stair. A slot written for two storeys has not promised that leftover minutes will be spent in the roof. If you want the attic included, have the firm say so.