Timber extension on house im buying - any specific issues with timber framing?

Soldato
Joined
4 May 2007
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9,347
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West Midlands
Im going through the process of buying a new house and its got a significant back and bedroom extension and note its timber framed. I think im perhaps being a bit old fashioned thinking "why not brick" and i presume if installed well timber framed can also last the test of time?

It was installed in 2013

The planning docs to neighbours states : mineral render finish on specialist board on timber insulated frame

I've had a quick look a the ties to the existing house etc and it all looks fairly sound. I believe it has planning permission and building regs approval but I'm getting that checked.

Im having a full building survey done. Is there anything specific i should ask the building surveyor to look at?

Is there anything else i should be looking for/asking my surveyor? Overall the build looks fairly good.

I think that it may have been built in this way for a couple reasons
  1. Cost
  2. Access - it's not got much access to the house and is parks onto a fairly busyish road so fairly difficult
  3. The bedroom extension on the second storey with walk in wardrobe is cantilevered. Obviously this part cant be breezeblock anyways

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Associate
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1 Mar 2004
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Location
Warwickshire
It may have also just been the builders preferred/fastest way to build it. I don't think there's really much you can check in a survey without pulling plasterboard etc. If it looks ok - straight walls, no damp, no joist bounce, the render isn't falling off, & all the paperwork checks out, it's likely fine.
 
Permabanned
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I have never really considered that form of construction very sensible in the UK. The problem here is we just get so much rain. mineral render is fine until something...anything leaks and then, due to the sheer amount of rain we get, problems quickly develop in to disasters. If anything does go wrong, the cost of repair tends to be enormous. So, many people would be happy, but I am afraid I would not.
 
Associate
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Chislehurst
Damn, beaten to it! 1809 here.

:)

No real record of when exactly mine was built, but it was first recorded as a dwelling in 1757 so assume it’s been around since about then.
Cob walls (and so lime render), timber framed, and will likely be here in another 250 years.

OP has nothing to worry about.
 
Associate
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Timber framed houses are nothing to worry about. It is a standard construction method that is used all around the world, including very wet climates.

Timber framed construction is much more common in Scotland than England.
 
Associate
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3 Feb 2009
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2,246
There's nothing intrinsically wrong with timber framed construction - most of America uses timber framed housing. There are positives and pitfalls, but no more or less than brick houses - they're just different.

The main "gotchas" are insurance potentially being more expensive or harder to find, and finding contractors who really know what they're doing, when you need work on that area of your house. Neither are insurmountable
 
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