Insurance for a Timber Framed AND Clad House?

Cornholio_2

Hi,

Can anyone point me in the direction of any insurers who don't discriminate against houses built of locally sourced sustainable materials? We got insurance for the first year of our new build and it's up in May, having read through it it states it is "timber framed" construction. I spoke to the advisor on the phone when I took out the insurance, and told them explicitly that not only is it timber framed but it's got a larch clad exterior. Nowhere is this in the documentation they sent me...a major concern.
The ABI state that timber houses are not discriminated against- if that's right I could get Direct Line cover for £87 this year then? Not likely it'll be 4 times that and we live in the rural highlands where arson is generally not a problem...
Any help would be appreciated not having much luck with google!

dacouch

I assume your house is in effect entirely timber construction.

I'm not sure where the ABI statement about not discriminating against timber construction houses is from as it's not something I'm aware of, are you sure it's not mortgage lenders who made this statement.

Insurers have always charged higher premiums for wooden construction homes as they are a much higher fire risk and when they catch light are difficult to put out so the whole house burning down is much more common than brick built homes.

Incidently arson is a fairly low risk for fires, far more are caused by electrical faults, living in a rural area can sometimes actually count against you on a wooden construction premises. This is due to the longer time it can take for a fire engine to attend, when they do get there the fire tends to have already taken a firm hold.

Have you tried looking for Insurance companies in ecological magazines or websites as there may be companies advertising in there that have schemes for timber properties although I would expect they are still a fair amount higher than for a standard (Brick) built house

Cornholio_2

Thanks for the reply, checked my insurance and it is valid. Another quote came in at £343 for the year. I understand the times for fire brigade attendance will not be the same as urban areas, but there is nothing adjoining the house which could ignite it(after the last nights fall of 2ft+ of snow no fire engine is getting anywhere). The architect was around the other day so I asked him if he had considered that the energy savings of our "eco" house he envisaged actually had been wiped out by the external cladding insurance penalty. The house is well insulated and this £50 or so a month would have been welcome to heat the immersion in the midst of winter when the solar panel is contributing little, and when quick heat is needed (not slowly gained through the multifuel stove back boiler)
He said 99% of fires start internally ( I think it would be electrical, cigarettes, candles, open fires, cooking- and all of the above even more frequently if mixed with alcohol and drugs?)
I pointed out to him (as a qualified stonemason), that in these circumstances if a house of timber frame construction with "traditional brick,block or masonry" exterior was ignited internally in a rural location, the chances were the whole lot would need rebuilding as the exterior is just "a skin of bricks" and not structural anyway....
Gonna contact ABI next.... maybe the local MP!