Flat With External Plasterboard (Stud) Walls

Mooli

Hi

Recently been to see a great flat but with a potential problem and I need some advice please. Building put up 30 years ago.

Ground Floor -> Supermarket
First Floor -> Offices
2nd Floor -> Flats

First floor was converted from offices to flats about 3 years ago (Per Estate Agent). Access is via a communal internal staircase.

The problem with the flat is as follows. The walls which separate the flat from the communal stairs/landing is a stud/plasterboard wall. So to gain access to the locked flat you can simply walk in off the road into the communal hall take out a stanley knife cut a hole in the plasterboard and walk into the flat!!!

Agent is trying to convince me this is normal for flats converted from existing buildings and is nothing to worry about with regards to either security, insurance or obtaining a mortgage. I'm not convinced. Thing is its the best flat I've seen so far.

Anyone come across this before? Did it cause a problem with getting a mortgage or insurance?

Thanks in advance.

lynzpower

My gut feeling, altough IM no expert, would be how on earth would you insure somewhere like that? Fire Regs? Surely you cant have a plasterboard exterior wall, Ive got plasterboard INTERIOR walls adn they are terrible.

Id be inclined to agree with you, sounds a bit unsound to me

CFC

Hi Mooli, even if the building society passed it and would lend on it the key question is...would you want to live there?
How secure would you feel in that situation, knowing that could happen as a possibility?
How noisy would it be (very, because plasterboard walls are like having no walls for noise insulation purposes!)
Flats built above commercial premises can be tricky to get a mortgage on at the best of times. Building societies don't like them because they are not straightforward and the risks cannot be controlled. (Anyone fancy a !!!!!! shop or kebab shop underneath them if the supermarket ever closes down?) This means you are generally stuck with a bank for a mortgage, such as RBS who will give mortgages on these kind of premises.
Your buildings insurance would be possibly expensive and with substantial commercial premises, the leaseholders could never apply to own the freehold, as they can when there is less than 10% of space occupied by commercial premises (I think it's 10%, can't quite remember the figure and can't be bothered to look it up right now).

Think it over really carefully before you bother to find out who would consider giving you a mortgage on it and paying out for valuation/survey.

happyevs

Im no expert either but could you imagine living there and here a thump on the wall when you fast asleep only to find next day that one of your neighbours had a fall out with boyfriend /Girlfriend and they kicked a hole through into your flat as they were being escorted out off the building.Not for me personally, look elsewhere would be my option whether you fell in love with the place or not lynzpower hit the nail in the head what Insureance company would take you on never mind building society as CFC said Good Luck whether you take it or not.Hope you find an end
to this delema

ginger_nuts

I think it is difficult to convert an upstairs of a building . If you wanted solid walls you would need support from the ground up which I think is why plasterboard is used . How many flats are on the first /second floor .
How disruptive will it be .What rooms are next to the plasterboard wall . If it was a bedroom I wouldnt buy .Plasterboard is fireproof but has it any sound proofing . As for being easily broken into get an alarm with a sensor .

clutton_2

on the other hand - it might be so cheap, as no one wants to buy it, that you might get a bargain price (EA is talking thru his you-know-what btw) - BUT do get a structural surveyor's advice re replacign studding walls with brick, as per posts above and weight issues.

GreenSaints

Being in the construction industry I should really know a lot about this...........but I don't! However, I can try and give you some advice.

If it is a "normal" stud partition it'll be about 100mm with timber battens (or studs, hence the name) going vertically down the wall every 200mm (I think)

They are fairly strong, unless you do what my boyfriend did in our old house and tip over a chest of drawers through the wall! :eek: However, it didn't go all the way through, which was lucky! _pale_

Halls of residence have partition walls seperating them from the corridors or other rooms. To knock down a stud wall you'll still need a sledge hammer, they are still solid.

Hope this helps!

nelly_2

As a plasterer I can tell you it'd be a damn site easier just to boot the door in.

Loads of new builds are timber frame buildings and I here all these nobs going on saying their crap blah blah, and I just say when the last time you moaned about the floor being made out of wood?

Which they never realised, so they get all arsey with me...... and I just love being a smug get

Mooli

Thanks to everyone who took the trouble to reply.

Have gone back to the estate agent with my best naiive look on, brimming with enthusiasm, on the verge of making an offer etc etc If only they could tell me more about this aspect of the flats construction. EA has been strangely silent.

Meanwhile have phoned the local council for their opinion (waiting for a call back). After all they did give the planning permission for it to be built. So should be able to confirm it conforms to building regs. A good opportunity to learn something useful.

In my own mind I've moved on, I don't think I'd want to live there. It is however in a good location for renting so if the price is right I might just be tempted.