Have I offered to buy a concrete house?

milliebear00001

Hi there, me again.

A house I have just offered to buy immediately struck me as being really ugly externally! It is an ex-LA house made with a whitish-grey brick - almost like a 'breeze-block' appearance/size to it. It stains with a sort of whitish water mark where the gutters are. I would guess, 1960s built. It has only just occurred to me that this might be concrete-built rather than proper brick! I know there can be real issues with mortgaging a concrete property. Any ideas whether LA houses ever used concrete 'blocks' or bricks (I don't even know if such a thing exists).

Short of asking the vendor on Monday, is there any way I can find out whether it is concrete? Anything to compare it with? I really have no idea what a concrete house would look like.

eco-friendly_2

Now you tell us! you need strangled


In the past Local authority housing were built with allsorts of materials and building methods, some good, some bad, and some ugly, what does your survey say?

ormus

the pre fab tin houses are even worse. they have a steel frame, and it rusts over time.
we have a friend who lives in one. shepperton, middx.
mortgage companies wont touch em.

milliebear00001

eco-friendly wrote: »

Now you tell us! you need strangled


In the past Local authority housing were built with allsorts of materials and building methods, some good, some bad, and some ugly, what does your survey say?

Don't panic - this isn't the same house as per previous posts! I pulled out of buying house number one as the suggested costs were spiralling and I just couldn't justify doing the work it would need. This is a second house, offered on just the other day. It's also ex-LA and vendor has been there 20 odd years. Not sure if she would even know if it is concrete!

This is the Rightmove link. The colour is actually slightly 'browner' than the picture shown - you get a better idea on the Streetview. Any thoughts as to what kind of construction it might be?

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-21440377.html

gas4you

If you have any doubts in your mind, forget it and move on.

They will only keep eating away at you over time.

ormus

it looks like concrete panels with flint pebbledash finish. my MIL has a similar house.
very popular LA housing construction in the 50s/60s.
pre fab method. block of flats were made the same way.

justjohn

unsure....look near airbricks...go into attick look a brickwork in there as prob not finished /hidden

milliebear00001

andrew-b wrote: »

Difficult to tell for sure from the photos but i don't think it's concrete and just a blockwork of some sort in keeping with similar properties in the area (i streetviewed down a few adjoining streets). Looking at next door (property to left in the same terrace with the red car outside) on streetview i noticed a crack zigzagging along from above the front door to the bathroom window above that appears to have been made good- follows the pointing. Similar crack on the property in question but less obvious..probably nothing to worry about though. Doesn't seem to be vents at top or between floors on any in the terrace (just underfloor vents) and the window recesses look a standard depth to me. I don't think it's a prefabricated concrete job so I think your ok. Gutters possibly need replacement hence the water stains ..again tricky to tell but looks like neighbours have had new plastic gutters that aren't quite as deep.

Looks nicely done inside - tasteful with a decent modern kitchen and bathroom - it's a move straight in house by the looks rather than a refurb job.

From a legal perspective i'd check out who can drive/park at the part to one side. Also you might want to check whether that lampost next to the wheelie bins shines into bedroom 2 or not...but thats a bit picky!

Your right that the outside doesn't really have kerb appeal but then how often do you sit outside looking at your own house! I like the inside though from what i can see. Has potential for a good size kitchen/diner if you wanted though i suspect the dividing walls is supporting . Nice little house.."deceptively spacious" if i was an estate agent!

Hope this one turns out ok for you!

Thanks for taking so much time to check this out for me. I will speak with the agent on Monday, but I think the only way to know for sure will be to survey. I was a bit concerned by next door's crack also! I will ask the surveyor to pay attention to it if I get that far. The road at the side is owned by the council and it is a dead end. Next door park their car there I believe. It is also the access road for the off road parking within the house's garden-boundary.

hartcjhart

it depends on the 'type' of concrete panel construction as to wether you can get a mortgage,

I purchased one years ago and had a mortgage with nationwide,the great thing is they rarely suffer from damp,BUT when you try to fix anything to the external walls, My god is it hard work

ormus

thats why i bought an SDS drill. it drills into them walls like a knife thro butter.

aboard_epsilon

im not sure what it is ..here is another house near by

its not concrete panel ..

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=King+Edward+Avenue,+Glossop+SK13&sll=53.444315,-1.942445&sspn=0.001789,0.008583&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=King+Edward+Ave,+Glossop,+Derbyshire+SK13,+United+Kingdom&ll=53.444631,-1.943024&spn=0,0.002248&z=18&layer=c&cbll=53.444735,-1.943963&panoid=iA0gvHeOjNQ9UMr5VRPx-g&cbp=12,283.85,,2,-2.14

i would say its a cavity wall breeze block house with fake stone cladding ..could be real stone cladding if youre lucky..they have done all the house's to match the rest of the village .

if it is ..i would say not to worry at all