Upside Down Tiber House ... Your Thoughts..

vansboy

Hi Again Moneysavers!

This is a similar post to the one I just put on House Buying, but extra Q's!!

For those of you kind enough to comment on the post I made a few months back, we've still not found anywhere, but what about this....

One of 7 in a close, small village location, 1970's build, 4 bedroom detached, good plot size, not overlooked & not to likely to get any further development around (conservation area - whatever that means.)

Sounds OK so far? BUT... It's a Canadian design, each of the houses are similar, are mainly timber construction but are not log cabins!! So look timber lap cladding front, PVC windows & brick sides.

Then we find, UPSTAIRS is actually DOWNSTAIRS!!! This means a large living area, further extended by a verhanda to the rear, with steps to the, very leasent, garden.

So what I'm reall asking, is what does everyone think, or better still, doeas anyone, or maybe already have, livedin an upside down house??

But timber frame build of this age - what goes wrong?

Insulation - if it's Canadian, guess it's pretty good - is this right?

Warm air heating (oil powered somehow) - think we'd change oil boiler & put new radiators - would you?

Windows are PVC - they've been replaced, but are a cheap option, will I come up against awkward problems, by getting better quality ones & presenting the fitters with an awkward job?

Steps down from verhanda - would you think these need to be big n bold, or more discrete - perhaps to the side?

The whole place needs updating, which is ideal for us & the location is pretty much fine, too. So not into what its's worth etc etc - just your opinions on this style of living!!

Thanks in advance!!

VB

andipandi_2

My flat has kitchen, lounge, spare room upstairs and bathroom toilet ,bedroom downstairs,not a prob as long as who ever is in kitchen is not like an elephant!

arlybarly

hi
my house is a canadian timber framed construction with brick on the ground floor and wood on the first floor, they are very very warm and we have central heatin and double glazin. on this estate therre are around 400 of these type of houses, i live in birmingham. there was no prob with mortgage or house insurance, i think they are great,

jennifernil

We have an "upside-down" house. We designed it that way to take advantage of the views and the sloping site. Downstairs we have double garage, 4 bedrooms, study, 2 bathrooms and utility room. Upstairs we have L shaped lounge/dining room leading to conservatory, kitchen/dining/living room with direct access to a deck at garden level , toilet, and a "granny flat" of lounge,dining kitchen, bedroom and bathroom.
The house is timber frame construction with brick outer skin. A very common construction in individually designed homes. No problem with mortgage or insurance. Very well insulated. Timber windows with low E glazing. Now 20 years old.

never_enough

Have often though an upside down house a good idea. A friend lived in one when I was at school & we loved it because it was so differant to our 'boring' houses! I love lots of light & you don't need it so much for bedrooms so from that point of view it works. Also will be cooler downstairs in the summer which may help if we continue to get the hot summers we've enjoyed the last few years. I always sleep with a window open which I wouldn't be happy doing downstairs. Could also be an issue if you have children who might escape out of a window, my friend used to do that all the time & leave it open so she could get back in!! :eek:
I'm sure if it's Canadian it'll be super insulated, but maybe you can find a specialist surveyor to have a look at it? As for the verandah steps I'd go for big & bold, but in the same materials (or similar) so it flows well. A friend has a beautiful terrace on an upstairs apartment (in Morocco) & has fitted glass screening so you feel like the lush gardens downstairs are part of the terrace. Maybe you could use glass on the stairs?

HugoSP

Hi Vansboy!

My late mother's house was partly an upsidedown house, but it had been remodelled like that some years before the family bought it. It was a victorian(?) 4 bed semi. The layout worked very well to take advantage of the sea views. There were 3 bedrooms on top and one on the ground floor. The living room was on the first floor.

As far as timber condition etc the house/timbers will have been extensively treated. Timber frame construction is and was widely used. You would be surprised to know how many houses are actually timber framed, rather than purely block or brick built. Even houses that look like they've been built out of brick or rendered blockwork may actually be timber framed. They build the frame up then build the walls to the facade they want. The structure is actually in the timber and the walls are tied to the frame when they are built. You can often tell this when you go up in the loft. In addition all the external walls will be hollow on the inside.

The only difference with yours is that some of the facade is timber clad, not brick or block clad.

I would definitely change the CH for a wet system, have you thought about under floor heating?

Replacement of windows should not be a problem. They will simply cut out the old frames after removing the sealed units then offer the new frames into the openings. If there's plenty of timber they'll use frame fixings, otherwise they may just use fixing foam. I use this on its own without any problems. There are a myriad of UPVC profiles available to trim off as necessary.

Insulation has come a long way since the 1970s but living in it for a winter will tell you how effective this is. There would be no harm in checking the usual places (toof void etc) are well insulated.

As to the style of living, you get used to it very quickly.

I think you would have a house that was built before its time. It sounds like a style that could be in demand today.

milkydrink

I like to leave my bedroom window open at night & I wouldn't like to do this on the ground floor. Actually I wouldn't like to sleep on the ground floor full stop, I think I would feel vunerable, like anyone could be at the window.
Secondly, as you spend most of your awake hours in the living areas its nice to be able to wander in & out of these to & from the garden.
For those reasons I wouldn't.