60s Flat Roof Cubes?

stator

Anyone ever owned this sort of thing?

https://www.google.com/maps/@50.405611,-4.15516,3a,75y,145.43h,80.65t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1skYUKsfjQgneRwYEs-CzTjQ!2e0?hl=en-GB



http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-49955270.html

I realise they are not desirable, being quite ugly. I also know the flat roof will require more maintenance. But what will the rest of the house be like? Are they cavity walled? Are they brick built? Any particular problems?

carefullycautious

Could you check if anyone else has purchased one and go and have a chat about them. You can find out which are brought via right move.


Or would the local council be able to help as they do look like LA housing.

rosie383

There are loads of those where I used to live in Norn Iron. I knew many people who lived in them and never knew of any of them having a problem. They were very solid houses and the council built big estates of them. All painted in white and still very popular today.

stator

Thanks.

Not really the kind of estate you would go randomly knocking on doors though

PasturesNew

stator wrote: »

Thanks.

Not really the kind of estate you would go randomly knocking on doors though

In that case, it has to be asked why:
[a] you want to live there?
you want to get a BTL there and have a tenant "like them" in situ and having to deal with them when you want them out for being "like them", which you knew from before you bought it?

haras_nosirrah

Owned one as my ftb house in 2007 and now still own it but rent it out

Positives - mine was a 3 bed and the bedrooms were all 16ft x10ft so great for room sizes. Very solidly built - never heard anything from next door and mine was on a nice road with a mix of owned and council tenants

Negative - the flat roof. Needs to be redone every 10yrs or so which is an expense that has to be factored in and also if there is a problem between the roof parts with next door it can funnel rainwater down your wall

Personally my tenant has been there since 2009 and rarely get any problems to sort out.

moneyistooshorttomention

Re that flat roof, 10 years sounds like a very short timespan and I would expect even the worst to last at least 15 years. However, there are different types of flat roof and it should be possible to get one in a material that would last 40 years (ie rubber).

You may find that the roof has never been properly insulated and flat roofs need it more than conventional roofs imo. So, if it comes to wondering why the house seems to be feeling colder than it should - then that might well be your answer. If so, come roof swopping time, then get a load of extra insulation put in and that should bring it up to normal temperature standards.

Hoploz

Some are not of standard construction, ie they have solid walls between them but do not have solid cavity walls to the front and back. Should be able to tell this by seeing whether there are any window sills on the inside. I think they were timber frames with a mixture of tile-hung/large window and door apertures and some rendered surfaces.

A relative of mine had an end of terrace one. She replaced the roof but as her neighbour didn't it meant where the join was she constantly had problems with leaking.

makeyourdaddyproud

Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Run away.... Run away fast.

Smacks of 60s prefab ghetto cheapness.

Don't constrain your social mobility by living in one.

Hoploz

Just popped back as I have remembered what the ones I'm referring to are called: cross wall construction

stator

PasturesNew wrote: »

In that case, it has to be asked why:
[a] you want to live there?
you want to get a BTL

A. Due to obscene house prices I don't have much choice on area. £100k in Plymouth limits you do the cheaper areas.

makeyourdaddyproud wrote: »

Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Run away.... Run away fast.

Smacks of 60s prefab ghetto cheapness.

Don't constrain your social mobility by living in one.

I won't be having dinner parties, so not too bothered about 'social mobility'. Never gonna have kids and I shall be a commoner on the day I die.

Thanks for the opinions everyone