Non standard construction

moneyistooshorttomention

I still don't understand why you are saying it's "non standard construction" - as its concrete blocks and NOT concrete panels (ie Woolaway).

Concrete blocks is basically bricks - but made of concrete and much bigger than standard bricks as I understand it.

In large swathes of the country that IS "standard construction". As I understand it - that's what a significant proportion of houses here in West Wales are made of and they are "standard construction" and to be treated as standard construction in all respects (purchasing, insuring, etc, etc).

You've got me totally puzzled as to why my "concrete blocks" house is perfectly standard construction - but yours apparently isnt. What is the difference between yours and mine that mine is okay (and not deemed to be a problem in any respect/is absolutely equivalent to a house built of bricks) and yours isnt??

Coachouse1

I have completely gone through the defective list and looked at pictures from the bre list and ours is definitely not on it .
Do you know if you can get a structural engineer to tell us what needs doing then give us a structural competition certificate when the work has been done .??
When we bought it we did get a building friend to look at it and he said it was a well built property .

Coachouse1

Have looked online at prc certificate and bricking round it but it's not pre fabricated concrete , so that wouldn't apply , not sure what to do

phoebe1989seb

Coachouse1 wrote: »

We have now decided to move but have been told now that buyers can't purchase it with a mortgage , any ideas what we can do would be great thank you

Who exactly told you this? Did you find a buyer and that was what their surveyor/lender said?

Coachouse1

Yes had an offer with in a day of going on the market we told then it was classed as non standard construction but wasn't pre fabricated on in situ concrete and truthfully the house isn't cold or damp at all so thought no problem as it been stood for years and is great condition, also a few others like it down the street .
They had a survey done but guy didnt go into the loft we lifted the underfloor hatch for him to go into but just popped his head in .then Halifax emailed the buyers and said won't give them a mortgage as they said it had no value

cajef

Coachouse1 wrote: »

.
We have now decided to move but have been told now that buyers can't purchase it with a mortgage , any ideas what we can do would be great thank you

Where in the country is the property, some homes in the southwest were constructed of a type of concrete mix called Mundic Block and these are can deteriorate and crumble, unfortunately these properties cannot be bought with a mortgage.

Coachouse1

It's in the East Riding of Yorkshire , no deterioration or crumbling as we had to take out a window and replace it with a door and believe me the blocks took a lot of getting out as they were so solid

moneyistooshorttomention

phoebe1989seb wrote: »

Who exactly told you this? Did you find a buyer and that was what their surveyor/lender said?

Seconded to that comment. It sounds like it was someone who wasnt exactly very well-informed....:cool:

moneyistooshorttomention

cajef wrote: »

Where in the country is the property, some homes in the southwest were constructed of a type of concrete mix called Mundic Block and these are can deteriorate and crumble, unfortunately these properties cannot be bought with a mortgage.

I've heard of mundic block being a problem and they do count as "non standard".

I believe they are in Cornwall????

Davesnave

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

You've got me totally puzzled as to why my "concrete blocks" house is perfectly standard construction - but yours apparently isnt. What is the difference between yours and mine that mine is okay (and not deemed to be a problem in any respect/is absolutely equivalent to a house built of bricks) and yours isnt??

OP has described their bungalow's construction perfectly well, but people are still introducing irrelevant complications, like mundic blocks.

Your bungalow is of cavity wall construction, so there are two walls with a gap between them; the outer one of hard concrete blocks , and the inner one probably lightweight blocks. There may or may not be insulation in the gap.

That is standard construction. Older houses, pre-1930 approx, will have solid walls of various materials, but they'll be more than one brick/block thick. That's also standard construction.

Modern timber framed houses only have one skin in brick/block, but the wooden frame + insulation will meet certain standards, which were not there 70 years ago, so they are treated by the lending industry as 'standard' too.

Those are the basics, but it gets a little more complicated, because it's possible to convert, say, a single skin garage by adding a vapour barrier, wooden frame, insulating material and a plasterboard inner lining. That sounds very like the OP's bungalow, but theirs won't have the same amount of insulation or the vapour barrier etc and it'll be hard to alter it to meet modern building regs.

It's certainly worth the OP getting their own report on the property from a structural engineer, but I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that the buyer's surveyor "wasn't well informed," when it's far more likely that they are.