Non standard construction

alumende27

Seen this property - redacted/url]

The sellers want cash because it's supposedly unmortgageable due to be being non-standard construction, it's also about £100K less than comparable brick properties in the area.

Its being sold on behalf of an estate, so the sellers don't (appear to) have any knowledge of the property construction.

Is it possible to tell from the photos what type of non-standard construction this type of property is, or am I going to need to engage the services of a surveyor to get that answer?

I don't need a mortgage to buy, but I am concerned about insurability and the potential cost of any structural repair work.

25_Years_On

I imagine it's some sort of pre-fabricated concrete but I'm no expert.

lincroft1710

Why not ring the council or housing association who owned the house? It's very difficult to tell from external photos.

Plus

It looks like some kind of concrete panel system. Googling 'High Barns Ely concrete' brings a few other listings that say 'steel and concrete', which would agree - pre-stressed concrete panels.

It looks quite distinctive, so search for 'non-traditional concrete' and look for pictures, I'm sure you can match it up with one of the types.

pramsay13

It's looks as though the one on the left is the same (and possibly the one on the right with facing bricks).
Why not knock on the neighbour's door and see if they can give you some pointers?

stuart45

Looks like it could be a Wates PRC house. Ring up a PRC repairs specialist to give you an idea of the cost. There is a fair bit of work to change them to a brick block cavity wall construction.
I would say at least 50 grand for the work,

circuit

It looks very much like panels from the picture. I'm not an expert, but previously attempted to get a mortgage on a concrete panel house that had the same vertical lines.

You may be able to tell by knocking on the walls -- when we tapped on the living room wall at a viewing (i.e. a wall you'd expect to be solid brick), the concrete sounded very hollow and noticeably different to a normal brick or stud wall.

Try local Facebook forums for information. All of the homes in the area will be made the same way and will have a particular name. Otherwise, a mortgage adviser may have some knowledge of them.

ACG

Im not sure what your plans are with the property, but if there are plans to bring it up to date, I would get an asbestos survey done.

To me (I am no expert) but it looks like there would be a lot of asbestos in there - Water tanks, artex ceilings, tiles and so on.

stator

Definitely looks like Wates PRC, which is designated defective so definitely no mortgages available until it's rebuilt/fixed.


The fact that it's a terrace house means that even if you did have it fixed, you will have trouble selling it because it's joined to another house that isn't fixed.

alumende27

Thanks for the replies. The fact that it appears to be a PRC is the crucial bit. It's not me that's planning to buy this but a relative. They've been warned, argh!

stuart45

There were quite a few different types of system built houses put up after the war, but there are only about 30 on the list.
The problems with the rebar rusting was mainly in properties on the coast, but the lenders decided it was too risky in any part of the country. Where I live there are loads, especially Cornish types, and there does not seem to be any problem with them apart from the fact that it's hard to get a loan on them.