Is this 'Semi-detached?'

Carrot007

NaughtiusMaximus wrote: »

A street where the properties are arranged garage-house-house-garage-garage-house-house-garage are semis as far as I'm concerned, even if the only way to access the back garden is through the house or garage. In this sense I treat utility rooms or covered passages in the same category as garages.

Or Semi Semi Detached?


It's a terrace now. Any other discription is insanity. Still It one side build up to the boarder the other can and that applies to all houses.


I would never buy a house where I wanted to build up to the boarder.


If it is too small it is too small. Call it what you like it is too small.

need_an_answer

I wouldn't split hairs on whether its a semi or not TBH....

you said in your opening post that you were considering this house together with another in the street...I had a look at that one too on RM and personally if I had the budget to go with this one I would be tempted to put the money there rather than with the other one that is cheaper.


This one has bigger room sizes and even spending £20k on the other one wont make it the footprint of this one...


They may be on the same street but they are different eras of building ..each probably have their own set of positives and negatives but I would opt for this house perhaps with a slightly reduced first offer....

getmore4less

I would be looking at the planning and building regs for the work/changes.

Lack of floor plan to see if rear access is acceptable.
Looking at the pics probably OK.
I take stuff through garage back door even with a side access.

Smodlet

My greatest concern would be that it appears to be of non-standard construction. It may be or it may just be rendered but I would want to find out before I did anything else.

ncfcfan

Smodlet wrote: »

My greatest concern would be that it appears to be of non-standard construction. It may be or it may just be rendered but I would want to find out before I did anything else.

Hi - please could you elaborate a little on this? I'm not of a practical background and a fairly inexperience house buyer.

ncfcfan

FYI all the houses on this road are ex-council houses.

Smodlet

ncfcfan wrote: »

Hi - please could you elaborate a little on this? I'm not of a practical background and a fairly inexperience house buyer.

ncfcfan wrote: »

FYI all the houses on this road are ex-council houses.

I don't pretend to be an authority on this subject but, if you google non standard construction, you will find the stuff of nightmares. First thing is to find out if you even have anything to worry about.

Non-standard construction means, in its broadest interpretation, anything that is not constructed of brick. The fact the houses are ex-council is not relevant. Many properties, be they council or not, are made of brick; some have been rendered (covered in a thin layer of plastery-concretey stuff for effect) One reason I would never choose to do this is that it makes it more difficult to tell whether a property is or is not of standard construction.

Windsor castle is non-standard construction but I would not be concerned about cracks in concrete allowing moisture to penetrate the iron reinforcement and causing it to rust. With the property in your link, I would definitely want to know what kind of construction it is and, if non-standard, of exactly what kind. Metal reinforced concrete is more problematical than concrete which was poured into wooden shutters on site/slabs which were constructed off site and put together like lego on site; it is the metal which can rust, expand and therefore break the concrete slabs apart.

Think about it: If, heaven forbid, a car were to swerve out of control and hit a brick house, the chances are a bit of remedial brick work would be all that was required. If the car hit a solid concrete wall, you might have to replace one entire side of your house. I would never buy any non-standard house from choice unless it were some charming olde stone cottage fit for Miss Marple after I win the lottery, IFYSWIM.

Insurance companies will want to know what your house is made of as the potential repair costs will affect the premium. I think you need to find out from the vendor/the neighbours or even the council. If they used to own these properties, they must know what they are made of and they have no reason to lie to you.

I do not wish to alarm you but it can be more difficult/impossible to raise a mortgage on a non-standard property. The more there are within an area, the easier it tends to be. Are there other streets of similar houses around? Talk to your mortgage company.

Sorry to be the bearer of potentially bad tidings but forewarned is forearmed, yes?

Cakeguts

It is an ex council house which looks as if it is non standard construction.



I would say that you would pay less for this house than another ex council house in the same area that wasn't joined onto the house next door by the coal house or whatever it is used as now.



Living in it is going to be more like living in a terrace than a true semi. The point about a true semi is that you don't have to take the lawn mower and all the gardening tools through the house to get from the front to the back garden.

Smodlet

True, Cakeguts, but we don't know what is at the side. It may be a glorified side passage so not an issue. It could be the best place to store the lawnmower; more secure than a shed.

It looks like a nice house to me; I would just want to know a great deal more about it before I considered buying it.

markin

With it attached like that, the is a chance you could hear an old washing machine going, or any noise if the doors are open or poor, it also looks like a party wall to me.

And then the is garden access.

Busy rail line at the end of the Garden! And the M42 just 250m away!