Retaining Wall, would it put you off buying.

AdrianC

JJR45 said:

AdrianC said:

JJR45 said:

I am in contact with the management company now, the site is around 80 houses and all houses have to pay in to manage and repair the wall. At the moment they have £80K  a year going into the slush

Or, to look at it another way, £1k/property/year going into a savings account to fund minor works...

with a expected life of the wall being 60 years.

SIXTY years...? For timber in contact with wet earth? Yeh, right.

For that to be anything remotely approaching reasonable, that timber would be so heavily treated with serious chemistry that I really don't think I'd want it in my garden.

I think you may have to read the specs, the image is just a picture, it is on a concrete pad with drainage, the back is lined and the infill is graded stone.https://www.phigroup.co.uk/expertise/techniques/permacrib-timber-crib
But the general scaring of people is what I am looking for, as many will not read the info, look it up before making a decision.

So those plants growing in the pic...? They're growing in concrete and stone, right?

JJR45

moneysavinghero said:

You have to pay £1,000 a year towards maintenance? That might put some people off.

Sorry, £100, (£150 fee with £100 going to slush, so £8k a year going into replacement/repair fund. Not with it today.

JJR45

AdrianC said:

So those plants growing in the pic...? They're growing in concrete and stone, right?

Hi, it was an example picture, there are currently no plants on it.

Redwino222

I would never buy this.  Or any house which has to have a supine fund and management fees.  Too much can go wrong - too many arguments down the line.

Unicorn_cottage

JJR45 said:

Unicorn_cottage said:

 Note they have used the cheaper timber crib wall system instead of other more expensive and longer lasting options. Imagine it in 10 years time when it looks a right mess and you are arguing with the people doing the maintenance of the estate. 

It was an example, it is a wood based system called permacrib with an expected life of 60 years.
I believe this is it https://www.phigroup.co.uk/expertise/techniques/permacrib-timber-crib

From their website "All Permacrib components have a Desired Service Life of 60 years". If you look at another provider in the UK it says "What is the life expectancy of a timber crib system?

Depending on the application required, (and therefore the preservative chemicals used) timber crib is treated with a minimum certified design life from 15 to 60+ years."

Which management company will be looking after the estate?

JJR45

Unicorn_cottage said:

Which management company will be looking after the estate?

Wise Estates

sgun

Its a cheap way of cramming too many houses onto an awkward site. I think that they always sort of look like they are going to fail at some point soon which is off putting. And also the general "peripheral road roundabout landscaping" look isn't to everyone's taste.

AdrianC

JJR45 said:

AdrianC said:

So those plants growing in the pic...? They're growing in concrete and stone, right?

Hi, it was an example picture, there are currently no plants on it.

Lovely, and there never will be...? How much time and effort do you want to put into that...?

JJR45

AdrianC said:

Lovely, and there never will be...? How much time and effort do you want to put into that...?

I'll be honest, I have not got a clue what you are on about, I am not planning on turning it into a wall garden.
My ideal garden is AstroTurf with plastic plants, Titchmarsh I ain't. 😂

Slinky

This reminds me of one my friend rejected at a few months back. Had been up for sale for over a year, despite it having 'motivated sellers'

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/68094234#/