Would you buy a timber frame house?

blah1234

We are currently looking to buy our first home. We currently have a possible back up property that we like but dont love, but is significantly cheaper. But it is timber frame which we have heard bad things about. It's a relatively old build we believe around 60 years. Any pointers or recommendations?

Stubod

Would you buy a timber frame house?

...yes... why not?

comeandgo

Majority of homes built in Scotland are timber frame and it’s getting increasingly popular in England too.

lucypilates

Timber framed houses are more energy efficient ( retain heat)  than cavity construction.

summergirl40

Mine is timber frames lovely and cosy in winter . Council house so won’t be here much longer as just bought 

Davesnave

People are being a little cavalier in their approach here!

60 years old? Maybe it could be like a bungalow my friend showed me last week, which was timber framed with spar-dashed asbestos panels.A nightmare in several respects, but in her eyes a bargain because it's  well maintained, detached and has a large garden.

A different proposition altogether would be some detached houses with brick exterior skins built by a small company in our town over the past decade. No problem selling those or raising a mortgage on them.

K_S

@blah1234 From a mortgage point of view (which will have implications when selling as well), modern timber framed houses with a brick/stone outer skin are usually not a problem but once you go backwards from the 80s it sometimes gets tougher and/or requires a low LTV.

stuart45

The main advantage of timber framed construction is to the developer. The ones Davesnave mentioned were often sold as a Kit, and can date back to the 1920's. The more modern method of factory produced interior walls and brick outer skins really took off in the late 70's early 80's. Back then the importance of accurate measurements for the foundation brickwork up to DPC wasn't understood. For masonry houses an inch or 2 didn't normally matter, but when the outer skins were built you often found that there was either a massive cavity in places, or you were building tight to the sheathing and membrane, which was often damaged as well.  Add to this the ties covered in mortar and I would think that a lot of these houses would have timber problems by now.
The ones built in the USA were framed on site, so didn't have these problems.

ProDave

Yes modern timber framed is brilliant.

BUT 60 year old? That would make it 1960.  So that's an early timber frame, I am willing to bet built with just a 4" frame (at least 6" used now, my own is an 8" frame) and almost certainly no insulation in the frame.  So will probably be brick or block outer, 2" cavity, 4" uninsulated frame then plasterboard.

To find out if it is insulated or not, the easiest way is remove a light switch or socket on an outside wall and remove it's back box and have a look. I doubt any surveyor will do that so he will just guess.  You could get an electrician to go and "check the electrics" and quietly have a look behind one of the back boxes on an outside wall to find out.

The EPC will be a guess unless someone has actually looked to see if the frame is insulated or not.

And if there is any mention of cavity wall insulation, then RUN, seriously bad news with timber frame.

lucypilates

The EPC will be based on the assumptions that they meet the regulations of the time with regard to insulation, unless there is evidence of it being retro fitted.