Buying a non-standard construction home - terrible idea?

Kazminsavesit

Hi Moneysavers, I am currently looking at moving to my next home, one I have my eye on is non-standard construction, advised as "straw prefab" by the Estate Agents. No other information available from the vendor or agents, and I've not been able to find much information online about it, other than I believe the most common version is called stramit. 

I paid for a level 3 RICS survey which came back and is...not helpful. The surveyor hasn't confirmed the type of construction or given any idea of expected lifespan, and now I'm not sure where to go next. 

Does anyone know anything about prefab straw/stramit homes? All I can find seems to relate to interior walls but the entire body of this house is purported to be stramit. 

I really can't afford to buy this house if it's about to fall down, however it is by far the best I can afford if it's structurally sound. Any advice/contact details of experts welcomed! 

Thanks, and apologies for the wall of text.

Slithery

Will you be needing a mortgage?

Kazminsavesit

Ah yes that is probably pertinent info! Yes I will, I have done a bit of digging and it seems I can get a specialist mortgage to cover the amount I need for the purchase - worse rate than usual but oh well!

TBagpuss

I suspect that the survey is unhelpful as the surveyor may have no / limited experience .
How long would you plan to live there?

If you can only buy with a more expensive specialist mortgage, that's going to significantly limit your pool of potential buyers when you come to sell, so you could find it very difficult to sell if you want to move.

You may also find that you need specialist insurers, which could make it more expansive to run, and as it's an unusual construction that may also cause problems with tradespeople if again, work needs to be done by people with specialist knowledge.

If it is a pre-fab, it might be worth trying to find out whether there are any owners clubs/ groups of owners who own the same one, who would be in a position to comment on the pros and cons.

I'd also be considering how old it is and whether there are any issues so far 

GDB2222

I really can't afford to buy this house if it's about to fall down, however it is by far the best I can afford if it's structurally sound. Any advice/contact details of experts welcomed! 

This is telling you all about it, really. It's cheap because of the construction, which limits the pool of potential buyers.  You'll be selling it more cheaply, too.

Smaller mortgage, but at more expensive rates. 


 "straw prefab"

So, when was it built? What is the precise name of the construction method?  Is this effectively straw bale construction?

We had a bungalow with a Stramit roof. It was a problem when the place caught fire.

TripleH

Are there similar structures in the locality or is it a unique house? If there are similar properties near(ish) by, might be worth asking them questions or recommendations for suitable surveyors?

Could you try online for stramit forums to ask for thoughts and advice?

I think the nonstandard construction is more lack of supply = reduced knowledge = greater uncertainty but your concerns about the uncertain useful life are a valid concern.

saveallmymoney

If it had eco / energy use benefits i'd be all for it personally. 

Does the owner not know much about it? I'd have a good chat with them if they do.

ProDave

Can you post the listing so we can see for ourselves?

If an old prefab you might find the walls are very thin, little insulation and high heating costs.

Kazminsavesit

TBagpuss said:

Edited for length

We went with a surveyor who claimed to be a specialist in non-standard construction so a bit disappointing to be honest! 

We are planning on living there for the next 30-40 years until old age forces us to move to Greece. Over that time if costs are insane we are thinking of re-walling the two non-standard walls with standard block construction. 

Insurance to cover it seems to be about £200 a year, more than normal but not bank-breaking for us.  But yes I am concerned about any work we need doing to it and possibly needing specialist contractors. Seems to be impossible to find much information about it, apart from on a couple of plumbers forums talking about shower walls and the like. I haven't seen any owners clubs so far in my searching but I'll keep looking!

It was built in the 60s and seems okay to our eyes, in fairness apart from the guttering needing some repair and some roof re-pointing the survey didn't highlight any massive issues. 

Thanks for the advice! 

Kazminsavesit

ProDave said:

Can you post the listing so we can see for ourselves?

If an old prefab you might find the walls are very thin, little insulation and high heating costs.

Sorry it's a fairly unique building so not totally comfortable posting the listing.

The walls do seem very thin, insulation and heating is a concern. I'm not sure if we could add extra external insulation or not to this type of construction. I've heard of some type of sprayable exterior insulation but no experience with it so not sure if it would work or be worth it!

Kazminsavesit

saveallmymoney said:

If it had eco / energy use benefits i'd be all for it personally. 

Does the owner not know much about it? I'd have a good chat with them if they do.

The owner unfortunately appears to be a surviving relative selling on behalf of the deceased owner, and they haven't been able to tell us much at all other than it's straw prefab built in the 60s. 

I've seen conflicting information about the energy use, a couple of websites claim straw prefab is extremely insulating, and others say it is awful as it's so thin. No idea who to believe, I don't seem to be able to find a non-biased report.