Help, Im in a dilemma whether to buy a modern timer frame house

dutchey

Im soon due to exchange on timber frame, brick exterior house. Ive only just realised the implications of this, namely that the life expectancy on all websites viewed is 80 to 100 years at best. The house is already 25 years old, meaning it might have 55 to 75 years of being structurally sound. My dilemma is - if this was a leasehold purchase of that duration with the certainty that the lease wouldnt be extended, I would not go ahead and buy (unless extremely cheap). So why would I or anyone buy a timber house with this likely life expectancy? I feel that at £350k its money down the drain  for those that will inherit it when I die as by that time, in say 20 years time, it will be down to 35 to 55 years left and they would be not able to sell it beyond the value of the land minus demolition costs etc. If instead I buy bricks and mortor, then that can be repaired again and again and will retain and increase in value. Or have I missed something here??????

housebuyer143

Really? 80- 100 years. I don't really think that's accurate. Is it just going to fall down when it gets that old? What do the websites say is going to happen to it? 
I lived in a timer framed house and apart from it being like a pirate ship in that it creaks a lot, it was 50 years old and didn't appear to be on the verge of collapse. 

dutchey

housebuyer143 said:

Really? 80- 100 years. I don't really think that's accurate. Is it just going to fall down when it gets that old? What do the websites say is going to happen to it? 
I lived in a timer framed house and apart from it being like a pirate ship in that it creaks a lot, it was 50 years old and didn't appear to be on the verge of collapse. 

Noone speculates what will happen after 80 to 100 years. Its an estimate for the wood remaining in sound enough condition before showing signs of deterioration (they seem to suggest through dampness breaking through the membrane) It is just a general estimate, but one that appears on every website I have seen except for a small number that suggest even less a time period

bobster2

Some of the oldest houses in the country are timber framed.

MultiFuelBurner

If other options exist I would personally walk away. Why introduce that stress and cloud hanging over you in life?

dutchey

bobster2 said:

Some of the oldest houses in the country are timber framed.

That of course is true, but they are oak and modern timber is softwood

dutchey

MultiFuelBurner said:

If other options exist I would personally walk away. Why introduce that stress and cloud hanging over you in life?

That is my dilemma, there are no other options to buy. The town developments have consited entirely of this construction during the past 30 years same comment applies to ajoining towns. The only exceptions are one off commisions and they are so far beyond my price range

sheramber

Timber framed houses are normal in Scotland. 

jennifernil

We have a one off built to our plans timber frame house now 35 years old,  now valued at around £700k, we have no concerns that it will last only 80-100 years. 

All the timber used is treated against rot.  We recently had 2 bathrooms redone which involved a strip out of the inner plasterboard walls, we could see that all the timbers were still just like new.

Sarahspangles

With a few exceptions, the expected lifespan of houses built since the middle of the last century has been 60-80 years.  Lots of us are living on borrowed time!  

ProDave

I guess it depends who builds it and where.

I live in a self built timber frame house in Scotland, where such things are normal.  Mine does not creak like an old ship as you walk around and is far far warmer and quieter than any masonry house ever will be.

In the early days of timber frame building in England, there were some horror stories about poorly built houses by builders that did not care or did not know how to do it properly, and some early timber frame houses were built without any insulation in the frame, so would have been cold and expensive to heat.  So it is not as simple as all timber frame houses are either good or bad.

Post some more details about who built it and where, what the survey said about it, and what is the EPC which will give a good clue about how much insulation it has.