Opportunity to purchase a Nissan hut

Nissanhut

Our neighbours own an asbestos Nissan hut about 20 metres x 4 metres in size. We have the opportunity to purchase it for garden storage, together with the land surrounding it, thus making our garden slightly bigger and moving the boundary. Is there any value in doing this or would we be taking on a liability because it’s asbestos? It’s in generally good condition with a concrete plinth.They have suggested we make them an offer in terms of price, we have no idea in terms of its value. ( the hut is in-between our land and the neighbours, no one else could access it or purchase it). If anyone has any experience of this I would appreciate views and ideas around value. 

Niv

Personally I would value the building as Zero and just base the offer on land value to you and possibly the concrete plinth it is on (not cheap to do these days!). Ofc you take on the liability if you buy it, how big a liability that is unknown as condition now / in the future is not known. 
If I were in your situation would I go for it - yes probably, but I would look to make a plan to remove the asbestos at some point.

user1977

Unfortunately for your username, the word is "Nissen" (nothing to do with the Japanese!).

Is your neighbour a residential property? Just wondering whether planning may also be an issue.

Nissanhut

Yes I did notice the spelling error after the post, my neighbour is also a residential property owner.

lincroft1710

Nissen huts were traditionally corrugated iron, so are you sure it is corrugated asbestos cement and a genuine Nissen hut? If it is CAC, then it potentially devalues the land as removing and lawfully disposing of CAC of that size will run into thousands of pounds. 

RAS

Is this a metal framed Nissen hut? Or a fibre cement hut without the metal frame? The latter has a different profile, and could cost £xxk to remove by specialist contractors to licensed landfill. 

I've seen documents suggesting that the curved asbestos hut has a height to the top of the curve of 2.9m whilst the true Nissen hut has a height below 2.5 metres.

prowla

I was thinking it was a new model of car.

Section62

Nissanhut said:

Our neighbours own an asbestos Nissan hut about 20 metres x 4 metres in size. We have the opportunity to purchase it for garden storage, together with the land surrounding it, thus making our garden slightly bigger and moving the boundary. Is there any value in doing this or would we be taking on a liability because it’s asbestos? It’s in generally good condition with a concrete plinth.They have suggested we make them an offer in terms of price, we have no idea in terms of its value. ( the hut is in-between our land and the neighbours, no one else could access it or purchase it). If anyone has any experience of this I would appreciate views and ideas around value. 

By the sound of it the land isn't suitable for selling as a building plot, so therefore I suspect your neighbour has worked out selling you the land is a good way of getting rid of a potentially expensive liability.

There were various types of asbestos-containing hut, so narrowing down the age and manufacturer might give you some clues about the asbestos type and % content.  IIRC one of the common WW2 types was known as Turner's huts, or "Turner's curved asbestos hut", named after the asbestos company who made them.

If there is no steel frame then demolition is more complicated as the sheets are meant to be self-supporting and removing one section of the 'arch' leaves the rest unstable. The structure would need internal supports constructed first.  If there is a steel frame and it is in good condition then the sheets should be removable one at a time.  But even so is a job for a specialist contractor.

theartfullodger

Asbestos?  Nah.  They must dispose of asbestos before you purchase..

(Worked on asbestos project in 1960s...)

Nissanhut

RAS said:

Is this a metal framed Nissen hut? Or a fibre cement hut without the metal frame? The latter has a different profile, and could cost £xxk to remove by specialist contractors to licensed landfill. 

I've seen documents suggesting that the curved asbestos hut has a height to the top of the curve of 2.9m whilst the true Nissen hut has a height below 2.5 metres.

It is asbestos sheet, no metal frame. Dates around WW2, we are not looking to remove it, we wanted to use it for garden storage, we are aware of the risks around asbestos, I am just seeking opinion over whether to buy it knowing the risks and it’s potential value or whether to steer clear. Thanks 

BarelySentientAI

Nissanhut said:

RAS said:

Is this a metal framed Nissen hut? Or a fibre cement hut without the metal frame? The latter has a different profile, and could cost £xxk to remove by specialist contractors to licensed landfill. 

I've seen documents suggesting that the curved asbestos hut has a height to the top of the curve of 2.9m whilst the true Nissen hut has a height below 2.5 metres.

It is asbestos sheet, no metal frame. Dates around WW2, we are not looking to remove it, we wanted to use it for garden storage, we are aware of the risks around asbestos, I am just seeking opinion over whether to buy it knowing the risks and it’s potential value or whether to steer clear. Thanks 

Its potential value is probably negative unless there is a substantial amount of land attached.