Non Standard Construction

If your home is non-standard, and you have not told your insurer this, the insurer may reduce the amount it is prepared to pay out in the event of a claim or even decline to pay a claim completely. Homes built of concrete, Structurally Insulated Panels (SIPs) or pre-fabricated off site are also deemed non-standard. These are often quick to build as there is less labour time on site, but much harder to repair.

• Standard construction for residential properties is generally defined as the walls being made from bricks and mortar or stone, and the property having a slate or tiled roof.
• In the United Kingdom during the twentieth century, there have been a number of events that have created a large demand for extra housing, at the same time as there was a dearth of skilled construction workers.
• After their demolition I remember there being vast swathes of the estate left as barren waste-grounds for a few years.
• These include clay lump properties, which are constructed using materials with a high clay content, cob construction homes, where clay is mixed with flint and sand, and K-Lath homes, which incorporate welded mesh.
• You also have to bare in mind that the estate was only designed to last about 60 years and they are all well past their sell-by-date, even the ones built in the ‘standard’ fashion.
• Over 200,000 homes were destroyed by aerial bombing raids from Wallsend in the north to the Isle of Wight in the south.

Unfortunately also because of the dates of their construction, asbestos-containing materials were also commonly used. Given the peak periods when non-standard houses proliferated and the short design life afforded them, it would be reasonable to rank them as being almost extinct in the twenty-first century. Steel-framed houses were built as lightweight structures and the retrofitting of tiled roof coverings to match the brick cladding can cause structural problems within a system designed to carry the loads of a much lighter roof covering. Corrosion of structural steel members and under-designing can also lead to distortion of the structure. Many of these houses with their brick cladded walls and renewed roof coverings would externally appear as traditionally built structures. Although concrete is a good and generally durable building material, it can be said that a concrete panelled house is only as strong as the condition of its fixing bolts.

It is only after establishing these factors that any appropriate prognosis can be attempted. Meanwhile a Grade I listed building is considered by National Heritage to be of significant historic importance. A lender would see this as an increased risk – but each has its own different criteria. You will need planning permission to make any changes to the property, so you lose your permitted development rights on properties that are listed.

The second problem with non-refurbished houses is the use of asbestos in the original construction, particularly in the roof structure. Again, a qualified surveyor should be able to ascertain if asbestos is present, what type, and how to address its removal. There are a number of central and local government grants available for domestic asbestos removal which should cover most of the cost. The strength of the post-war temporary prefab house– fast construction over an aluminium, steel or wooden frame – is today its weakness.

Why is it more difficult to get a non-standard construction mortgage?

K Lath is a reinforced mesh that is sometimes applied to reinforce cladding and stucco walls. As such, K Lath is a proprietary product, but the term is now often used to describe various reinforced lath constructions. The team at Think Plutus have compiled this guide to non-standard construction mortgages to help you understand how they work, what options are available and how you can get one. Modelled on the prototype Portal bungalow exhibited at the Tate Gallery in 1944, 2,248 Phoenix prefabs were built as part of the Temporary Housing Programme. Phoenix design prefab bungalows were built along Wake Green Road in Moseley, Birmingham, in 1945.

As a result, a non-standard, new, timber framed property will probably cost more to insure. Constructed from concrete blocks or pre-cast reinforced concrete (PRC), this type of non-standard construction was also very popular after WWII and produced many desirable homes from a lightweight, hardwearing and fireproof material. Sadly, concrete deterioration and cracking, steel support corrosion and weakening have made this material unpopular with lenders. A modern method of construction that is both affordable and lightweight, steel frame constructions are non-combustible but may warp in a fire, causing untold issues that could affect the entire structure. One type of steel framed construction, BISF houses built by the British Iron and Steel Federation from 1946, also have asbestos containing roofs and suffer from corrosion in humid conditions. Non-standard houses, by extension, are built from materials that don’t conform to the ‘standard’ definition.

If you’re thinking about buying a house that is a little outside the norm in how it has been built, a non-standard construction mortgage could be what you need. This is because some lenders can be hesitant to approve standard residential mortgages for properties with more unusual characteristics, which they would consider an additional risk. Lead roofs, thatched roofs, plaster infill, pargeting, old water mills, metal barns, even steel framed extensions are all quite common. I have been househunting for a little while now and I have just found a property that I love, snag is I have found out that it is non traditional construction. Everyone I have asked about it have told me that you cant get mortgages on these types of houses, similarly when I google it I get people saying you can. Prefabricated houses, known as ‘prefabs’, were an interim solution until the country could return to constructing permanent homes with traditional building materials.

What other types of non-standard construction houses exist?

For example, if a house is situated in an area subject for flooding, it may have a poor claims record and some companies may not be willing to provide insurance. Properties at risk of subsidence, or which were previously underpinned will also need specialist insurance policies. An estate of 60 Hawksley bungalows was constructed in Letchworth Garden City in 1950–51. There are also https://udmideas.org/andrey-berezin-smooth-descent-an-overview-of-russias-real-estate-trends/ similar houses in the Canley and Tile Hill areas of Coventry, however many of these have been demolished in favour of modern buildings for Warwick University.[23] As of 2014, the buildings are still maintained and occupied. If you are not entirely sure what type of construction a property was built to then it’s a good idea to solicit further advice from a property expert.

The property’s exterior and how it is clad – brick or stone is usually considered more favourably than timber, plastic or metal – will be of significant interest to lenders too. Difficulties in getting a mortgage on concrete ex-council houses built this way, including on Reema, Dorran and Orlit construction variations on this type of build, can persist today. However, arranging a non-standard mortgage might still be possible if suitable repairs have been carried out. As a result, you may need to look for a non-traditional construction mortgage if a home has been built or designed using any non-standard materials or methods.

Protected prefabs

These, as was the case on the Clifton Social Housing Estate in Nottinghamshire, can be made of ferrous metals and susceptible to corrosion. This factor could, if the corrosion becomes acute, result in total failure of the structure and is exacerbated by common defects such as failed seals between panels that can allow moisture ingress. Further panel degradation responsible for moisture ingress can be caused by inadequate expansion gaps and weathering of the concrete.