Rebuilt concrete semi
Discussion
I'm looking at buying an ex- concrete semi detached house. Its brick to first floor level, then tiled up from there. It was built as cast concrete but has been rebuilt from brick, with the adjoining property still being concrete.
HSBC have done a survey and said that as a result of the rest of the estate being a mix of un/rebuilt properties they wouldn't be able to sell it if they repossess me. Does any one have any experience with this type of property and/or am i mad for still wanting to go ahead with the purchase? Having talked with Nationwide it sounds like they might lend even if the house wasn't rebuilt....but won't commit to anything until a survey has been undertaken etc. I'd just rather not go through another weeks wait to hear them say no again. I know theres the option of talking to a broker (and i am) but they'll hit the same rules.
HSBC have done a survey and said that as a result of the rest of the estate being a mix of un/rebuilt properties they wouldn't be able to sell it if they repossess me. Does any one have any experience with this type of property and/or am i mad for still wanting to go ahead with the purchase? Having talked with Nationwide it sounds like they might lend even if the house wasn't rebuilt....but won't commit to anything until a survey has been undertaken etc. I'd just rather not go through another weeks wait to hear them say no again. I know theres the option of talking to a broker (and i am) but they'll hit the same rules.
mcdjl said:
I'm looking at buying an ex- concrete semi detached house. Its brick to first floor level, then tiled up from there. It was built as cast concrete but has been rebuilt from brick, with the adjoining property still being concrete.
HSBC have done a survey and said that as a result of the rest of the estate being a mix of un/rebuilt properties they wouldn't be able to sell it if they repossess me. Does any one have any experience with this type of property and/or am i mad for still wanting to go ahead with the purchase? Having talked with Nationwide it sounds like they might lend even if the house wasn't rebuilt....but won't commit to anything until a survey has been undertaken etc. I'd just rather not go through another weeks wait to hear them say no again. I know theres the option of talking to a broker (and i am) but they'll hit the same rules.
Someone knocked down a concrete house on an estate and re-built it in brickwork? For what purpose? Doesnt seem like it would ever be a financially sound thing to do.HSBC have done a survey and said that as a result of the rest of the estate being a mix of un/rebuilt properties they wouldn't be able to sell it if they repossess me. Does any one have any experience with this type of property and/or am i mad for still wanting to go ahead with the purchase? Having talked with Nationwide it sounds like they might lend even if the house wasn't rebuilt....but won't commit to anything until a survey has been undertaken etc. I'd just rather not go through another weeks wait to hear them say no again. I know theres the option of talking to a broker (and i am) but they'll hit the same rules.
Sarnie might be able to help on the mortgage front.
Sarnie
Is it the only house around that you're interested in? The market is picking up right now.
Last year I nearly offered on a concrete house (Laing EasiForm). I decided not to and 2 days later the house I've got now (good old brick) came up.
Personally I'd avoid concrete unless there was something awesome about it (price perhaps, location, scarcity etc).
Last year I nearly offered on a concrete house (Laing EasiForm). I decided not to and 2 days later the house I've got now (good old brick) came up.
Personally I'd avoid concrete unless there was something awesome about it (price perhaps, location, scarcity etc).
Halifax are known to lend on non standard construction - we were lucky in the previous owner had a halifax mortgage, and we were getting a halifax mortgage, so halifax transferred one halifax mortgage to another halifax mortgage with my name on it!
(I am not concrete blocks like yours, I am steel stanchions with concrete "bricks" slid down, officially known as a "Cruden Rural")
I like my place, but make extra sure there is no rust.
(I am not concrete blocks like yours, I am steel stanchions with concrete "bricks" slid down, officially known as a "Cruden Rural")
I like my place, but make extra sure there is no rust.
Its this one: https://goo.gl/maps/Dd1WJuWUpU52 minus the caravan. the ones to either side are the original build.
We have nearly been caught by this with our house hunt. The council built loads of them in my area and they're a good size and typically have big gardens etc but there is such a thing as "defective" house. That may or may not be the case here (although it does look typical of the sort of thing I found researching the issue) but even if it isn't defective the fact that it's concrete basically makes it worthless in the eyes of most people, rightly or wrongly. The repair for faulty concrete construction genuinely seems to be to pretty much pull it down and rebuild in brick and if this hasn't been done they are worth about £20.
Estate agents pretend not to know what "non standard construction" means and seem to string buyers along until they reach the point of survey when it all falls apart. No idea why as that doesn't seem to benefit anyone.
The house I looked at in particular had a weird vibe about it and lots of bodged/surface mounted electrics and wallpaper/wood panelling/artex EVERYWHERE. I imagine any chasing in or interior work would be an absolute nightmare. It set off alarm bells before we even found out it was made or concrete so was enough for us to run away. The concern for me was that even if we could mortgage it somehow at significantly under asking price we'd never be able to sell it.
Estate agents pretend not to know what "non standard construction" means and seem to string buyers along until they reach the point of survey when it all falls apart. No idea why as that doesn't seem to benefit anyone.
The house I looked at in particular had a weird vibe about it and lots of bodged/surface mounted electrics and wallpaper/wood panelling/artex EVERYWHERE. I imagine any chasing in or interior work would be an absolute nightmare. It set off alarm bells before we even found out it was made or concrete so was enough for us to run away. The concern for me was that even if we could mortgage it somehow at significantly under asking price we'd never be able to sell it.
Edited by StoatInACoat on Friday 23 March 14:38
Mix of reasons, mainly coming down to the amount of house/area i get for the money. Clearly the construction does come into that. It has a drive, garage etc all of which i want. I can get 'traditional' construction properties in less nice areas that are generally similar/smaller within 10-15 miles but the presence of Loughborough (university lets) and Nottingham nearby skews property markets.
An added bonus is these are often a lot lower down on the council tax band!
Some things I have noted with mine;
Insulation is not a strong point, and you have to be more careful on what you do to improve that.
Sometimes a lending bank will insist on a destructive survey being done (drilling a hole into the concrete to see what state it is in) and then the surveying guys will not want to drill, and so there can be a long back and forth until the bank backs down.
Yes, there is a very definite money incentive to get this type of house compared to a normal construction, about half the price in my instance.
Some things I have noted with mine;
Insulation is not a strong point, and you have to be more careful on what you do to improve that.
Sometimes a lending bank will insist on a destructive survey being done (drilling a hole into the concrete to see what state it is in) and then the surveying guys will not want to drill, and so there can be a long back and forth until the bank backs down.
Yes, there is a very definite money incentive to get this type of house compared to a normal construction, about half the price in my instance.
Significant grants were available to 'brick up' as many Estate Agents call the work.
I have looked at several of these........well the bricked up ones...to buy to let.
If it's really cheap consider it....otherwise find something else
I did have an offer accepted on one but I backed out after survey as the inspection revealed the roof construction was marginal. Many of these houses (Calverton Nottingham in my case) were occupied by miners with massive coal allowances so snow didn't even settle on the roof. Nowadays with fuel being expensive and a drive to insulate the snow Liam on these roofs can be a concern.
I have looked at several of these........well the bricked up ones...to buy to let.
If it's really cheap consider it....otherwise find something else
I did have an offer accepted on one but I backed out after survey as the inspection revealed the roof construction was marginal. Many of these houses (Calverton Nottingham in my case) were occupied by miners with massive coal allowances so snow didn't even settle on the roof. Nowadays with fuel being expensive and a drive to insulate the snow Liam on these roofs can be a concern.
The mortgage companies hate non-standard construction, if you can't buy for cash, best bet is to move on.
Hull lost a lot of houses in WW2 and these were initially replaced by prefabs and later by what locals call half and half houses. People bought these under the right to own scheme but couldn't sell them on because buyers couldn't get mortgages on them.
Half and half, not sure what the proper name is.
There are hundreds of these that are unsaleable and boarded up
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.7725979,-0.28465...
Hull lost a lot of houses in WW2 and these were initially replaced by prefabs and later by what locals call half and half houses. People bought these under the right to own scheme but couldn't sell them on because buyers couldn't get mortgages on them.
Half and half, not sure what the proper name is.
There are hundreds of these that are unsaleable and boarded up
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.7725979,-0.28465...
mcdjl said:
Its this one: https://goo.gl/maps/Dd1WJuWUpU52 minus the caravan. the ones to either side are the original build.
First thought is that that property doesn’t tie in at all with the impression given by HSBC. I would say that it’s not you but them. They just don’t want any more exposure to this particular market but aren’t ever going to tell you that but rather make out that it’s you and your property that are the issue. I’d find out from the estate agent which lenders are working in that area and start with them.
mcdjl said:
British Iron Steel Federation, so non standard, rather than defective.
Looks more like a Cornish construction than BISF to me, although I'm not a surveyor.If it's been rebuilt then it is probably mortgageable, but like I said earlier, unless it's the only house that fits your circumstances, I'd avoid. Possibly more hassle than it's worth when selling it on, mortgaging etc.
DonkeyApple said:
First thought is that that property doesn’t tie in at all with the impression given by HSBC. I would say that it’s not you but them. They just don’t want any more exposure to this particular market but aren’t ever going to tell you that but rather make out that it’s you and your property that are the issue.
I’d find out from the estate agent which lenders are working in that area and start with them.
That does seem to be the case. Having talked to the agent and their tame broker I have a few other places to try I’d find out from the estate agent which lenders are working in that area and start with them.
I think the OP is looking at a Cornish unit (type 1). It shouldn't be a simple reskin, if it has been done properly they would prop the roof up, take the concrete walls down and rebuild in brick.
If a proper approved repair you then get a PRC certificate and that should make the property mortgageable.
www.prc-repair.co.uk/cornish/
If a proper approved repair you then get a PRC certificate and that should make the property mortgageable.
www.prc-repair.co.uk/cornish/
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff