Triassic,

if it has been looked after then several hundred years depending on the type of structure.

Jonti

Is a bunaglow something you get after a good curry?

Just been sent the Energy Efficiency rating chart, scored 38. So not much insulation then?!!

"Past its sell be date" - Maybe I should be looking at this as a knock down and start again job?

A lot will depend on how well the house was built, and how well its actual construction (never mind how it was designed) has dealt with water vapour and damp in its many possible forms. It may well be that if it is draughty and poorly-insulated the main structure may have survived well. Let us know more details once you have seen it.

I live in a 1920s timber frame (4”x2”) and am replacing it with a Passivhaus which I am building in the garden. I looked into using permitted development to extend it but because of the age and condition of it I decided to replace it. Had it been a 1960s in good condition I would probably have tried to update it to near Passivhaus and used permitted development to do it. It took four years to get planning permission for the replacement house.

Well I've just got back from viewing the property and its a definite buy, the plot is to die for! the views are amazing and you get a 3/4 acrea garden and 2 acres of mature woodland as part of the deal.

The bungalow, all 160m2 of it, looks older than my original 1960s estimate, one local recons it was built just after the war.

Exterior is 3/4 inch weatherboard with a ceder shingle roof. The windows are all timber, double glazed, but probably 20 years old looking how rotten some of them are. Internally the partition walls are mainly thin ply downstairs and hardboard in the 2 rooms in the loft. I did not spot any insulation anywhere in the property (and I looked).

So on Monday we start the negotiations with a lowish offer to get the ball rolling, lets hope the soon to be divorced couple accept it without too much haggling.

Wasn't able to inspect the frame as the exterior weatherboard was all in sound condition. The only rot we spotted was in window frames, due to lack of paint, and a soft spot in the kitchen floor (rotten floor boards or joists!). The exterior timber was very well preserved in crosote and were black because of the amount applied over the years!

We'll have to see if they bite our hand off on Monday, following our initial cheeky offer!

Posted By: gustyturbineMy only other slight concern is differing expansion rates from different materials.

Funny that. Chatting the other day with the chap who'd self-built the house across the road from a plot I'm considering (the one which would have the rumbling drain) he said his 120 m² bungalow was two leaves of 100 mm block with a 50 mm cavity between with a timber frame inside separated by an additional 25 mm gap to avoid any problems of movement between the timber and blocks. First I'd heard of the concept. Even two leaves of block outside the timber frame was a bit surprising to me but it is on top of a hill on the east coast of Scotland. Are either of these design aspects common?

Just had my offer on the timber bungalow accepted. Turns out it was built in the 1930s.

Just need to sort out a mortgage!

It comes with 2 acres of woodland and about a dozen fruit trees.

30's ay? Are you prepared to post a picture of what it looks like, i.e. is it a 'kit' house or a scratch built/custom built unit. If kit, I *might* be able to unearth some more info about it.

Triassic,

it looks good to me, plenty of character so I would look at maintaining it. Then again I do dislike pulling something down that is still in good order just for the hell of it and I am sure some here will say it is better and greener to pull it down and new build.

Jonti

PeterS Thanks for the heads up regarding the potential asbestos problem. I'll take care when doing my initial investigations!

Although my offer has been accepted I'm now at the mercy of the banks and their valuation, and having met with their valuer today I have a bit of a sinking feeling.