Timber frame building survey - what can it tell me?

[JonRA]

We are considering buying a timber frame building - it is a Potton Homes 'Caxton' cottage, built in 1987.

To my non-professional eye it looks to be structurally sound: The cottage has a brickwork for approximately the lowest three feet of the walls, above which the walls are rendered - no cracks or repairs are evident in the low level brickwork, nor the rendered walls above it. There weren't any obvious cracks in the internal walls either. This particular design of house has an internal wooden beam and post frame which, I believe provides some of the structural integrity (it's similar in design to this Potton showhome https://www.potton.co.uk/inspiration...xton-show-home )

If we buy the house, we expect to replace the kitchen and bathrooms, possibly rewire and re-plumb, put in new flooring and decorate internally and externally so I am not too worried that these elements are not in particularly great condition.

But what I would like to know is whether the building will last for many years and be worth the significant investment necessary to update it. Apparently the enemy of such buildings is rot of the timber frame if it gets wet - whether by eg plumbing leaks or failure of the various internal membranes designed to prevent the timber getting wet. The problem from an inspection point of view seems to be that, aside from the post and beam timbers, the frame is hidden. So my question for surveyors, or others with knowledge of these houses, is to what extent can a non-invasive survey help allay concerns about the possibility of hidden rot in the timber frame? Or is the only way to be sure would be to cut away plasterboard etc?

Many thanks in anticipation

[Beanie]

My only experience of timber framed houses was in the mid '80s. I was looking to buy my first house and I saw a nice 3 bed semi and so had a survey done on it. Firstly I was not aware it was not traditional brick/block construction, which would have made me think twice, but importantly the surveyor identified that it had a garage added at the side. He indicated that without intrusive inspection, there was no way of determining if the moisture barrier had been breached with implications for potential damp ingress and compromise of the frame.
Although I did like the house, I walked away. It may be it's still perfectly fine now, but I thought it a risk.
I guess you need to have a conversation with a surveyor who has experience in this type of construction.

[TheFlyingBanana]

If you look at really old houses, they are all timber framed and still standing after hundreds of years.

Most other countries do it this way with no issues.

Just get a full survey done and you’ll know there are no issues hopefully.

[Chukas]

Timber frame builds are traditional in a lot of countries.
Really cant see any issues with them.

[hogthrob]

If you look at really old houses, they are all timber framed and still standing after hundreds of years.

[JonRA]

Hi

Thanks for the contributions so far. We've owned a timber framed house previously, so don't have many concerns about them. I know they can last centuries, though those that are hundreds of years old generally have hardwood timbers. My specific concern is about the occasional issue of more recent houses rotting at ground level because the softwood becoming damp (the softwood timber treatment doesn't last indefinitely and they occasionally fail through rot).

My question is can a non-invasive survey give reassurance about this specific issue - and if not, what would be needed to reassure that there was no damp damage and the house should continue to enjoy a long life.

[jmarchitect]

The timber frame buildings that we’ve surveyed over the years have shown defects as a result of owner interventions such as double glazing or linings that interfere with the flow of moisture. One such building, originally constructed in the 1600s and added to numerous times ever since, had so many layers of modern ‘stuff’ that a visual survey would have been useless. We had to open up 100x100mm holes and use a borescope to understand more about the building problems. A visual non-invasive building survey will do little to reassure you unless the person carrying out the survey understands buildings and can tell what additions have been made.

[JonRA]

The timber frame buildings that we’ve surveyed over the years have shown defects as a result of owner interventions such as double glazing or linings that interfere with the flow of moisture. One such building, originally constructed in the 1600s and added to numerous times ever since, had so many layers of modern ‘stuff’ that a visual survey would have been useless. We had to open up 100x100mm holes and use a borescope to understand more about the building problems. A visual non-invasive building survey will do little to reassure you unless the person carrying out the survey understands buildings and can tell what additions have been made.

Thanks jmarchitect - I have the details of a couple of local surveyors so will see how familiar each is with the Potton designs. Most Potton homes are a fairly standard timber frame design - the Caxton is a bit unusual because it also has an internal post and beam frame which is pretty easy to inspect. I don't know just how much of the structural stability of the house rests on this internal frame so I'm hoping that I can find a surveyor who is sufficiently knowledgeable.