Non-traditional construction

[jgiddings]

This is not exactly about self-build mortgages but it seemed the most appropriate place to put it.

 

While we were looking to buy a house conventionally, a couple of properties were listed as having 'non-traditional construction' and therefore were advertised for 'cash buyers only'.

 

How does this relate to selling a house that you have built yourself? 

 

Is 'non-traditional construction' anything that is not bricks and mortar? Where do prefab kits fall in this? Is a bricks and mortar self-build that passes building regs etc considered 'traditional' and therefore widely mortgage-able?

 

I have to admit being put off seeing the 'non-traditional construction' on a house listing - and wouldn't want our future house to be difficult to sell because we tried to make it too environmentally friendly, for example.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

James

[Jeremy Harris]

Things seem to have eased a fair bit in recent years, I think.  We bought a house that had been a self-build, using a Scandinavian timber frame kit, back in the 1990s, and had problems getting a mortgage from our building society at the time, as it was considered to be non-standard construction.  As we were living in Scotland, where timber frame is probably more common than any other form of construction, we shifted to the Royal Bank of Scotland, who had no problem at all with giving us a mortgage (this was before they grew and went out of control).

 

Our self-build here in South West England is definitely non-standard construction, it's all-timber, for a start, sitting on a foundation of polystyrene foam.  We found that getting a self-build mortgage was easy, as was getting insurance.  In fact the insurance premium is lower than that for our old smaller, brick and block built bungalow.  I can only conclude that lenders and insurers are more open to newer methods of construction than they used to be.  We did have to fill in a lengthy questionnaire for our insurer, as we didn't fit any of the categories on their web-based application form, but there were no difficulties other than that. 

[Bitpipe]

I think if you can get a mortgage on it, then it's ok.

 

Our render clad TF has not presented any challenges in that respect.

[recoveringbuilder]

We have a Street of prefabs near us built after the war that are classed as non standard construction, one was sold to a cash buyer but another was bricked up which overcame the problem and sold on the open market. We’ve had a mortgage on our first two timber frame homes and had no problem obtaining it.

[pulhamdown]

I think mortgage and insurance companies are happy with timber frame construction, but it is the outer skin which may cause issues.  They like brick or block outer skin, but more risqué materials - such as cement board rendered over, or timber cladding, as our house is - are just too much for them.  However, specialist insurers can often provide cover at less than "conventional " houses.     

[nod]

57 minutes ago, Christine Walker said:

We have a Street of prefabs near us built after the war that are classed as non standard construction, one was sold to a cash buyer but another was bricked up which overcame the problem and sold on the open market. We’ve had a mortgage on our first two timber frame homes and had no problem obtaining it.

We have the same prefabs in Preston

Not many left now 

They where built to house the Soldiers returning from the 2nd world war  They were supposed to be temporary 20 year lifespan

 

[jgiddings]

Thanks for the replies. 

 

So they are not necessarily prejudiced against self-build, but against certain styles of building?

 

I find the idea of timber frame with brick or block outer skin a bit strange, but perhaps that is just my inexperience. If you're going to use bricks/blocks, why bother with the timber? (I can imagine complex designs where this might be necessary, but I'm thinking in the context of a 1-storey cottage).

[Jeremy Harris]

FWIW our house is timber frame with a larch-clad exterior and hasn't caused any issues with either the self-build mortgage we had or insurance.

[jgiddings]

I guess my main concern is not so much for getting a mortgage to build it, but other people getting a conventional mortgage to buy it later on down the line.

[nod]

44 minutes ago, jgiddings said:

I guess my main concern is not so much for getting a mortgage to build it, but other people getting a conventional mortgage to buy it later on down the line.

I’ve opted for traditional 

But have never heard of anyone having problems getting a mortgage on a TF 

 

[recoveringbuilder]

2 hours ago, jgiddings said:

Thanks for the replies. 

 

So they are not necessarily prejudiced against self-build, but against certain styles of building?

 

I find the idea of timber frame with brick or block outer skin a bit strange, but perhaps that is just my inexperience. If you're going to use bricks/blocks, why bother with the timber? (I can imagine complex designs where this might be necessary, but I'm thinking in the context of a 1-storey cottage).

I think it’s more common in Scotland to have a brick or block outer skin, we would certainly never have considered anything but that, the thing is once the kit is up it’s wind and water tight so the work inside can be going on at the same time as the roof tiles are getting put up then the block work, much quicker than having to wait for a brick house being built before you can move on but in our inclement weather the block work outer skin gives a much sturdier feel,

[K78]

I don’t think anyone would list their house as non standard construction if it was timber framed. Most buyers don’t care if there is a block skin, but many are put off by a all timber house.

 

Silly, but that’s the way many brits are. Obsessed with bricks and mortar. 

[Gone West]

16 hours ago, jgiddings said:

This is not exactly about self-build mortgages but it seemed the most appropriate place to put it.

 

While we were looking to buy a house conventionally, a couple of properties were listed as having 'non-traditional construction' and therefore were advertised for 'cash buyers only'.

 

How does this relate to selling a house that you have built yourself? 

 

Is 'non-traditional construction' anything that is not bricks and mortar? Where do prefab kits fall in this? Is a bricks and mortar self-build that passes building regs etc considered 'traditional' and therefore widely mortgage-able?

 

I have to admit being put off seeing the 'non-traditional construction' on a house listing - and wouldn't want our future house to be difficult to sell because we tried to make it too environmentally friendly, for example.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

James

Non-traditional construction usually refers to older houses which may be all timber construction but could also be concrete such as Woolaway type houses. It is difficult to obtain mortgages for properties of that type. Modern all timber houses shouldn't be difficult to mortgage nor insure. We have built a house with a plinth of brick slip on render board and cedar cladding for the remainder and had no problem insuring it.

[SteamyTea]

An old girlfriend of mine bought a Cornish Unit, got the local builder, who was an expert on them, to do some work.

Everything was a surprise to him, he had never seen one like it before.

Strange as most were identical copies.

So maybe this is something to do with it, hard to get work done on them.

 

[Jeremy Harris]

35 minutes ago, SteamyTea said:

An old girlfriend of mine bought a Cornish Unit, got the local builder, who was an expert on them, to do some work.

Everything was a surprise to him, he had never seen one like it before.

Strange as most were identical copies.

So maybe this is something to do with it, hard to get work done on them.

 

 

 

My first house was very similar to a Cornish Unit, same sort of prefab concrete panel construction.  Many of them had proper walls built to replace the pretty dreadful precast concrete slabs (which used to rattle in a strong wind).  Out of curiosity I've just had a look on Google Earth and that house is still pretty much as it was in 1976, when I moved in.  The only obvious difference is that the old crittal windows have been replaced.  The steel front gate is the same as it was then, though.  I liked the fact that it was the answer to the meaning of life, the universe etc.

 

[Conor]

Terminology is important here. "Non-traditional" is quite different from "modern methods of construction". MMC includes ICF, timber frame, SIP etc and are accepted under the mortgage councils guidelines and you shouldn't have an issue getting a mortgage. Non traditional is anything that doesn't fit in to the traditional block/brick/stone or MMC category.