The Natural Philosopher wrote:
Phil L wrote:
flash wrote:
Hi,
I'm hoping that someone here can help?
I'm thinking of buying a house that I've been told is constructed
with a steel frame (I think they said it was a Hawksley type!).
Various people have tried to put me off, including my current
mortgage lender, because they say there are problems with the
design. I'd appreciate any other points of view on it.
I believe it was built sometime in the Seventies!

TIA

Walk away.

These houses were built as cheaply as possible, there's an estate of
them around here - most of them have a corrugated steel roof.
Someone I know purchased one (very cheap) mainly for the massive rear
garden....the 'walls' are chicken wire mesh, rendered and
pebbledashed (outside) and the same inside but skimmed....this is
only downstairs - upstairs is the same as the roof - corrugated
steel. Their only advantage is the price, they're as cheap as chips,
other
than that, they're horrid.
If pricewise it's the only thing you can afford, then go for it, but
bear in mind that they don't go up in value very much due to their
construction
OTOH calculate what a decent house at £60 a sq foot construction would
be worth on the same site.

Then sweet talk the bank manager into a loan, knock the steel down and
rebuild. You MIGHT make a profit.

Not possible I'm afraid, these types of houses were built as cheaply as
posible and are usually in pairs or blocks of four or six...therefore the
steelwork frame is 'shared'.

The OP doesn't stipulate whether it's a semi or a mid terraced, but I'm
prepared to wager the larger of my gonads on it being a semi.
:-p