On Thu, 7 Aug 2003 17:18:30 +0100, "IMM" wrote:

The oldest timber framed home in the UK dates from the 11th century.
100,000s are still standing and they amount to millions of old and modern
buildings. Timber frame is brill! Most of modern homes are timber anyhow.
The roof, floors, doors, stairs, etc. take it awy and there is only a brick
and block shell left.

But you can't compare those ancient timber-framed buildings with the
modern cheapo variety! Sure, if it's a Swedish, Canadian, or
self-build home, where you can choose a design with really solid
beams, that's a different kettle of fish altogether. Without naming
names (but I sense the first letter was quite like a W or something
similar) those timber-framed houses there was so much fuss about in
the 1980s were in my opinion jerry-built rubbish.

As to the point about most modern homes consisting of timber, well,
no. Increasingly, it's MDF. I noted in one brochure that the skirting
is all MDF. Now this may well be sound enough, but it's not "timber".
Also, look at the roof trusses in an older property and compare them
with those in a new house. In the latter the timbers used are spindly
in comparison. In our village, builders recently completed a couple of
very boxy "cottages" which passers-by (me!) were able to observe from
week to week. Although the finished properties look "okay", I noted
areas during the build which I would have thought looked like a bodge.
A wavy foundation trench; uneven foundation beams; poorly fitted
fascias, and more. The road has been dug up twice to fix problems with
the wiring/plumbing/phones/drainage. Yesterday the BT van was parked
outside again. These cottages sold for £265,000 each!

I would LIKE to buy an old property! I would LOVE to buy an old
property, but everyone I know or knew who did so had tremendous
problems with (a) gazumping (b) vendor withdrawing (c) chains (d)
surveys (e) all the other problems. An old house with vacant
possession might do the trick, though. But there aren't many of them
around.

MM