First time buyer

dalehitchy1 · 2 Feb 2017 at 19:47

I looked at this house the other day

I'm pretty happy with the size, and although a lot of it does need doing up it looks to me that no major work needs doing to me. So I've put a low ball offer in to see what they come back with.

One thing I noticed on the house, tapping the walls, is that every wall seemed hollow. I expected it internally. But even on the external walls at the edge of the house where brick is??? Is this built differently to most houses or just the way they are built now?

Dis86 · 2 Feb 2017 at 19:48

That's normal.

dalehitchy1 · 2 Feb 2017 at 19:56

Dis86 said:
That's normal.

Hmmm i have lived in 6 houses and never had one like that on the external wall...

Fubsy · 2 Feb 2017 at 19:58

A new build flat that I live in is like this, but I know what you mean - my mother's house has solid exterior walls, but it's colder than a witch's tit in there.

Dis86 · 2 Feb 2017 at 20:00

dalehitchy1 said:
Hmmm i have lived in 6 houses and never had one like that on the external wall...

Like I said, it's normal.

dalehitchy1 · 6 Feb 2017 at 14:51

94k accepted.... I'm happy :-)

GeForce · 6 Feb 2017 at 15:34

Is it timber framed? If so there will be a void between the drywall and the frame and brick cladding, so they sound hollow (ours is like this).

dalehitchy1 · 6 Feb 2017 at 18:02

GeForce said:
Is it timber framed? If so there will be a void between the drywall and the frame and brick cladding, so they sound hollow (ours is like this).

I believe it is.... The cladding threw me off. The epc rating on the house is D so it's not bad. I was reading up on insulation on houses like this and it's not recommend to put it between the brick and the plasterboard. How do you find heating in your house?

I asked a neighbour of this property if she found her home warm and she said yes. The boards do seem thin though, I'm wondering about sound levels now between bedrooms.

GeForce · 6 Feb 2017 at 19:00

dalehitchy1 said:
I believe it is.... The cladding threw me off. The epc rating on the house is D so it's not bad. I was reading up on insulation on houses like this and it's not recommend to put it between the brick and the plasterboard. How do you find heating in your house?

I asked a neighbour of this property if she found her home warm and she said yes. The boards do seem thin though, I'm wondering about sound levels now between bedrooms.

Ours is a mid-terrace, EPC D, all double glazed, gas central heating. Stays very nice and warm, we spend about £25/mo on gas on average. The main thing lacking is the loft insulation (job for the summer!).

The soundproofing here is great actually, between houses it's double skin plasterboard on each side of the frame, so 4 layers in total. Never hear anything from the neighbours. Outside sounds are very well insulated too, the plasterboard+void+cladding makes for a very soundproof barrier. The double glazing helps of course.

Between rooms the sound insulation is not fantastic but not as bad as new builds (ours is 1985).

dalehitchy1 · 6 Feb 2017 at 19:26

GeForce said:
Ours is a mid-terrace, EPC D, all double glazed, gas central heating. Stays very nice and warm, we spend about £25/mo on gas on average. The main thing lacking is the loft insulation (job for the summer!).

The soundproofing here is great actually, between houses it's double skin plasterboard on each side of the frame, so 4 layers in total. Never hear anything from the neighbours. Outside sounds are very well insulated too, the plasterboard+void+cladding makes for a very soundproof barrier. The double glazing helps of course.

Between rooms the sound insulation is not fantastic but not as bad as new builds (ours is 1985).

Ah your property sounds like a very similar build to this one, I believe it was built the same year and has an EPC rating of D, the only difference this being an end terrace. When I was inside I didnt notice any sound from the roads which is good because there is a farely busy road not far away, but between rooms I dont think it will be very good either. Not a problem anyway.