Is this house a prefab?

[Tristan.]

I'm looking at houses currently, I've found one that I like. But I'm pretty sure it's a prefab, which'll effect who'll do me a mortgage. I asked the agent but she didn't know. Any inputs?

It looks like this
https://cdn.bikechatforums.com/files/screen_shot_2012-02-05_at_19.33.03.png

The thing that makes me think it may be pebble-dashed bricks is the little row of blocks at the bottom, but that could just be a base that the prefab goes on.

https://cdn.bikechatforums.com/files/screen_shot_2012-02-05_at_19.32.42.png

[calyx]

No, not prefab.
Roof is too heavy, windows aren't big.
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Boris - London

[Flip]

That's because it's pebble dashed. They leave the bottom bricks showing because of the damp course.

Edit: Strange little bricks.

[LordShaftesbu...]

Isn't that row just bricks end-on?

[Flip]

[Raffles]

[Tristan.]

[Barry_M2]

[angryjonny]

[iooi]

Ask the neighbours..... Looks like council stock. Could try asking them.

Often a good guide is much hung on the walls. Concrete prefabs can be hard to get stuff like wall cupboards to stay up.
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Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......

[delsol]

Definitely not pre-fab, most likely to be roughcast render on 'brick-on-brick' or 'brick-on-block' cavity wall.

Possibly a 'no-fines concrete' construction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wimpey_no-fines_house , less likely is brick on timber frame - but possible.

delsol

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

+1 to that's not a prefab.
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[.Chris.]

Doesn't look like any of the common types of prefab. The exposed engineering bricks are not indicative of a pre-fab construction. They're exposed to stop the render bridging the DPC, and are often used as the damp-proof layer themselves.

Probably best to get a surveyor to look at it if you're thinking of buying.
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Chris
1985 Kawasaki Z550F

[Tristan.]

Cheers for the inputs. Very useful.

Any other advice is appreciated. I've read guides on viewing houses but experienced opinions are always better. It's a little daunting.

[iooi]

Run a few ins quotes for house, car, bike... Always a good indication.
If going for a 2nd viewing, make it a diffrent time of day.
Take a trip round the area in a evening/weekend.
Try to talk to neighbours and get a feel for what they are like.
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Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......

[stinkwheel]

Some tips:

1) The street is full of houses like that. Check they all have the same roof and rendering. Look along the whole street for any cracks in the rendering, especially at the corners of the windows.

2) Have a wander down the street and see if there is anyone about who looks like they own their house (as opposed to it being a council owned one, you can usually tell by modifications like the one to the right of your picture). Ask about them, say you're looking at buying one and have they had any problems with it.

3) You can get a full extract from the land registry for £8. This will tell you a lot about the property, when it was made, who owns it now and how much they paid for it and when. Totally worth every penny. It told me one of the houses I was looking at recently was a reposession, if it is walk away because the estate agents WILL bugger you about.

4) Look on the local council planning department. You ought to be able to find out about any planning applications and building warrants taken out on those houses within the last five years. You can find out what people have been fixing on those houses. You can also find the pending planning applications for the new motorway they are building across the back gardens etc.
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[Cunnington]

It is not of similar construction to a Doran bungalow, which is a typical post war prefabricated building.

Dorans were made by casting a 2" thick concrete panel with a 2" x 2" timber frame fixed to the back. The panels were joined together using non ferrous fixings and plasterboard was fixed onto the timber frame.

The main give-away is that the walls are only 4" thick so the windows are flush with the external face of the concrete panel.

It may be that an external leaf of brick or block has been built external to the concrete, but that is unlikely given the header bond (brick end on) on the exposed engineering brick below the render, which is used to tie two leaves of brickwork together. In any case, if it were an external leaf, this gets away from the precast construction which appears to be causing the OP concern.
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[Rockhopper]

Any non standard construction will cause you grief come mortgage time. Its not this though is it?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mundic

[TUG]

looks pretty fabulous to me darling.
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