Colt wooden house

rmenmuir · Post: # 64065Post **rmenmuir** » Wed Jul 04, 2007 8:58 am

I'm in the process of buying a Colt-built wooden framed house. I've had some helpful information from Colt themselves but wondered if anyone else has any experience of them?

In particular, I'm looking for a surveyor with experience of wooden framed buidlings but any information about maintenance, pitfalls, advantages etc would be very helpful.

Thanks

Richard

ohareward · Wed Jul 04, 2007 10:52 am

Most of our houses here in NZ are timber framed. They sit on either a concrete slab foundation or a concrete foundation with wooden floors. Because NZ is earthquake prone, we have very strict building codes. I thought that all houses in UK were brick or stone. What type of timber is used?

Robin

rmenmuir · Post: # 64110Post **rmenmuir** » Wed Jul 04, 2007 1:30 pm

I'm not too sure but I think they are softwood frames with cedar shingles on the outside. Colt have been making them since the early 1900s. The one I'm in the process of buying has hardwood double glazing and hardwood panelling on the inside - very '70s! We're going to have another closer look at it this weekend.

Apparently mortgage lenders in this country are not too keen on lending on anything that's not brick built.

Thomzo · Post: # 64145Post **Thomzo** » Wed Jul 04, 2007 5:57 pm

There have been a few wooden houses on Grand Designs and they seem to get morgages OK. I guess you might need to go to a lender that specialises.

Zoe

Bukormen · Post: # 72176Post **Bukormen** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 3:13 pm

rmenmuir wrote:Apparently mortgage lenders in this country are not too keen on lending on anything that's not brick built.

If you ask Colt they say this do mortgage on Colt houses: Nationwide, HSBC, Barcley's, Woolich and the Ecology
Of these I would have thought Ecology is best. (Sounds best at least.)

Shirley · Post: # 72177Post **Shirley** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 3:17 pm

I'll ask my other half (David) to comment here - he used to work for a couple of companies doing timber framed buildings out of green oak and also was a surveyor.

rmenmuir · Post: # 72181Post **rmenmuir** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 4:31 pm

Thanks for the help on this but the sale fell through - there were big problems with the survey (not to do with it being a wooden house!)

We had no problem with transferring our mortgage with our current lender (Halifax) and I managed to find a local surveyor who was experienced in wood frame houses.

It does mean we haven't yet moved and realising The Dream is a bit further off than we would like! Still - we're not giving up!

Annpan · Post: # 72217Post **Annpan** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 7:39 pm

sorry to hear that

Still, it obviously wasn't meant to be. Something else will turn up I am sure