Buying an old timber-framed weatherboard house - pitfalls?

[SarfEast1cated]

Hi all! After living in a Victorian terraced house for 12 years I think I know the pitfalls of the type of building - damp, condensation, drafts etc... We are now thinking of an older house described below by English Heritage:
"Cl8 altered in mid C19. 3 storeys weatherboarded. Slate roof. Gable with curved bargeboards. 1 sash with glazing bars intact. On the 2 lower floors this is a 3-light canted bay. Left side wooden doorcase with cornice, brackets and rectangular fanlight..."
I know getting a mortgage on a timber framed house can be difficult - but is there anything else we should be aware of? Is it likely to be a moneypit?
What do you think? Any thoughts appreciated

It definitely needs some attention being paid to the paintwork sooner rather than later. It already looks more than tired and is starting to flake on the fascias. You would need to address this before the wood gets damaged by the elements.
It would depend on the actual wording of any listing as to the extent it covers. Earlier this year I did some work on a Grade 2 listed house in Hampstead Garden Suburb and it was a right pain in the arse including the fact you weren't allowed to change the door paint colour it had to be an exact match but I've done work on grade 2 and 2* properties in other areas and it's been a much more reasonable process.

Changing paid colour is more relevant if it's in a conservation area

A listing covers an entire building, inside, outside, new bits, old bits. They're all included

Grade II is less onerous than II* or I and you wouldn't need to seek advice from Historic England (the new name for the designation / legislation part of English Heritage

It doesn't sound as if you want to do any work, which would always require LBC

I'd be super attentive to the state of the wood, any damp or rot or infestation could be calamitous.

You'd need to be extra vigilant with maintenance, checking gutters, down pipes, drains regularly and keeping the paint in tip top condition

Sorry, I see you'd want to insulate. It would have to be internal and would require listed building consent. You might run into problems if the internal wall coverings are original. If you did get permission you'd probs have to have them re done in a lime plaster rather than bunging up plaster board and skimming over. That would need a specialist tradesperson, take longer in application and drying out time and thus extra £££

I'd also worry about the permeability of something like kingspan. Any kind of impermeable membrane in a house like they would equal certain rot

Crikey thanks for your replies! It does look tired and I was thinking of trying to get the cost of repainting off of the asking price I don't feel the need to change the colour, but I would like it to be reasonably warm. I will need to find out if it has been insulated and with what!
Thanks for taking time to reply

Titchy

[http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-175447-19-wilberforce-road-sandgate-kent#.VkzDa8qo2fc Grade II listing]]

epc uploaded.

obviously if it isn't timber framed it would be easier all round!

Oh that is really pretty

It looks nice inside - but do have a close look - the main thing I'd be worried about is the potential to find insects or rot somewhere. That's scary enough in a normal old house but you will need a deep, deep survey on this one.

We're just up the coast and Sandgate is beautiful

Lovely house, I can see why it appeals. We had Arcitect, Surveyor, Structural Engineer and Builder all on board when we did ours.

In a house as old as this one, people will have been maintaining it for years with all sorts of materials, so expect to find some odd things. Beetle infestation could be a major problem. Have the current owners got any guarantees for treatment?

As regards insulation, it is a technical balance between cold air, moisture and warm air. Your Surveyor and or Architect would advise you.

Hmm weird. The estate agent details would normally mention grade 2 listing and a nonstandard construction. Have you asked them why they didn't? They may have some revealing information the EPC surveyor doesn't have.

It is odd isn't it titchy no idea why they would leave that info out, it would save time all round wouldn't it, I'll try to find some time today to speak to them.

JT all of those professional fees sound expensive - we'll have to think about that.

Anastasie the thought of a beetle infestation gives me the heebijeebies - how would a surveyor ever really know?

neeps I can't stand low ceilings either.

We looked at several listed houses that the EA details didn't mention their status. They knew about it when asked but didn't put it on the details, which seeing some had some serious maintenance issues was quite a key point - £50-60k replacement listed roof anybody? Mind you we also saw a 5 bed house that I couldn't for the life of me find the last 2 bedrooms.... Because there weren't 2 more bedrooms, there was potential for 2 more bedrooms in the loft!
Some EA are good, some are middling and some are useless so&so's - I always assume EA details are only a very rough guide.

We live in NZ where weatherboard houses are normal. But ours is a timber frame with weatherboards on the outside and plaster board on the inside. No insulation. Just a small gap in between. My understanding is that to insulate you have to remove the plasterboard, add the insulation then redo the plasterboard.

The temp here never goes below zero but it is still hard to keep the temp up in winter. Don't get me started on our windows.

That house (which is lovely) may be completely different but is worth finding out.

Kia Ora Southern I have stayed in a few NZ houses and you're right, they are a bit drafty! Beautiful though.

They might have had previous treatment (preventative or symptomatic) and will have certification if so.
A survey would have to be the full on type, and that would mean they would go in the attics, lift carpets and so on looking for evidence.

This type of construction is also the norm in Norway. Maybe some research into how they deal with problems in their old houses might help. Some date back to 17th century.

I would speak to your local listed building officer before you commit. Decisions can vary hugely depending on the personality in the chair at the time. It is quite likely that they would not let you add insulation on the walls internally.