Buying non standard construction

[Misty9]

I'm really torn and am hoping the hive mind might be of help. I've offered on a house I really like but it's non standard construction, a dorlonco to be precise (steel framed) and there are other parties offering so it's going to best and final sealed offers. But now I'm getting cold feet about the non standard construction aspect. The current owners bought 5 years ago and say the survey didn't throw up any issues but I'm guessing I'd need an invasive survey done myself.

It has a huge garden which is the main draw, but the bedrooms are a little small and the bathroom is tiny. But I'd extend and there's already planning permission in place for that.

It's at guide price already so I don't know what to offer and I don't know if I should pull out altogether! The road is mostly that type of house and it seems frim zoopla that most have never been sold so must be council occupied? The area isn't the nicest though it seemed fine when I looked around (more than once) but being able to afford anything where I currently am is unlikely.

What shall I do?? Do I go ahead with an offer? Or not touch it with a bargepole? My mortgage advisor tells me getting a mortgage wouldn't be an issue, and preliminary home insurance quotes are fine too.

Help!

Hopeful bump for the morning as clearly I was up a bit late...

Talk to insurance companies about how hard it will be to insure?

We live in a non standard construction house and have a mortgage with NatWest, home insurance was fine. The houses round here sell v quickly and our house is about £80k less than others that aren't NSC. We simply could not have afforded another house here. They are all council or ex council, which I like as council houses were built for humans not property developers! We had a steel survey done which involves drilling a small hole.

However. I do worry about resell in the future. And the house itself aside, you don't actually seem very keen on it!

I did really like it when I looked round but the stress of the bidding process has taken some of the shine off! @HereThereIsNoWhy is noise from neighbours an issue?

Not at all, it's the quietest house we've ever lived in. Barely hear them and that's with sharing the main walls and both our neighbours and us have young kids. It's a very peaceful house.

I previously lived in a rented Victorian house which everyone always says are like tanks etc but could hear literally everything from next door!

www.bisfhouse.com/ has quite a bit of info, and the site admins are pretty knowledgeable! You'll need to get a survey to assess the condition of the frame - they take a few bricks out from the corners and look. If there is corrosion, it will need dealing with, but that's unlikely.

We've been in our steel frame bungalow for a year; no problem with insurance, Nationwide for mortgage without any problems.

Your internal walls are very unlikely to be structural, so making changes is pretty easy. Two doors down from us ripped out every wall in 2 days and have complete reconfigured!

But, if this isn't your forever home,or at least very long term, I'd say be wary. There is a lot of misinformation in the net about how they are unmortagable etc, which can affect your buyers. Plus you are buying under market price, so you could up pricing yourself out of your current area if house prices rise too much.

If it is NSC that in itself can be a problem but what would put me off is the area.

You can make a house lovely inside but if it is in a not great area that will end up being your issues.

I personally wouldn’t proceed

Dorlonco isn’t the same as some similar NSC in that if memory serves me right the steel frame is hidden behind the brick work and if there is a problem then to get to it you have to remove the “brickwork” to get to it.

I'd also caution against buying in an area you don't like. Not just for the usual reasons of it being the most important factor in happiness, but because a "good" area will insulate you to an extent from the risks of NSC.

It's not so much that I don't like the area, more that I don't know it. It's the other side of the city to where I currently am, and where all my friends are. But the only areas I'd afford where I am are similarly slightly dodgy.

I am thinking with my concerns about the area and the house that I should pull out though...