Timber Frame House or not?

[Maffy52]

Is it possible to tell from this photo if the house is a timber frame construction?

 

[Scally-Ho]

Not from that brick facing, no. As a hunch, I'd guess trad construct with block inner skin, but I would need to go inside before I gave a definitive answer.

 

[Notch7]

It is possible to from the photo the quality of the silicone work around the windows…….

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

It is possible to from the photo the quality of the silicone work around the windows…….

How does that show what's behind the brickwork?

 

[Maffy52]

Not from that brick facing, no. As a hunch, I'd guess trad construct with block inner skin, but I would need to go inside before I gave a definitive answer.

understood. The house was built in 1999, so I assumed most likely block inner skin.

But the window looked quite 'set back', like it was behind the brickwork, and it made me think it may be a timber frame structure.

How would I be able to tell definitively if the house is a block or timber inner skin?

 

[Scally-Ho]

Absolute definitively? Employ a registered surveyor.

 

[Maffy52]

Absolute definitively? Employ a registered surveyor.

understood, yes, I intend to, but trying to work out as much as possible beforehand.
Does an internal photo help or not really?

 

[Maffy52]

It is possible to from the photo the quality of the silicone work around the windows…….

thanks Notch, can you explain, I can't get what you mean.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

You can ask the owner - it doesn't look that old and typically when you move into a new build they provide some bumf on the construction, you would hope they'd know, you can look in the loft at the top of the walls under the eaves but might be a bit awkward, you can have a look behind a wall socket or maybe inside the meter boxes if inset into the walls, or look at the gable or party walls in the loft for clues, it will (or should) be plasterboarded if its timber frame, you can tap the walls to see if they sound solid or not but of little use if the walls are dot and dab on masonry, certainly if internal walls were solid it would be pretty safe to assume the inner skin was masonry too. Does it matter that much anyway? It wouldn't really put me off.

 

[Maffy52]

You can ask the owner - it doesn't look that old and typically when you move into a new build they provide some bumf on the construction, you would hope they'd know, you can look in the loft at the top of the walls under the eaves but might be a bit awkward, you can have a look behind a wall socket or maybe inside the meter boxes if inset into the walls, or look at the gable or party walls in the loft for clues, it will (or should) be plasterboarded if its timber frame, you can tap the walls to see if they sound solid or not but of little use if the walls are dot and dab on masonry, certainly if internal walls were solid it would be pretty safe to assume the inner skin was masonry too. Does it matter that much anyway? It wouldn't really put me off.

thanks, really helpful!
You ask, does it matter? I'm not sure tbh.
I feel more 'comfortable' with block and brick (tried and tested? familiar?)...
I know a lot of new houses are timber now. Given the age of this house (1999), it got me wondering. I thought
it would be easy to tell, but I now see that's not the case...

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

The loft is the easiest method probably, 1999 house my money would be on traditional cavity walls and stud walls inside but you never can tell ....

 

[noseall]

Is it possible to tell from this photo if the house is a timber frame construction?

View attachment 385904

Cavity walls. Weep vents. Standard lintels. Site standard cav fix windows.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Sure but not guaranteed at all, you can have all that with timber framed houses.

 

[Maffy52]

Sure but not guaranteed at all, you can have all that with timber framed houses.

It has an integral garage. Would it likely be block then?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

You can have all the normal stuff in a timber frame house that a traditional masonry house could have. But you've asked the question, there is no way of telling for sure except some of the methods suggested in this thread. You can have a look inside the garage for any clues too. But you are not going to find out for sure by looking at pics of the outside. But what makes you think it's timber frame?