bathroom wall in my flat

[the_flash]

Hi this is my first post so please bare with me.
I am in the process of buying my first flat and have a question.
In the bathroom the back wall I think leads onto the kitchen of the flat next door, now the bottom half of the wall seems to be solid (not sure if its brick or breese block) while the top half seem to be a stud wall as it sounds hollow. the flats were built in the mid 60's is this normal or is it something I should worry about?
Thanks in advance.

 

[simoniris]

Only worry if you like total privacy while engaging in actvities in the smallest room or if the neighbours have particularly disruptive 'kitchen' habits.
Structurally it is unlikely to be an issue - although without seeing it this is purely an assumption based on the fact that residents have managed to get a mortgage before.
Best option is to get your own surveyor in to have a look at it. If you want acoustic performance improving he can point you in the direction of Soundbloc plasterboard etc.
Point it out to the mortgage surveyor when he visits and even if it's only in the least bit squiffy there is a small chance he could recommend against lending, which I imagine you don't want to happen.
My recent experiences with mortgage surveyors is they don't know their chute from their shovel - never mind the nuances of structural integrity.....
Just ask the neighbours if they'd mind being quiet until the survey is done.....

 

[the_flash]

we've done the survey that came back fine, its just my wife is worried that that the wall is half and half so I was really looking for confirmation that this is common/normal

 

[simoniris]

I wouldn't say it's either but it's not catastrophic. Is it a conversion of an old building? If so it may be that the floor level was different in the area and has been lowered/raised causing it to join a solid wall which has been extended in studwork. It may just be an old window or similar which has been boarded up - has the building been extended?

 

[the_flash]

no they are purpose built flats it is the whole length of the wall and they are both on the ground floor

 

[simoniris]

In that case stud walls are standard practice internally in flats. The question isn't so much why is it stud above but why is it solid below? I'm out of ideas without seeing it - any chance of photos, floorplan?

 

[the_flash]

here is a floor plan from the estate agents but the bathroom actually sticks slightly out past the kitchen and the window is in the south wall not the west as shown
http://www.andrewsonline.co.uk/buying-selling/property-details.aspx?ID=40219

 

[simoniris]

Is the door shown on the south wall the front door shown in the photo taken from outside?
Which is the wall which is part solid part stud?

 

[the_flash]

no that door leads to the hall way the door in the photo is the main communial door.
the wall that is half and half is the west wall. I just noticed the photo of the bathroom is also wrong as the bath is on the south wall and the toilet and sink are on the west, would that make a difference?