Timber frame house advise.

eddie.g

I am looking at buying a timber frame house at the moment. This particular house is approx 15 years old and has been vacent for the past 2 years with the water,heating and electricity turned off.

Since the house has not been lived in for 2 years would there be a chance that this time would have caused damage to the house?


what should i look out for while checking out the house?
Can anyone recommend a good strucutural engineer in the midlands?

any advice would be greatly appreciated!

engineermike

Hi OP,
A 15 year old timber frame structure shouldn't have any issues with the heat / and power being off for 2 years. However take care (as with any property that has been sitting idle ) when running the heat / service water for the first time that pipes haven't been cracked during some recent bad winters.
There are a no. of timber frame types (closed frame platform panel systems or modular single skin systems) that are not appropriate for our climate and were built to a certain extent in our country of late.
Otherwise your looking for signs of damp, moisture or the usual structural defects.
Mike f

eddie.g

thanks for the help engineermike.

would this help

edit: dont link to company websites
sydthebeat

would the frame have soaked up moisture.



i spotted no dampness
where would be the places to look?

engineermike

Hi Eddie,
Signs of dampness - Look for signs around protrusions through the fabric of the house - Windows doors, etc. In the rooms - particularly the rooms on cold / weathered sides of the building ( northern elevation / western elevation ) - Look for signs in the upper faces of walls, around reveals of windows.

I wouldn't give much credence to thermal imaging - due to the fact that the timber frame structures imaged for me in the past give false readings of missing insulation / slumped insulation & cold bridging.
Also this is not the best time of year to be carrying out thermal imaging.
Mike F

eddie.g

engineermike wrote: »

Hi Eddie,
Signs of dampness - Look for signs around protrusions through the fabric of the house - Windows doors, etc. In the rooms - particularly the rooms on cold / weathered sides of the building ( northern elevation / western elevation ) - Look for signs in the upper faces of walls, around reveals of windows.

I wouldn't give much credence to thermal imaging - due to the fact that the timber frame structures imaged for me in the past give false readings of missing insulation / slumped insulation & cold bridging.
Also this is not the best time of year to be carrying out thermal imaging.
Mike F

what time of year is good for thermal imaging?

due to the fact that the house has been unlived in for two years im just worried that there could be some hidden damage to the structure to the house!

engineermike

Hi,
Best time for thermal imaging is Autumn - Winter - Spring. More conclusive readings are gained with colder external temp.'s when thermal surveying property.
The best way to test for moisture in timber structure ( your looking for moisture readings below 22% ) - is with a traditional damp meter. However this does involve pilot holes in the the skin of the structure. It can be done with out to much disturbance - but normally wouldn't be warranted unless visual survey noted points of concern in the home that warranted further investigation.
(And of course permission would have to be sought from vendor if required).
Mike F