Pre-190025.1% of homes here
Normally solid walls of brick or stone with no cavity, lime mortar, timber suspended floors and lath-and-plaster internally. Any damp-proof course is either slate or absent altogether.
What we usually find. Damp at low level is the most frequent finding, usually where a slate damp-proof course has been bridged by raised ground or by later solid floors and cement render. Chimney stacks, roof coverings and rainwater goods are often at or beyond the end of their serviceable lives, and earlier repointing in cement rather than lime can trap moisture and spall the brick face.
Worth knowing. Solid walls cannot be treated like cavity walls. Injected chemical courses and internal tanking frequently move the problem rather than resolve it, so the cause matters more than the last remedy applied.
1945–196420.6% of homes here
Post-war rebuilding, largely cavity-walled, but including system-built and non-traditional types — reinforced concrete, steel frame and prefabricated panels — put up quickly to address the housing shortage.
What we usually find. The conventional stock of this period is usually straightforward. Non-traditional construction is a different matter: some types are designated defective, and most lenders treat them differently or decline them, which affects both mortgageability and resale.
Worth knowing. Identifying the construction type is the first job on anything of this age that does not look conventionally built. A Level 3 survey is normally the right choice here, and lending should be confirmed early.
1983–199918.3% of homes here
Insulated cavity walls, trussed rafter roofs, uPVC windows and, increasingly, timber-frame construction behind a brick outer skin. Most carry a warranty from new.
What we usually find. Generally sound, with issues tending to be maintenance rather than construction: sealed-unit windows losing their seal, render cracking, and condensation where ventilation has not kept pace with later draught-proofing.
Worth knowing. Timber frame behaves differently from masonry and should not be altered as though it were solid. Removing or breaching an internal wall without advice can be a real problem.
These are tendencies of the local stock, not findings on any particular house. A well-maintained Victorian terrace can be in better order than a neglected 1990s semi, which is the entire reason a survey is done on the building in front of you rather than on its postcode.
