Timber-framed houses are very common in the UK. It is right to say that a large proportion of homes are timber-framed in the country. These houses have been built in the UK for centuries and haven’t been impacted by modern infrastructure.
However, many people don’t know how they can tell if a house is timber-framed. If you also stand among those and are looking for assistance in giving the answer to this question, we have got you covered here.
In the following section, we have discussed the entire procedure on how to tell if a house is timber-framed. Let’s read about this blog in detail to understand the process!
How You Can Tell if a House is Timber Framed?
For people in the UK, it is important to check if a house is timber-framed or not before they make a purchase or get one on rent. To check this, they ask professionals to come for deep inspection. Undoubtedly, it is good to get a deep inspection before getting a property.
However, you can get an idea about timber-framing on your own. Here, we have listed some effective tips and techniques that you can try in this regard.
Tap Test
The easiest way to find timber-framed houses is through simple tapping. You are actually tapping the plasterboard-mounted timber and analysing its sound for an exact answer. The sound that you will get from a timber-framed house is a little bit different.
If you are getting a pattern of sound of timber studs, it shows that you are tapping on the timber-framed house. However, you will get a hollow sound from cavity wall with a plasterboarded inner surface.
Windows Inspection
Another signal through which you can check a timber-framed house is window inspection. If the specific property has windows slightly recessed in the wall, it indicates that the house is made with a timber frame.
However, it is not accurate in all cases as it can also indicate that the windows are replaced after some time. Therefore, you must consider this option again and try the other one or ask the owner for the right answer.
Wall Thickness Checking
The wall thickness of a timber-frame house is less than that of traditional houses. The average thickness of every wall varies from 250 to 300mm. In modern homes, it is around 300mm, which indicates that the home is made with timber frame.
The main purpose of keeping its thickness low is to make a timber-framed house more space efficient.
Open Prepends
Another factor that can give you confirmation of a timber frame house is open prepends. It means that you can see vertical gaps in the brickwork of such homes. You can clearly see a ventilated plastic spacer in a timber-framed house.
Documents Evaluation
If you don’t want to perform a test to tell if a house is timber-framed or not, the only thing you can do is to check the documents of the house. Every house in the UK has proper documentation in which everything is mentioned like area covered, material used, and structure information.
From the document, you will get the exact and accurate information about the material and infrastructure of the home.
Final Verdict
By reading this blog, you must have got the answer to how to tell if a house is timber framed in the UK. We have listed only those effective methods that will help you get the exact and accurate answer instead of feeling confused.