1925-1930 semi detached houses

[sheffmiller 10]

Hello

 

Currently live in a 2 bed semi detached (built 1965). It's been a great house ffor the last 10 years, but I'm now moving on to a 3 bed semi , built around 1925-1930. I really like the look of these houses because they have great character.

 

Just wondered if any one can advise of any common problems to houses built in this era that may crop up, and as anyone had any issue with bad soundproofing issues?

[spider1 11]

Make sure it has 11inch cavity walls as some around this age only had 9inch walls no cavity

[Bilge 34]

The kitchen will most likely be too small. So knock through to make a kitchen/diner or extend out the back, or both.

[lobster 54]

black ash mortar

[Tiberius 10]

Problem i had with mine is the wall holding the bay window had moved away from the main house wall. This wasnt really structural as mine was only a downstairs only bay window version of house. It Would be drastically worst if it was an upstairs and downstairs bay version.

[spider1 11]

Problem i had with mine is the wall holding the bay window had moved away from the main house wall. This wasnt really structural as mine was only a downstairs only bay window version of house. It Would be drastically worst if it was an upstairs and downstairs bay version.

 

Yes a common prob especially if it has a cellar. Bays have a tendacy to move away on main roads with heavy traffic . Costly to remedy as well

[ekilopter 10]

some of these houses built around this time were built using black mortar which contains high levels of sulphur and over the years it reacts with the damp and creates a corrosive substance which rots the wall ties and causes the inner and outer walls to move, we had this problem and we had to have the entire outer leaf taken down and rebuilt, I believe this was the reason many older council houses were demolished (Manor) so be sure to have a structural survey carried out to ensure it is sound.

[JackK0 10]

If you are planning to renovate it and it hasn't been already be prepared for a lot of dust, soot & black ash if you are taking the walls back and taking the ceilings down. Also if it hasn't had a rewire or a re-roof

 

Other than that the kitchens are usually small I knocked my dining room through to the kitchen and made it a big kitchen with a tabe in the middle but thats just how I wanted it

[onlineo 10]

Leaks, droughts, no cavity in the walls, rooms to small, no insulation at all, half of the house upstairs was build to the wrong brick level causing a sloped floor, fireplace was structurally unsupported for underneath, so if you stood on it you would have gone into the cellar. These were the ones that we uncovered in our house a couple of years ago, most have simple fixes.

[Margarita Ma 10]

Mine has Contiboard ceilings a sort of expanded cardboard and Next doors television can be heard through the adjoining wall as can their newish boiler which was put in on the party wall without consultation and can be heard in my bedroom.

[Hogg 10]

The houses of this period that I have visited feel much smaller inside than their outside appearance indicates, as to my mind, they are very nice looking houses. When invited into the hallway it feels like a very narrow passage down to an often galley kitchen. If not considerably extended, even the non-galley kitchens look too small for a dining table. Generally, the other two downstairs rooms are very small as well - with correspondingly small bedrooms upstairs - the third bedroom very often being minuscule. They often have decent sized gardens though, so extension may be possible. Another problem might be noise through the party wall. I have a friend who lives in one - she says the noise is very noticeable. However, if you can afford to add a largish extension and noise-proof the party wall, you could have a very good house - good luck.

[Justin Smith 10]

Just to give the other side, many older houses were built better, not made out of chipboard, cheap softwood, bricks full of voids and plasterboard. Our old house was a 1930s semi and we had very few problems with it apart from the obvious, e.g. the wooden windows needed maintenance till we replaced them. Ironically, the 1980s built extension needed far more maintenance than the 1930s house !