Airey Houses

Following on from yesterdays post about Cussins Houses and the earlier one about BISF Houses, in this artical I'm talking about a different type of non-traditionally constructed dwelling - The Airey House. Both BISF and Cussins houses can be mortgaged, but Airey Houses in their original state cannot. Most of them have gone now, but used to be a common sight, often in small cul-de-sacs in village locations. They are built from reinforced concrete columns, with an external leaf of concrete panels and plasterboard dry lining on the inside. Note the tile clad top to the gable end. This is a common feature of many types of non-traditional construction.

The problem was that the concrete columns were too thin, allowing moisture to penetrate, leading to corrosion of the metal reinforcement. They were designated defective in legislation and are not mortgageable on any terms. There were (and may still be) approved repair schemes, usually involving removal of the concrete components and replacement with modern cavity brick and blockwork, as can be seen on the next photo. You may notice a difference in colour of the brickwork, indicating that the reconstruction of each semi was done at different times. Once repaired in this way, the houses should be mortgageable, provided all the necessary documentation is in place.

My other posts on building defect related matters can be found on my Facebook Page at Hallworth House Survey Education. 'Like' the page and click 'get notifications' to receive future posts on your timeline.