Crosswall Construction

The term ‘Crosswall’ relates to dwellings with brick party or gable end walls and timber frame front and rear elevations. They are often constructed on reinforced concrete raft type foundations. Roof structures are traditional timber beams and covered with tiles. The timber frame sections are often very thin. The front walls of the centre and right hand houses in the photograph below are partly clad with timber and part metal sheeting. Some may be clad with asbestos cement panels.

Many people may regard Crosswall construction as traditional, but it is fundamentally different to truly traditionally constructed houses, therefore is included in this series of blog posts about non-traditional construction. Note that the front elevation of the property to left of the photograph has been modified. The brick and tile face and different window positions suggest the wall has been rebuilt in masonry. Houses of Crosswall construction do not usually pose any significant problems for mortgage lending, but it is important that the external faces of the front and rear elevations are well maintained to reduce the risk of timber decay.