Age and type of house
What should a survey say about a 1960s cross-wall house?
It should describe the walls and floors it could see, and stop there. In this kind of house the walls that carry the floors can be built differently from the front and the back. That is a reason to look, not a diagram to paste on. If the claddings, the floors or the gables were hidden, the report should say they were hidden.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
A textbook cross-wall has structural walls across the building and lighter panels on the long faces. This house may follow that, or it may not, or it may have been altered. The surveyor did not watch it being built. A glimpse of blockwork in a cupboard does not prove the front is timber, and a brick front does not prove the cross walls. Ask for plain words about each elevation they actually looked at.
Floors can be concrete on one level and timber on another. Do not let one sentence cover both if only one was seen. A home survey does not open the floors to confirm a diagram. Unusual or altered construction is where a more detailed survey is aimed, and even then the limit is visibility. Do not tell a buyer the front is non-loadbearing unless this report saw the structure that would support that sentence.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which walls did you see the construction of, and which are only cladding?
- Are the floors the same build on each storey, or did you see only one?
- Are you describing this house, or a diagram of the type?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask the report to separate what was seen from what is only typical of the era.
- Do not remove a front wall on the strength of a type name.
- If the structure is unclear and you need it clear, ask an engineer. Do not invent the diagram.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Does a 1960s date prove the front is a panel?
No. The date is not the wall. The survey should say what this front appeared to be.
Does a concrete floor prove the roof is the same build?
No. A floor the survey saw is not a description of a roof it did not see. Ask what each part actually was.