Non-standard construction
The profiled cladding at the base of a BISF house is loose and the upper sheets look fixed. What steel behind the tight sheets was not seen?
The steel behind the upper sheets that still look fixed was not seen. On this BISF house the profiled cladding is loose at the base, so the inspection could note that loose edge and whatever steel, if any, showed there. The upper sheets that look tight were not taken off. Looking fixed is an appearance of the cladding, not an opening. The survey has not described the frame, the sheeting or the fixings concealed by those tight sheets. A loose base does not become a tour of the steel higher up.
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?
BISF houses were built with a steel frame and profiled steel cladding. Where a base sheet has come loose, you can see the construction at that edge: a flange, a fixing, a patch of rust. That glimpse stops where the next sheet stays clipped on. The upper cladding can look orderly and still hide corrosion, old repairs or missing insulation against the steel. The survey recorded the loose base. It did not unclip the sheets that looked fixed, and it did not claim to have seen the steel they cover.
Ask a specialist used to BISF houses whether the loose base is a local fixing and whether any sheet needs to come off to see the frame. That is separate from this report. Tell the solicitor the upper cladding was not opened. If a lender asks about the steel, give them the limit: loose at the base, tight sheets not removed, steel behind those sheets not seen. Do not describe the upper wall as inspected steel because the profile still looks straight.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- How much steel, if any, was visible where the base cladding is loose?
- Were the upper sheets that look fixed left in place?
- Have you left the frame behind those tight sheets undescribed?
What are the typical next steps?
- Limit the steel note to what showed at the loose base.
- Do not treat tight upper sheets as an opened frame.
- Ask a BISF specialist if any sheet should be removed.
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
If the upper sheets are straight, is the steel behind them sound?
No. A straight sheet is cladding that still looks fixed. The steel behind it was not seen. Straightness can hide rust, a poor fixing or an old patch. The survey has not graded that hidden steel, and the loose base does not answer it either.
Does the loose base mean the whole elevation must be reclad?
Not from this note. The survey recorded loose profiled cladding at the base and left the upper sheets unopened. It has not specified a new skin for the whole elevation. Whether any sheet should come off is a further look. The finding is the loose base and the unseen steel behind the tight sheets.