Non-standard construction
Paint is flaking on a BISF stanchion in the loft and the external sheeting looks tight. What steel behind the sheeting was not inspected?
The steel behind the external sheeting was not inspected. Flaking paint on a BISF stanchion in the loft is a note about the member the surveyor could see from the hatch. Tight sheeting on the outside shows a skin that has not opened or slipped. It does not show the stanchions, rails or fixings that sheeting covers. The survey has recorded flaking paint in the loft and sheeting that looks tight. It has not stripped that sheeting, and it has not inspected the steel still behind it.
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 BISF frame runs from the foundations into the roof, so a stanchion in the loft is the top of a member that also sits in the wall. Paint flaking there means the coating on that visible length has failed. The external sheeting is a different surface. A tight sheet can hide a rusting flange behind it. The survey did not remove sheets, so the comparison between a flaking loft member and a neat elevation stops at what was visible.
Tell the solicitor that loft steel was seen and wall steel behind the sheeting was not. A steel-frame specialist can say whether the loft member should be cleaned back and whether any sheet should be lifted, as a separate instruction. Do not read tight sheeting as a coat of sound paint on hidden steel. The survey has not measured section loss in the wall, and it has not specified a repair from the loft alone.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which BISF stanchion in the loft had flaking paint, and how much of it did you see?
- Did tight external sheeting stop you inspecting the steel behind it?
- Have you left section loss on that hidden steel unmeasured?
What are the typical next steps?
- Separate the flaking loft stanchion from the steel behind the sheeting.
- Do not read tight sheets as an inspection of the frame they cover.
- Ask a steel-frame specialist what, if anything, should be opened.
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 sheeting looks tight, is the steel behind it painted and sound?
The survey cannot say. Tight sheeting was seen from the outside, and the steel behind it was not inspected. Paint on the loft stanchion is already flaking, which is a different member face. Neither observation describes the coating, or the steel, under the sheets.
Does flaking paint in the loft measure the steel in the wall?
No. Flaking paint records a surface in the loft. It does not measure thickness, and it does not reach the steel the sheeting hides in the wall. The survey has not gauged either length. A flake on the visible stanchion is not a section-loss figure for the frame below.