Non-standard construction
The survey says the bungalow may be a Blackburn system and the seller says it is brick. What has neither sentence confirmed?
Neither sentence has confirmed the construction. The survey says the bungalow may be a Blackburn system, which is a possible name, not a proved one. The seller says it is brick, which is a label from the person selling, not an opened wall. Between a cautious maybe and a seller's word, the build-up of the wall is still unconfirmed. The survey has not exposed a panel or a brick leaf to settle it. The seller has not produced that opening either. What both sentences leave open is what the wall is actually made of.
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?
Blackburn bungalows are a named non-standard system, and they can be confused with ordinary brick because a later skin or a familiar bungalow shape hides the frame of the type. A surveyor who says may be is refusing to pretend the identification is finished. A seller who says brick may be right, partly right, or simply repeating what they were told. Neither statement is a core, a removed brick, or a drawing. The wall remains a question until someone opens it or produces proper records.
Ask the solicitor for any plans, approvals, or repair schemes that name the system, and ask the seller what the brick claim is based on. Do not average the two sentences into a confirmed brick bungalow, and do not average them into a confirmed Blackburn one. If a lender or you need certainty, that is an opening-up instruction. The survey has not completed it, and the seller's word has not completed it either.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- What features made you say the bungalow may be Blackburn, and what stopped you being sure?
- Did you open any wall, or is the construction still unconfirmed?
- What would you need to see before the seller's brick claim could be checked?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat both the maybe and the brick claim as unconfirmed.
- Ask the solicitor for plans or schemes that actually name the system.
- Do not let either sentence stand in for opening a wall.
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 seller has always called it brick, does that retire the survey's maybe?
No. Long use of the word brick does not confirm the wall. The survey only said the bungalow may be a Blackburn system, and the seller's habit does not prove the opposite. Neither sentence has opened the construction. The name the household uses is not a confirmation.
Can either sentence stand in for opening a panel?
No. A possible system name and a seller's brick label are both words. Opening a panel, or producing a record that shows the build-up, is what would confirm it. The survey has not done that opening. The seller's sentence has not done it either. The construction stays unconfirmed.