Age and type of house
What do the knee walls of a chalet bungalow hide that a full two-storey house would show differently?
They hide the slope: a chalet has upper rooms partly in the roof, and the knee walls close off the eaves, where rafter feet, a wall plate and insulation may sit unseen. A house with a full storey and a separate loft is not inspected in the same way. Ask whether anyone looked past those walls.
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?
From the room, a knee wall looks like a normal partition. It is often only a lining in the roof slope. Storage doors, if they open, are the usual view. If they were blocked by furniture, that void was not inspected. The survey should not describe the eaves timbers as sound when the lining stayed shut. Damp staining on the lining is a clue, not a view of the timber.
Do not book the inspection as though there were an empty roof void over a flat ceiling on every side. Some of the roof is the bedroom. Headroom, purlins in the room and the hidden eaves are different places. A home survey does not remove the lining. If you need the void seen, agree access before exchange rather than assuming it was included.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did you open any door in the knee wall, or was it blocked?
- What, if anything, could you see of the rafter feet?
- Are you describing a chalet, or a house with a separate loft?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask for the hidden eaves to be marked not inspected if they were not opened.
- Do not assume the upstairs rooms have a loft above them on every side.
- Clear a hatch or a cupboard only with the seller’s agreement if you need that void seen.
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
Is a chalet bungalow just a house with a steep roof?
Not for the inspection. The upper rooms are in the slope, and the knee walls hide the eaves a separate loft would leave open.
Does a dormer mean the knee wall was inspected?
No. A dormer is one opening. The void beside it can still be closed.