Non-standard construction
How is a modern timber-frame house different from a PRC house?
A modern timber-frame house is a mainstream way of building, with a timber structure and usually a masonry or boarded outer leaf. A PRC house is a concrete panel or frame system. They are not one category called “non-standard”. A survey should say which one it is looking at.
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?
RICS treats unusual and older construction as Level 3 territory. A recent timber-frame house built in a common way may be entirely suitable for a Level 2. The surveyor chooses with you before the visit, based on age, alterations and condition. Do not upgrade every timber frame to a concrete-house problem, and do not treat a PRC panel as if it were a new timber kit.
Timber frame has its own details: a cavity that must not be full of debris, vapour control, and fire stopping at party walls. The survey describes what it can see. It does not x-ray the frame. Ask which leaf you were shown and whether the frame was hidden by linings. Those limits belong in the report. They are not a reason to call the house PRC.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Are you describing modern timber frame, an older timber frame, or concrete panels?
- Was the frame visible anywhere?
- Which level did you recommend, and why?
What are the typical next steps?
- Use the surveyor’s construction words with the lender. Do not translate timber frame into non-standard unless the surveyor did.
- If the house is PRC, follow the PRC questions. If it is timber frame, read the timber-frame guide.
- Ask about alterations that may have cut the frame. A new opening is a different issue from the original system.
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 1970s timber frame the same as a new one?
Not always. Details changed. The survey should describe this house. Age alone is not a defect list.
Does timber frame mean the walls are breathable stone?
No. That is a different traditional construction. Mixing the terms leads to the wrong repairs, such as cement render on a wall that needed lime, or the reverse.