New builds and warranties

What should you ask if a brand-new house is timber frame rather than brick and block?

Ask the surveyor to say it is timber frame, and ask the solicitor for the warranty and the structural paperwork that names the frame. A brick skin can hide timber. A home survey does not open the cavity to prove the kit, and a new-build warranty is not a RICS level. NHBC Buildmark is one policy. It is not every warranty.

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?

Modern timber frame is a normal way to build. It is not a PRC house and not an Airey. The survey comments are about what is already going wrong: leaks at joints, a saturated panel if it is exposed, missing fire stopping where it can be seen. They are not a factory inspection. RICS surveys do not climb inside the panel.

Tell the insurer and the lender what the frame is, in the words the papers use. There is no RICS price difference published between frames. Do not negotiate a brick-house discount from a timber frame that was the specification you agreed, unless the plot was supposed to be brick and is not.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Did you see the frame, or only the brick skin?
Are any defects about water in the panels, or about ordinary snags?
Which papers name the construction?

What are the typical next steps?

Match the plot specification to what was built.
Do not call a new timber frame a non-standard concrete system.
Keep fire stopping and the warranty as separate questions.

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 timber-frame flat the same as a house kit?

It can be a different system in a block. The survey should describe this building, not a brochure house.

Does Buildmark cover every timber defect for ten years?

No. NHBC describes limits, especially after the builder’s initial period. Read the policy. Do not assume the whole frame is insured.