Non-standard construction
The brochure says the walls are structural insulated panels, and the outside is brick slips. What of that panel has the survey actually seen?
Very little of the panel itself. A visual inspection sees the brick slips on the outside, and whatever edge is visible at an opening, not the structural insulated panel the brochure names. The brochure specification is not an observation. The survey should not be read as confirmation that those panels are present, continuous or built as drawn. Do not add a fire performance the inspection never gave. Ask what was actually in view, and keep the sales wording in the sales pack.
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?
Brick slips are a face. They can hide more than one kind of backing. From the garden the surveyor sees the outer skin, the joints, the openings and any crack or stain. They do not see the insulation, the structural board or the fixings that a brochure calls a structural insulated panel, unless an edge was open on the day. Saying the wall is that product because the brochure says so copies a document the inspection did not test.
Write down the limit in plain words: outer face seen, panel specification not confirmed. That limit is not a failure of the wall and it is not a pass. It is the difference between a leaflet and a visit. If a decision really depends on the wall build-up, that is a further look with the owner's agreement, not a sentence you invent from the marketing. Leave fire performance out unless a competent report, not the brochure, has stated it.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which parts of the external wall did you see, as against the brochure's panel claim?
- Was any panel edge visible at a reveal, or only the brick slips?
- Have you stated any fire performance, or is that outside what you saw?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the brochure's panel name as unconfirmed by this visual inspection.
- Ask the surveyor to separate the face they saw from the product they did not.
- Do not brief a lender with a fire performance the report never gave.
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 slips look neat, have the panels been confirmed?
No. A tidy face is a tidy face. It does not show the insulated panel behind it, and it does not prove the brochure's specification was what got built.
Can you add a fire performance because the brochure mentions panels?
No. The inspection has not given a fire performance. Do not invent one from the product name, and do not treat the brochure as the survey.