Non-standard construction
What did the visit record about a steel stanchion, about one open corner, and about the three elevations still clad?
It recorded a steel stanchion at one open corner, and it recorded that the other three elevations are still clad. The open corner is the only place the frame was available to see. Cladding on the remaining elevations hides the stanchions, the bases and the fixings. The survey has not projected the visible corner around the house and has not tested the hidden steel. One opened corner is a limited view. The clad elevations stay uninspected behind their skin.
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?
Steel-framed houses of this general kind carry load on stanchions, with a brick or other skin outside. The corner that is open may show a flange, a base or a repair. It does not show the three sides still covered, where corrosion is often worst at feet and at shelf angles you cannot see. The visit did not remove that cladding and did not test metal thickness. Recording one stanchion is not a circuit of the frame.
Ask the solicitor for any structural report, repair specification or guarantee that names which elevations were opened. A specialist in steel-framed housing can advise if the other stanchions need to be seen. Tell a lender one corner was open and three elevations remain clad, so the frame is not fully inspected. Do not average the visible steel across the house. The survey did not do that sum.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was only one corner open, with a steel stanchion seen there?
- Are three elevations still clad, so those stanchions stay hidden?
- Has the frame been left without a whole-house test?
What are the typical next steps?
- Limit the steel note to the one open corner.
- Ask the solicitor which elevations any repair papers actually cover.
- Tell a lender the other three sides stayed clad.
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
Does brick cladding prove the steel behind it is dry?
No. A brick skin is a covering. It can shed rain and still leave the stanchions in a damp cavity or at a wet base. This visit did not remove the cladding on three elevations and did not test the steel there. The open corner is not a dryness certificate for the rest.
Is one repaired base a scheme for the whole frame?
Only if the papers say the whole frame. The survey saw one open corner and three clad elevations. It has no specification in the act of looking, and it did not inspect the hidden stanchions. Ask the solicitor for the repair drawings. A single exposed foot is not a completed scheme for every post.