Age and type of house
Where a socket was cut in, the breather membrane of a timber frame is torn and the cavity side is visible. What weather resistance at that cut was not made good in the note?
The weather resistance of the torn breather at that socket cut was not made good in the note. Where a socket was cut in, the membrane is torn and the cavity side is visible. The survey can record the tear and the view into the cavity. It has not repaired the membrane, and it has not decided that the frame behind is dry or sound. A torn breather is a gap in the weather line. The note leaves that gap open.
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?
In a timber frame the breather membrane sheds water that crosses the outer leaf. A socket cut through it leaves a hole, and the cavity side was visible, so the layer is not continuous there. The survey cannot say how long it has been open, or whether the studs beside it are wet. Those studs were not moisture-tested. The note is the tear that was seen.
Ask a timber-frame contractor to make the membrane good at the socket, and to check the sheathing and studs the tear has exposed, as a separate instruction. Tell the solicitor the survey has not repaired the weather line and has not cleared the frame. Do not tape the hole yourself and treat the survey as updated. The note stands until the cut is properly closed and, if needed, looked at again.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the breather left torn at the socket, with the cavity visible?
- What weather resistance at that cut was not made good?
- Did you avoid calling the hidden frame dry?
What are the typical next steps?
- Record the torn membrane as a gap in the weather line.
- Ask a timber-frame contractor to make that cut good.
- Do not treat a visual note as a repair of the membrane.
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 plasterboard inside is dry, is the membrane unimportant?
No. Dry lining on the room side does not repair a torn breather on the cavity side. The survey saw the tear and the cavity. It has not made the weather resistance good, and it has not tested the studs.
Does one torn socket mean every socket in the house is the same?
Not as a finding. This note is the cut that was seen. Other sockets were not opened. The survey has not said the rest of the membrane is torn, and it has not cleared it either. One tear does not map the whole frame.