Non-standard construction
The steel frame of a Unity house can be seen at the eaves where the fascia has gone. What corrosion at the hidden lower frame was not reached from that gap?
Corrosion on the hidden lower frame was not reached from the gap at the eaves. The steel frame of a Unity house can be seen where the fascia has gone, so the survey has a view of steel at the top. The lower lengths, the feet and the parts built into the wall were not reached through that gap. The survey has not exposed them and has not tested them. Eaves steel is not a report on the whole frame.
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?
Unity houses are steel-framed. The eaves are the top of that frame, just under the roof edge. A missing fascia opens a slot at that level. You can see whatever steel presents itself in the slot, including rust if rust is there. You cannot follow the stanchion down to the base, or see the steel where the wall still covers it. Corrosion lower down is a different question, and this gap did not answer it. The survey should not write the base as sound, or as failed, from the eaves.
Tell the solicitor the frame was seen only at the eaves. If the steel construction needs a closer look, a specialist can say whether any lower opening is justified. Do not strip render or cladding to chase the frame on the back of a fascia gap. The home survey has not reached the hidden lower frame, and it has not graded corrosion it could not see.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the steel seen only at the eaves, where the fascia has gone?
- What corrosion on the lower frame was not reached?
- Did you leave the feet of the frame unexposed?
What are the typical next steps?
- Limit the frame note to the steel visible at the eaves.
- Do not describe corrosion on the hidden lower frame.
- Ask a specialist before any further opening of the Unity frame.
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 eaves steel is bright, is the base sound?
No. Bright steel in the fascia gap describes that gap. The hidden lower frame was not reached, so its corrosion, if any, was not seen. The survey has not cleared the feet. The base of the Unity frame was out of reach.
Does a missing fascia mean the whole frame was surveyed?
No. A missing fascia opens the eaves. It does not open the lower frame. The survey stopped at the steel that gap actually showed. Corrosion lower down was not reached from that slot. The eaves are not the feet of the frame, which stayed covered.