Non-standard construction
The survey names Wimpey no-fines concrete and no core was taken. What strength of that concrete has a name not measured?
The name has not measured any strength of the Wimpey no-fines concrete. No-fines is a cast concrete with gaps in the aggregate, and the survey has identified the wall as that system. Identification is not a core. No core was taken, so density, condition and strength were not measured on this visit. The survey can say what it believes the wall is made of. It cannot put a figure on how strong that concrete is, because it did not sample it. A name is a label. Strength would have been a test, and the test was not done.
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?
Wimpey no-fines houses are a known non-standard form, different from a precast column system and different from a brick cavity. Surveyors name them from thickness, texture at openings, age and local type. None of those clues is a crushed sample or a laboratory strength. The concrete can vary with how it was cast and with what has happened to it since. Without a core, the report should stay with the name and with what the eye could see. It should not borrow a strength from the reputation of the system.
Tell the solicitor that no-fines has been named and not cored. If a lender or a buyer wants a strength or condition test, that is a specialist sampling visit, not a sentence this survey can be leaned on to provide. Do not let a smooth rendered face stand in for the missing core. The survey has not measured the concrete and has not decided that the name itself proves the wall is adequate.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- What did you see that led you to name the wall as Wimpey no-fines?
- Was any core taken, or is strength unmeasured?
- Which parts of the concrete were hidden by render or linings?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read the no-fines name as identification, not as a strength result.
- Tell the solicitor that no core was taken.
- Do not invent a strength from the reputation of the system.
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 name is well known, has the strength already been measured?
No. A familiar name is why the survey can identify the system. It is not a core taken from this wall. No sample was removed, so the strength of this concrete has not been measured. Knowing the type is not the same as testing the house in front of you.
Does a smooth render face replace the missing core?
No. Render covers the concrete. It does not sample it. The survey named Wimpey no-fines and did not take a core, so strength remains unmeasured whether the coat is smooth or cracked. A fair face is not a laboratory result.