dade

I've seen timber homes advertised on realestateview but have no idea what they are like. They sound very fragile to me but this is a very uninformed view. Does anyone know anything about timber houses, advantages, disadvantages?

Moving to Melbourne in 2 weeks time in case weather is a factor of consideration.

furkew

Do you mean maybe weatherboard ?

here is an explanation of what weatherboard actually is :

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...t=weatherboard

Timber housing :

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...t=weatherboard

dade

[QUOTE=furkew;4785139]Do you mean maybe weatherboard ?

QUOTE]

Not sure, have just seen it described as "timber" but the pictures on the link you've given me look similar to what I've seen on the property site so perhaps it's the same. Thanks for that info.

furkew

[QUOTE=dade;4785226] where are you looking to buy ?

We are headed for Vic in July, and have seen plenty of timber/weatherboard houses.

We are looking at the Dandenongs region

joho

[QUOTE=furkew;4785288] I live in a weatherboard house and like it. No probs.

Jo

ridds

Make sure you get any stumps inspected - many suffer from concrete rot (if you have concrete ones) and can be a pain to replace. If the floor feels uneven when walking through, the house has probably "settled" and you def need the stumps to be checked.

Billabong

Watch out for the termites

joho

Mine are made of brick pillars.

joho

We have had termidor termite protection done.

BadgeIsBack

They might fetch less than the brick home next to it.

Nothing wrong with them in my opinion. It's a personal thing.

ridds

Not necessarily less, depending on the area and the "character" of the house and neighbouring properties. Eg in brisbane, you will often pay more for a "character" queenslander than the brick and tile next door.

ridds

Better than concrete in some cases - less likely to fail due to poor concrete mix. Still worth checking floor levels, esp as the climate is drier. The water table is receeding in many areas and this can cause settling / subsidence, esp if the pillars / stumps don't go deep.

Even though Im going to have to restump my non-level, uneven, falling into the pool house, i still love living in it and wouldn't swap it for brick and tile.

Geelong Gent

Weatherboard is timber clad. They are cold and draftly unless well insulated. Would not be my first choice.

BadgeIsBack

Indeed - in the right area they will be the norm.

dade

Thanks for all your replies. We're looking to rent for at least a year before we buy anything so this would be a rental property.