Buying a Post 1930s Home

Most homes that are built after this time were built with rules and regulations with regard to their construction. As a result they are normally of good construction. But every home varies and should be thoroughly checked out by an independent survey before you purchase.

Most homes built during this period have good foundations and walls of brick construction, rather than lathe and plaster or timber like pre-1930s homes.They normally have good sized rooms and are well proportioned upstairs and down with decent sized sized gardens as land was not in as short a supply as it has been since the mid 1980s.

During the UK's history there have been times when building property was more prolific than at other times. For example, there was a big building campaign in Victorian times, some in the Edwardian era which only lasted for twenty years. In the 1930s there was another big building campaign, much from companies wanting to provide their workforce with homes to live in, such as the Railway companies.

Post 1930s properties are mainly semi detached (some terraced) with three bedrooms or detached properties with four or five bedrooms. They are usually on estates in long streets as building took place on such a mass scale, so you are unlikely to find a 1930s property on its own in a quiet country village.

After the 1930s the Second World War obviously affected building, so the next time building could take place was to replace properties damaged during the war and then in teh 1960s when demand for housing grew and the high rised flat or concrete property revolution started to take shape.

In the 1970s more building took place, but on a lesser scale than previous years. Unfortunately lots of new types of building materials were used which haven't proved to stand the test of time such as steel window frames and tiles on the front of the property which tend to crack and can cause damp in the property.

Extra Checks for post 1930s Homes

The type of construction (brick, concrete, prefab)
Any asbestos (especially white, can be found in artex/on ceilings)
Make sure fits with current building regulations
Thickness of the walls/floors for sound proofing
Check the condition of any flat roofs

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