Derbyshire is very fortunate to benefit from an enviable selection of period property, Derby particularly boasts some of the best examples of Georgian period property outside of Bath and London. There are some very good examples in the various market and small towns of Ashbourne, Matlock, Bakewell and Melbourne. When restoring a period property it is all about the details, these are the things that the untrained eye will miss but can make or break the overall quality of a period property renovation. There is little point getting the sash windows mouldings and glazing proportions to match perfectly and then fitting the wrongs style or period of window furniture or hardware. Even with the brick work it’s not just the correct type of brick and mortar it’s the bond and pointing. There is no point in laying a perfect row of the correct bricks in stretchers with 15mm weather strike pointing. When it should be brushed 5mm English bond, so ask yourself a question before you hand over your period property or renovation project to a building contractor are they really period property experts? You will only have one chance to get your renovation project right and leave a wonderful legacy for future generations to enjoy. So take the time to make sure you have the right renovation specialists managing your period property renovations.
Move or improve with a home extension
January 29, 2012
With spring just around the corner and Christmas becoming a distant memory, is now the time to make a decision on if you should move or improve your home. With the continuing mortgage drought and challenging housing market conditions many are choosing to stay put. So how can you improve your current home? Well many home owners traditionally have opted for loft conversions. With ever increasing thermal efficiency to buildings through tighter building regulations often a home extension offers better value. This is a good time of year to start planning your project and applying for the relative permissions. Usually a planning application is required for larger home extensions. All new house extensions require building regulation applications to check they comply with building regulations. So don’t let another year slip by get your home extension project planned for a successful home extension build this summer.
Top ten tips for building a home extension
January 28, 2012
1. Make sure you know how you want to use the space and design a home extension that fits your needs and your type of property.
2. Chose a design and build company or an architect that specialise in the type of home extension that you are planning.
3. Do not let permitted development rights effect your decisions too much, you could save the planning application fee only to find out that you cannot fit that extra sofa in.
4. Make sure you pay attention to the detail, a well planned project is easier, quicker and cheaper to build than one that needs designing as it is built.
5. When choosing your builder ask to see other examples of their work, do they have references? Do they work with others within the property and construction industry?
6. Make sure you match things like roof tiles, brick types and bonds so that your home extension blends in with the original building.
7. Be prepared for the disruption, there will be skips, dust and delivery wagons, can you plan things so your contractors can have their own access or have the area fenced off? Ask your builder to provide a site toilet so they do not need to walk through your house.
8. Try and get as much of the project controlled and contracted to a main contractor so if there are any issues there is a clearly responsible person.
9. If you chose bespoke lintels or unusual design features be aware they may add time to the project as well as costs.
10. Remember to enjoy your project, chose a contractor who is genuinely excited about your project and does not see it as just another job.
£100,000 pounds lost in your garden?
January 22, 2012
Is your garden a potential development site? Could it be worth tens of thousands of pounds? If so how do you know? Well the answer to most people and even novice property developers is that they do not. So how do you liquidate that cash tied up in a side or rear garden the first step is to obtain the “planning gain”. This is the uplift in value of the site or property when planning permission is granted, the next pocket of cash is the developer’s profit. This is the profit obtained by the developer who takes the site to a saleable finished dwelling or other building. The planning gain can vary massively dependant on many variables. The developers profit can also vary greatly but most developers look to take profits between 12-18 percent dependant on the risk of the build and the saleability of the finished product. The profit is the gross development valve (GDV) minus the build costs, land value and soft costs. So how do you find the profit? You need to find a good planning consultant and a joint venture partner, they will take you through planning and offer you a profit share when the development is completed.
Restoring a period cottage
January 21, 2012
It is not just about the building to make the most of a period cottage you will need to pay attention to the garden, it makes such a difference to the overall feel of the project.
Make sure that you do your research, read plenty of books on the type and period of property knowledge is power in the world of restoration. Overlooking the correct paint sheen will destroy the appearance of those lovingly restored windows, so don’t be afraid to mayor in the minor!
Pay attention to local variations in the period and style of the property you should be able to find local enthusiasts groups who can share a wealth of knowledge.
Remember how ever passionate you are about period property you do not have to live in a museum, the people who built these wonderful properties would want to see them sympathetically modernised but most defiantly in everyday use, so the legacy of their toil lives on.
With that said please be aware of your legal obligations particularly where listings and the conservation department are involved.
Always go for reclaimed materials where possible and practical, it is so much easier to get the atmosphere of a period building right with well chosen reclaimed items.
Look for a nice mix of antiques and contemporary furniture to compliment your period property interior
Construction industry sees 5,000 firms go to the wall since 2010
January 20, 2012
The construction industry has seen over 5,000 firms go into liquidation since 2010 and Pwc are expecting 2012 to be a similarly tough year. 2011 saw a 6% rise in insolvencies from 2010 with the final quarter seeing 656 construction firms fail. Many firms have been hit by a double whammy of a massively reduced speculative development and new build demand coupled with a huge slow down in public sector building projects. Interestingly as the market stalls and construction firms suffer from a lack of new tenders arriving at their offices. Other fragments of the construction and property market are seeing some increase in activity. With planning consultants and architects seeing a growth in those sat on land and disused buildings looking to maximise their value or prepare site for sale through value engineering.
What are planning conditions?
January 15, 2012
Planning conditions vary greatly dependant on the size and nature of the building project. Planning conditions are usually used to allow planning permission to be granted while smaller details are still to be confirmed and agreed. Brick sample panels can often be conditions that effects smaller projects like barn conversions and home extensions. They can cover almost any consideration that the planning officers of planning committee have concerns about from drainage schemes through to details of window design. So what if you get a planning application granted and it has conditions attached? Well you need to make sure that these planning conditions are “discharged”, at an appropriate stage of the project. Essentially you need to make sure you mitigate your risk by not carrying out building works that could be affected if there are issues obtaining a discharge of the planning condition. This could be as simple as the planning officer visiting site and agreeing a sample panel of brickwork. If you build out and the conditions are not discharged you could be ultimately faced with demolishing and rebuild!
Underpinning specialists Derbyshire
January 13, 2012
Underpinning is a word that strikes fear into many home and property owners so why? Because in many cases it can be a slow and expensive process, this is because it requires repair, replacement and upgrading of the original footings. Some structural issues relating to foundation defects can now be resolved through the use of piles or mini piles. So how do you know if your property requires underpinning? Often the signs are bulges and leaning to the brickwork or cracks particularly around window and door openings. One very important consideration is like your own health certain issues and symptoms require more immediate attention. So if you have any concerns about the need for underpinning you should contact a reputable structural engineer or building contractor that specialises in structural issues.
Yorkshire capital home to housebuilding cash
January 12, 2012
The York based popular house builder and property developers Persimmon Homes have announced that 2011 matched the performance of 2010. The company has benefitted from improved conditions in the world of speculative development funding with this having a positive impact on margins and profits. While the business has reduced borrowings it has also enlarged its land bank. A very impressive performance considering market conditions and the troubles of many of its competitors. The company should be further bolstered this year as the whole of the property and construction industries look forward to the effects of 95% loan to value mortgages.
Civil, commercial, and residential sectors of construction industry all see rises in activity
January 8, 2012
The purchasing manager’s index has see rises in activity in the three sectors together for the first time in nine months. The area to see the highest level of growth was the civil sector with residential construction seeing the second consecutive month of gains. There has also been a positive rise in construction output for the last 12months. Many in the construction industry have hopes that the government’s plans for large infrastructure project spending will have a positive influence on the civil sector. Will this increase in activity make it harder to find a good builder?
