The government is gearing up to make residential and commercial property that fails to meet rating F and G for energy efficiency unlettable. It is estimated just in the commercial property sector this will include 18 percent of the current commercial property stock. The government are looking at penalising the worst offending properties but are not looking to reward landlords that make the effort to hit the highest standards. Ultimately the next band up band E rated properties will be looking over their shoulders as ultimately if will probably be those that are next to suffer penalties. Those in the property industry are looking for clear direction and a road map to sustainability. With this in mind experienced property investors will be looking to buy newer of more efficient properties to protect their portfolios letability.
Contemporary home extensions for period properties
March 3, 2012
There has long been a debate on which type of home extension suites a period building, many architects now prefer to opt for a very contemporary structure that is clearly defined from the original building. These are often flat roofed with lots of glass and coloured render panels. Many period property owners still want to extend with sympathy and match the original details. If you choose to match the original features of any period building there are always challenges. The first being the building control department, although they are very helpful and will often take a position on some items. Ultimately they are responsible for the home extension meeting the various sections of the UK building regulations. So if the property is brick built straight away you will need a cavity. So details like swept window reveals will be deeper than if it was a solid double skin brick wall. Also the bricks themselves are always a challenge to match, many make the mistake of using re-claimed bricks. They are fine for a barn conversion or a more rustic building, but for many buildings from the Georgian or Victorian period the chipped edges often associated with reclaimed bricks completely destroy the look of the building. The sensible option is to go for a close match modern brick like a normanton smooth mixed with a normanton weathered. Then make sure you pay close attention to the brick bond, mortar colour, mortar joint finish and joint sizes. The most critical detail to get right when matching a period property extension is your choice of contractor. Even with the best set of drawings and construction details it is how the individual trades finish their details that can make the biggest difference. The brick layers may need to concentrate on keeping the joints tight, the joiners may have to bird mouth rafter details or even add dummy features at the eve details. Often the original roof structures on period properties will not pass part “A” of the building regulations. This is particularly the case when home owners want modern open plan large family or games rooms. So in goes the structural steel hidden in the roof space and then there is a need to recreate purlin details under eves where they should be seen externally. Also modern M & E (mechanical and electrical ) items air source heat pumps, gas and electric meters, switch gear for electric gates, etc all needs to be cleverly sighted. There is nothing worse than a beautifully matched period property extension. With various white boxes or timber casings hiding these items on the external elevations. As with all property conversions, renovations and extensions it is the small details that can make or break a projects final look and feel.
RSJ’s and ridge beams in home extensions
February 26, 2012
Increasingly in modern home extensions steels and ridge beams are being used to give the home owner the large open plan living spaces they desire. With more and more home owners planning their home extensions to include warm roof or open loft designs. The construction details require RSJ’s or ridge beams to compensate for the lack of triangulation of the roof structure. So in come the ridge beams and heavy rafters and out go any plans for trusses. Another popular feature to the modern home extension is the bi-fold doors. These often span large openings and require RSJ’s or specialist lintels to support masonry or the roof above. Even roof design is being considered much more than it has been in the past, many home owners will no longer opt for a traditional flat roof. They want EDMP or other rubberoid roofing solutions with longer guarantees, many are choosing to disguise their flat roofs with a parapet wall and attractive copers to give a contemporary feel to their home extension. This is causing a challenge for those one man band builders who traditionally carried out home extensions. They do not have the man power or expertise to deal with seven meter long steels and complex roof structures. So if you are choosing a contractor for your home extension make sure they have the experience in structural steel work. This thought will be paramount in many people’s minds in Wolverhampton after a property collapsed after building work for a home extension was being carried out next door.
Improve your new build SAP rating with a BPEC qualified contractor
February 19, 2012
Did you know under part “F” of the UK building regulations that all mechanical ventilation systems must be commissioned by a competent person? Like Gas Safe or NIC there is a body that looks after domestic ventilation commissioners, this is BPEC. If you chose a BPEC approved ventilation specialist you will be able to claim extra points against your SAP rating. BPEC qualified commissioners will use an Anemometers for checking the air flows from any domestic ventilation systems. These systems include MHRV and PIV’s (positive input ventilation systems), and it’s a surprise to many that standard intermittent or continuous single point extractor fans also require certification. The legislation has been driven by the increase in the use of Mechanical Heat recovery ventilation systems and positive input ventilations systems but also covers standard kitchen and bathroom fans. How many building inspectors know that they should have a BPEC qualified engineer sign off document as well as a part “P” electrical and Gas Safe certificate prior to realising the building regulation completion certificate? How many home owners are missing out because the expensive Mechanical Heat Recovery Ventilation system they have paid for is not fitted or correctly balanced? Condensation can be one of the common problems associated with Mechanical Heat Recovery Ventilation systems when they have been incorrectly installed and commissioned. In fact MHRV systems tend to be trouble free and provide 96% heat recovery if correctly fitted, but say an installer has not fitted a condensation trap or insulated the exhaust leg of the ducting system with insulated duct problems can occur. The air being expelled can condense on the final ducting leg and condensation can form on the pipe and run back into the unit or ceilings. Many installers think that a little drop of condensation will not cause any issues, they are probably correct what they fail to realise is that a MHRV system can produce eight litres a day. So if you have an incorrectly fitted MHRV system you could risk having the unit short under water ingress and have your ceilings collapse. This is why you should make sure you see your BPEC approved commissioner’s photo I.D. card.
Another slow day on the high street?
February 8, 2012
Well it’s not surprising with 1 in 7 UK high street shops stood empty, the bad news for retailers is experts in the sector are predicting further closures as more consumers switch to online retailers. Last year the number of empty shops started to flatten out with just less than 15% or around 50,000 vacant commercial retail properties. This was not helped by a large number of high profile retailers going into administration. Yet again it is the high streets in the south that are bucking the trend strengthening the north south divide. Some of the secondary retail areas seem to be locked in a slow cycle of decline with the least attractive high streets with the lowest foot falls perhaps consigned to history. It is simple supply and demand with online sales doubling over the last decade. There is simply not the demand for retail premises that there has been historically. So what will happen to these empty properties? Some will be demolished and but others may be converted to other use classes, some lend themselves to services offices and others residential use. Clever property owners will look at their portfolio of commercial investment properties and look at conversion of the upper parts to maximise their rental income.
Renovation specialists Derbyshire
February 5, 2012
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.
Buy to let booming as banks back landlords again
February 3, 2012
Although young home owners are struggling to obtain suitable mortgage finance experienced buy to let landlords are enjoying an ever increasing pool of mortgage capital. It’s all about the banks mitigating risk, why lend to young first time buyers with a limited track record when you could lend at a lower gearing to experienced investors with a proven track record and other security in the back ground? There is said to be a hundred more deals on offer than there was a year ago and the increased competition is leading to better deals. In the last year the average buy to let rate has dropped from 5% to less that 4.8% which on typical buy to let margins has a great affect on landlord’s bottom line. This is like a self fulfilling prophecy as first time buyers struggle to get mortgage funding they are forced to rent and that’s another tenant for the buy to let landlords.
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.
