Kent Building Developments winter 2012 News

Prestigious English Country Cottages Gold Award marks continued success for North Yorkshire Holiday Cottage

Before Director Steve Kent, of Kent Building Developments Ltd, converted a derelict listed barn on

the edge of the North Yorkshire moors into two holiday cottages, he was advised to develop them

to a basic level of comfort and services for holiday lets.  

Feeling strongly that people on holiday deserve a comfortable stay and wanting to do justice to the beautiful 18^th century part stone built barn, he ignored the advice and renovated the cottages to a much higher standard.  Both holiday cottages, Rose & Granary, are heated with renewable energy and enjoy underfloor heating throughout.

Steve’s commitment and determination have resulted in a Gold Award for Rose Cottage from English Country Cottages.  Gold awards are based on customer feedback and 100% rankings for comfort, presentation of the property, customer service and degree of luxury for the accommodation overall.

The Gold Award follows a top English Country Cottage Five Star rating of ‘Exceptional with a degree of luxury’ for both Rose and Granary Cottages.  The converted barn in Rillington, near Malton includes both holiday cottages and Steve’s own property, so Steve and partner Pam are on close hand to help make visitors’ stay as comfortable and interesting as possible.  All three properties retain original features from the barn including beams and vaulted ceilings.

Steve said; “Despite the advice given to me, my instinct was to give people the comfort they deserve and, at the same time, do justice to the wonderful old barn. I’ve long had a commitment to renewable energy and energy efficiency and I’m sure this has been reflected in the high level of comfort reported by our visitors.”

He added; “We spent a lot of time researching the types of visitors we could attract and went out of our way to provide facilities for them. These include an en-suite disabled friendly bathroom in Rose, open plan lounges, kitchens and diners with contemporary furniture, French doors leading on to stone paved patio areas set within secluded walled gardens, secure cycle store, walking trail suggestions for hikers and details of bird watching sites for bird watchers.”

 

Building Estimates and Quotations

As a professional builder I often come across house buyers and homeowners who have found their longed for building project has turned into a series of problems and delays. Typically these are:

•  Problems obtaining planning permission and expensive repeat submissions (link this to previous articles)
• The cost of the finished project exceeds original estimates and quotations
• The time taken exceeds the time agreed

I decided to pass on some advice based on my 30 years of experience in the building trade. To start with let’s get a few legal points out of the way. When you employ a builder or building company you can expect and are entitled to:

• Work being carried out with reasonable care and skill
• Finished in a reasonable and agreed time
• Provided at a reasonable cost  to an agreed specification

Sometimes, additional work is required to make sure your project is carried out safely and correctly. The very nature of building means unforeseen problems can occur which may affect the final price

The simple way to overcome this is to have a contingency budget and make sure you agree with the builder that any further work will only be completed by agreement. A truly professional building company would not think of carrying out extra work without explaining the necessity for it and how much extra it will cost.

Estimates

It is important you know about the difference between a quotation and an estimate. Usually an estimate is an approximation of how much your building project will cost. Estimates are useful in the early stages in order to establish an initial budget cost. An estimate is not an agreed price. If an actual price for your building project was not agreed you may legally have to pay the difference if the builder asks for more money at any stage of the contract.

A quotation should be a detailed assessment of the work to be carried out. This should include the time required and the material specification to complete the work. A quotation from a professional builder will include this information. This isa good way to tell if your building company is professional and reputable.

A Barn Conversion? What you need to consider

It’s everyone’s dream, to buy an old barn and convert it into a stunning and spacious home with private landscaped gardens in a peaceful location in the countryside. The dream to create a wonderful and original home with all the space you need for yourself and your family.

From derelict barn to a home that provides exactly the space and rooms you want needs careful thought and planning. The first crucial step is to find an expert, someone who has the experience and skills to guide you through the whole process. Doing this will ultimately save you time, money and a lot of stress.

Your expert will have been through the whole process before. Even better if you can find an expert who can take care of the whole process from initial idea, through design, planning and building.

What you need to consider?

ü  Is the barn listed?

ü  Do you need planning permission from change of use from agricultural to residential and how likely is this to be granted?

ü  Are you going for a traditional look or do you want to combine an old building with a modern design?

ü  How will your barn be connected to the mains? An agricultural barn might not have had mains services. What will this add to the cost?

ü  How sound is the structure will any timbers need replacing? How will this affect the overall design?

ü  Your expert should be able to provide you with quotes and costings for the whole process broken down into individual stages and processes. This is where you will save time and money by using one expert for the whole process.

ü  What rooms do you need? How many reception rooms? Do you need a home office? How many bedrooms and how will they all fit into the overall design. Do you plan for a games room or garden room? Will you need an extension to provide extra space and how will this impact on the overall design?

ü  Using an expert who will have the knowledge to know which designs will be accepted by planning and make the whole process simpler for you.

ü  How will your barn be heated? Ask your expert about running costs and energy saving elements

Remember barn conversions are not the cheapest option for your home in the country, but they do have the promise of light airy rooms, large living areas and a comfortable and truly original home.

To find an expert in barn conversions check on the Internet or ask friends and relatives for recommendations. Look for someone who has experience of barn conversions, someone who can show you completed barn conversions and who has testimonials from satisfied customers.

For a few Kent building Developments barn conversions please visitwww.kent-build.co.uk

Thinking of adding a conservatory to your home?

Conservatories offer versatile accommodation and they are one of the most cost effective ways of creating extra living space for your home. They can usually be constructed more quickly than an extension and often do not need planning permission.

Before jumping in, do your research to make sure you are buying the best quality structure within your budget. Choose a reputable builder. Visit the builder’s web site to see examples of their work and to read customer testimonials (link to how to choose a builder article).

A quotation for your conservatory

Ask your builder what is included in his quote.  Does it include flooring, electrics, heating and ventilation?  You would be advised to have heating and ventilation installed so that you can use your conservatory year round. A separate heating system will enable you to heat your conservatory without needing to use your main heating system.

The majority of conservatories do not need planning or building regulations approval, listed building are a notable exception,  but you would be well advised to check ahead. Get it wrong and you might have to take it down!

Think carefully about the position of your conservatory. South facing and it will take the full sun and so will need good ventilation and shade in the summer. North facing and you will need some heating in the winter. Take care that your conservatory does not take up too much space in your garden and choose a design which is keeping with your house.

The structure of your conservatory

Most conservatories have concrete foundations, cavity brickwork lower walls with glazed upper walls and roof panels set within frames.  A number of materials can be used for the frames, UPVC is the most economical and the most commonly used, but UPVC might not be allowed on listed buildings or in conservation areas.  Alternatives are aluminium, steel and timber.

What type of glass is used in conservatories?

 For safety, toughened or laminated glass must be used throughout. Laminated glass offers added security benefits against break-ins and cuts out around 90% of the sun’s UV rays, which fade furnishings.

To prevent overheating, particularly if your conservatory faces south, use solar control glass such as K2's Celsius Performance Glass or bronze polycarbonate panels for the roof. This can reduce the temperature by several degrees in the summer as well as reducing glare. You can also consider ridge ventilation and roof lights that open automatically above a given temperature to allow air to circulate. 

MASIPHUMELELE CORPORATION & TRUST

We would like to thank each and everyone of you for your support of the Masi Bike Ride which took place last month.

The intrepid team of 16 plus back up support team completed the gruelling (for most, a few seemed to find it annoyingly easy!) ride across the hills and dales of Yorkshire and back again - a cumulative 2000 miles (over 3000 kilometres). Please find attached a few photos of the team as follows:- leaving on the first day, on route, doing their cooling down exercises at Bempton House after the first day, some of the team leaving on the second day and a convenient break at a friend's in York on the second day.

Peter and I are absolutely delighted that the efforts of the team have raised well over £3500, including gift aid this comes to over £4225! This far exceeds anything Peter had in his mind when he first suggested the bike ride last year. With regards to Gift Aid, we have assumed that you are all British tax payers unless you have explicitly told us otherwise. If this is not the case could you please let us know so that we can adapt our records and prevent us getting into trouble with the Inland Revenue!

We would like to thank again our corporate sponsors, Kent Building Developments for providing the tabards, solicitors Chadwick Lawrence and Squire Sanders for their corporate donations, Bempton House for post ride sustenance and 'Beauty by Alex Clarke' for the memorable post ride massages.

Once again thank you for your support of Masiphumelele; each and every donation will make a difference to life opportunities in Masiphumelele. The UK trustees are meeting at the end of next month and will decide on which projects and individuals this money will support.

With sincere thanks and best wishes

Sandra and Peter Dodson

Masiphumelele Trust Limited

Registered Office

7, Silverdale Road, Wargrave-on-Thames, Berkshire, RG10 8EA

A Registered Charity No. 1137358

Thinking about an extension?

If you own a property or are thinking of buying one, there are many ways you can improve it to create the extra space you need.  A well designed and well built extension will not only give you the extra spaces you need but also add value to and improve the appearance of your home.

What you need to consider before you start

Good planning will ensure your extension delivers your initial vision. So before you begin determine what your extension is for?  This sounds obvious but deciding you need extra space without planning how to achieve this can lead to disappointment and even worse extra space that doesn’t meet your needs.  

What you need extra space for?

 A growing family

A home office

To accommodate adult children or elderly parents

Leisure activities

You’ve bought a new property and want to make improvements

How your new extension will achieve this?

A games room

A garden room

A swimming pool

Office space

A dining and entertaining space

A conservatory

Kitchen diner

Budget of course is a major factor and having a definite budget will help design and extra space decisions easier to make.

Do you need an architect?

There is no doubt that you need a professional to design your extension and draw up the plans. However using a complete design and build service has many advantages over using individuals for the various stages of creating your dream home.  

Having one company to deal with means your project will run smoothly with no need for plan alterations and updates between different professionals.  An experienced complete design and build company will help you to find the best ways to solve your extra space needs and will also take care of any planning application you will need.

Other things you need to consider

Do you need planning permission >>> see blog post

How to choose a builder>>> see blog post

Ask about a feasibility Study which is an excellent way of finding out what the extending possibilities are for your home.

Local Business man supports South African Entrepreneurs

A local business man felt so strongly of the importance of access to good education, finance and expertise for business start ups that he not only sponsored a cycle ride to fund education and budding entrepreneurs in a South African township but he also took part.

The sponsored cycle ride for Masiphumelele, which translates from the Xhosa to ‘we will succeed’ took in 155 miles of Yorkshire countryside from Harrogate to Bempton (nr Flamborough) and back.

’ Steve Kent, MD of Kent Building Developments Ltd said ‘I know from my own personal experience that business start up’s with access to business mentors, finance and expertise succeed. I think business translates across the world with all business owners thinking and acting along the same lines. If I can help someone else succeed in business through good education and guidance then I feel a real sense of achievement. As well as education, one of Masicorps objectives is to expand small business start-ups and business development work and I know there is a strong demand in the township for this sort of help. 

To date the group of friends raised £4,000.00  for Masicorp. The cycle ride was sponsored by three local businesses, Kent building Developments Ltd, Yorkshire solicitors Chadwick Lawrence with overnight respite provided by Bempton House B&B.

Steve Kent added ‘After heavy rain for one hour on Saturday morning, the weather during the weekend of 18^th and 19^th March was kind to us. We were very lucky, considering that most of us are infrequent cyclists, we had no punctures, no injuries, no breakdowns and no accidents!’

Information

MASICORP has over 12 years’ experience working in the township. Our approach has been to ask the community where and how they need support and, from this, we know the residents want a hand-up not a handout. We know that they see education as the route out of poverty.

Education is what we do: we built a library and education resource centre where over 20 programs are available free to residents; we have an important project to help improve education in the 30+ township crèches; we have a highly successful university bursary program and we work with and in the township’s primary and high schools.

Steve Kent of Kent Building Developments Ltd has an extensive background in Building and Civil Engineering Design and Construction. He has worked on some of the UK’s largest projects. Steve and the rest of the team have a huge knowledge base enabling the company to offer a unique Design Consultancy and Construction Service, including Architectural Design and Contract Management.

Kent Building Developments Ltd

Threshers Barn,
Low Moorgate,
Rillington,
Malton
YO17 8JW

Telephone 01944 759 259

email  steve@kent-build.co.uk

www.kent-build.co.uk