Look after your listed property

With any house or property it is always advisable to check the property on a regular basis. Many people simply respond to property damage and repairs when it has often gone beyond a simple problem. Doing this often deals with relatively minor problems before they become greater and more expensive. This is even more important with listed buildings.

Something as simple as checking the guttering when it rains can prevent more serious problems. Spotting a leaky guttering can be fairly easily and cheaply repaired, leave it and you risk damage to internal plaster and roof timbers. Checking for damp patches can also show up underlying problems that if left can lead to potential serious repairs.


Check for crumbling brick or stone work, simple repairs can often put these problems right while leaving them can lead to more significant damage such as to chimney stacks.

One of the most common causes of damage to properties in the UK by fire is the result of electrical faults. This is often a problem with older and listed buildings so it is essential to make sure your electrics are safe. Checks by NICEIC registered electricians will show up any problems before they lead to more serious damage.

For any property it makes sense to check before serious problems arise, for a listed property it is even more important as owners have a greater responsibility to rebuild on a like for like basis. 

Finally don't forget to check your buildings insurance on a regular basis to make sure you are adequately covered for any necessary repairs.

Kent Building Developments Newsletter

Diversification

Newsletter Autumn/Winter 2010

Choosing the right Builder

Choosing the right builder

Whatever building work you are considering it is likely to be one of your biggest capital expenditures. Your building project is probably a long planned for home or home improvement, so you want to make sure your dream does not turn into a nightmare. Whether it is a new build, the conversion of an existing building, an extension or swimming pool choosing the right builder is crucial. You want a builder who will do a quality job for a sensible price.

For a successfully completed project it is important to spend time in the pre building planning stages. It is crucial to find a builder with the right expertise and one who will complete your project without going over your original budget.

How do you know which builder to choose?

• Look for a building company that guarantee the work they do.
• Look for a builder who belongs to the National Federation of Builders
• Get recommendations from family, friends and neighbours
• Compare estimates and quotations from different building companies
• Ask for two or three references
• Ask if your builder is insured – and check the certificate
• Don’t pay for work in advance
• Avoid builders who are offering ‘VAT’ free deals
• Use a builder who will manage the whole project
• Ask your builder what the quotation covers and what is not covered
• Ask your builder if you will need planning permission and if this is the case how does the process work.
• Set a budget and include a contingency budget
• Check the builders’ web site look for examples of their work, customer testimonials and information about the company itself.
• Choose a builder who provides a design & build service.
• Ask to see show homes
• Ask about the expertise of joiners, bricklayers, plumbers and sub contractors.
• Your quotation –ask your builder about hidden costs, how will they be covered.

And finally ……

A good builder will have quality check processes in place for critical stages of the building process. This will make sure any problems or difficulties which arise are dealt with effectively and cost efficiently. Ultimately chose a builder who fulfils of all this criteria, a builder you feel you can trust and one you can work with.

www.kent-build.co.ukhttp://www.kent-build.co.uk

Renovating and restoring Listed Buildings

Renovating any building has its challenges, but listed building throw up all sorts of additional considerations and potential problems. When we worked on a Victorian Grade II listed Town House in East Yorkshire, just about every possible problem came up. Part of the difficulty was the previous conversion from he 1970's much of which had been done without the right planning permission. The house was built as a commercial premises and one of the difficulties was knowing what the original business looked liked. We took on planning, design and research all of which are essential for completion of any successful build.


What we did
Working with the client to sort out planning permission set us on the first stage when we removed stud walls, suspended ceilings and a staircase which revealed extensive damage to some original features. Using our in house expertise and where necessary bringing in trusted craftsmen brought the Town House back to life. Working with the local planning department ensured the conversion was legal, restored an important building and provided a comfortable home. A state of the art underfloor heating system ensures the house is warm and dry without any cold spots. This also helps to preserve the building.

Managing a Holiday Cottage Business

When we converted a listed barn in North Yorkshire, the plan always was for two of the three cottages we designed to be holiday cottages. This plan was a bit of a gamble for all sorts of reasons. Finance with big building projects and with listed buildings is always something of a challenge. This project was no diferent!

The problem we had was convincing the banks of our vision and how this would improve the chances of filling the holiday cottages  for as many weeks of the year as we could. What was so radical about our plan? We were convinced that people on holiday want quality accommodation. The banks and business advisors were convinced that we were designing the holiday cottages to too high a standard. Not only that but we had decided to make the cottages bike friendly so we included a bike cleaning area and a lock up for bikes. This was based on our knowledge and research that showed us many people cycled the tracks and lanes around this area as well making good use of nearby Dalby forest. This part of the plan was seen as a bit eccentric.

So a year on how are we doing? The cottages are well booked and one of main successes was to obtain a five star rating from the English country cottages, based on the high standard and comfort of the accommodation. Because there are not too many 5 star cottages in this area we come up on searches for accommodation on their web site.  We have also attracted business customers out of season, mainly because the accommodation feels like a home and not a holiday cottage. Even better we are now starting to attract attention from cyclists!