It pays to recognise the many different types of building land available if you are prepared to put the effort in. There could be a small plot, not visible from the street, behind an existing house. Don't overlook rundown houses that could be demolished and replaced with the home of your dreams.
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Just how do you go about working out a viable, price/value of a piece land or a property, suitable for a self-build project. In this article, we explain how to go about starting to work out a site's value?
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When setting out to find a site you will be up against some fierce competition such as other self-builders, full-time land finders, small builders, and all the vested interests of the development industry.
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The architectural design brief forms the very start of the design process and setting it down a on paper will help you pull together your ideas, needs, likes and dislikes. It will help you think carefully about what you want from your new house, and it will provide us as architects, a framework to interact with you and work to.
It should be an ever-evolving document as things change and develop and you get a better understanding of your needs. This brief can also be used as a point of reference / checklist thought the whole life cycle of the project to ensure your requirements are meet
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With horror stories about so-called ‘cowboy’ builders, budgets spiraling out of control and sites being left half-finished, it’s a wonder anyone builds anything! However, we find the vast majority of builders and their sub-contractors to be decent, honest people who take pride in their work, and who will go to great lengths to satisfy their clients and protect their reputation.
Your project is only as good as the quality of the workmanship that goes into it, but hiring skilled, passionate tradespeople is not always easy.
“This guide shows you how to choose your main builder/contractor and related sub-contractors like electricians, plumbers, carpenters, joiners, ground workers, bricklayers, plasterers and decorators.”
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What are building regulations?
In general terms, the Building Regulations are a set of 14 statutory documents, part A to P which set minimum construction standards for the design and building work applying to most buildings and many alterations to existing properties. They include consideration of materials and workmanship requirements, structural matters, fire safety, sound insulation, energy conservation and access to and use of buildings.
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What do you do if you want to extend your home, but your garden is too small to allow it, or your loft is unsuitable for conversion? You may think the only way to get extra space is to move house. However, there is another possibility. Consider a basement conversion, excavating below ground to build a basement. Basements are slowly becoming more popular in the UK as people look for more space and don’t have the ability to extend wider, longer or higher. Sometimes, the only way to get more room without moving house is to go down into a basement. This is you ultimate guide on basement conversions and basement extensions to help you toward a basement that works for you.
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"93% of homeowners doing extensive renovations works are not properly insured. If you do not tell your home insurer about works then you could invalidate your home insurance!”
When you undertake a project involving the structure and fabric of your property, as opposed to simple renovation without any alteration or addition, you are putting your biggest asset under increased risk. It only takes one misfortune to produce consequences which could jeopardise the value of the building. Increasingly, therefore insurance providers are demanding proof of the existence of a suitable policy. Building sites are full of potential misfortunes — all of which need to be insured against.
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What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is used generically to describe six minerals that share similar physical characteristics, specifically being natural strong mineral fibres, all with a high melting temperature but which are chemically different.
Up until the 1980's three of the six have been extensively used in construction, these were:
Amosite and Crocidolite are the ones most closely associated with health issues and were typically used in pipe lagging and fireproof coatings.
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For many years’ people having work carried out on their homes, whether that means a small extension or a large brand new self-build project, have been happily able to ignore health and safety regulations, which were formerly known as the Construction and Management Regulations (CDM), as they have traditionally only applied to contractors, commercial schemes and large scale projects homeowners being exempt.
All that changed on the 6th April 2015 when the revised CDM regulations came into force. Now, homeowners are subject to these revised regulations which have been altered in an impetus to place responsibility on the private domestic extender, renovator or self-builder.
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The Party Wall Act of 1996 may sound like an unnecessary hassle, but its objective are to prevent disputes arising between neighbours. It sets up a legal right and a framework to undertake certain works that might otherwise constitute trespass or nuisance. It is nothing to do with planning permission or building regulations but a totally separate bit of legislation.
You can understand neighbours not being overjoyed at the prospect of having their homes foundations undermined by builders in mini diggers, excavating alongside them or knocking into the party wall at loft level, and even potentially coming through the wall into the loft. The Party Wall Act is designed to assist both sides in negotiating this potentially challenging affect of building and restoration projects.
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Estimating small building projects can be a complex process because build costs depend on so many factors. The reality is you will only get an accurate idea of the price for your project when all drawings and schedules of work have been completed. These outline your particular requirements, the type of house construction and any other factors specific to your project.
The problem is, people want to know about building costs before they know about the project specifics or have a clear project brief. Although this is is understandable, it’s difficult to be accurate on build costs at an early stage of a project idea. This is because details of what is being included and what is not is usually quite vague at initial stages of the project.
We recommend you are careful of ball park figures that may be thrown at you early on as these can vary significantly. You can only begin to get some price certainty when you have a building design and plan, and the project is split into its various elements, which can then be measured and costed out.
This article explains how we help clients through this difficult first stage of building projects.
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The most obvious way to improve your home and solve frustrating house design problems is just to add extra space. This preconception may lead you to believe that you need a loft conversion or house extension. But before launching into major building works we advise clients to take a step back and ask an important question. Can you get what you need without major structural alterations or additions?
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The open plan kitchen gives the modern household a space that is flexible, relaxed and open. Clearly, what we want from our living space and our buildings has changed significantly. Formal dining rooms and kitchens cut off from the rest of the family are no longer popular.
These open plan kitchen design tips are for ordinary suburban houses and are well suited to the many semi detached homes in the UK.
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Well-designed extensions can transform even the humblest of homes by maximising the floorplan and adding to the market value. Considering today’s house prices as well as tallying up the costs of moving (think solicitor's fees, stamp duty, house movers and van hire), improving what you've already got can be a more appealing and affordable route to creating a living space that meets your family's needs. Use this guide to help you maximise your property's potential.
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As experienced and knowledgable local Cambridge architects we have written the ultimate guide on enhancing properties in Cambridge. This must read article contains:
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Whether you need planning permission will depend on a number of variables, including the size of the project and the level of permitted development (PD) rights that apply to your property. If you do need planning permission, you will quickly realise that planning applications can be rather tedious complex! You can use this guide to help you make a successful planning application.
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This guide provides a detailed list of Permitted Development Rules for single-storey extensions, two-storey rear extensions, loft conversions, roof extension, porches and outbuildings. Use these lists as a reference tool to check if your project plans are within the planning permission exempt Permitted Development Rights.
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This guide provides everything you need to know about loft conversion design considerations, costings, planning and building regulations. A loft conversion is an ideal way to gain more space. There may be scope for one or two extra bedrooms possibly even with a bathroom or home office.
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Home improvement is big business these days.
Rather than moving house, many people are opting to stay put and build extensions or add loft conversions to increase their living space and the value of their home.
But before you start building, you need to be aware of any building regulations, planning permission for house extensions or other legislation that you need to conform to.
The good news is that planning permission laws have undergone a massive period of change recently, which means that not all house extensions need planning permission.
But don’t automatically assume that you fall into that category!
Never start a house extension without checking on the relevant regulations first and whether you need to put in aplanning application before starting work.
To help you determine whether your planned extension will require planning permission, here are five frequently asked questions:
As we said above, there are plenty of situations where planning permission is not required.
For example, you don’t need permission to build as long as your extension conforms to strict guidelines on height in comparison to the existing property. So a side extension that is a single storey would have to be a maximum height of four metres and no wider than half the width of the original house.
Where the extension is positioned is also important. For example, two-storey extensions cannot be within seven metres of the rear boundary of the property.
There are lots of other designations and compliance requirements for a house extension to qualify as a ‘permitted development’, so an hour invested in your own research will be time well spent. And remember: these requirements are only applicable for certain parts of the UK.
Even if you apparently comply with all the requirements to qualify your house extension as a permitted development, you still have to ensure that your plans meet all building regulations.
This can include everything from ensuring that there is adequate drainage included in the plans, through energy efficiency and glass to floor ratios right down to the colour of the doors.
Extensions into loft spaces, attics or cellars may not need planning permission, but again they must comply with all relevant building regulations.
They are normally regarded as permitted development according to most planning permission legislation, however, there are size restrictions on loft extensions.
For a terraced property the extension can be no more than 40 cubic metres, and for detached and semi-detached houses it’s 50 cubic metres. Remember that any previous roof space additions must be included in that volume allowance.
There are also restrictions on the materials you use, and verandas, raised platforms or balconies are not included as part of a permitted development because they alter the external appearance of the property.
A party wall is the partition or dividing wall between two properties, and ownership is shared by the two property owners on either side.
Alterations to a property that may impact on the integrity of the party wall will be covered by The Party Wall etc Act 1966, which was introduced to help deal with disputes between neighbours.
If you are planning a house extension that will in impact on a shared party wall you may need to check the building regulations and the Party Wall Act to ensure that your plans comply.
Conservation areas are designed to preserve the character and look of an area of special note. It may be that the buildings in the area are unique or play an integral part in the formation of the landscape.
If you live in a conservation area you will be covered by strict regulations on what you can and cannot do without permission.
Even something as simple as changing the windows or doors may breach building regulations in conservation areas. This means that any external house extensions will almost invariably require planning permission.
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Get started right with expert advice early on in the project with our Kickstart Consultation — quickly get to grips with design, costs and planning, and minimise the likelihood of stress, time wasting and escalating costs.
Work with us for a broad range of commercial architecture services that includes feasibility studies and planning applications, Building Information and Modelling, design and build, project management and interior design.
