This great short book reveals the most common mistakes people make when buying and renovating listed property, and some hot tips of how to avoid them. The Listed Building Legislation in the UK is designed to protect our heritage, but if approached correctly your project can be viable.
How can I tell if there are likely to be hidden structural issues?
What does, and doesn't need listed building consent?
What processes do I need to have in place to make it a success?
To discover the thought process that is needed to avoid the pitfalls of poor purchasing, poorly conceived design, or simply to understand a little more, this guide is invaluable in making your path to listed building ownership, or listed property projects a smooth one.
The number one cause of cost and time over-runs on any Listed building project is poor planning, and failure to address the key questions in a timely way. There are also other factors to consider, but proper planning tends to bring these into check.
Learn about the different grades of listed building and why these are important. Learn what help you need in the first instance to check the property over thoroughly. Find out how to check for some of the more common building defects yourself.
Recognise damp, structural issues, and precursors for rot and woodworm. Learn about ventilation and some of the things that can be simple to solve.
Understand how the project mechanics should work. Learn when to involve the Local Authority Conservation Officer, and how to approach a meeting with them. Which Consultants to use and when to bring them on board.
Listed buildings are a joy, and the whole process of owning and refurbishing one can be too if you are aware of what to do, and how to do it. We love unraveling a property's history and can help you to appreciate it too.
Reading this guide is just a first step along a defined path to success with Listed Property projects. We developed our unique system a few years ago after identifying the trend toward These unique and interesting projects going over time and over budget. We've had some great feedback about the benefits it has had for some of our customers. We'd love to share with you!
"This barn sits within the curtilage of the listed Manor House. It had not been in agricultural use for many decades and latterly was used for domestic storage. The thoughtful conversion scheme has resulted in and improvement to the appearance of the old farmyard retains an open feel internally. It provides a comfortable home respecting the character and appearance of the historic building and the setting of the adjacent listed building."
"This Jacobean Hall constructed in 1597 and extended in 1640 is something completely different for us as we've never owned a property this old before"
"SA never raise a problem without a solution! I would certainly recommend them both in terms of competence and trust-worthyness We've taken a great deal of reassurance in knowing they are dealing with the project on a day to day basis "
SA Architectural Services were recommended to us by a friend. From excellent design ideas to our final certification - we received an excellent, professional and friendly service. Our builder was really pleased with the detailed designs, which helped enormously as they left no guesswork, and the service proved invaluable in terms of getting the high specification and finish we were after.
We've developed this and many other great resources to help our clients with the early stages of Listed Building project planning. We believe that success and expectations can only be achieved when a project is properly planned. Rushing straight into design without a clear understanding of legislation, and typical approaches to design in this historic context, will just lead to problems later on.
James Sizer
Wed love it if you would contact us for a free project review see how, and some other FAQ's below:
Yes we can, but we only select a few projects each year. Typically we build or refurbish 3-5 properties a year, and these must fit with our aspirations in terms of quality and integrity of finish. If you are interested in a Design and build solution, contact us for an initial consultation on 01603 713528 and we'll let you know when we may have capacity if your project is of interest.
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