Homebuilding &BUILDAHOMERenovating FOR JUNE 2021
BRITAIN’SNO.1FORSELF-BUILDERSANDHOMEEXTENDERS
£150K
ISELF-BUILDI IEXPERT ADVICEI l Assessing plots
l The latest kit homes l Plant room design
How one couplebuilt their spacious new home for an incredible budget
ECO DESIGN Inside TV's Piers Taylor's green home
HOW TO CREATE A BRILLIANT LIGHTING SCHEME
INSIDE
AMAZING HOME MAKEOVERS
Giving dated homes kerb appeal l Converting agarage into living space l Transforming period properties l
KITCHEN SINKS CANTILEVER REMOVING A BUYING ADVICE DESIGN CHIMNEY BREAST
Contents ▲ ▲ ▲
JUNE 2021
5 ISSUES FOR £5! Turn to page 76 to find out more about our latest magazine subscription offer.
44 39
ON THE COVER 44 Self-build for £150K 121 Assessing a self-build
65
plot 110 The latest kit homes and alternative methods of construction 129 Plant rooms 28 Inside TV’s Piers Taylor’s eco home 152 Create a great lighting scheme 78 Giving dated homes kerb appeal 93 Garage conversions 164 Victorian home design ideas 132 Kitchen sinks 161 Cantilever design 141 Removing a chimney breast
Contents
REGULARS
EXPERT ADVICE
13NEWS
110 A GUIDE TO ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION
The latest news, products and ideas for self-builders, extenders and renovators
76 SUBSCRIBE FOR LESS! 93 GARAGE CONVERSIONS: A DESIGN & BUILD GUIDE
Self-build expert Mark Brinkley explains the latest building methods, including kit home innovations, and how they can deliver the best for your project
118 PREPARING TO LIVE ON SITE
Find out how to plan, design and budget to Natasha Brinsmead shares her advice make the most of this often wasted space
An energyefficient renovation
59
28
A bright kitchen extension
141 ASK THE EXPERTS
This month our experts answer questions on Plotfinding expert Mark Stevenson details polished concrete, flat roofs and lime render how to spot a winner and what to avoid
177 A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO BUILDING YOUR OWN HOME 202SIGNING OFF
127 7 WAYS TO CREATE A SAFE BUILDING SITE
HOMES
Energy-efficiency expert David Hilton explores what to consider when designing this all-important space in a self-build
A final word from the HB&R team
28 A GREEN UPGRADE
TV presenter and architect Piers Taylor undertakes a deep retrofit of his Bath home
39 DESIGNED FOR LIFE
78
Mark Stevenson’s advice on health and safety when self-managing a project
129 PLANNING PLANT ROOMS 132 A BUYER’S GUIDE TO CHOOSING KITCHEN SINKS
From materials to costs, this guide covers what you need to know before buying
A kitchen extension and loft conversion to a characterful family home in Cornwall
139OPINION: GOODBYE GREEN HOMES GRANT
Experienced self-builders construct a light, spacious home to a tight budget
DESIGN
44 “WE SELF-BUILT FOR £150K”
Inspiring exterior makeovers
121 PLOTS: ASSESSING PLANNING POTENTIAL
Energy-efficiency expert Tim Pullen bids farewell to the ill-fated retrofit Grant
59 “A CONNECTION TO HOME” 152 HOW TO DESIGN YOUR A dark terrace house is transformed with a OWN LIGHTING SCHEME small side extension filled with natural light
65GREENER PASTURES
In part-two of our lighting special, find out how to get the most from a DIY design
One family trades London living for a life in Yorkshire with a modern barn conversion
159 AMAZING PORCH IDEAS
Dated homes have been given kerb appeal thanks to clever design schemes
Design expert Sabatino Torchitti explains how to include this stunning feature
78 AMAZING EXTERIOR MAKEOVERS 86 YOUR PROJECTS
A family, building a stand-out oak frame home near Bristol, share their self-build journey and words of wisdom
89 ON SITE DIARY
Two sets of self-builders discuss their second fix choices and share their advice
Take a look at these clever design ideas
161 BEHIND THE DESIGN: CANTILEVER DESIGN
164 RENOVATING A VICTORIAN HOUSE: 10 GREAT IDEAS Create something really special and get inspired by these show-stopping designs
175 THE LATEST... SMALL PATIO DOORS Discover the best products
homebuilding.co.uk 9
EDITOR’S
T LETTER THE TEAM MICHELLE GUY is Deputy Editor. She is an experienced homes journalist, and has just completed her kitchen renovation. She’s currently lining up trades to decorate the next room on the reno hit list!
NATASHA BRINSMEAD is Associate Editor and has worked for the title for nearly 20 years. She’s recently finished renovating and extending her Edwardian home on a DIY basis.
AMY REEVES is Assistant Editor and the writer behind many of our readers’ homes features. Amy is in the process of renovating a dated mid-century property in much need of some TLC.
KAREN LAWSON is Homebuilding & Renovating’s Art Editor, and has been designing magazines for over 20 years. She has a particular passion for interior design and architecture.
JACK WOODFIELD JACOB BARLOW News Editor Jack has is Homebuilding & renovated his current Renovating’s Production home and garden. To Editor. A self-confessed receive all the latest eco worrier, Jacob is self-build news, sign up to interested in our newsletter: sustainability. He’s also just completed his kitchen www.homebuilding.co.uk/ news/newsletter renovation.
SARAH HANDLEY Sarah is Web Editor of www.homebuilding.co.uk. She began her career working for a trade building magazine, before joining the Homebuilding team in 2012.
EKOPSEB ETAERC O/C :EGAMI REVOC ;SPILLIHP YMEREJ :EGAMI
CLAIRE LLOYD has been a member of the Homebuilding & Renovating team for over 12 years. She’s embarking on her next renovation.
his spring we said goodbye to the short-lived Green Homes Grant. The Grant was launched in autumn 2020 with the aim of incentivising homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and introduce low-carbon heating solutions such as heat pumps. The scheme was not without its fairshare of issues (or deeply flawed, one might say), but it did represent a step in the right direction. As we’re all too aware, our existing housing stock contributes significantly to our carbon emissions. The funding has been directed towards helping low-income households, which is commendable. However, we’re yet to see a replacement for all homeowners, despite calls from industry for a national retrofit strategy or a reduction in VAT on such work. This seems like a missed opportunity. And while I’m sure many readers of this magazine will continue their good work in improving their homes, whether it’s out of a desire to cut their carbon footprint or to reduce energy bills (or both!), wider support, particularly as the cost of building work continues on an upward trajectory, would be welcome. (Read Tim Pullen’s feature on the topic on page 139.) On a more positive note, for both selfbuilders and renovators interested in green building, then take a look at the winners of the Green Home Awards on page 186. The winners provide a glimpse into some of the innovations which could be making their way into our projects now and in the coming years. Elsewhere in this issue, David Hilton offers his advice on creating a plant room (page 129). While planning this element of the project is undeniably less glamorous than designing, say, a kitchen diner, it’s no less essential. After all, in accommodating the inner workings of a heating system, MVHR system, renewable technology and the like, this space is fast becoming the engine room of the modern-day self-build. Finally, Natasha Brinsmead continues her column documenting the highs and lows of renovating (page 118). This month she provides her advice on living on site. One vital tip is to know when to decamp during build work — a tip I’ve embraced this month in readiness for my roof to be insulated and re-slated!
MEET THIS MONTH’S EXPERTS.. TIM PULLEN
Tim is an expert in sustainable building methods and home energy efficiency. Contact him at Tim@ weatherworks.co.uk.
SABATINO TORCHITTI
Sabatino is head of quality in Building Regulations at Resi.co.uk. Read his guide to creating a cantilever design on page 161.
MARK BRINKLEY Is the author of the ever-popular Housebuilder’s Bible and an experienced self-builder.
DAVID HILTON
David is an expert in sustainable building and energy efficiency and a director of Heat and Energy Ltd. He has over 35 years’ experience.
IAN ROCK
Chartered surveyor Ian Rock MRICS is the author of eight popular Haynes House Manuals, and is a director of www.rightsurvey.co.uk.
HEATHER DIXON
Heather is a freelance magazine journalist, writing about innovative homes, interiors and renovations.
MARK STEVENSON
Mark Stevenson is a self-build expert, MD of Potton & Kingspan Timber Solutions Ltd, and Chairman of the Structural Timber Association.
REBECCA FOSTER
Rebecca is an experienced homes and interiors journalist. Read her practical guide to planning a garage conversion on page 93.
FIVE ISSUES FOR £5!
Subscribe to Homebuilding & Renovating and receive five issues for just £5 — turn to page 76 for more on our latest subscription offer.
HOMEBUILDING & RENOVATING EDITORIAL AND HOMEBUILDING.CO.UK Editor Claire Lloyd Deputy Editor Michelle Guy Associate Editor Natasha Brinsmead Assistant Editor Amy Reeves Production Editor Jacob Barlow Web Editor Sarah Handley News Editor Jack Woodfield Digital Editor Hugh Metcalf Video Editor Matthew Gibbs ART Art Editor Karen Lawson Contributions by Bryn Davies and Gary Stuckey Group Art Director Billy Peel Senior Art Editor Emily Smith MARKETING Events Marketing Director Melanie Kay Group Marketing Manager Eve Mulvaney Group Marketing Manager Anjuman Tariq Marketing Manager Hema Dhingra Senior Marketing Executive Alicia Maragh Marketing Executive Kerry Waite ADVERTISING AND EXHIBITIONS SALES TEAMS Group Media Director Joanne O’Hara Commercial Director Rob Biagioni Strategic Partnership Director Jackie Sanders 0330 390 6530 jackie.sanders@futurenet.com Print and Digital Sales Manager Kelly James 0330 390 6543 kelly.james@futurenet.com Print and Digital Sales Manager Rebecca Vincze (Please contact for all media sales enquiries) 0330 390 6566 rebecca.vincze@futurenet.com MAGAZINE AND WEB PRODUCTION Head of Production Mark Constance Production Project Manager Clare Scott Advertising Production Manager Joanne Crosby Digital Editions Controller Jason Hudson Production Manager Nola Cokely Digital Manager Tom Burbridge Digital Production Executive Nicholas Robertson Email Delivery Manager Alison Nash Web Operations Manager Laura Sturgess PUBLISHING AND EXHIBITIONS MANAGEMENT Chief Audience & Ecommerce Officer Aaron Asadi Chief Content Officer Angie O’ Farrell Managing Director Jason Orme Commercial Finance Director Dan Jotcham Commercial and Events Director Nick Noble Director of Content and Product Development Michael Holmes INTERNATIONAL LICENSING Head of Print Licensing Rachel Shaw Homebuilding & Renovating is available for licensing and syndication. To find our more contact us at licensing@futurenet.com or view our available content at www.futurecontenthub.com PRINTED BY William Gibbons & Sons DISTRIBUTED BY Marketforce, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HU www.marketforce.co.uk Tel: 020 3787 9060
We are committed to only using magazine paper which is derived from responsibly managed, certified forestry and chlorine-free manufacture. The paper in this magazine was sourced and produced from sustainable managed forests, conforming to strict environmental and socioeconomic standards. The manufacturing paper mill and printer hold full FSC and PEFC certification and accreditation. All contents © 2021 Future Publishing Limited or published under licence. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any way without the prior written permission of the publisher. Future Publishing Limited (company number 2008885) is registered in England and Wales. Registered office: Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All information contained in this publication is for information only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Future cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. You are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers directly with regard to the price of products/services referred to in this publication. Apps and websites mentioned in this publication are not under our control. We are not responsible for their contents or any other changes or updates to them. This magazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein. If you submit material to us, you warrant that you own the material and/or have the necessary rights/ permissions to supply the material and you automatically grant Future and its licensees a licence to publish your submission in whole or in part in any/all issues and/or editions of publications, in any format published worldwide and on associated websites, social media channels and associated products. Any material you submit is sent at your own risk and, although every care is taken, neither Future nor its employees, agents, subcontractors or licensees shall be liable for loss or damage. We assume all unsolicited material is for publication unless otherwise stated, and reserve the right to edit, amend, adapt all submissions.
Future plc is a public company quoted on the London Stock Exchange (symbol: FUTR) www.futureplc.com
Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne Non-executive chairman Richard Huntingford Chief financial officer Rachel Addison Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244
homebuilding.co.uk 11
News GREEN HOMES GRANT SCRAPPED T
SREDLIW GUD :EGAMI
he Green Homes Grant was scrapped in March 2021, following months of uncertainty about the scheme, which had faced criticism from homeowners, installers and other industry professionals. Having only launched in September 2020, the £1.5billion scheme was designed to help homeowners afford energy-efficient home improvements such as heat pumps and insulation, to help lower their home’s emissions and energy bills. The grant had been set to run until 31 March 2022, after it was extended in November, but only reached 10% of the 600,000 homes chancellor Rishi Sunak promised would be improved. The scheme closed for new applications on 31 March 2021, with all applications made before the
by Jack Woodfield & Amy Reeves
This dated and inefficient home was transformed by Paul Testa Architecture through a series of thermal improvements including better insulation and airtightness and a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery system.
end of March deadline to be honoured. The Green Homes Grant has been blighted by problems since its launch. These include homeowners reporting issues with the application process, administrators being slow to distribute vouchers, and tradespeople reportedly being left out of pocket for completed work. The leftover £300m funding which had been set aside for the grant from March has been allocated to the ‘local authority delivery’ part of the scheme, which allows councils to bid for funding to carry out retrofits within low-income households. For one expert’s opinion on the end of the Green Homes Grant and what it means for the future of energy-efficient improvements, go to page 139.
homebuilding.co.uk 13
News
Self-build& renovation
BRIGHTER IMPROVEMENTS
Homeowners are becoming more evaluative about the improvements they make to their homes following the pandemic, says Bank of England’s chief economist, with many considering higher quality updates as a result of the ‘accidental savings’ made. Stephen Beresform, head of marketing at window and doors expert REHAU, agrees: “We’ve experienced a 100% increase in requests for a colour swatch, which is reflective of homeowners becoming more discerning and no longer just wanting white windows. “More customers are now choosing from our wide range of coloured options such as pearl grey, elephant grey, midnight black or the more timeless cottage cream and chartwell green, a movement indicative of wider home interiors trends.”
VAT REVERSE CHARGE: WHAT IS IT?
T SEIZNEM MLOCLAM :EGAMI
14 homebuilding.co.uk
he VAT reverse charge came into effect across the UK on 1 March 2021, and will affect anyone involved in the construction chain who must bill VAT on their supplies to HMRC (previously, subcontractors have accounted for VAT on certain construction services). Self-build is zero-rated for VAT, so the new rules don’t immediately impact custom and selfbuilders, but because the direction of cash flow could change, this could affect work on your project. Subcontractors adapting to the new rules could be facing administrative challenges, and this could potentially lead to delays. Therefore, when drawing up your contracts with builders, make sure you understand how the reverse charge will work within your project to minimise any disruption. Read more at www.homebuilding.co.uk/ news/vat-reverse-charge
PEACE AND PRODUCTIVITY “Evidence suggests it’s important
to have a feel-good factor inside your home,” says Russell Ager, managing director of steel window and door manufacturer Crittall Windows (their slim profile range of internal doors and screens is pictured left). “Our positive well-being depends on frequent exposure to light, and daylight is the most powerful way, especially during the pandemic, with more of us working from home and creating a home office or working zone,” Russell concludes.
VIRTUAL BUILD EVENTS IN MAY 12 May 2021
PREFABRICATED ECOCOCON STRAW PANELS ONLINE Barbara Jones will teach this School of Natural Building course on straw building, the necessary qualities and standards, and how to design with straw panels.
21-22 May 2021
PASSIVHAUS WORKSHOP This workshop, virtually held at the National Self Build & Renovation Centre, will showcase the reasons to consider building to a Passivhaus standard.
OUTDOOR LIVING
Eurostove’s Hergom has released a new cast iron firepit which doesn’t just work as a (socially-distanced) BBQ, but also as a garden heater. The 960mm diameter body is finished with heat resistant paint and is available in two sizes: Tall Base (£1,800) and Low Base (£1,545).
A
NEW FIX FOR BROKEN APPLIANCES
HEX HALLWAY
Tile Giant’s Alexa Hex Pebble Grey Matt tiles would create a striking contemporary hallway flooring. The porcelain tiles are suitable for both floors and walls and are available for £1.64 per tile.
Right to Repair law has been announced, which will come into force in the summer and give consumers a right to repair on items they buy. Manufacturers, for the first time, will be legally obligated to make spare parts for appliances available to consumers. The government hopes the law will extend the lifespan of appliances, such as fridges and machine machines, by up to 10 years, save consumers an average of £75 a year on bills, and result in a cut down on the estimated 1.5 million tonnes of electronic waste generated by the UK each year.
homebuilding.co.uk 15
News
Green
BOOK OF THE MONTH: HOW TO GARDEN THE LOW CARBON WAY Answering questions like ‘which plants are best for absorbing
pollution?’ and ‘how can I cut out single-use plastics?’, author Sally Nex, in conjunction with RHS, details how to neutralise the less-positive effects gardening can have on the environment. With tips on setting up a new garden the eco-friendly way and creating a design that considers local wildlife, the step-by-step book is available from Waterstones for £12.99.
MMC TASKFORCE BEGINS
A Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) Taskforce will be backed with £10m funding to accelerate the delivery of MMC homes in the UK. The government announcement was made in the March Budget, which confirmed the taskforce will work closely with local authorities and mayoral combined authorities. MMC is an alternative to traditional housebuilding methods, encompassing a wide range of pre-manufactured off-site and on-site construction techniques, such as insulated concrete formwork, and its energy-efficient construction methods can have benefits for self-builders. Jordan Rosenhaus, chief executive at modular housebuilder TopHat, welcomed the announcement, saying: “If, as an economy, we’re going to reach our 2050 net-zero targets while simultaneously ramping up housing delivery, it’s going to be vital that the housebuilding sector is encouraged to diversify supply.”
CLEAN HEAT GRANT WARNING T
David Hilton is an expert in sustainable building and energy efficiency, and is a director of Heat and Energy Ltd
he Clean Heat Grant must offer maximum benefit to all homeowners, and not just households which only require small heating systems, energy expert David Hilton has warned. The Clean Heat Grant will launch in 2022 as a replacement for the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and provide applicants with a one-off payment of £4,000 towards a low-carbon heating system, such as a heat pump. The full details of the scheme will be unveiled later in 2021, but Hilton fears the flat-rate payment won’t be beneficial to everyone. “Offering an incentive for homeowners to install low-carbon heating systems is important, but it doesn’t seem fair that with all the different technologies and the associated costs that you can only use one grant,” he said. “For example, you might have someone that only needs a small heat pump, and they can get £4,000, but if somebody wants a ground source heat pump then £4,000 won’t go very far. It needs to benefit everyone who invests in the technologies.”
96% ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Heat Wayv, the UK-based creators of the microwave boiler, have said their heating system, an alternative to hydrogen and gas, has an overall energy efficiency of 96%, and an 84% efficiency in converting electricity into hot water, while another 12% of waste heat is recycled. A Heat Wayv boiler costs around £3,500 to buy and install.
homebuilding.co.uk 17
News
Kitchens
SECOND TO NONE
The Used Kitchen Exchange is a sustainable and comparatively walletfriendly way to get a bespoke and beautiful kitchen. This ex-display Stoneham Knole timber shaker kitchen in Connaught Blue has a walnut carcass and Cosentino Dekton Aura 15 Worktops and is available for £29,000. www.usedkitchenexchange.co.uk
MELLOW YELLOW Perk up your kitchen with Bertazzoni’s new Professional Series colourways.
Here, the PRO1106MFETXT 6-burner electric triple oven (£5,579) has been transformed in response to Pantone’s Colour of the Year, Giallo, and is designed to add vibrancy to a neutral kitchen.
LUXE LOOK
Opticolour have released a new Dekton range of composite wall coverings. The popular and hardwearing worktop can now be used as an ultra slim (4mm) splashback. Available in 24 finishes, Dekton’s Opera is pictured here. POA.
homebuilding.co.uk 19
DID YOU KNOW? Hot baths have been linked to lower the risk
News
Bathrooms
of heart problems in research by Osaka University in Japan. A soak in the tub was associated with a 28% lower overall risk of heart and circulatory disease, 26% lower risk of stroke, compared with a once or twice weekly bath, or no bath at all. This freestanding ‘Drift’ bath (£1,895) from Waters Baths of Ashbourne has a raised side profile to enable users to lay back comfortably with their arms resting on the edge all the while saying it’s all in the name of health.
GET THE WETROOM LOOK
With Acquabella’s new Temp Arabba flush shower tray (£650) and wall panels (here in Crema, £176) a wetroom finish can be achieved without tiling.
£
Milano’s Nero Mono Basin Mixer Tap is made from solid brass with a matt black ultra-modern finish. £99.99 from Big Bathroom Shop.
3 MODERN MONOBLOC TAPS £££
With knurled controls and hot and cold engravings, the Swadling Brassware 8920 Mono Tap is luxury all over. £348.48 from UK Bathrooms.
££
Utterly unique, the Creavit Ducky Yellow basin mixer tap from Lovasi is a bright and beautiful way to add a bit of cheer to a bathroom. £200.
AWARDS 2021
Enter our awards and you could win £1,000 of John Lewis vouchers
HAVE YOU BUILT BRITAIN’S BEST HOME? We want to hear all about your completed projects as we launch The Daily Telegraph Homebuilding & Renovating Awards 2021
H
ave you recently completed a self-build, renovation, conversion or extension? Then this is your chance to showcase and celebrate your new home in The Daily Telegraph Homebuilding & Renovating Awards 2021. For almost three decades, our awards scheme has been championing Britain’s most inspiring homes. The Awards don’t just put great home design in the spotlight, but also the ambitious individuals and wonderful teams behind every successful project so we want to hear all about your experiences, ups, downs and lessons hard-learned. What better way to celebrate the completion of your build? Houses of every shape, size and budget are welcome in the 11 categories (see page 24), from future-thinking contemporary selfbuilds and striking extensions, to modest, well-considered barn conversions and DIY renovations. Plus, one of the shortlisted projects will be chosen Home of the Year 2021 and win £1,000 of John Lewis vouchers. Last year’s awards saw Elly and Philip Handley (left) win both Home of the Year and Best Conversion for their £85K contemporary extension and renovation of a derelict blacksmith’s forge in Shropshire. The Awards are free to enter and it takes just 10 minutes to enter online. We can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to…
HOW TO ENTER YOUR PROJECT Submitting a project into the Awards is easy to do and free! To enter
lAt least two ‘before’ photographs where relevant lFive to 10 interior images (living room, kitchen, bedrooms, etc) online, complete the entry form at www.homebuilding.co.uk/awards. lAt least one photograph of the exterior of the house. Submissions will need to have attached: The closing date for entering the Awards is 14 May 2021 and your lFloorplans (‘before’ and ‘after’ for renovation and extension projects, project must be completed (or at least very close to finishing) in order to qualify for the competition. where possible)
homebuilding.co.uk 23
AWARDS 2021
THE CATEGORIES
The Daily Telegraph Homebuilding & Renovating Awards 2021 BEST SELF-BUILD
The judges are looking for self-build projects of all styles and budgets. This category is for well-designed new homes with wow factor Self-Build Zone is the market leader self-build insurance provider. Our Site Insurance and Structural Warranties protect anyone doing a renovation, conversion, extension or newbuild. Our Warranties are all backed by A-rated insurers and approved by the majority of lenders in the UK.
SPONSORED BY
BEST RENOVATION SPONSORED BY
SPONSORED BY
BEST INTERIOR
We’re looking for previously dated, forgotten and unloved homes that have been saved through careful restoration, imaginative remodels or ambitious renovation schemes Yeoman Rainguard supply quality aluminium, cast iron, GRP, copper, zinc and stainless steel rainwater systems to suit all budgets and styles. Free site surveys, sample and itemised quotations available.
For homes with a flair for finishing touches and attention to detail Amtico is a proudly British flooring company with innovative manufacturing processes and precise craftsmanship at its core. With functionality for everyday life and collections spanning woods, stones and abstract flooring, Amtico combines unparalleled design expertise with LVT that boasts extreme resilience and superb strength.
BEST EXTENSION SPONSORED BY
SPONSORED BY
BEST GREEN HOME
SPONSORED BY
Have you extended an existing property to create a home that works perfectly for your lifestyle? For the past 20 years IDSystems has set the standard for glazing innovation. From theEDGE2.0, the ultra-slim 20mm sliding doors to vistaline, a truly innovative slide & turn system and their advanced range of SUNFLEX bifold doors; their products have been custom-made and installed for thousands of projects across the length and breadth of the UK.
Have you built or retrofitted a home to the highest standards of sustainability? Ecology Building Society specialises in lending for ecological new homes (including self-build and custom build), renovation or conversion of derelict buildings, and energy-efficiency improvements to existing buildings. We welcome unique and unusual projects and will consider mortgages for nonhabitable properties or non-standard construction types.
A category for homes that represent exceptional value for money or projects that have been achieved on a tight budget Founded in Denmark in 1853, Morsø’s highly skilled designers continue to employ the best in time-honoured manufacturing techniques updated with modern innovations. It is this discerning ability to create classic looking stoves that reflect current trends which makes Morsø’s wood burning stoves so popular.
BEST CONVERSION
SPONSORED BY
SPONSORED BY
We want to see barns, schools, churches and other such non-domestic buildings that have been transformed into modern homes Etex (Exteriors) UK, part of the Etex group, supplied a comprehensive range of quality fibre cement products for the building envelope. Eternit Slates provides a range of fibre cement slates to suit all tastes as part of the Etex (Exteriors) UK portfolio. Produced to the highest standards, Eternit Slates are supported by industry-leading levels of technical support and customer service.
Has your home delivered against all odds, or has it significantly improved the lives of its occupants? We want to hear from you With 60 years of experience, including developing the first domestic air conditioner in 1958 and selling to more than 120 countries, Panasonic is one of the leaders in the heating and cooling sector. Panasonic delivers innovative products incorporating cutting edge technologies that set the standard for renewable and energy efficient heating and cooling worldwide.
Is your home forward-thinking? This category is for houses that feature the very latest technologies, cutting-edge automation or futureproofed, creative concepts Fisher & Paykel has been designing products since 1934 and has grown into a global company with products sold in more than 50 countries around the world. Fisher & Paykel strives to be the most human-centred appliance brand by developing flexible appliances that can be tailored to individual lifestyles and needs.
SPONSORED BY
24 homebuilding.co.uk
SPIRIT OF SELF-BUILD
BEST VALUE HOME
BEST CUSTOM BUILD SCHEME
This category is open to inspiring custom build schemes of all shapes, sizes and budgets
BEST CONTEMPORARY HOME
SPONSORED BY
Looking for innovative designs inside and out, this category is for homes that cater to every aspect of modern tastes and living Shaping the future of renewable heating & cooling using our signature technology to deliver the ultimate in comfort that our customers depend on.
HOME OF THE YEAR
HOME OF THE FUTURE Chosen from one of the shortlisted houses, the UK’s Home of the Year will celebrate the most outstanding project entered into The Daily Telegraph Homebuilding & Renovating Awards 2021. The winner will also receive £1,000 of John Lewis vouchers.
Homes Inspiring self-build, renovation, conversion and extension projects from across the UK
HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
SLLOHCIN RIATSILA :EGAMI
lA green retrofit in Somerset lA characterful kitchen extension lA spacious new home built for £150k lAn oak frame barn extension homebuilding.co.uk 27
ECO RETROFIT HOMEOWNERS Piers Taylor and Sue Phillips CONSTRUCTION Timber frame extension LOCATION Near Bath SIZE 190m2 BUILD TIME Three months HOUSE COST Already owned BUILD COST £70,000 VALUE Unknown
28 homebuilding.co.uk
A GREEN UPGRADE
Piers Taylor and Sue Phillips built their ‘transparent’ extension to a dilapidated folly 19 years ago, before picking up the tools once again in 2020 to make a few highly energy-efficient improvements homebuilding.co.uk 29
CHANGING SPACES Originally designed to feel as if they were camping in the treetops, the first floor now features less glazing than the original design. The old folly was also recently completed after years of renovating and provides a cosy master bedroom for Piers and Sue.
30 homebuilding.co.uk
started, and access was extremely restricted meaning that all the materials had to be carried to the site by hand. This necessitated that lightweight materials were used throughout the building. Almost 20 years later, it was getting a little worse for wear. “It was too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter,” says Piers. “Also, my own thinking had developed and I came to really hate the house because of all the things that hadn’t worked as a result of the compromises made to build it quickly and cheaply.” While spending more time at home during the first lockdown, he began to solve these problems by retrofitting the structure, fixing past mistakes and improving energy efficiency.
NEW BEGINNINGS
Under Permitted Development, work got underway to remove what they could of the external walls, all the windows and the roof. The internal linings were left untouched so Piers and his family could live in the house while work began around them. “We installed layer after layer of insulation and a continuous airtight membrane around the whole house,” says Piers. “We chose double-glazed
NOSNEHPETS MIJ YHPARGOTOHP SEVEER YMA SDROW
he saying goes that hindsight is a wonderful thing and while for some that may be true, architect Piers Taylor of Invisible Studio found himself tormented by the extension he and his wife Sue had built just under two decades previously. In 2001, after they bought a derelict, crenelated folly in the center of a forest overlooking the Somerset countryside, the couple set out to build a modern addition for their young family. “Basically, we bought it because it was cheap and had no car access,” begins Piers. “We designed the new space to be as big as we could under the greenbelt development rights and built a narrow structure that spanned the plot. The old schoolhouse folly had no views and tiny windows so we wanted to make the most of it and feel like we were really living in the landscape.” Built on a shoestring budget by Piers himself, the new building was plagued by construction issues. The main contractor dropped out before the project
homebuilding.co.uk 31
EMBRACING NATURE Rough and raw finishes still reign throughout the home, including bare plaster and ply timber cladding. The large sliding doors, from Smart Systems, on both sides of the house draw back to expose the main living area to the elements completely in the summer.
32 homebuilding.co.uk
KEY SUPPLIERS
ARCHITECT Piers Taylor of Invisible Studio: www.invisiblestudio.org CONTRACTOR Steve Bullock: 07793 146020 ROOFING AND CLADDING Accord Steel Cladding: www.steelroofsheets.co.uk WORKTOP MPM Engineering: www.stainlesssteelworktopsuk.co.uk PLY LININGS Avon Plywood: www.avonply.co.uk INSULATION Celotex: www.celotex.co.uk RADIATORS Milano: www.milanobrand.com
windows because the technology has improved so much over the last two decades that they are twice as good as the old ones.” Newly insulated floors are heated using electric underfloor heating (UFH), powered by new photovoltaic panels on the roof to mitigate the usually high running costs associated with dry UFH. Piers and Sue’s original investment in the structure of the building paid off, allowing its timber frame to be retained. “I knew we could change the kitchen, bathrooms and finishes over time, so we put our money into a heavy frame that would last forever. It made the rest of the house quite straightforward to change,” he explains. ‘Ordinary’ materials still take centre-stage; the old weatherboard cladding has been replaced by new, black corrugated metal, for instance. “You can’t get more basic – it’s on every shed and barn – but it’s the detailing, like the flashings around the windows or the new guttering, that makes it special.”
A HOME REJUVENATED
Internally, Piers’ previous foresight into the changes that the home would demand once again ensured alterations were as painless as possible. The ground floor has remained very much the same, save a few upgrades to the kitchen finishes, while on the first floor the internal walls were easy to move around to meet the family’s needs thanks to the fact that they were non-loadbearing. “We had an incredible idealistic notion 20 years ago that we wanted everything to be quite open-plan, even upstairs, and we didn’t think in terms of acoustic separation. Living in it was a nightmare,” says Piers. As well as soundproofing the walls, reconfiguring some of the rooms has enabled Piers and Sue to adapt the layout to suit the changing needs of their children, who are now are grown up. “When we were first building my children were very little and we wanted them as close as possible, but of course as they got older they wanted to be as far away as possible,” Piers explains. “Rearranging the layout and retrofitting has breathed new life into the house and the whole structure just feels incredibly robust. It really feels not just like a wellmade home, but also one that works well.”
homebuilding.co.uk 33
THE KNOWLEDGE
CHANGES IN ATTITUDES TOWARDS EFFICIENCY
“In some ways the largest changes in the last 20 years in green building aren’t anything to do with bolt-on renewable technologies, but rather about attitudes towards the overall performance of the structure,” says architect and homeowner Piers Taylor. “Nowadays everything is about a fabric first approach where insulation and airtightness are key. “We live off-grid and all of our heating was wood, which was really unsustainable because it’s incredibly hard work. What I wanted when redesigning the building was a house that needed minimal heating — that type of thinking has developed immeasurably over the last couple of years. We took a low-tech approach that depended on super insulation plus an airtight membrane to make sure no air could escape. From under the floor, up the walls, over the roof and back down the other side is one continuous taped membrane, allowing for the openings to naturally ventilate when we choose, not when the weather comes in. Two decades ago that type of thinking just wasn’t prominent. People were thinking in terms of leaky buildings, ventilating and bolt-on renewables, rather than getting the fabric to do the work for you.”
homebuilding.co.uk 35
“The old schoolhouse folly had no views and tiny windows so we wanted to make the most of it and feel like we were living in the landscape” 36 homebuilding.co.uk
THE FLOORPLAN BEDROOM
FIRST FLOOR
DRESSING AREA BATHROOM
ADAPTING ROOMS The budget Howdens kitchen has been upgraded with a new stainless steel worktop, while the utility behind the units (which used to house various noisy appliances) has been refreshed to provide better storage.
BEDROOM BATHROOM
SITTING ROOM
MASTER BEDROOM
BEDROOM DINING AREA
GROUND FLOOR
KITCHEN UTILITY
homebuilding.co.uk 37
DESIGNED FOR LIFE Prioritising design was the key to success for Lucetta and Matt when they turned a 1930s semi into a quirky family home
TRUB NOMIS YHPARGOTOHP TTARP ARDNAXELA SDROW
HOUSE EXTENSION
KEY SUPPLIERS
ARCHITECT Ben White Architecture: www.benwhitearchitecture.co.uk HOMEOWNERS Lucetta Radcliffe and Matt Scott INTERIOR CABINETRY AND JOINERY DESIGN LOCATION Falmouth, Cornwall AND BUILD Tom Salkeld, Bear Joinery: PROJECT Two-phase loft conversion 07866531742 and rear single story extension to LIGHTING DESIGN AND FABRICATION 1930s semi Eleanor Bell: www.eleanorbell.co.uk SIZE 50m2 (kitchen extension only) MAIN CONTRACTOR (EXTENSION) BUILD TIME Sept 2015 - Dec 2019 Shepherd Consulting: www.sc-ltd.co.uk LIGHTING Pooky: www.pooky.com; Industville: www.industville.co.uk; Urban Cottage Industries: www.urbancottageindustries.com ROOFLIGHTS AND SLIDING DOORS Prolux: www.prolux-systems.co.uk (extension); Velux: www.velux.co.uk (loft) WORKTOPS Durat: www.durat.com DINING ROOM FLOORS Tuscan Flooring: www.tusconflooring.co.uk KITCHEN FLOOR TILES Ca’Pietra: www.capietra.com
40 homebuilding.co.uk
W
hen Lucetta Radcliffe and Matt Scott bought their four-bedroom semi-detached property in Cornwall, the appeal was in its original features. Unfortunately, the rest of the property struggled to hit the mark, both in terms of the way it felt and when it came to modern living. “We were so delighted to get it, we were just happy to live in it for a while, even though the kitchen was awful, and the attic rooms were dark and murky,” begins Lucetta. At the time, their youngest child was just three weeks old, so the couple decided to tackle a loft conversion first, transforming three murky rooms into a spacious master en suite where a repaired roof, roof lights and windows now make the most of the breathtaking views southwards, towards the sea.
“The impact has been pretty amazing. It’s just transformed everything and it was definitely worth all that pain” ORGANISING THE TEAM
Neighbouring properties had set a precedent for the conversion, so there were no planning problems. Lucetta and Matt began by hiring a builder on a day rate and as a result costs spiralled out of control. In response, the couple began looking for a team who would be able to help them with their plans. They hired Tom Salkeld from Bear Joinery, a cabinet maker they had worked with before, to finish the works. “It was so nice to have someone who shares our ideas and whom we trust,” says Lucetta. Keeping a handle on costs was a valuable lesson the couple heeded when they decided to tackle the kitchen a couple of years later. They were introduced to their architect Ben, of Ben White Architecture, by neighbours. “We found it super-useful to get advice from neighbours who had done their own project.” Lucetta also found their main contractor Shepherd Consulting by word of mouth, as the building firm had worked on a property on the same road.
A SECOND CHANCE
Reassuringly, in this second phase of the renovation, the couple had assembled the right team to start work on creating a home that worked for them. After discussions, their architect Ben came up with three options to transform the family’s dark, north-east facing kitchen. Lucetta and Matt chose the most comprehensive option, extending all the way across the back of the property. Built with cavity blockwork with a suspended beam and block floor, the extension’s timber rafters in the roof are supplemented by steel to support large spans of sliding doors. When it came to addressing the connection to an existing party wall, Ben specified the application of Thoroseal, a waterproof “slurry” to the party wall, overlaid with a corrugated membrane tanking system linked to a base drain, which channels water to the bottom of the cavity. “It’s belt and braces, but the only real way to deal with it in this case,” says Ben.
SUSTAINABLE CHOICES The exterior is clad with cedar, while natural and recycled materials take centre stage in the kitchen – the worktops are made from postindustrial plastic waste from Durat and are 100% recyclable.
homebuilding.co.uk 41
LIVING IN THE LOFT The newly converted loft now houses a spacious master bedroom. Cabrio balcony roof windows from Velfac open up the space to create a small balcony and close flush with the roof when not in use.
42 homebuilding.co.uk
WORK PROGRESSED
Although the build process went much more smoothly during the second phase, the family still decided to move out during the extension works.“I didn’t want to live on site with three kids, so we camped all summer,” says Lucetta. “We were hoping to have it done in time for school, but it just wasn’t. We ended up camping in the front room and washing up in the bathtub.” Lucetta also found it was fortunate that, as a freelancer working from home, she was able to be on site every day ensuring good communication, which she found essential. Luckily, being on site to inspect deliveries also meant that Lucetta was able to manage suppliers and materials, such as the limestone paving, being delivered. “If you can’t be on site, have a project manager,” she advises. “The impact has been pretty amazing. It’s just transformed everything and it’s magic. It was definitely worth all that pain!”
INDIVIDUAL INTERIORS
Internally, the central element of the new extension is, of course, the kitchen which was the product of a collaboration between Lucetta, Matt and Tom Salkeld, of Bear Joinery. With no wall units, a striking turquoise colour band runs right around, connecting the space. “The starting point was quite retro, but fun,” says Tom. The cabinet carcasses are made from birch ply, with oak doors, runners and framing finishes with timeless brass hinges. The real transformation has been the house’s connection with the garden as large sliding doors and a picture window give stunning views across the countryside. “It’s true in/outdoor living, even if it does rain,” continues Lucetta. “Having that fluidity of space makes such a positive difference to a family with very fast-growing and screen-hungry kids. To have the garden in constant view is such a bonus and I think it makes us all appreciate an outdoor lifestyle more!”
INDIVIDUAL INTERIORS Continuing the colourful theme of the kitchen, the master en suite includes pops of Farrow and Ball paint (called Arsenic) while the master bedroom built-in storage interiors are turquoise.
homebuilding.co.uk 43
AWARDS 2020
WINNER
BEST VALUE HOME TRADITIONAL SELF BUILD HOMEOWNERS Melanie and Alan Williams LOCATION Medstead, Hampshire BUILD TIME Jun 2013 - Apr 2017 SIZE 248m2 CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM Masonry with beam and block ground floor, timber engineered joists and timber roof trusses PLOT COST £450,000 (2013) BUILD COST £150,000 CURRENT VALUE £1.4million
44 homebuilding.co.uk
DIY self-builders Melanie and Alan Williams have designed and built this characterful barn-style family home for a build cost of just £604/m2
SLLOHCIN RIATSILA YHPARGOTOHP LLAW NOSILA SDROW
“We self-built for £150K”
homebuilding.co.uk 45
omebuilding projects like Alan and Melanie’s don’t come around very often. Built to a staggering budget, the large, traditional home is stunning inside and out. Here Alan talks to Alison Wall about how they achieved their latest self-build.
What was the inspiration for your design?
Our first self-build was a cottage and the second was an executive-style house. I asked my wife Melanie what she’d like for our third — the answer came back: ‘a barn-style home’, so I scoured the internet for images of barns I liked, including one in Norfolk, then did loads of sketches and designs. My youngest son is an architectural technician and I worked How did you find the plot? with him on the design. Melanie was very involved Where we live in Hampshire there in the interior design and she has an amazing eye are loads of ‘colonial bungalows’ – for colour. We chose a kitchen from Handmade Government pre-fab houses – and we’d passed this one many times. The house was Kitchens of Christchurch, which you fit and paint made of tin, with no insulation, and 4 x 2 yourself and she chose the colour for that — it was timber on the inside and bitumen paper on spot on. The whole thing was a real family affair. the outside. It was well past its sell by date.
You got through planning in five months. How did you manage?
Did you come up against any challenges?
We lived in it for a little while until we got planning, then we got a demolition company in to knock the Our design had flint, red brick and black old bungalow down. It was the worst plot in the cladding, which all fitted in with the local vernacular, world: it had three greenhouses, shed upon shed, so getting planning permission was straightforward. trees, bushes, brickwork — it took ages to knock The neighbours were a bigger problem, though, as it all down and get a clean sheet. We couldn’t use they saw us as outsiders and they had all sorts of any of the original foundations and I had to fill in worries — none of which were real! Now passers by a little pond right where the footings needed to go. say it’s the best house in the road. I did all the digging out and pouring the concrete
46 homebuilding.co.uk
KEY SUPPLIERS
DESIGNER Alan Williams and JW Bespoke: www.jwbespoke.co.uk DEMOLITION Wenman Demolition: www.wenmandemolition.co.uk SCAFFOLD Absolute Scaffold: www.absolutescaffold.co.uk ROOF TILER Matt Lloyd Roofing: matt.Lloyd25@yahoo.co.uk CARPENTER (joists and trusses) Shergold & Stewart: shergoldandstewart.co.uk PLASTERBOARD AND PLASTERING RS Dryling: www.rsgroupltd.co.uk BRICKS Brickability: www.brickability.co.uk
BLOCKS Keyline: www.keyline.co.uk KNAPPED FLINT Milestone: www.milestone.co.uk JOISTS AND TRUSSES Triad Timber: www.triadtimber.co.uk WINDOWS AND EXTERIOR DOORS Munster Joinery: www.musterjoinery.co.uk CERAMIC TILES Porcelanosa: www.porcelanosa.com KITCHEN Christchurch Handmade Kitchens: www.handmadekitchens-direct.co.uk STAIRS AND APRON LININGS Colin Mackiewicz Welding/Fabrication: www.colinmack.co.uk
homebuilding.co.uk 47
PROJECT TIMELINE
Plot purchased Apr 2013 Planning application submitted Jan 2014 Planning permission approved May 2014 Moved mobile home on site Jun 2014 Start on site (demolition of bungalow) Jun 2014 Foundations completed Aug 2014 Started building garage Aug 2014 Finished garage Mar 2015 Watertight shell for house, windows installed and watertight Feb 2016 First fix Jun 2016 Second fix Oct 2016 Final decoration Mar 2017 Date occupied Apr 2017
myself, using a NHBC handbook and following their guidelines on soil, trees and so on. And rather than laying and raking the concrete round by hand I spent £350 and used a concrete pump and that was it: by dinnertime it was all done. It was the best thing I ever did and now I wouldn’t do it any other way.
How did you manage to build the house for just £150,000?
It’s like anything: simplicity works. You can spend a fortune on a house if you let it get out of hand, and then all of a sudden all of your money is gone. We lived in a mobile home on site during the build and haggled hard for materials as there is a big mark-up. Plus, I am a site manager in the trade so we saved by going straight to the supplier for things [a £10,000 quote for lintels was reduced to £2,000]. I also had a good idea of what I was doing and I did most of the work myself. I designed the stairs and paid just £900 for them to be made, I did most of the first and second fix, and most of the tiling. I even installed the sewerage treatment plant, which was surprisingly easy. The only things I didn’t do were the electrics, plumbing, roofing and plastering. I wouldn’t recommend that anyone does their own plastering — it looks so easy but it just isn’t! I was going to do the roofing, but I got a roofer in instead, and I remember coming home in the cold and dark and being so glad that I had.
You were planning to use bricklayers, then did it yourself. Why was that?
I’d designed the barn using brick and block, so I got quotes in from bricklayers. When they came back, I looked at them and thought: I can’t pay that price, I will do it myself instead. I am not a bricklayer but I worked nights and Saturdays to do almost all the brick and block work — I chose a Flemish bond which took a lot of sketches and head scratching.
48 homebuilding.co.uk
SPLIT PERSONALITY The house, while traditional from the outside, has a fresh, contemporary finish inside and is bathed in natural light from the copious amounts of glazing on the south-facing rear. The showstopping pendant light was made by Alan using separate rose, long cord and shade components.
homebuilding.co.uk 49
THE KNOWLEDGE
WORKING WITH FLINTS
Used in southern and eastern England since Roman times, flint is a fine-grained silica that is hard and impervious — hence its enduring popularity as a material for walls, buildings and even pathways. For this project, Alan used flint as a decorative finish onto the brick backing on both the front and rear elevations. The flint came already ‘knapped’ — the irregular nodules were split by hand into workable pieces to reveal the beauty of the sedimentary rock. In this case, the flints have a dark face and white crust that is typical of the flint extracted from chalk pits. Cement-rich mortars are not recommended for flint work, as this can lead to damp and possibly even structural decay. Instead, working on the advice of a conservation architect, Alan used a mix of nine parts sharp sand, three parts lime and one part cement, then used an old sack [hessian would also work here], rubbed over the surface to reveal the stones in the mortar mix and to give an aged look to the newly laid flints.
CASUAL DINING Although built on a budget the interiors of the house are anything but shabby. The modern shakerstyle kitchen (from Handmade Kitchens of Christchurch) has been split into three dynamic sections which help to make the space feel relaxed, as well as practical.
The flint work is lovely — did you do that yourself, too?
Yes, I talked to a bricklayer who explained how to do it — it was common sense, really. First, I built up the quoins [masonry blocks at the corner of the walls], then used a string to form a straight line and worked two feet at a time. I used the same mortar mix of lime, cement and sharp sand I’d used on our first house, based on what a conservation architect had told me to use. The flint was expensive, though. I bought three or four bags of knapped flint at £600 a bag. I later found a farmer’s field nearby full of flint — if only I’d known!
How do you feel now you’re done?
In all, the build took two and a half years, and I was working full-time through that period. But now the aches and pains, sweat and tears have all been forgotten. The house puts a smile on our faces every time we come down the drive. Having said that, I may well do another self-build. It’s a hobby for me, I enjoy doing it and then standing back and saying ‘wow’.
homebuilding.co.uk 51
CREATING FLOW The stunning staircase which highlights the double-height void in the centre of the openplan space is made from steel, painted in the same RAL shade as the windows and doors, while a more intimate snug – with its own set of patio doors – is carefully placed around the corner.
PROJECT COSTS
Material costs around £100,000 Triple glazed aluminium windows and doors £19,000 Electrics and plumbing £14,000 Kitchen £12,000 Michelmersh handmade bricks £7,000 Plasterboarding and plastering £7,000 Demolition £6,000 Sandtoft Humber clay tiles £5,000 Roof tiler £3,600 Scaffold £3,500 Plumber (underfloor heating) £3,000 Ground floor tiling £2,250 Flint £2,000 Carpenter £1,500
THE FLOORPLAN FIRST FLOOR BEDROOM BEDROOM
VOID
BATHROOM
DRESSING AREA
BEDROOM
BEDROOM
EN SUITE
GROUND FLOOR SNUG
KITCHEN
DINING AREA LIVING ROOM
UTILITY
WC
ENTRYWAY
HIGH QUALITY FINISH The bifolding doors fold back to create seamless transition between inside and out in the summer months while the flooring – Dover Caliza from Porcelanosa – continues out onto the patio.
homebuilding.co.uk 55
THE
BUILD BEFORE: AN UNLOVED PRE-FAB HOUSE
STARTING ON SITE
LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS
LEARNING FLINTWORK ON THE JOB
A HOUSE EMERGES
homebuilding.co.uk 57
“Our connection to home”
Jess and Reuven Young’s London terrace could never quite compete with the views they were used to in their native New Zealand — until a stylish extension transformed their home homebuilding.co.uk 59
EKOPSEB ETAERC O/C YHPARGOTOHP SEVEER YMA SDROW PICTURE PERFECT The picture window looking out towards the garden is inlayed with Iroko timber while the large sliding door helps to let in natural light. Pendant lights from Graham and Greene illuminate the work spaces.
TERRACE KITCHEN EXTENSION HOMEOWNERS Jess and Reuven Young LOCATION London CONSTRUCTION Steel and timber frame with brick cladding BUILD TIME Nine months (Jun 2017 - Feb 2018) BUILD COST Undisclosed VALUE Unknown
60 homebuilding.co.uk
Although sceptical at first about the sheer amount of storage space, Jess has utilised the floor-to-ceiling cupboards next to the table as a breakfast nook. “The doors of the cupboard slide away and everything you need is two steps away!”
Jess, the extension is incredible. What inspired you to take on this building project?
When we bought the house in 2015 it was really dark inside but had an amazing, well-established garden at the back. We’re originally from New Zealand and I loved growing up on our farm and having a view over the mountains when we had breakfast every morning. I knew I wanted a piece of that here in London. The house had a tiny set of French doors from the galley kitchen but you wouldn’t really know the garden was there otherwise. We knew we wanted to renovate and extend but we had a four-year-old and a four-month-old and it wasn’t really possible to be without a kitchen for any length of time so we renovated the rest of the house to suit us for the time being.
When you decided the time was right, what were your first steps?
When our youngest turned two it really hit home to us that we were missing out on blue sky, sunny days and wanted to be anywhere else but inside the house. We brought in an architect [Richard Bridges of AO Architecture] and we agreed it was all about getting as much light into the back of the house as possible. We decided to push out the side return, which is pretty common along this street, but the council were resistant to the height of the rooflight above the main cooking area as the new wall was going to sit beside the boundary line. Thankfully, Richard convinced the council to approve the design, which made the most of the maximum permissible height.
Did you have any issues once the build began?
The build went pretty smoothly, aside from a last-minute panic to get the kitchen in before Christmas. Andy [Young, founder of Create Bespoke] managed the project for us and was on site every day dealing with contractors so there were no real issues. We have a loft upstairs which we converted during the renovation and we basically decamped up there and created a small kitchen and living room area. At that point our kids were almost six and two so we spent a lot of time out of the house! One thing that wasn’t so much a problem but needed a lot of attention was the glazing. We made sure every piece of glass we put in was engineered very specifically because we wanted the absolute smallest amount of framing visible. The picture window is a testament to Andy and the team at Create Bespoke because it was a really big job to make that piece of glass appear frameless. The frame is actually sat behind the brick which was a really complicated process to calculate all the brickwork precisely. I can’t tell you how many times Andy came to site with his tape measure to make sure it was all lining up.
The whole space is so full of light; has the extension lived up to your expectations?
We absolutely love it — it’s a phenomenal space. When I look at the picture window it is almost exactly what I grew up with in our family house — although not quite a mountain range! I think what we’ve noticed since it was completed is that we can see the garden changing before our eyes in a way that we never really appreciated before. We spend so much more time outside in the garden — it has changed the way we use the house entirely.
homebuilding.co.uk 61
TIMELINE
Planning submitted Dec 2016 Planning approved April 2017 Start on site June 2017 Appliance installation Dec 2017 Decoration Dec 2017-Feb 2018
KEY SUPPLIERS
ARCHITECT Richard Bridges of AO Architecture: www.aoarchitecture.co.uk BUILDER Create Bespoke: www.createbespokebeauty.co.uk INTERIOR DESIGNER Imperfect Interiors: www.imperfectinteriors.co.uk KITCHEN Piccini Kitchens: www.puccinikitchens.co.uk FLOORING CDT Tiles: www.ctdtiles.co.uk SPLASHBACK TILES Milagros: www.milagros.co.uk GLAZING Maxlight: www.maxlight.co.uk
BEFORE: IN DESPERATE NEED OF A CONNECTION WITH THE GARDEN
homebuilding.co.uk 63
GREENER PASTURES
Clair and Guy Newbury swapped a hectic city lifestyle in London for a remote converted barn in the middle of rural Yorkshire
homebuilding.co.uk 47
THE EXTERIOR The series of renovated farm buildings includes a 100-year-old granary, a hay barn and various outbuildings. The oak-framed glazed gable end looks our over miles of open countryside — the tower of York Minster is just visible on the horizon.
NOTRUB EVAD YHPARGOTOHP NOXID REHTAEH SDROW 66 homebuilding.co.uk
BARN EXTENSION HOMEOWNERS Clair and Guy Newbury LOCATION North Yorkshire PROJECT Renovated and extended 100-year-old granary and hay barn CONSTRUCTION Stone with cedar cladding and slate roof BUILD ROUTE Managed by main contractor BUILD TIME 18 months PLOT COST £250,000 BUILD COST £650,000 CURRENT VALUE Approx £1.25 million
T
here was nothing straightforward about the purchase of Clair and Guy’s home in the heart of rural North Yorkshire. The couple were living in London when they heard about the property through the grapevine (before it had even come onto the market) and their first glimpse of the old farm buildings was through computer-generated images (CGI). “We definitely had to use our imaginations,” says Clair. “Guy was really keen, but it wasn’t at all what I’d had in mind. I was looking for something like an old rectory or a Georgian coach house — not converted farm buildings in the middle of a field. The CGI just didn’t do it for me. Guy went to see it while he was visiting Yorkshire on business and he said I had to come and see it for myself before I completely dismissed the idea. He was completely sold on it.”
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
As soon as Guy got back to London to look after their twins Amelie and Dexter, Clair hopped on a train and headed north. “My first view impression of the house was one of disbelief — it was nothing more than a stone shell,” she recalls. “It was a total shock. There were wires and rubble all over the place and it was difficult to see how it would look. But once I’d got over the state of it and looked around, I started to see its potential — I loved the space and the views were fantastic. It was the complete antithesis to everything we had known in London.” Clair also hit it off with builder Simon Wolfeson, who had bought the old farm buildings to develop into a single house. “As soon as he realised we were serious about buying the property – even in the state it was in – Simon was happy to work with us and incorporate our ideas into the build. In effect we bought the house ‘as seen’ and asked Simon to carry on and complete the project. It saved us having to look for another builder and we were still able to put our own personality into it.”
homebuilding.co.uk 67
KEY SUPPLIERS
BUILDER/DEVELOPER/MAIN CONTRACTOR Rawson Development: 07973 196922 DOORS AND WINDOWS Longwood Joinery: www.longwood-joinery.co.uk OAK CLADDING Splinters Woodwork: www.splinterswoodwork.com SANITARYWARE Ripon Interiors: www.ripoininteriors.co.uk KITCHEN AND UTILITY Chapel Kitchens: www.chapelkitchens.com TILING Aykroyd Tiling Services: 07855 865349 MICROCEMENT FLOORING Ecoflor: www.ecoflor.co.uk PORCELAIN TILES Concept Tiles: www.concepttiles.co.uk
BRIGHT AND OPEN Clair loves the high ceiling and oak beams in the open-plan area.“This involved the installation of large steel girders to carry the area where living/dining room and kitchen roofs meet and the installation of the cylindrical steel pillar to help carry the weight,” says Simon.
SOCIAL SPACES The contemporary living area is graced with plenty of natural light and views across the countryside. A woodburning stove, from Charnwood, gives warmth in the winter.
GETTING TO WORK
At the point where Clair and Guy stepped in, the barn and granary had been gutted and cleared and blockwork walls had been built, dividing the space into living areas. First fixes were almost complete and the concrete floors laid at ground level. The couple liked the planned layout of the rooms but there were a few changes they wanted to make, including upgrades to the staircase, all new floor coverings, a feature fireplace in the sitting room and a dressing room in the main bedroom suite. They also created a ‘Jack and Jill’ bathroom between the twins’ bedrooms and enlarged a sixth bedroom to make a master bedroom with an en suite. To add to the unusual circumstances, they were also liaising with Simon long distance.“We were still based in London while much of the build work was going on, but we trusted Simon completely. He was very good at understanding what we wanted to achieve and he and his team kept a consistently high standard,” says Clair.
HIDDEN ISSUES
Builder Simon picks up the story: “One of the biggest challenges of a project like this is the unknowns. It’s not until you start stripping out the building that you are able to determine the structural stability of its fabric. We encountered a lot of external walls that were leaning heavily at the top or had spread and had to be taken down several courses of brick.
homebuilding.co.uk 69
“We then had to clean the bricks and relay them level. Aesthetics came into play too, as not all the existing brickwork matched or was in good condition, so we had to tear down and rebuild areas to make the whole more uniform. This meant sourcing reclaimed bricks to match the existing ones, which is not always an easy thing to do and was quite expensive.” Most of the inner leafs of the external walls were also in poor condition and out of level, so Simon and his team had to run metal tracking everywhere to get a level substrate for plasterboard and insulation. Because the ground floor layout is on three different levels, this presented challenges with tanking (to stop water and damp ingress), as did the upper level bedroom hallway which is below the external ground level. Surface water drainage could have been a problem, as the ground is predominantly clay, but most of it was channelled into an existing pond on the land. Foul drainage is taken to a sewage treatment plant, which is standard for agricultural building conversions off the beaten path.
A GRAND ENTRANCE Clair and Guy wanted to swap a traditional staircase for a more contemporary glass-sided model to pull light from the rooflight above and the panels wither side of the front door.
TRUST IN THE TEAM
Clair and Guy made frequent trips north to keep an overall eye on progress of the build, but put their trust in Simon to manage things on a daily basis and keep them updated. When their London house sold in May they managed to rent a property in York for a few weeks before hiring a camper van for the summer holidays, travelling around Europe while work continued on the house. They finally moved in at the end of August, by which time all the key fixtures and fittings were installed. “We could still talk to Simon when necessary and make decisions over the phone, but we put our trust in him to do everything to a high standard — and he did just that,” says Clair. “I think it’s quite unusual to have that level of trust in a builder. We once lived in a new-build house and there was a snagging list of 125 items, which took forever to get sorted. With Simon there were a couple of small things at the very end, which he dealt with immediately.”
ENJOYING THE NEW HOME
Now Clair and Guy have been living in the house they can’t imagine living anywhere else –—and they are also keen to open it up to others by offering it as a location for shoots and filming, through Leeds-based Lifestyle Locations. “It seemed like a natural thing to do to help fund the project and to utilise the space we have here,” continues Clair. “The fact that we could work alongside Simon to make changes to suit our lifestyle was key to the success of the house,” she says. “It was a gamble to do it the way we did, but it’s exceeded all our expectations.”
“Once I’d got over the state of it and looked around, I started to see its potential — I loved the space and the views were fantastic” COST BREAKDOWN
Kitchen, boot room and appliances including Aga £50,000 Internal plumbing including all sanitaryware £50,000 Electrical including fixtures £40,000 Tile flooring including bathrooms £34,000 Windows and external doors £25,000 Oak staircase with glass siding £6,000 Oak cladding £45,000 Alterations to original design £50,000 Labour and materials £350,000 Total cost £650,000
homebuilding.co.uk 71
THE KNOWLEDGE BUYING A HALF-COMPLETED PROJECT
For anyone buying a project mid-way through, Simon would recommend the homeowner asks the builder/developer for an intricately detailed specification on the proposed finishes. “In this case I gave specification and monetary allowances for sanitaryware and furniture in each bathroom, kitchen and utility cabinetry and worktops, floor coverings, light fixtures and internal doors and even paint colours and brands,” says Simon. “I then told Clair and Guy that they could trade up or down depending what finishes they wished to change.” Any changes in the layout of the building were priced upfront and approved by Clair and Guy prior to any work being started. “There will always be some miscommunication but you want to minimise the possibility of this as much as possible,” says Simon. “And lastly, whether you’re the developer or the purchaser you need to feel comfortable with each other.” Clair endorses this whole-heartedly. “It could have been a very different scenario if we hadn’t seen eye to eye. When you buy a property to renovate yourself you put the work out to tender and choose a builder you think you can work with the best. In this case we were taking over a project that had already begun and it was a gamble. It could have been a very different story had we found ourselves with a very different agenda, and different ideas, to Simon.” She would, however, recommend that the new owners draw up a very clear idea of the things they want to change and make sure that their plans are feasible without incurring excessive extra costs. “You have to be prepared to work with the majority of design ideas that are already in place,” says Clair. “If we had started asking for major structural changes the costs would have escalated way beyond our budget. As it was, we worked with the existing plans and adapted them to suit our own needs. It worked brilliantly.”
FLOATING BEDROOM The main feature of the house is the large feature glazed gable end which forms the whole gable. “We had to design a system where the glass curtain walling was totally separate to the oak cladding so that the oak could weather and move without affecting the glazing,” says Simon. “The framework for the façade and the ‘floating’ master bedroom, dressing room and en suite is a steel fabricated structure, thus the master bedroom appears to hang above the living room.”
homebuilding.co.uk 73
OLD AND NEW Oak cladding from Splinters Woodwork cleverly blends with the traditional brick barns while the original openings have been filled with high-performing glazing to combat the changeable weather.
THE FLOORPLAN
As Clair and Guy came in part-way through the project, they were able to make changes to the floorplans to suit their family. Namely an extra guest bedroom on the first floor was removed to enlarge the master suite and two separate show rooms were changed to a Jack and Jill en suite at the back. UTILITY
BOOT ROOM GROUND FLOOR
ENTRY HALL
74 homebuilding.co.uk
BEDROOM STUDY
KITCHEN DINING AREA LIVING ROOM
FIRST FLOOR
BEDROOM
MOOR GNISSERD ETIUS NE
DEN
BATHROOM BEDROOM
W/C
BEDROOM EN SUITE
MASTER BEDROOM
5 ISSUES FOR JUST £5 SUBSCRIBE NOW!
*
SAVE
79%
GREAT REASONS TO SUBSCRIBE
SUB S NOWCRIBE !
BRILLIANT VALUE — SAVE MONEY ON THE COVER PRICE EVERY ISSUE IS DELIVERED IN AN ECO-FRIENDLY PAPER WRAP
PREFER INSTANT ACCESS? Grab 5 issues for £5, plus instant access. Available on iOS & Android.
www.magazinesdirect.com/hbrjun21 or call 0330 333 1113 and quote BH13
Terms & Conditions Offer closes 31st May 2021. Offer open to new subscribers only. Direct Debit offer is available to UK subscribers only. *After your first 5 issues, your subscription will continue at £12.56 every three months. Please allow up to six weeks for delivery of your first subscription issue (up to eight weeks overseas). Payment is non-refundable after the 14 day cancellation period unless exceptional circumstances apply. For full terms and conditions, visit www.magazinesdirect.com/terms. For enquiries please call: +44 (0) 330 333 1113. Lines are open Monday- Friday 9am-5pm UK Time or e-mail: help@magazinesdirect.com. Calls to 0330 numbers will be charged at no more than a national landline call, and may be included in your phone provider’s call bundle.
Homes
Before 78 homebuilding.co.uk
New character
LOCATION: BERKSHIRE
Designer: Absolute Architecture
An uninspiring 1970s home on the perfect plot has given way to a tradition-inspired makeover, complete with maintenance-free render, authentic brickwork and a delicate clay tile roof. An extension over the double garages has increased the usable space available in the house, while at the back, a green oak balcony adds endless charm.
Amazing exterior makeovers Using a little imagination and effort has transformed these dated properties into striking, modern homes
homebuilding.co.uk 79
Homes
A terrace revitalised LOCATION: NORTH LONDON
Designer: Archmongers
Translucent glass blocks, a vivid green window, a bright blue front door and handmade clay tiles – chosen for their uneven surface to catch the light differently throughout the day – prove that terraced houses can be anything but boring (below right). The original 1960s mid-terrace was renovated and remodelled by Margaret Bursa, director at Archmongers, and her husband to bring light and more than a little fun into the tired house. At the back, a kitchen extension with green roof terrace links the playful interiors to the garden.
EYT + HCNERF :SEGAMI
Period charm
LOCATION: OXFORDSHIRE
Designer: Absolute Architecture
Before
A new gable and render finish and a porch extension to a 1950s property has created a home for a young couple to serve their lifestyles now and for years to come. The exterior features handmade clay tile roofs and new aluminium windows, as well as a redesign of a bulky, ill-fitting dormer.
homebuilding.co.uk 81
Homes
Going up
Before
LOCATION: NORTH EAST
Designer: Elliott Architects
TSEW YNOT :EGAMI
A south-facing extension and new timber frame first floor means this once dark bungalow is near unrecognisable. Three new bedrooms and a master suite have been added, as well as a light-filled kitchen, dining and living room. By working within the existing building’s layout, the homeowners and architects were able to keep costs down while new render and naturally finished timber cladding give the entire house a much-needed makeover.
Letting the light in LOCATION: CUMBRIA
Designer: Ben Cunliffe Architects
This 1970s bungalow had undergone extensive refurbishment over the years that had never really solved the house’s cramped layout before Ben Cunliffe Architects were asked to create a modern family home that maximised the views across Lake Windermere. Now a five-bed home, contemporary dormers, extensive glazing (including pocket sliding doors) and cladding (cedar and Lakeland stone) open up and refresh the house entirely. ETAT LLIJ :EGAMI
82 homebuilding.co.uk
Contrasting styles
LOCATION: SOUTHAMPTON
Designer: BBD Architects
A box-shaped extension clad in cedar has provided this much-loved Edwardian family home with a new lease of life, as well as a master bedroom suite and a family kitchen and living area which overlooks the garden. The original house has been renovated with new wood sash windows and a new interior design.
RENDRAG NITREM :EGAMI
Before
Before
Homes
Improved inside and out LOCATION: WEST SUSSEX
Designer: ArchitectureLIVE
Sat within the South Downs National Park, this family home was transformed with a two-storey extension and a radical remodelling scheme. A fabric first approach was applied to the design for optimal energy-efficiency and dynamic black timber cladding gives the exterior a dramatic face lift.
Before 84 homebuilding.co.uk
Your projects
OUR BEST BUILD TIP “We hired a project manager and we would absolutely recommend that to other first-time self-builders. It’s been great to have someone who’s familiar with the process and knows good tradesmen. There’s a lot we would have missed had we not had someone like that on the journey with us. It has made it less stressful and certainly more enjoyable.”
STHGIRWKAO DNA EEBHSA KRAM :SEGAMI
86 homebuilding.co.uk
“Every day we see a new change on site”
A
Greg and Anni Le Tocq are self-building their ultimate oak frame family home outside Bristol
THE WORK IN PROGRESS Greg and Anni’s light-filled oak frame dream home taking shape.
few years ago we bought a house in Devon that featured lots of exposed wood and glass. We really enjoyed living with so much light, so much so that when we moved to Somerset our house just felt dark in comparison. We began looking for something similar, but before long we had started thinking about building our own home. From there things moved very quickly and our land agent found a plot in 10 days!
DESIGN WISH-LIST
Oak frame houses are a dream for us, so we visited an Oakwrights’ open day; the company felt like it was a really natural fit. We then started working with planning consultants to understand what we could get planning permission for. Luckily the plot had a house and five outbuildings on it so we had lots of scope as the local planning policy for greenfield plot states you can increase the gross internal footprint by 50%. We had a lot of fun and games with the ecologists and bat surveys and what was going to be an office above a garage is now a bat ‘hotel’ — they have some of the nicest accommodation in the area. In terms of the actual style of the house, we took three designs we really loved to Oakwrights, but what really interests me is that they were eager to know what our wish-list was so they could use that as a starting point. It’s a question that starts you thinking about the houses you have lived in, what you like and what you miss about those spaces, and suddenly your favourite memories magically turn into a floorplan.
NEW HOUSE, OLD CHARACTER
It’s amazing how the build is progressing — the oak frame went up about two months ago and the encapsulation system and roof are now both done. We can now walk through the house and it just works perfectly. That’s what we like about the whole process — it’s so exciting to see how quickly everything is coming together. Every day we see a new change on site. The beauty of building an oak frame house is that although it’s brand new, it feels so much older and you can put a lot of character in it. We went down to the Oakwrights’ workshop and saw the process from logs becoming beams right through to the carpenters putting the finishing touches on the oak that will hopefully stand on the plot for a lot longer than we will be there.
homebuilding.co.uk 87
Your projects
“We had a million different options”
This month Charlie, Helen, LB and Craig discuss their choices of second fix carpentry and flooring
W
e saw the integration of second fix carpentry features as the start of our oak frame cottage’s interior developing — its character, flair and identity. Looking back, we could have taken a bit more time to decide on our skirting boards. As with everything, there was more choice than you could shake a stick at! We chose primed MDF but in hindsight, undercoated skirting actually takes less work for a nicer finish. We would advise getting a CHARLIE AND HELEN: sample to check that what you will receive is the @COTTAGE.CHURCH same as what’s pictured on the website. When it came to our downstairs flooring, we fell in love with limestone from the off. We knew it would complement our frame beautifully. It was laid with a view to making the area look spacious under the guidance of Richard from White Hall Flagstones. Who knew how much is involved with laying a floor? Upstairs, we debated the merits of a hard floor with rugs in the bedrooms, but the allure of softness and warmth prevailed, and so we went ahead with carpet. By this point we had become efficient decision makers so we chose a grey scheme and looked at samples in the room’s light and against the oak. Within 20 minutes having gone through a van full of samples we drilled it down to The One.
O
ur second fix carpentry quickly came around and we were presented with a million different options. We went for ‘torus’ skirting and architrave and, although we both liked the look of ledge and brace doors, we went for latch handles on oak doors as they’re much quieter. Flooring options got a lot of airtime from the start; I grew up in a hot climate and couldn’t get my head around having carpet throughout the house, whereas Craig couldn’t imagine waking LB AND CRAIG: up in the morning and stepping onto a hard floor. @SELFBUILDLIFE We met halfway and decided to go with a tumbled limestone from White Hall Flagstones throughout the downstairs of our cottage. This suits our open-plan layout and we thought it would work well with children and dogs. Upstairs, we opted for carpet in our bedrooms and on the landing. We liked the Scandi style of wood floors in bathrooms but we knew it wouldn’t be hugely practical, so instead we chose a light oak wood-effect porcelain tile from Topps Tiles; we have been thrilled with the outcome and can’t believe how realistic they look.
homebuilding.co.uk 89
Advertising feature
TOP 5 BENEFITS OF WRIGHTWALL AND WRIGHTROOF NATURAL Specialists in designing and building oak frame homes, Oakwrights, explain everything you need to know about their award-winning, closed-panel wall and roof encapsulation system
A
re you researching ways to ensure your upcoming self-build project is energy efficient? You are not alone! In 2020, the National Custom Build & Self Build Association (NaCSBA) and the Building Societies Association conducted an online survey which found that 89% of the participants “said it would be important for their ‘built home’ to be energy efficient.” So, to support your future project, here are just a handful of ways you could benefit from designing an oak frame home that is insulated and encased by our WrightWall and WrightRoof encapsulation system.
1. Breathable panels
Our Natural panels will allow your walls and roof to breathe, meaning atmospheric moisture can move and dry outwards while retaining excellent airtightness performance and avoiding unnecessary moisture build up.
2. Natural and recycled content
The insulation used within our WrightWall and WrightRoof Natural encapsulation system is made from recycled newspaper, containing cellulose, which is a fantastic insulator.
3. Heat retention and keeping cool
Built with excellent insulation density, our Natural panels provide impressive U values. This will improve the thermal performance of your walls and
roof, increasing comfort, as your home remains at an optimum temperature, while you enjoy lower running costs and energy bills.
4. Airtightness
An integral feature of our award-winning encapsulation is its exceptional airtightness capabilities: vital if you are striving to meet Passivhaus building standards. In Yorkshire, we worked with a team to create the frame for the UK’s first certified oak frame Passivhaus (pictured above, right) for our clients, which was encased by WrightWall and WrightRoof Natural.
5. Service voids
Our Natural panels include an internal service void, providing a straightforward solution to installing first fix electrical and plumbing services, driving your exciting build forwards. Whether you’re in the process of finding your perfect plot or sketching your dream design, we are here to help. Call 01432 353353, or email enquiries@oakwrights.co.uk to arrange a complimentary one-to-one appointment at our virtual Zoom clinic on 18th and 19th June, to discuss your future plans with our architectural design team. homebuilding.co.uk 91
Space & value
by Rebecca Foster
ADDING
SPACE &
VALUE
NITRAM EIHPOS REHPARGOTOHP ,SROIRETNI SSILB :EGAMI
PART 9: Garage conversions
lPlanning and regs lDesign inspiration lCosts lFoundations lInsulation and ventilation
homebuilding.co.uk 93
M
Space & value any garages end up becoming little more than zones where clutter and dust accumulate. If that sounds familiar, then it could be that your own garage is a prime space for conversion. As well as adding square footage to your home, a garage conversion has the potential to add value too — as much as 15%, according to Portico*. Typically, a conversion can be completed in a shorter time frame than building an extension. Plus, the construction work involved doesn’t tend to be as intrusive on the rest of your living space. From design considerations to all the regs, we lay out what you need to know.
WHY CONVERT YOUR GARAGE?
EMOH-RUOY-OT-EULAV-DDA-OT-SYAW-TSEB-EHT-FO-NET/STNEMEVORPMI-EMOH/KU.OC.ECIVDAECIRPYTREPORP.WWW MORF *
Whether your home’s garage is integral or detached, converting it into habitable accommodation is one of the speediest routes to boosting living space. You’re gaining living space from the existing footprint of the garage without having to build a new structure from scratch, as you would for an extension. Plus, a garage conversion won’t gobble up precious garden space. This type of project is often received more favourably by the planners, too, as they usually involve fewer alterations to the exterior of the house. As you’re working with the existing structure you won’t necessarily need to dig out new footings. It is always worth getting the existing footings checked out though, especially if you want to build a second storey on top of the garage at a later date — brush up on the Building Regs and read the advice on foundations from Andy Stevens on page 103. “If you’re working with an attached garage, removing the dividing walls can add a significant amount of space to the most lived-in areas of your home,” says Sabatino Torchitti, head of quality in Building Regulations at architectural practice Resi. Carrying out a garage conversion makes good sense if you’re undertaking a larger house remodel at the same time. That way, you can rejig the floorplan to establish a layout that flows from one zone to the next. Be aware though, that tapping a wall and hearing a hollow sound isn’t necessarily proof that it’s not loadbearing. If you’re unsure, it’s worth bringing in a structural engineer to check. Before charging ahead, there’s still numerous considerations to factor in, especially if the scheme is to deliver the results you want. “You’ll need to consider how the garage is constructed and what you want to use it for,” says Jude Tugman, managing director at Architect Your Home. “These criteria will impact on the cost of the conversion. Increasing your home’s usable floor area will always boost its cash value, but you should think about how the extra space will improve your lifestyle too. Do you want more light, a quiet study, a utility area or an extra bedroom?” Additionally, if you’re doing away with your main storage space for bikes and tools, you’ll need to work out where these items can be moved to.
94 homebuilding.co.uk
1 2 3
3
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS: A DESIGNER’S VIEW
Light is going to be a big consideration, as you’ll be converting a room that’s typically dingy. Opening up the space to the rest of your ground floor is one way of going about this, but you will need to factor in the structural work this requires. Adding a new bedroom could be an option, especially if someone in your family struggles with stairs, but make sure you consider the street noise. To get a good night’s sleep, your design may need to have high quality sound insulation. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. As lockdown has demonstrated, sometimes our homes need to be more than just somewhere to sleep and eat. We’ve seen people turn their garages into home gyms, craft areas, yoga studios and even cinema rooms! Sabatino Torchitti, head of quality in Building Regs at Resi
This bungalow and detached garage were reconfigured to create a sleek, modern home. Trace Architects are the brains behind the design. The garage ceiling was opened up to create a vaulted kitchen-diner and a glazed link was introduced to link the kitchen with the rest of the house.
)MOTTOB( EYT + HCNERF ,STCETIHCRA SREGNOMHCRA :SEGAMI
Archmongers Architects revitalized this 1980s end of terrace house by converting the detached garage at the back of the plot into a bedroom. The new bedroom has been connected to the rest of the house via a single-storey courtyard extension.
Space & value
DESIGN IDEAS
There’s an abundance of possibilities. With the rise of home working in the post-Covid 19 world, a study or office might be the perfect fit. If you have young children, a separate playroom for toys and games might be a better use of the space. Typically, a single garage serves up around 15m2 of space, while a double garage offers around 30m2. The latter lends itself beautifully to guest accommodation, complete with a bedroom and en suite. If you have a bigger budget, you could kit your garage out as a plush home gym or even a cinema room. If you’re thinking of selling in the future consider the resale value of what you convert your garage into. A room without natural light, for example, might put some buyers off.
PLANNING PERMISSION Taylor & Co were tasked with rebuilding this property’s existing garage to create a new double garage with a home office above. Plenty of glazing has been incorporated to establish a bright, sunfilled space, with a partially glazed gable at the front, roof windows overhead and glazed doors leading out onto a balcony at the back. Construction work took three months in total.
According to Resi, only about 10% of garage conversions require formal permission. For most projects the bulk of the work is internal, give or take the addition of windows, a door and potentially a new strip foundation if you are blocking or bricking up the main garage door. These alterations are likely to fall under Permitted Development (PD), particularly if the garage is attached. Consent is more likely to be required for detached garages, especially if you plan on creating an annexe to provide supplementary accommodation. If the garage was built after the house then check with your local authority to make sure your property’s PD
homebuilding.co.uk 97
Space & value Architect Your Home carried out this garage conversion as part of a larger extension scheme. The space now provides an informal family room with stairs leading to a mezzanine area above. The entirety of the project was carried out under Permitted Development rights.
WINDOWS AND DOORS It’s important to think about how the window/ door will affect the overall look of the garage. If you’re changing the front garage door by removing it, then filling the gap and installing a window, try to get the window to look the same as those on the front of the house. Ideally, you don’t want the garage conversion to look as though it was originally a garage! When it comes to installing windows and doors in your garage conversion, the process is exactly the same as it would be for a house extension. You will need a set of Building Regulation plans with all the info on how it will be built to current building control standards. Rob Wood, MD at Simply Extend LLEHCTIM MIT :EGAMI
rights haven’t already been used. Always touch base with your local authority before diving in. For peace of mind, you can obtain a Lawful Development Certificate to cover any alterations you undertake. If you plan to make significant changes to the exterior, such as altering the roof line or adding a bay window, it’s more likely that planning permission will be needed. Likewise, if you live in a conservation area or your home is listed, you will need to obtain consent from the relevant bodies before going ahead. It’s also worth checking the title deeds of your property to see if there are any covenants stipulating that the garage be retained as a space for parking. Such conditions are sometimes enacted to maintain the design of the property and the overall appearance of the street scene, or, in urban areas they can be put in place to prevent extra congestion from roadside parking. In some cases, this type of covenant becomes obsolete after a certain number of years has passed. If that is not the case, you can apply for consent to have the condition removed.
homebuilding.co.uk 99
Space & value
BUILDING REGULATIONS CONSIDERATIONS
GARAGE TRANSFORMATION
SGNITSAH HGUH :SEGAMI
This light-filled two-bedroom guest annexe started out as a dark, cluttered double garage. As the property is situated in a conservation area, Märraum Architects had their work cut out for them when it came to obtaining planning consent for the conversion. “We were able to design this garage conversion to remain below the height of a boundary wall to minimise the visual impact and gain the support of the neighbours, conservation groups and planners,” explains Adam Laskey, director at Märraum. One of the key design challenges was creating a contemporary aesthetic for the garage-annexe that would set it apart from the original property. “We wanted to be honest to the age in which the annexe was constructed, rather than trying to stay in keeping with the existing building,” says Adam. “The external walls were finished with natural materials which will weather and fit into the setting sympathetically.” Now, the once gloomy garage comprises two bedrooms, an en suite, a kitchenette and living area, plus a private deck.
As a garage conversion involves a change of use, it will need to adhere to the stipulations laid out in the Building Regulations. “You’ll have to bring the insulation and ventilation up to standard, and possibly the foundations, too. It’s important to bring in a professional – an architect, structural engineer or builder – to make an assessment, rather than going ahead with the project on a DIY basis,” says Mike Taylor, director at Taylor + Co Architects. The Regs concern various aspects of the build including the thermal performance of windows and doors, ventilation, fire safety, acoustics and thermal performance [See ‘5 things to consider’ on page 105]. Any electrical or plumbing work carried out will need to comply with the standards, too. Fire safety is vital, so an additional means of escape may need to be incorporated. If you’re replacing the main garage door with a smaller entrance or window at the front anyway, you’ll need to ensure it meets the criteria for an escape route. For uncomplicated schemes, submitting a building notice to the local authority notifying them of the works may be enough. For projects that are more involved, however, structural plans will need to be submitted as part of a full-plans application. The local building control department will then monitor your build’s progress at various stages to make sure it is being implemented as planned, and issue a completion certificate at the end providing the work is up to scratch.
homebuilding.co.uk 101
Space & value CHECK FOUNDATIONS
When removing the main door on a garage conversion, it is highly likely there will be no footings underneath. Therefore, if you are going to brick up the opening, you will need to dig out a new strip foundation to tie in with the existing ones. The best way to see what is there under the rest of the garage is to dig a test hole next to one of the walls. With current Building Regs, and dependent on factors such as existing footings and ground conditions, you will most likely need to dig at least a metre deep. Frustratingly, every borough in the country stipulates its own depths for foundations, so it’s always best to have a site meeting with your building inspector to discuss the test hole and what depth they will require the footing to be dug down to. Andy Stevens, managing director at Eclipse Property Consultants
This ground floor extension and garage conversion in Surrey made way for an open-plan kitchen-diner and a snug/home office in place of the garage. The bay window was added as part of the works, establishing a light-filled space for work and relaxation. Resi carried out the design work, and connected the homeowner with My Extension Ltd for the construction.
COSTS
CEDIA member Bespoke Home Cinemas transformed this double garage into a plush home cinema. The space features a 120-inch screen with 4K projection, paired with an immersive Artcoustic audio system for the full cinematic experience.
Various factors will affect the overall cost of your conversion, from the condition of the existing structure to the fit-out spec and level of finish. If the foundations, walls or roof are in questionable condition before works get started, the cost of putting them right could potentially result in a bigger outlay than you budgeted for. As a minimum, it’s worth setting aside at least £1,000/m2 for the conversion. This price includes construction, plus the design, planning, Building Regs and a structural engineer’s costs, but not finishes and furniture. This could easily rise to between £1,500 and £2,000/m2 depending on the level of work and the finish you choose. “For a single garage conversion, you’ll need to budget around £20,000, with some variation due to your choice of materials and fittings,” says Rob Wood, managing director at Simply Extend. “For a double garage, that figure would be more like £30,000.” Of course, there are caveats for all these prices. Project costs will vary depending on structural changes, utilities and plumbing, which can push prices up (and if your project is in London you should always expect to pay at the top end of the range). A final tailored quote would also take into account waterproofing, insulation and the integration of the conversion with the rest of your property.
homebuilding.co.uk 103
Space & value
5
THINGS TO CONSIDER
1INSULATION
If the garage is integrated, it’s likely to have been built to the same standard as the rest of the house in terms of its thermal performance, but this is not always the case. The garage’s construction will inevitably dictate the work required. Installing insulation between studwork, or applying insulated plasterboard are common routes to addressing thermal performance. Roof insulation typically becomes a consideration in detached and attached garages with no room above. For pitched roofs, applying mineral wool between and over the top of the joists should be sufficient. For flat roofs, rigid insulation can be fitted between and beneath the ceiling joists. A gap of around 50mm should be left for ventilation. For floors, a damp proof course should be laid first with insulation on top. Next, a layer of screed can be put down with your chosen floor on top. If your garage is attached, then ideally you’ll want to bring the floor PLUMBING level up to create a flush transition to A survey should be carried out the rest of the house. to locate the main outflows for water (as well as the waste pipe if you’re installing a WC). Consider how far the ELECTRICS garage is from the mains and waste An electrician will be able to test the existing wiring and ascertain pipes of the main house. The further what work will be required. If your the distance, the more digging pipes conversion involves knocking through will add to your project’s cost. any walls, they will need to be carefully examined, too. HEATING “A lot of the time a garage hosts Depending on the size of electric meters and distribution your garage, electric heaters or an boards, allowing for easy installation infrared panel may be the most of electrics,” says Dave Chester. straightforward way to heat the new New lights, sockets and electric space or, if the garage is connected radiators in your garage conversion to the main house, you could could put additional strain on older connect up the existing heat pipes. consumer units, which may need Installing underfloor heating after to be upgraded. If you’re installing the floor is insulated offers a more wiring for a detached garage, it can luxurious option. There are wet and be run through an underground dry systems suitable for every type channel. of floor.
2
3
4
5VENTILATION
“Ventilation is vital, otherwise you’re just building a box that’s going to sweat,” says Mike Taylor from Taylor + Co Architects. Installing an openable window is an easy way to introduce purge ventilation. The opening should have an area at least 1/20th of the floor area of the room it serves, whereas bathroom windows can be any openable size. Trickle vents should also be incorporated (potentially into the window framework) to provide background ventilation. If your garage already has air bricks, these should not be covered up. If your garage will host a new kitchen, utility or bathroom, check out www.planningportal.co.uk or www.labc.co.uk for more on the rules and regs.
Home Gym Solutions converted this annexe above the garage into a fully functional gym with cardio and strength zones. The gym fit-out cost £12,000.
homebuilding.co.uk 105
Expert advice All the information you need to ensure that your project is delivered on time and on budget!
HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
EKNARF :EGAMI
lAlternative building methods explained lAssessing plot potential lDesigning plant rooms lA buyer’s guide to kitchen sinks homebuilding.co.uk 109
Expert advice
A beginner’s guide to
ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION Looking to self-build and pondering your construction system? Then read self-build expert Mark Brinkley’s take on four alternative methods that are worth adding to your research
T
he world of housebuilding tends to work along well-established lines. In England and Wales, masonry construction, otherwise known as brick and block, predominates. In Scotland and much of Ireland, timber framing is to the fore. Self-builders use both methods and, in addition, they have also adopted three others: structural insulated panels (SIPs), which is a specialised form of timber frame; modern-day oak frame, which is a hybrid system (the structural frame is wrapped in an encapsulation system); and insulating concrete formwork (ICF), which involves pouring ready-mixed concrete into polystyrene moulds. But there is no requirement to stick to triedand-tested techniques. Here we take a look at some of the alternatives.
Cross laminated timber
Cross laminated timber (CLT) is a relatively new development in the field of timber building. It grew out of our ability to glue thin strips of timber together to make strong beams, known as gluelaminated or glulam beams, and uses the same method to engineer whole-wall panels that are both strong and beautiful.
DID YOU KNOW
A new Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) Taskforce was announced in the Budget and will be backed by £10m of government funding to accelerate the delivery of MMC homes in the UK. At the time of writing, details of the launch date had not been released.
CLT is formed from timber strips laid on top of each other at 90° angles. Panels are built up into different thicknesses, depending on structural requirements, and can be up to 20 metres in length. These panels can be used to create an entire superstructure to very exacting tolerances. CLT is available in different grades at different price points. The top grade, known as ‘visual grade’, is designed to be used as a wall finish in its own right, which is one of the key selling points of CLT. Building with CLT is still some way from mainstream in the UK. The technique first appeared in Austria in the 1990s and, to date, all CLT panels have had to be imported from there or neighbouring Germany. As such its use is still rather limited. However, there is a small number of architects who specialise in CLT; Meredith Bowles, of Mole Architects, is a big fan. “As an over-simplification, people love exposed timber. Too much and people think it’s like a sauna, but leaving parts of the overall structure exposed as a solid wall, floor or roof adds warmth and interest. CLT is brilliant at this. How dull a plasterboard ceiling looks in comparison! It’s a modern version of exposed beams,” he says.
MODERN METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION VS ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION: IS THERE A DIFFERENCE? In recent years, there has been a shift in people’s perspectives of how we should be building the best homes. As recently as 10 years ago, the emphasis was all about the process of construction and, in particular, getting more aspects of homebuilding off site and into factories. This was seen as a way of enhancing quality and performance. The current trend is to look far more closely at the materials being used in the construction and to look for more natural, often plant-based solutions. These had developed from a different school of housebuilding which was very much hands-on and on-site, but has been slowly moving towards a more factory-build approach. The distinction has been drawn between Alternative Methods of Construction (AMC) and Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). However, they may not be that far apart and there is plenty of room for new methods to combine both off-site processes with natural, low carbon materials.
110 homebuilding.co.uk
Steel frame
GLULAM GLAMOUR This striking contemporary home,
a reinterpretation of the suburban villa designed by Mole Architects, stands proud on a street otherwise dominated by Victorian and Edwardian houses. The building is constructed entirely from a frame of solid cross laminated timber panels supported by glulam beams and columns. The solid timber construction enables floors to act as heatsinks for thermal storage, minimising the need for additional heating.
RELTUB DIVAD :SEGAMI
Long established as a construction material, steel forms the skeleton of every high-rise building in the world. In low-rise homebuilding, however, it has been used rather more sparingly, usually in specialised applications like supporting beams or buried within floor joists and as window lintels. There are very few homes that don’t use steel somewhere in their envelope, but only a tiny number that employ it as their main structural element. There are many similarities with timber frame. Steel frame homes can either have post-and-beam structures, which mimic oak-framed homes, or can incorporate lightweight steel channels, made up into wall panels, similar in many way to timber studwork. While steel is inherently strong, it needs to be encapsulated with fireresistant materials, and requirements for lower U values in walls actually facilitates against steel: the sections are too thin to accommodate the insulation. Where steel wins out is when you want to incorporate open-plan living space with wide glazed openings. The inherent strength of steel comes into its own here, and consequently it is often used as a hybrid material for extensions. Currently, there are few businesses offering all-steel structures aimed at the self-builder. Glendale Engineering, a steel fabricator in Northumberland, is an example of a business that makes post-and-beam homes out of steel, but their main focus is more agricultural and industrial. There are currently no packagebuild companies offering bespoke steel framing for the self-build market and few architects design homes using steel. Two decades ago British Steel had a successful housebuilding arm called Surebuild, based around lightweight framing. They produced several show homes aimed at homebuilders and their order book was so full that they were expanding. However, over the years interest gradually waned. Perhaps this is because steel framing is too similar to timber frame, but is no cheaper and offers little in the way of the sustainable features that self-builders look for these days. However, there still some great examples out there. The lessons learned by steel builders have lived on. Around the same time that Surebuild was at the height of its powers, a number of steel frame companies started
building homes using a new technique: onsite factory builds.The steel would turn up at the site in rolls and be fed into a mobile computer-controlled cutting machine, after which it would be immediately assembled at the specified location. This process would be controlled by computer-aided design (CAD). While no one is currently doing this with steel, we are now seeing timber frame builders using the same ideas.
Natural building methods
For a couple of decades now, there has been a small but growing interest in building homes out of natural materials such as straw, cob and hemp. Some of these techniques are very ancient, but straw bale building is relatively new; straw bales are a product of the baling machine, which was invented in the 1880s. The earliest straw bale buildings hail from Nebraska in the US where the lack of conventional local building materials led locals to innovate using the resources they had to hand. There are still several examples there of straw bale homes over 100 years old. The original Nebraskan way was to build a house’s loadbearing external walls from bales, which would serve to support its roof. Since then many variants on this theme have emerged, perhaps the most common of which is a hybrid design that uses straw bales to infill timber. The acknowledged UK expert here is Barbara Jones, who has been leading straw bale projects for over 25 years. Her build methods are unusual, to say the least, and usually involve getting numerous
FIT FOR PURPOSE "Because the house is on such a )THGIR( CALIL ;)MOTTOB( ERUTCETEKI ;)POT( RENWOEMOH O/C :SEGAMI
narrow plot, and we wanted to use wood and so on, it had the potential to be vulnerable to flexing and yaw, which the steel effectively eliminates," explains homeowner Mark Wheeler. "We used steel frame simply for the strength. It’s a great system, but the lesson (as throughout) was about getting the detail right. The company we used was MAH Steel (www.mahsteel. com) based in Kent. At this point in the process, we’d had a lot of problems including concrete collapsing. MAH Steel came in and said this is how it needs to be done and did it! The steel construction was built very efficiently — a couple of days for delivery and set up and then erected in a day."
FLAT FEAT These blocks of flats and
houses are the project of mutual housing cooperative LILAC, who worked with architects White Design to create beautiful community homes using ModCell, a modern mixed construction method that uses a timber frame construction insulated with straw bales. The technique has a low carbon footprint due to the CO2 captured by growing the materials used, and in this case it helped that the buildings were constructed using a lot of people power, provided by the community now residing there.
FOREVER HOME OR SELLING ON? “The decision concerning whether to build or clad your home in a material deemed ‘non-conventional’ may come down to whether you are planning to sell in the foreseeable future. If reselling is a priority then it could be wise to use a construction material that conforms to banks’ lending criteria so that future buyers have one less hurdle to jump. If you intend to build a forever home then building using an alternative method of construction is less of a sticking point.” Ian Rock, chartered surveyor
people together to have a straw bale building party — a cheap and eco-friendly way to get a structure up. It’s a simple way to build that anyone can master. Some would say it is therefore the very essence of self-build. Simple it may be, but it is not without its challenges. In order to get it right, great attention has to go into keeping the straw dry. There have to be foundations that are raised up off the ground, and there have to be significant roof overhangs to keep rain away from the façade. Hand in hand with these requirements, there is a palette of low-tech materials needed to construct straw bale homes. Their walls are invariably plastered with lime inside and out, which aids the evaporation of any trapped moisture. This tends to give a rounded edge to the external corners, leaving a visual clue to how the house was built.
SEMOH TICAF O/C :SEGAMI
MODULAR MARVEL The Facit Chassis™ is constructed by slotting components together
within exacting tolerances to create an airtight and highly insulated envelope. The homeowners of the example shown being constructed above, Celia and Diana, were among the first adventurous pioneers to take on Facit Homes’ Facit Chassis™ back in 2010. And the result, as you can see to the right, is a striking low-energy eco home.
5
THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE CHOOSING AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD
The size of the home you’re building Not every construction method works for every project, so match the home you want to build with a construction method that suits its complexity, footprint and number of storeys. Your budget Construction methods have very different costs; CLT can be as much as £3,500/m2. Don’t by bite off more than you can chew budget-wise!
Your build timeline Some methods are swifter than others, so it’s important to grasp build times when you do your initial research to understand the impact it will have on the overall build. How readily available materials are Do the main materials have to be imported? Are they built off- or on-site? Find out the lead times on components for the system to plan delivery in line with other parts of the build so the schedule takes it all in to account. How mortgageable the system is It’s always prudent before settling on a construction system to talk to a bank or building society to ensure that what you want to use to build your home is, in fact, mortgageable.
Not all straw bale homes have this grainy hobbit-home feel. The technique has been adapted in a number of ways, including straw bale hybrid systems like ModCell’s ‘straw in a box’ walls for assembly on site. One of its best known examples is the Lilac co-housing scheme (shown on page 113). Straw is not the only material used to construct natural homes. Hempcrete, a natural insulation made by mixing hemp with a lime-based binding, has a growing reputation. Cob building, once common in Devon, is still practiced by one or two specialists, notably Kevin McCabe. It’s the nearest thing we have in the UK to earth building, which remains widespread in warmer climes throughout the world. In the UK, it fell out of widespread use in Victorian times, but the old skills are still put to good use maintaining existing homes and sometimes used to good effect to construct new homes.
New-wave timber factories
One such business is Facit Homes, which was formed 10 years ago by designer Bruce Bell. Bell noticed consistent inaccuracies in conventional processes and wanted to create a method for digital control of the whole building process. He created a build system based on digitally manufactured plywood boxes that formed a structure he called the Facit Chassis™. Facit Homes are designed using Building Information Modeling (BIM) and this information feeds into a computer numerical control (CNC) machine. Each individual plywood
homebuilding.co.uk 115
Expert advice Chassis component has its identification number routed into it, which makes it simple for on-site carpenters to erect the building in the correct order under the supervision of the site coordinator. U Build is another architect-led business that works in a similar pattern, although their plywood boxes arrive on site as flat packs. Architectural practice Studio Bark undertake the design and cutting process from a remote office. Both these new-wave timber frame companies are active on the Graven Hill site in Oxfordshire. Because the basic build unit is plywood, which can be prepared as a finish material, they offer the possibility of finishing a home without plasterwork walls and ceilings.
And getting a mortgage?
One of the problems with using non-standard build methods is that the resultant homes are often harder to sell, harder to mortgage and harder to insure. The financial services industries, which underpin the housing market, are very conservative and many are loathe to deal with anything but the most ordinary of homes. Even timber frame, which has been an established build method for 50 years
and is the preferred homebuilding system in Scandinavia and North America, can cause some mortgage providers to run a mile. It’s therefore unsurprising that more unusual building methods have a hard time finding mortgage providers and insurers. Thankfully, there are specialists out there who can help.Your first port of call should be to look for a self-build warranty. A 10-year warranty acts both as a form of quality control and as a comfort for lenders. As an alternative, a new home can be signed off by an architect or a chartered building surveyor to say that it has been built in accordance with their plans. If the conventional lenders don’t want to support your plans, there are specialists in the financial field as well. Notable here is the Ecology Building Society who support a couple of hundred innovative projects every year. If they can see an environmental benefit, and they are satisfied that you are building properly, they are more than likely to give you a mortgage. And as far as insurance is concerned, there are green-tinted businesses that are happy to deal with unusual construction methods. Check out Insure Green and NatureSave Insurance.
THE PROS AND CONS OF ALTERNATIVE CONSTRUCTION This table compares the pros and cons and includes a baseline for costs /m2 BUILD METHOD PRICE RANGE PROS Steel frame
£1,500/m2
Theoretically quick and cost-effective
Field factories
£2,500/m2 upwards
Flexible, energy-efficient, stylish
CLT
£3,500/m2
Straw bale
£1,000-£3,000/m2
Superb strong walling material, attractive and can be used visually internally Low embodied carbon, natural material, works with lime render. Distinctive look
Straw in a box
£1,500-£2,000/m2
Earth, clay, cob
£2,000-£3,000/m2
Much simpler to build than hybrid straw bale and timber Natural traditional build methods, almost invariably attractive
CONS No one currently offering prefabricated steel builds in the UK Suits homes of four bedrooms or more, costly on small or complex builds Imported and expensive, insulation has to be wrapped around the structure Can be challenging to build to waterproof, wide wall widths; only external walls built this way, so a part solution Specialist suppliers, few in number, ideally used on smaller homes Difficult to mix with modern building methods and materials, difficult to source sites or craftspeople to undertake such a build, can be slow to construct
homebuilding.co.uk 117
Expert advice
A
Preparing to live on sıte RUHTRA LUAP :EGAMI
Living on site during a renovation project has good and bad points — and for those on a tight budget could be the only option. In her latest column, Natasha Brinsmead explains the realities and suggests how being more organised than she was could make all the difference
118 homebuilding.co.uk
s I explained in my column last month, we lived on site, in our renovation project, for the entirety of our five-year project. While it would have been nice to have had the option of renting as work took place, on reflection I am not sure we would have done even if we could have afforded to. Living in the project meant we got to know the house so well, and I am not sure we’d be as pleased with the end result if we hadn’t have been there to witness things like how the sun enters the property at different times of day or become aware with which spaces we tended to congregate in. All that said, we definitely weren’t prepared for the very real toll it would take on us all, in varying degrees. There was no escape from the mess, dirt and cold, which my husband Bill and I found draining at times. All the work that needed doing was constantly staring us in the face made it hard to ever relax or even to feel able to justify days out or holidays. We couldn’t have people for dinner or to stay which made maintaining any kind of social life tricky at times. The whole experience was one that the children look back on pretty fondly (using the scaffolding as a climbing frame, being able to dig great big holes in the bare earth that was our ground floor, and being allowed to use the walls as their own personal art space being highlights). However, at the time, they lamented not being able to have friends over for tea or sleepovers and got fed up with never having our full attention — our time was swallowed up by constant DIY. With this in mind I thought that this month I would offer up some tips for any of you considering living on site, or who are currently struggling their way through, in the hope that I can make the experience a little easier. THINK ABOUT STORAGE Before we extended, the house was really quite small — the kitchen had just one unit, a tiny sink, a single oven and mini fridge. Elsewhere on the ground floor was a tiny dining space and living room — not forgetting the sage green downstairs bathroom. We’d been so excited about moving in that we didn’t think through where all our belongings were actually going to go, both in the immediate sense or while renovation work got underway. I remember panicking as the removal firm kept bringing box after box of our into the house and watching them stack up, filling every inch of what space we had — we had to tunnel our way from room to room. Another example, perhaps, of our lack of foresight. We should have arranged for our stuff to be stored elsewhere — in a relative’s garage, a shed or storage facility. This would have given us space to live in and would have protected our more precious items from the dirt that still covers much of it in the loft.
By Natasha Brinsmead HAVE A SCHEDULE OF WORKS I’ve said it before, and I will keep on saying it — a good schedule of works is the key to a happy renovation. It will tell you what is happening and when, and allow you to prepare yourself for the more disruptive jobs, both mentally and from a practical perspective. Had we had one, we would have sought childcare to support us during the most messy jobs, like when we were screeding the ground floor and bashing down loadbearing walls. PLAN AROUND THE WEATHER Which brings me nicely on to this point. Avoid tackling tasks that will leave your home exposed to the elements in the depths of winter. We found that being able to sit in the garden for meals or to be able to let the children outside to play made a huge difference to how we felt about the project when there was no space inside to eat or play. TAKE A BREAK FROM TIME TO TIME We used to feel guilty at weekends or in the evenings if we were doing anything but working on the house, as this was when the bulk of the progress would happen. However, when we did take time away to see friends or go for a day trip we all returned feeling refreshed, energised and it did our motivation the world of good. KEEP ONE ROOM CLUTTER FREE There were times when there felt like there was no escape from the mess, noise and dirt. I used to be a regular in our local coffee shops where I would sit working in a corner trying to make my third cup of
coffee last longer than the first two — I also got a fair few parking tickets. In hindsight, it would have been a good idea to have constructed a garden office before work began. It was also hard to find anywhere to relax in the evenings or for the children to play. Plan so that you always have one clear room that is free from dirt and rubble so you have somewhere to spend time relaxing at the end of the day. HAVE A DECAMPING PLAN There will be times when having no roof, no floor, no walls, no water, no power gets to be just too much. Have a sanctuary with friends or family on hand for these times. Once again, a schedule of works will let you plan ahead. CREATE A NICE OUTDOOR SPACE When we moved in, our garden was completely given over to spiky fruit bushes — it was a thorny maze. We cleared it all while we came up with designs and applied for planning permission for our extension. This was a great idea as it meant we had somewhere to escape when the weather allowed and the children could play out there safely too. ALWAYS HAVE A BATHROOM If you plan to move a bathroom or rip out and replace an out of date one, make sure that you always have somewhere to wash and go to the toilet. Keep the old bathroom functional as long as possible, get the new one up and running as soon as is practical, and plan alternatives in advance. Hauling the kids to the leisure centre for a shower is no fun — but it may be a little better than using the garden hose...
"The fact that all the work that needed doing was constantly staring us in the face made it hard to ever relax"
homebuilding.co.uk 119
Expert advice
by Mark Stevenson
IPART 10:IASSESSINGI PLANNINGIPOTENTIALI
Last month we offered a broad overview of the plot buyingprocess, now we’re focusing on the details, starting with the vital job of assessing your plot’s potential
L
SERIES GUIDE SEGAMI YTTEG :EGAMI
This extensive series will cover everything you need to know to get the land you need to build the home you always imagined, from assessing a plot’s potential to paying the right price!
ast month I explained how to buy a building plot and went on to set out the process that should be followed to make sure you don’t buy a dud. Over the next few months I’ll be offering a more detailed look at key aspects of plot appraisal, with the goal of laying out the correct method for working out what a plot is really worth. For whatever reason, over-enthusiastic plot buyers tend to skip over the appraisal stage. This can result in them overpaying for land that then throws up unexpected technical challenges, or worse, has planning complications that stand in the way of the hapless self-builder building their dream home. Carrying out a comprehensive plot appraisal is therefore vitally important if you are to secure an appropriate piece of developable land for
a reasonable price. This process has three main steps: l assessing planning potential l assessing construction risks l calculating the plot’s value based on your findings. This month we’ll be looking at the first of these points. Land will either come with a consent in place or it will need planning permission to be secured — we covered how to buy land without planning permission in some detail last month. While existing consents offer less planning risk, they are not without their potential pitfalls. There is a question regarding whether the approved design will suit your needs, and the answer will not always be obvious. Therefore, in both cases, it’s a good idea to have a planning professional look over things.
homebuilding.co.uk 121
Expert advice LAND WITHOUT PLANNING CONSENT
Failure to win planning consent is one of the most common setbacks leading to promising pieces of land failing to become building plots, so it’s worth hedging your bets. Make no mistake, buying land without planning approval is risky, as there’s no certainty you’ll get permission for what you want to build. However, that doesn’t mean you should simply walk away. Rather, my overriding advice on this topic is that you should never buy a plot without consent when you could secure an option to purchase instead. This will allow you to get an approval in place before handing over your money. Once you’ve secured your option, then you can begin to plan for risks, a process that starts with a thorough planning appraisal. Appraisals manage planning risk and are the early warning system to avoid plots that will never be approved. A planner carrying out an appraisal will consider a plot’s planning history as well as the constraints imposed by its physical geography and planning policy (both local and national). The appraisal covers land designation which, in brief, determines the likelihood of consent. One important designation is whether or not the land is within the settlement boundary (a planning tool reflecting where a set of policies are to be applied). Ideally, the land you want to buy should be located within the boundary, but if it is not, a justifiable policy reason is required for why it could be developed, for example meeting local housing need. The planner will also consider the suitability of the plans in context of the surrounding environment. While you might be keen on certain features, the planner will be focussed on the impact the design will have in terms of scale, mass and how it will fit into the street scene.
When considering a plot with planning consent, make sure all the associated conditions can be satisfied and factor the cost of doing so into your valuation
122 homebuilding.co.uk
We could leave things there of course — always use a professional. However, it’s worth explaining the questions a planner will be working to answer when they appraise your plot so you know what to expect and you can work with them and plan your own course of action accordingly.
Assessing the existing planning consent
There are a number of key questions to answer when assessing the existing planning consent, including: DOES IT SUIT MY NEEDS? We all have our own design aspirations, so an existing consent is unlikely to be a perfect match and you’ll need to figure out whether the approved design meets your needs. If it does not, amendments may be required, which may involve reopening debates that have already been chewed over during the original application. Fortunately, most consents aren’t architecturally controversial; changing the design will usually be possible, provided your alternative proposals fit with the street scene and won’t impact negatively on neighbouring homes. However, if you hope to build a three-storey house, but the neighbouring properties are bungalows that will be overshadowed and harmed by your proposal, beware, the most you’re likely to squeeze out of the plot could be a dormer bungalow. WHAT TYPE OF PERMISSION HAS BEEN ISSUED? Depending on how a planning application was made, the permission granted will be either an outline or full consent. Outline planning consent grants permission in principle but does not fully define the design of the house and will still require significant design development and further approvals. A full planning consent grants permission for a home with detailed design subject to certain specified conditions and allows work to commence as soon as those conditions are resolved. WHEN WILL THE PERMISSION EXPIRE? Most planning consents automatically expire three years from the date they are granted. As such, you should check that any planning consent granted to your potential plot isn’t going to expire before you can make a ‘material start’ on site.
ECOLOGY ON-SITE
EEBHSA KRAM :EGAMI
A material start means commencing development and therefore enacting the consent, securing permission to build the approved home in perpetuity. What constitutes a material start is a matter of opinion, so you should always clarify with the LPA (local planning authority) concerned. If there’s a risk of the consent expiring before you take ownership, ask the vendor to renew the consent or make a material start themselves. WHAT PLANNING CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN SPECIFIED? When considering a plot with planning consent, make sure all the associated conditions can be satisfied and factor the cost of doing so into your valuation. Planning conditions, the small print that allows a consent to be issued while leaving the finer details for later, can be a double-edged sword; they are undoubtedly helpful in enabling a consent to be issued, but sorting them out adds time and expense to the associated project. Some even require resolution before work can commence. Conditions commonly include stipulations on the planned building’s position, external materials and landscaping design and boundary treatments. Other planning conditions, however, such as ecology management,
The self-builders behind our on-site article (page 86) are on course to build a spacious oak frame home for their family near Bristol. The derelict house that previously stood on the plot had a roost of bats so, following an ecology survey, they were required to provide provision for bats on site; all bats are designated as a protected species. The space above their new garage (pictured) will now accommodate the couple’s so-called bat ‘hotel’. “We worked with a local planning consultant who new the area really well. I think that planning should be dealt with sensitively and selfbuilders should go through it with a view to support and understand things such as ecology and tree protections,” says self-builder Greg Le Tocq.
archaeology investigations and provision for safe access (covered below), can have a big impact. It’s essential that you make sure the planning conditions are capable of being satisfied and understand the cost involved so that it can be reflected in the price for the plot.
Plot constraints to consider
The conditions dictating what can be built, at the minimum, will incur costs to resolve that should be reflected in the plot’s value. Costly planning constraints can include: HIGHWAY REQUIREMENTS AND SAFE ACCESS The provision of visibility splays, clear sight lines for drivers turning out of
IF IN DOUBT HAVE A PRE-APP Planning professionals are experts at what they do, so they don’t usually need the view of a local authority to know whether a plot is developable or not. That said, some plots are more complicated than others. If you’re trying to push the boundaries, it may be worth explaining your plans to the local authority before committing to buy. A pre-app meeting is the mechanism to do this. For a fee, a local authority planning officer will review your plans and offer a considered view about whether it will get approved and what should be changed to boost its chances. Be warned however, preapps are not binding on the local authority — don’t hang all your hopes on what is said.
homebuilding.co.uk 123
Expert advice driveways or access roads,* is a common planning condition. Unfortunately, forming them on site isn’t always straightforward — it may not even be possible. It’s important to work out what it will take to fulfill safe access conditions such as this and make sure the land required is within your ownership. If it’s not, then at the very least you should have a legal agreement to make use of it for the purposes of visibility. ECOLOGY The planning process sometimes requires ecology reports that make recommendations about how protected flora and fauna should be managed and what should be done before construction work can commence. Depending on what the ecology surveys find, costs may be incurred, and these should ideally be reflected in the purchase price. Not all ecology is protected — invasive plants such as Japanese Knotweed might require costly treatments to eradicate. If trees could be affected by the proposed building there will likely be a planning condition requiring measures to protect them during construction. ARCHAEOLOGY Sites of historical interest may need to have an archaeological study to determine their importance. Where the archaeology is not fully understood a watching brief may be required while excavations take place. This could be expensive so, again, make sure the costs are reflected in the value of the plot.
PROTECTED FLORA AND FAUNA
SYALPS-YTILIBISIV/ECIVDA/KU.OC.GNIDLIUBEMOH.WWW EES
• bats, all species • great crested newts • badgers • hazel or common dormice • water voles • otters • wild birds • reptiles • protected plants • white-clawed crayfish • invertebrates • freshwater fish • natterjack toads • ancient woodland and veteran trees
TOP TIP
Planning professionals are usually members of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), so to find one you can just visit the RTPI website and search for members in your area. Larger architectural practices and package companies often have their own embedded planning professionals, so that’s another avenue to explore.
PLANNING OBLIGATIONS Planning obligations are the taxes that must be paid to allow a new home to be built. One of the most onerous, at present, is the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), which imposes a fee determined by the local authority based on the scale of the development. Fortunately, self-builders enjoy a preferential position here, and have a right to claim exemption from CIL payments. This means that self-builders avoid a significant expense incurred by professionals, so in theory they could offer more for the plot. This depends on the self-builder correctly following the notoriously fiddly and strict exemption process, of course. Don’t get caught out! FLOOD RISK MITIGATION Flood risk can be a plot killer. Even if a plot is in a residential area, a high risk of flooding may render it undevelopable. The environment agency is a standard consultee in the planning process and may object to any proposal where there is a risk of flooding. Ordinarily, the objection is removed once a flood risk assessment has been completed and proposals submitted to mitigate the risk. Where things can go horribly wrong is where the appraisal identifies the location as high flooding risk (level 3). Here, the local planning authority may seek to implement what’s known as a sequential test which looks to move development to better, less risky locations. This means that if your desired plot is say a garden plot within the settlement boundary but subject to high flooding risk, the LPA may refuse permission.
And finally…
All too often, self-builders commit to projects without first understanding the cost involved and whether they can afford to complete the whole build. Before taking the plot any further, reflect on the planning appraisal and revisit the numbers to make sure it’s worth the asking price and fits your budget. Assuming the outcome of the planning appraisal was positive, you should now be confident to invest some money in carrying out detailed surveys and investigations to assess the construction risk. Next month we’ll take a closer look at what this involves.
* homebuilding.co.uk 125
1PLAN THE LAYOUT
A well thought through site plan to comply with health and safety requirements and deal with the endless deliveries that will descend as your project progresses, is a good place to start. Mark up a plan showing where everything will go, leaving enough space to access the building, carry out construction work and store materials safely.
2 BE AWARE OF CDM REGULATIONS
Since April 2015, the Construction, Design and Management (CDM) Regulations have been in force. These are intended to ensure health and safety issues are properly considered through the life of a project and reduce the risk of harm to those who build, use and maintain the building. As a self-managing self-builder you will in effect become a contractor and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will expect you to demonstrate sufficient health and safety capability to meet the requirements of CDM. Visit www.hse.gov.uk for full details and download the CDM Wizard app from www.citb.co.uk.
7 WAYS TO
CREATE A SAFE SITE
SAFE WORKING AROUND COVID-19 3 PROMOTE
The Trustmark booklet Work safe, Safe work is available to download (www.worksafesafework.info) and details how to keep trades working on a site safe during the pandemic. Split into three easy to read sections, focused on what happens before, during and after a project, it offers tips on sanitising, distancing and keeping day-to-day interactions safe.
If you’re self-managing your build make sure you plan a safe site with these helpful tips from self-build expert Mark Stevenson
5
ARRANGE INSURANCE You’ll need site insurance to cover
SEGAMI YTTEG :NOITARTSULLI
damage from incidents such as flood, fire and theft during the construction phase. Site insurance will provide financial recompense if the worst does happen, with the cost of the premium usually calculated based on how much it would cost to rebuild.
6
CHECK FOR HAZARDS Existing services present a
significant risk to safety, not to mention that they will prove expensive to repair if struck. Take the time to search existing services’ records and identify the location of infrastructure that should be avoided.
4 CONTAIN THE SITE
Securing a site is more than just preventing theft. From the HSE’s point of view, it’s about protecting the general public — preventing unauthorised access stops intruders, such as children who want to explore, from getting injured. Anti-climb fencing is around £10/m and easy to erect. Install permanent boundary fencing at the start of the build and secure the gates with a combination padlock to allow trades to let themselves in and out.
EMERGENCY 7PLAN PROTOCOLS
Think about what you will do in an emergency. Hopefully nothing will go wrong, but if it does, you should be able to deal with it quickly and effectively before things escalate. Display emergency contacts somewhere prominent, make sure fire-fighting equipment isn’t obstructed and put the first aid kit where everyone can find it.
homebuilding.co.uk 127
Expert advice
Planning your plant room Energy-efficiency expert David Hilton shares his top five tips for designing a plant room into your self-build or renovation project
I
f you’re new to the self-build or renovation game, you’d be forgiven for thinking a ‘plant room’ is some fancy title for an indoor green house or garden room (we’ve all thought it!). In fact, it’s a room dedicated to the technical paraphernalia that comes with including heat pumps or mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems into your home’s heating and electrical set up, as well as other necessary clusters of pipes, cables and electronics. It’s a place for cylinders, boilers, pumps, control boards and ventilation systems, all in one centralised location that’s easy to access for periodic inspection, maintenance and repair. To help you design the perfect plant room, I’ve pulled together my top five tips to get it right from the off.
1. Do I need a plant room at all?
It’s common to ask how much equipment justifies a dedicated plant room. I tend to think that if you have anything more than a hot water cylinder and a boiler then it is worth it. That said, your plant room could be as modest as a cupboard, or it may be split into two smaller areas. Those options are perfectly fine as long as they are purpose-built to allow easy ongoing maintenance and periodic inspections without the need for disruptive works.
2. What equipment might it include?
KAO REDROB O/C :EGAMI
The following technologies are among the equipment often found in plant rooms: l MVHR system l Boiler l Hot water cylinder
BLENDING IN This home’s plant room is located in a single storey, weatherboarded section just off the utility and boot room. This allowed the air source heat pump’s internal parts to be located directly next to the external unit and in a convenient position for the plumbing to the underfloor heating and hot water systems, all without compromising the design of the main rooms. There is an external access for maintenance. The internal parts are within a bespoke unit that hides them from view.
homebuilding.co.uk 129
3. Where should it be located?
STOWED AWAY This three-storey, four-bed, new-build cavity wall Passivhaus built by Green Building Store has a plant room at the top of the house in the loft, accessed via a bedroom. Although lofts aren’t generally advocated by Green Building Store both this project and the timber frame in Dorset on the next page have warm-roof upper floors, meaning that their loft spaces are within the thermal envelope. The storeroom-sized cupboard houses a PAUL Novus 300 MVHR system with rigid steel ducting. The central heating boiler and the MVHR system are both located in the plant room but both work independently. Most of the ducting has been concealed bar a small proportion that remains visible in a hallway.
EROTS GNIDLIUB NEERG O/C :SEGAMI
130 homebuilding.co.uk
l Buffer tank l Low loss header l Central heating manifolds l Smart home wiring centres l Main electric board l Battery storage l Water softener l Photovoltaic inverter (the unit that turns DC from solar panels into usable AC electricity) l Hydrobox (the indoor unit of a heat pump driven heating system) Services in a plant room should, as far as possible, be organised into groups, with wet appliances in one area, ventilation in another, electrics in another and so on. Naturally some appliances will belong to more than one category, but try to separate them as much as you can, use your common sense and mitigate risks as much as possible in your design.
Plant rooms should ideally be positioned centrally, but with access to an outside wall for services to enter the property. A centralised location will allow you to minimise the length of pipe runs through your home, resulting in less heat loss and quicker delivery of hot water. Similarly, duct runs for ventilation will be shorter, meaning lower resistance and potentially allowing the choice of smaller ductwork and fan units. The loft isn’t the ideal place for a plant room and you will need to consider factors such as accessibility, insulation and whether the space can support the additional weight. It’s best to avoid locating a plant room at the end of a property, especially in a single storey add-on, where access to the main building will be limited and it will be difficult to make service routes discrete. COMBINING PLANT ROOMS WITH UTILITY ROOMS OR GARAGE SPACES A common line of thinking that crops up when planning the location of a plant room is that they can be placed in a garage or alongside utility room equipment. It makes intuitive sense to have all the necessary but unlovely elements of your home in one place, but it needs careful consideration. If you plan to have your utility room pull double duty and act as a plant room, then ventilation is a key consideration, particularly if it’s to contain appliances such as a tumble drier. A build up of water vapour will manifest itself as condensation, which could deteriorate the fabric of your building and damage electronics that aren’t designed for a wet environment. Depending on the appliances housed in the room it may also need to be designated as a fire control area, meaning it will need fire doors and appropriate fire mitigation products. Garages generally suffer from being cold spaces on the edge of the home, and in the worse cases are even detached from it. These factors create a need for high levels of insulation on equipment and distribution systems to mitigate the risk of condensation and corrosion, as well as reducing the inevitably elevated levels of heat loss from pipework and ducting. This sort of set up can lead to a long lag time before hot water reaches taps. Pipework can be designed to circulate to counteract this problem, but this comes at the price of heat loss and reduced efficiency.
4. When should I design in a plant room?
A plant room should be planned for right from the beginning of the design stage. Not only should the space be big enough to house all the technologies but there also needs to be enough space allowed in the fabric of the building to get all the services and ductwork to the appliances without being aesthetically intrusive or clashing with any structural elements or other critical services. The time to get all the services designed in is after you have planning drawings but before you have the completed building control drawings and certainly before the construction drawings are frozen. When designing a plant room it is best to get the brief defined so that you know what technologies will be included in the project and then speak with the installers to understand how much space is required for the technology and also the clearance required around the products for maintenance.
by 800mm depth for the plant side and 700mm depth on the utility side. If we assume a metre-wide path down the middle, that leaves us needing a room of around 2.5m by 2.5m. That’s a good rule of thumb, but the specifics will vary case by case. If you are installing a ground source heat pump, for instance, that will add significantly to the space required. If the room you use has more than two doors, or doors on adjacent walls, you will need to use a less efficient layout and hence need more space overall. Look into pocket doors as a way of maximising the usable internal space, but be aware that services can’t pass through a wall that houses a pocket door.
Built to Passivhaus standards, this timber frame detached new-build in Dorset features a PAUL Novus 300 MVHR heat recovery ventilation system designed and supplied by Green Building Store. The plant room in this house is located in the loft (as in the case study opposite).
5. What’s the ideal size for a plant room?
Plant rooms vary in size depending on the amount of technology they contain. In a typical property that has a combination plant room and utility room it is usually best to design a galley layout with the plant on one side and your utilities on the other. Allow around 2.5m length
EQUIPMENT MEASUREMENTS EQUIPMENT
GENERAL SIZE
Hot water cylinder Around 1,800mm tall by 600mm diameter A buffer cylinder
Around 800mm x 800mm of floor space but is only around 900mm tall
MVHR unit
Usually hangs on the wall and measures around 700mm x 700mm by around 400mm deep.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW Allow 800mm x 800mm of floor space so that the plumber can access fittings and pipework
When hung on the wall you will need to add reinforcements with an 18mm sheet of plywood. There will be ducts above the fan unit and the bottom of the unit is usually around 1,200mm off the floor so could be above another appliance. These sizes are generic so it is best to check with the system provider for the actual dimensions and clearances required
Underfloor heating Manifolds can be around a meter wide and from 300mm to 500mm off the floor. Circuit pipes will drop down into the floor. Ground source heat pump unit
Will be about the same size as a fridge
The output capacity will depend on whether it is closer to a bar fridge or a tall fridge freezer
homebuilding.co.uk 131
Kitchen sinks
Buyer’s guide
HOW TO CHOOSE
Have you bought everything bar the kitchen sink? Then use our handy buyer’s guide, covering everything from ceramic to composite granite, to find the perfect match for your kitchen
GLAZED FINISH
Priced from £622 at Shaws of Darwen, the Bowland sink is handcrafted featuring a durable, anti-bacterial glaze finish.
132 homebuilding.co.uk
E
ven though most modern kitchens come with a dishwasher to handle the bulk of the washing up, the kitchen sink is still a vital feature of every culinary zone. It’s used for washing vegetables, scrubbing pots and sometimes as a waste disposal unit, so it’s important to select a model that caters to your lifestyle, as well as looking good. “The sink will be the most used component of your kitchen, so take the time to find one that meets your needs and that you’ll enjoy using,” says Andy Hampson, director of operations at Shaws of Darwen. “Sinks and taps are categories where investing in high quality is always worthwhile.” Assessing how you use your current sink on a day-to-day basis is a sensible starting point. If you don’t cook a lot and rely on your dishwasher for most clean-up operations, it may be that a single bowl offers the perfect level of functionality. At the other end of the scale, busy family kitchens or those that belong to keen cooks might benefit from a more versatile setup that incorporates an additional bowl, waste disposal function and hot water tap. Materials, maintenance and installation are all key considerations, too.
MATERIAL OPTIONS
STEEL This practical choice is durable, long-lasting and easy to keep clean. “Having dominated the sink market for many years, stainless steel sinks offer the broadest range of choice from different styles, shapes and mounting types, so you’ll be sure to find a design to match the needs of your individual kitchen,” says Elina Enqvist-Twomey, category manager at Grohe. It’s important to check the gauge of a steel sink — that is, the number that denotes the thickness of the material. Smaller
by Rebecca Foster HIGHLY DURABLE
Silgranit sinks from Blanco offer a sturdy, colourful and durable option. Made from 80% granite, they can withstand heat and don’t discolour due to acid or light, so they’re a good choice for a practical working kitchen. The Blanco AXIA III XL in Black, pictured, is £648 (excl. VAT).
numbers indicate a thicker layer of steel. Ideally, you want to install a sink with a gauge of 18, though some high-end models come with a gauge of 16 — the lowest demarcation possible. In terms of maintenance, stainless steel offers a low-upkeep solution. After using the sink, a quick rinse with soapy water will keep it clean on a day-today basis. Weekly cleans with a cream cleaner will help the metal maintain its attractive sheen. “You should avoid using a plastic washing up bowl with stainless as over time this well cause MAINTENANCE steel abrasion marks,” says Jeanette TIP “It’s good practice Ward, communications manager to dry your sink at Franke UK. with a soft cloth at the end of every day. This will avoid marks caused by limescale build-up, which can occur in hard water areas. This applies to all sink materials.” JEANETTE WARD
communications manager at Franke UK
and for longer than a more common vitreous china sink. This makes the surface stain-resistant and chemical-resistant and gives it antibacterial properties.” “Ceramic sinks can simply be wiped down with a soft cloth or sponge and some mild liquid soap or any vinegar-based cleaner to keep them looking like new,” says Franke’s Jeanette. “Water marks, grease or soap deposits can be removed with a coloured sink cleaner.” Avoid abrasive cleaners that risk dulling the lustrous finish of your ceramic surface.
COMPOSITE This more recent addition to the market comprises a blend of man-made and natural stone particles. CERAMIC This traditional Composite sinks can withstand choice offers a timeless aesthetic. high temperatures (up to 280°C), Though ceramic sinks are have anti-bacterial properties and usually associated with Belfast are highly resistant to stains and and Butler designs, a selection scratches. Many manufacturers of undermounted and inset have their own patented composite models are now available. Fireclay blends. Those made with a high ceramic is a popular option. proportion of granite tend to “Fireclay produces the most be the best quality, with those durable form of ceramic,” says that are high in quartz taking Andy from Shaws of Darwen. “A second place. “They’re a good Shaws fireclay sink is glazed twice choice for consumers wanting and fired at a higher temperature to reflect the trend for mixing
homebuilding.co.uk 133
STAINLESS STEEL INSET
Franke’s Mythos MYX range of stainless steel inset and undermounted sinks is compatible with any worktop material. Inset models like the one shown here have a 6mm polished rim, and sit almost flush with the work surface they’re installed in. Prices start from £474 for the single bowl model.
materials,” says Jeanette Ward. “They come in a wide range of colours including black, greys and neutrals.” Composite sinks are low-maintenance — just be sure to quickly wash away brightly coloured vegetable juices and dyes to avoid staining.
FIRECLAY CERAMIC
Priced at £356.84, Rangemaster’s farmhouse double bowl Belfast sink is available from Victorian Plumbing. Crafted from fireclay ceramic, it is supplied with one pre-scored tap hole and a 90mm waste kit.
INSET VS UNDERMOUNTED
INSET The bowl of an inset sink (also called an overmount or sit-on sink) drops down into your kitchen worktop, with the rim overlapping and resting on the work surface. Inset sinks are self-supporting, easy to install, and suitable for all types of worktop. “The subtle raised lip around the edge can prevent spills from flowing out onto countertops, making them great for people with busy kitchens,” says George Holland, design
COMPACT DESIGN
Grohe’s K200 kitchen sink, priced at £174.94 from Victorian Plumbing, is made from 80% quartz and 20% acrylic resin. It is ideal for compact worktops or islands.
expert at Victorian Plumbing. On the downside, the raised edge can act as a trap for dust and dirt. Plus, if water is left to pool around the edges, the sealant can start to peel. UNDERMOUNTED An undermounted sink sits below the worktop. This allows for a streamlined aesthetic, but makes it more difficult to install. “The lack of lip makes cleaning and maintaining the appearance of an undermount sink a breeze,” says George from Victorian Plumbing. “If you choose to have one fitted, be sure to check your installer uses more than just silicone to secure it to the underside of your counter. We’ve seen several cases of undermounted sinks falling in due to poor installation.”
KEY CONSIDERATIONS When shopping for your sink, there’s more than just material and mounting to consider.
CERAMIC SINK
Franke’s Belfast ceramic white sink is shown here in Crown Imperial’s Cotswood kitchen, fitted into the central island. The timeless design of the sink complements the classic Shaker-style unit fronts.
Several other aspects of their design are also important. SINK DEPTH A deep bowl is a smart option if you often scrub large pots and pans. However, you don’t want a sink so deep it takes forever to fill. Using a plastic washing up bowl is one way to overcome this issue, but some manufacturers advise against this in case dirt stuck to the base of the bowl leaves marks on your sink’s surface. WITH OR WITHOUT TAP HOLES? Inset designs typically come with one or multiple holes pre-drilled for taps. Be sure to check that these match the taps you want to install, or alternatively invest in a package that includes both a sink
homebuilding.co.uk 135
Buyer’s guide SCRATCH RESISTANT
Available from online retailer Victorian Plumbing, the Rangemaster Andesite Ash Black ‘igneous granite’ kitchen sink is priced at £249.95. It is made from a composite material containing 80% quartz and high-grade acrylic to provide a scratch-resistant surface.
INSTALLATION
HAND-FINISHED
Priced at £381, the Brindle sink from Shaws of Darwen has 1.5 bowls and is available in two colour finishes. Locally sourced clay is poured into moulds before being hand-finished by sponging and ‘fettling’ to create a smooth, durable surface.
and taps to keep things easy. Undermounted sinks and some Belfast sinks require a hole to be drilled into the work surface to accommodate taps — check there is enough space behind the sink to mount them. SINGLE BOWL VS DOUBLE VS 1.5 Available space is likely to be one of the HOW DO I biggest deciding factors here. MEASURE Expansive worktops give you the UP? freedom to incorporate second “We always bowls, draining boards, automatic recommend using the actual waste disposal units etc. “Double sink rather than bowl sinks are perfect for bigger a template. For families, larger kitchens or those example, ceramic that are in high demand,” says sinks are handmade Elina from Grohe. Built-in and can vary by up draining boards are a common to 2% either way. feature on stainless steel and Some sit-on (inset) composite sinks. sinks also taper, so
RETROFITTING YOUR SINK
It should be straightforward to switch out an old inset sink for a new one. When measuring up, take down the dimensions for your existing sink as well as the aperture it’s set into so you can check this against the sizing for your new sink.
be sure to measure the physical sink before installing. With granite and stainless steel sinks, check the dimensions thoroughly before purchasing.” LUKE SHIPWAY, product manager at Caple
“Pick a sink the same size or slightly bigger than your current model. It may seem like common sense to avoid choosing a sink way smaller than the gap left by your old one — but many people make that mistake,” says George from Victorian Plumbing. Ideally, you want the cut-out in the worktop to be hidden as effectively by the new sink as the one you’ve removed so you don’t have to adjust the size of the aperture too much. Check you have space to accommodate the depth of the new sink, and any integrated draining boards that sit off to the side. “Avoid cutting the worktop aperture too big as it needs to support the weight of the inset sink,” says Luke Shipway, product manager at Caple. Inset designs work well with most types of worktop, particularly laminate. By contrast, laminate surfaces don’t tend to partner well with undermounted models, as any exposed edges will be prone to water damage. If you want to incorporate a larger sink, it isn’t usually too difficult to alter the sizing of the aperture in a laminate worktop, though this is a job best left to a professional. Most traditional ceramic models can only be fitted into solid worktop materials that will support their weight.
Fitting an inset sink is feasible for a competent DIYer, but undermounted models need to be properly supported and fixed so it’s wise to bring in a professional installer. Fitting the new sink shouldn’t take more than a few hours. Prices will vary depending on where you are in the country, but labour costs typically range between £100 and £150. “It’s vital to get your measurements right and include your tap base aperture if it is set into the worktop,” says Luke from Caple. Check that your chosen sink has an undercoating applied to its base to protect the area of the worktop that has been cut from damp. With a solid granite countertop, water exposure won’t make a huge difference, but a laminate worktop will expand if exposed to too much moisture. The undercoating also provides good sound insulation when washing bulky pots and pans, and it prevents condensation from forming on the underside of the sink. Typically, your sink will be sealed into the worktop using a high-grade sealant to ensure a watertight fit. “Ordinarily, with inset sinks, a bead of silicone will be applied to the sink’s underside,” says George from Victorian Plumbing. “Once the sink has been set in place, a second line of silicone will be applied around its edge where it meets the countertop.”
homebuilding.co.uk 137
Opinion
GOODBYE GREEN HOMES GRANT Energy-efficiency expert Tim Pullen reviews what went wrong and the current state of play
A
side from being a Covid-related job creation scheme, the point of the Green Homes Grant was to fund homeowners to improve thermal efficiency. When it was launched in September 2020, it was heralded as a great idea. It would raise awareness, reduce homeowners’ energy bills, create jobs, stimulate the industry and give homeowners £5,000 towards reducing their carbon footprint. But, if a camel is a horse designed by committee then what could have been a racehorse turned out to be a three-legged yak.
Why did it fail?
The problems with the scheme were evident from the outset. Cheap, easy fixes such as draughtproofing and heating controls were classified as ‘secondary measures’, which the homeowner had to qualify for by installing at least one ‘primary measure’ such as installing insulation, solar thermal panels, or a low-carbon heating option (a heat pump or biomass system). Secondly, only scheme-registered and TrustMark accredited installers could be used. An unofficial poll carried out in October by Martin Lewis of www.moneysavingexpert.com found that 84% of the people that applied for the grant could not find a suitable installer. The result was that in February 2021 just 6.3% of the budget allocated for the scheme had been used (according to www.financialreporter.co.uk). It may be argued that this was all due diligence for a publicly funded scheme and therefore quite right and proper. However, the scheme was only ever intended to last for six months, so was that much control really necessary? Simply allowing homeowners to use any installer registered with a nationally recognised body would have completely changed the outcome.
which was introduced in November 2011.The unofficial target of the RHI was to have 500,000 accredited installations in the first five years. It was touted as being a game-changer, unique in the world. The government recognised that 19% of the total UK CO2 emissions came from home heating, and that RHI would help deal with that. We needed to kick-start the renewable heating industries in the same way that the Feed-in Tariff scheme did for the renewable electricity industry. One of the official targets for the scheme was for 600,000 heat pumps to be installed by 2028. Ofgem tells us that as of March 2021 there are just 85,504 accredited domestic installations. Closure of the RHI scheme has now been put back to March 2022, but if that extension brings in even another 10,000 installations it will be a surprise. Perhaps the RHI failed for the same reasons as the Green Homes Grant scheme did — it was too bureaucratic and insufficiently persuasive. While the RHI is set to be replaced by the Clean Heat Grant, there is no replacement for the Green Homes Grant. As such, there is no incentive, no support and no encouragement for most homeowners to introduce energy-efficiency measures. There have been calls from the industry for the government to reduce VAT on work to retrofit existing homes, but these have yet to be answered. What the scheme really offered was hope. Hope that the government finally understood that there are millions of homes in this green and pleasant land that need their energy-efficiency improving. Most of those homeowners will need serious persuading to make the change, and nothing persuades quite as readily as cash.
“If a camel is a horse designed by committee then what could have been a racehorse turned out to be a three-legged yak”
A good scheme, badly executed
The scheme was a really good idea, really badly executed. So badly executed that it might appear the government was simply waving a flag with no intention of ever planting it in the ground. The Green Homes Grant is not the first green homes failure from recent years. It can be easily compared to the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI),
Tim, pictured outside his own period home with his horse, Django. (Three-legged yak not included!)
homebuilding.co.uk 139
ASK THE
EXPERTS This month, our experts tackle your questions on flat roofs, removing a chimney breast and how to plan planting for a new garden.
NATASHA BRINSMEAD HB&R’s associate editor Natasha is an experienced renovator
DAVID CULSHAW is technical director at INTU Boiling Water Taps
IAN ROCK is a chartered surveyor and founder of www.rightsurvey.co.uk
SABATINO TORCHITTI is a head of quality in Building Regulations at www.resi.co.uk
PAUL HERVEY-BROOKES is an award-winning landscape designer and RHS Gardens Judge
BARBARA JONES is one of the UK’s leading straw bale building experts and director of Straw Works
SPILLIHP YMEREJ :EGAMI
Got a burning question about your self-build, extension or renovation project that you need answering? Drop us a line by emailing homebuilding@futurenet.com and your question could be answered by one of our magazine experts.
Q
Can I use polished concrete with underfloor heating? HANNAH AND DANIEL, LANCASHIRE
Polished concrete flooring is achieved using poured concrete with chemical densifiers added; these densifiers act to fill the holes and pores in the concrete. Once cured, the concrete is polished (as the name suggests,) until the required level of sheen and smoothness is achieved. The good news is, concrete is a superb heat conductor, so concrete floors work really well with underfloor heating. The thermal mass of your concrete will retain heat and ensure your room stays warm for longer after your heating is switched off than would be the case with a radiator system. They are easy to pour over the pipework and they absorb and hold the heat produced well. Seek the advice of your installer before switching your underfloor heating on though — too soon and the floor could crack. NATASHA BRINSMEAD, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
homebuilding.co.uk 141
Ask the experts
Q
We’re considering a flat roof for our rear extension but are a little wary of them and have visions of puddles of water sitting on the top. How is this prevented?
SABINE, BROCKLEHURST
HANNAH AND DANIEL, LANCASHIRE
947£ ,PAT RETAW GNILIOB TNATSNI ERAUQS 1-4 XEPA & DLOG DEHSURB RUO4 :EGAMI
Q
What do I need to know about installing a hot water tap in an existing kitchen?
Most sinks are suitable for a hot water tap. The space you’ll need will vary with the capacity of the model you select. Most will be between two and five litres. There are generally two different system types: open vented and pressurised. With an INTU open vented system there is no need to vent the tank to the outside; it will work off a standard plug and fit your existing pipe work, making it a safe, easy and quick-to-install option. A standard 220/240v grounded 13 Amp switched electrical outlet will be required under the sink for the appliance’s electrical power. Installation will need a professional if your hot water tap is going on your countertop rather than over your sink.
One of the most important design considerations you can be faced with is the need to give a roof a suitable slope or ‘fall’ to disperse rainwater. Get this wrong and water will accumulate in puddles, causing premature deterioration. But how steep does a nominally ‘flat’ roof actually need to be? The Building Regulations encourage a minimum fall of 1:40 (40 units in length for every 1 unit drop in height) although the minimum fall required according to BS 6229, a British Standard for ‘flat roofs with continuously supported flexible waterproof coverings’ is a shallower 1:80. Standard practice involves placing wedge-shaped tapered strips of timber known as ‘firrings’ along the top of horizontal joists. For consistency, it’s best to get your timber supplier to pre-cut these (they’ll charge a small fee). Of course there’s nothing to stop you placing the firrings at right angles running across the tops of the joists, but this can potentially lead to localised weakness where they’re a bit on the thin side. There are other ways you can achieve a suitable slope. Probably the simplest method is to position the joists at the required slope in the first instance. A downside of this is that it means your ceiling will slope, which arguably can make an extension feel a bit like a separate ‘garden room’ that’s been tacked onto the house. If you’ve got a fairly simple rectangular extension, another option is to use ready-made tapered insulation boards. These have a built-in slope designed to be laid on top of the joists. Whichever method you choose, once the skeleton is in place the next stage is to install the deck on top. IAN ROCK, CHARTERED SURVEYOR
DAVID CULSHAW, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR AT INTU
JARGON BUSTER
POSITIVE INPUT VENTILATION Often referred to simply as ‘PIV’, this type of system
142 homebuilding.co.uk
SNEHCTIK SBBUTS DNA NEVAEH :EGAMI
creates a healthy environment by circulating fresh filtered air through a house, forcing stale air out of the gaps and cracks in the fabric of the building. A MVHR system works in a similar way but requires ducting, which isn’t always feasible to add to an existing house. PIV consists of a single unit, typically fitted in a loft, making it a good retrofit option.
Q
As the summer months are upon us I’d like to plan the landscaping for our self-build project but I’m not sure where to start or how to budget for it. Any tips?
AISHA, STOKE
LLEWXAM NOMIS :EGAMI
Landscaping the garden was an important part of the project for the homeowners of this striking new build. They wanted the project to be completely finished so with the help of Emotive Landscapes, designed and planted a garden befitting the landscape and their home.
Planting gardens always seems expensive; I often think this is because many people make costly mistakes. Well-planted gardens should be low-maintenance in terms of weeding and provide some form of interest year round, both for you and as a habitat for small birds and insects, which are vital to us in countless ways. If you are unsure, the most cost-effective route is to have a good designer or gardener come round for a consultation. Most designers won’t expect you to want the whole garden designing. You may wish to design in stages, and if you are clear it’s a consultation on specifics they will give you a charge for that element. A consultation day can cost from £300 to £1,000, depending on the designer. Armed with useful information, either from a consultation or research, you can start to plan your border by imagining the new shapes. This can be done, depending on the season, by letting the grass grow outside the places where new beds will be or marking out the space with a garden hose, spray or string. Once you understand the space you’re working with, spend some time at a good garden centre or nursery to choose new plants. Mixed planting could cost up to £100/m2. If budget is a real concern, befriend a gardening neighbour or join a gardening club and get involved with seed growing, cuttings and potted up ‘extras’. This is a great way to gain knowledge and stock up the garden inexpensively. Once you’ve budgeted for the essentials (access, planting and structural items such as drainage), you can consider luxury items such as log stores, raised vegetable beds, and barbecue areas. PAUL HERVEY-BROOKES, AWARD-WINNING LANDSCAPE DESIGNER
ON THE WEB Hoping to paint your kitchen units? Then visit www.homebuilding.co.uk/ advice/painting-kitchencabinets for tips and advice!
Q
The self-builders behind this Oakwrights’ oak frame home opted for a through-coloured lime render to tie in nicely with the mortar.
When’s the best time of year to lime render my cottage? ANN, WILTSHIRE
Lime plaster should not normally be applied externally when there is any risk of frost within the three months following application, or it may fail. This means your house should be plastered by midSeptember, or left protected over the winter till the following May. BARBARA JONES, DIRECTOR OF STRAW WORKS
homebuilding.co.uk 143
Ask the experts
Removing a chimney breast We are thinking about removing
Q
Two chimney breasts were removed from the ground floor of this project, designed by Resi, in order to make way for this spacious kitchendiner. The chimney breasts were retained as a feature on the first floor living areas (see below).
a chimney breast on the ground floor to give more space to our kitchen-diner renovation. The chimney is connected to a gas fireplace, which isn’t in use but still works. What should we do before removing the chimney breast? ANON, YORK
If they’re not providing roaring fires to sit beside, chimneys and fireplaces can be a bit of a nuisance — bulky and, in some cases, downright ugly. So what to do if you want to give yours the boot? For those looking to remove a chimney breast, it’s important to remember there are regulations to consider during the renovation process. Even if yours isn’t in use, it’ll be important to bear the following in mind.
ISER O/C :SEGAMI
You can tackle this issue either by notifying your local authority and being assigned a building control officer or by hiring an approved inspector. If speed is of the STRUCTURAL ASSESSMENT Make sure your budget factors in hiring a essence, going for an approved inspector is usually the fastest way to get your structural engineer, who’ll be required to ensure your property’s structural integrity. paperwork in order. Once your project has For some homes, the removal of a chimney been completed, no matter which route you took, you’ll be issued a certificate to doesn’t necessarily affect the strength of prove all legal requirements have been met. your walls. Even so, your local authority will want proof that this is the case. PARTY WALL ACT If you plan on removing a chimney from If no party structures are affected by the ground floor, but not from the rest the removal or by any new structural of the property, your engineer will need supports (if the stack is only partially to provide specifications to support the removed), there will be no need to remaining stack. If the chimney and the serve party wall notice. However, if the stack are all fully removed, including chimney is built against a party wall, it above roof level, there should be no need is always recommended to work with a for extra structural supports, which your party wall surveyor to see if any of the engineer will also confirm. works (including the structural support, if needed) require a notice to be served. GAS SAFETY Remember: any work involving the HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? alteration of a gas appliance or its components has to be undertaken by a Gas The cost of removing the chimney breast will be mainly dictated by the structural Safe Register engineer. After completing the works, a certificate, in accordance with solution. As a starting point, I would recommend you budget at least £5,000 for the self-certification scheme, should be this project. If you’re trying to work out issued to the property owner. a more tailored quote, make sure you’re taking into account the cost of demolition, BUILDING REGULATIONS professional fees, installation of structural When removing a chimney, you’ll need to make sure the structural works comply steel beams, plus redecoration of the affected areas. with Part A of UK Building Regulations.
“When removing a chimney, you’ll need to make sure the structural works comply with Part A of UK Building Regulations”
homebuilding.co.uk 145
What to do about hard water
Limescale isn’t just unsightly – it’s a real concern when it comes to the efficiency of your heating system. Read on to find out how to address it
CLINIC HEATING
DAVID HILTON is an expert in sustainable building and energy efficiency, and is a director of Heat and Energy Ltd
THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THIS PROBLEM IS TO TREAT HARD WATER AS IT ENTERS YOUR PROPERTY
T
he Green Homes Grant seemed like it was going to survive after Rishi Sunak’s latest budget left it untouched, but the axe has now fallen — it is no more. In any case, it was never all it was cracked up to be. Maybe the reason that it didn’t fulfil its objective of washing the government’s hands green was that the money got thrown at a lot of the wrong things, and not for long enough. Energy efficiency in our homes isn’t just about insulation. Of course that’s something that needs to be addressed, but there are some elephants in the room that have been ignored. One of these is boiler efficiency. Smoothly running boilers use less fuel, and as such maintenance is often a more realistic solution than replacement. I received a phone call the other day from a homeowner who said that their boiler was ‘banging’, something that my teenage son would interpret positively, but which was a definite problem in this case. I ascertained that the boiler in question was a combination (combi) boiler and that there was no leak or air in the system. That left only one possibility: hard water. A combi boiler heats hot water by passing it through a heat exchanger. Over time, limescale will be deposited in the heat exchanger, furring it up and making it less efficient. After a prolonged period the pipes in the heat exchanger will narrow, reducing the volume of water that can pass through it. Eventually this will reach a point where the water boils in the heat exchanger, resulting in a banging sound. Limescale build-up is not exclusive to combi boilers. Any appliance that uses heated water will get it, resulting in a loss of efficiency and functionality over time. This includes hot water cylinders, washing machines, dishwashers, taps and thermostatic showers. The only way to stop this problem is to treat hard water as it enters your property. There are a number of ways to do this, but here I will focus on just two of the more
common options: water conditioning and water softening. Water conditioning treats your water so that the limescale it contains no longer adheres to the inside of pipes and appliances. The conditioner looks like a short piece of pipework and is fitted to the incoming water pipe. No additives are introduced, and the calcium (the element that forms into limescale) is not actually removed. According to the manufacturers there will still be marks left on your shower door and taps, but these will be easily removed and there will be no build-up inside heat exchangers or the internal workings of appliances.
The soft option
If you want to avoid limescale altogether, then your water needs to be softened, which means that the calcium is removed from it, keeping your appliances at peak efficiency and functionality. A water softener will also remove scale that has already built up in appliances, restoring some of their lost efficiency. These need to be planned in as they take up a bit of space. They also need to be able to be sized appropriately as they contain a salt block that needs to be replaced periodically, at a frequency depending on your home size and occupancy. This needs to be done for the softening to be effective. I recently attended a site that had a Kinetico water softener fitted and having only been there a year previously I could see the reduction in scale build up in the pipes and a lack of white ‘watermarks’ on their shower door. A Kinetico water filter had also been fitted. I didn’t previously realise it but there are quite a number of different water filters and filtration processes available. It’s worth checking which one is best for you. I was invited to do a taste test of the various water filtration processes available from Kinetico, and although I couldn’t actually believe it, the proof was in the tasting. If you don’t believe me, give it a try.
homebuilding.co.uk 147
Advertising feature
LET’S DECORATE OUTDOORS Get the perfect finish when decorating outdoors with these helpful tips from Harris Brushes
A
s the summer approaches we all turn our attention to sprucing up our gardens. We want to inject some life back into weathered-looking sheds, garden furniture and fences, and drab-looking decking with a lick of paint. We may have tried adding a splash of paint to exterior woodwork before but have been a little deflated by the end result. To get a great finish that looks good and lasts is all about prepping correctly and using the right tools for the job.
It’s all in the preparation
You might think being in the garden means you don’t have to think about preparing the area or the fence or shed you want to paint. But paint has a tendency to splatter and so it’s important to protect the garden around where you’re going to paint, as you would inside, to protect plants, patios, decking or brick. Laying tarpaulin on the ground where you’re going to paint is the first thing to do. Next, check furniture, a wooden shed or fence panels for mould or loose parts and make good before you pick up a paint brush. Check out stepby-step ‘How to’ guides at www.harrisbrushes.com/ how-to/.
Invest in quality painting tools
It might be tempting to dig out the old brushes and
rollers you’ve got hiding at the back of the shed to paint exterior wood but investing in good quality tools that are designed for the job will avoid poor coverage or loose bristles getting stuck in drying paint. Harris brushes have NO-LOSS TM Technology for guaranteed no bristle loss. The Harris Exterior ranges include brushes and rollers specifically designed and engineered to deliver greater coverage, faster painting or super-neat precision depending on the needs of the job. In fact, the range is task specific with colour-coded packaging making it simpler to pick the best tool for the job.
Pick the right tools for the task
Sheds and fences are usually large expanses of woodwork which can take time to paint properly — it can be a laborious job. The perfect tool to choose is the Harris Ultimate Shed & Fence Swan Neck paint brush (pictured) which allows you to paint 40% faster than a Harris Essentials block brush, saving precious time. There’s also the Harris Seriously Good Roller Frame & Sleeve set — again specifically designed for painting sheds, fences and decking. Quality brushes and rollers like these make the process of painting quicker, easier and more enjoyable.
For a series of ‘How to’ videos, including how to paint a fence, visit the website www.harrisbrushes.com. You’ll also find tips and tricks on decorating and getting the very best finish. Check out Harris Brushes’ social media channels (@Harrisbrushes) for all the latest updates and inspiration. homebuilding.co.uk 149
Design
Advice, ideas & inspiration for your self-build, renovation or extension project
HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
KOONS SIRHC :EGAMI
l How to design a lighting scheme l Cantilevers: An expert guide lIdeas for Victorian renovations lThe latest patio doors homebuilding.co.uk 151
Design
DESIGNING YOUROWN
lighting scheme Many people choose to come up with their own lighting plan rather than use a lighting designer, but it can seem daunting. We show you how to get your lighting design spot on
152 homebuilding.co.uk
W
hether you’re starting from scratch with your lighting scheme in a new home or extension or are updating an existing design within a renovation project, the impact lighting can have on the way a home feels and works cannot be overemphasised. Using a lighting designer can be really valuable, however, it is not the right route for everyone. For some, the extra expense can’t be justified, while others like the idea of developing their own plan. We have put together a selection of essential advice that will help anyone coming up with a lighting scheme on a DIY basis.
GET AHEAD OF THE GAME
Whatever you do, don’t leave planning your lighting scheme until the last minute. A good lighting design needs to be considered from the word go in any self-build, renovation or extension. There are several reasons for this. The first is that it is far easier and less disruptive to install the correct electrics early on in a project than it is to do it retrospectively. Having a plan of where light fittings and sockets will be going early on will avoid later disruption. Secondly, developing your lighting scheme early on means you will be able to get a better idea of what it will likely cost, tweaking your design to suit your budget where necessary — far better than scrabbling funds together towards the end. Then there is the matter of trades. Your electrician will need to know what fittings you are planning on having to be able to give you a realistic quote for their services, a timescale and also to be able to properly liaise with the other trades on site. And, finally, having a firm lighting plan early on means you will be able to take advantage of any special offers or sales you see on lighting products as soon as you see them, even if that means storing the products safely until you are ready for them. It also avoids delays if products you want are out of stock.
by Natasha Brinsmead HOW TO CREATE YOUR LIGHTING PLAN
Until you have a firm lighting plan you should hold off on choosing and buying lighting fittings. The lighting plan should contain everything from the obvious elements, such as the location of fittings and switches, to the less often thought-of bits, such as where the wiring will run, what you use the room for and where natural light enters the space. All plans can be created in a similar way, regardless of your budget and the style and size of your home. Here’s how to start yours: 1. Start by drawing out a plan of the room. Use graph paper to try and keep things to scale. Mark out any fixed items, such as windows and doors as well as fireplaces. 2. Next, add on large items of furniture, such as the sofa or built-in units. 3. Note down any architectural features or artworks that you plan on including — you will probably want to ensure they can be highlighted by a light source. 4. Write down exactly how you want to use each room. Will there be a desk in a corner of the living room that needs to be lit, for example? What time of day are you likely to be in the room most? Where does natural light come in and at what times of day? Who will be using the space the most? 5. You can now mark on the plan the areas where you would ideally like some kind of light source in the room or space (don’t worry too much about the type of light at this point). 6. Consider the direction people are likely to be facing when in the room (for example towards a fireplace in a living room, or when lying in bed in a bedroom) and bear in mind that you will want to avoid having eye-level lights at these points. 7. Finally, make a note of the types of light that would work well in each spot, for example wall lights that can be directed up or down, side or floor lamps or recessed spots. 8. Turn overleaf for more top lighting design tips!
CASE STUDY: "WE DESIGNED OUR OWN SCHEME"
Ludlow in Wimbledon, where they have an array of lighting in the showroom and give great advice. They really helped me find options to fit my budget, choosing cheaper options where possible so I could put more towards the centre pieces. And when I found the right pieces I just knew they would work. "Every time I walk into the house I love the choices I made, they receive loads of positive comments and have really helped pull the look together. We are still working on choosing artwork and putting pictures up, we still need a decent sofa (we're waiting for the kids to get a bit older) — we can embellish all this over time but the lighting has cemented the fundamental look we can build on.”
YHPARGOTOHP KOONS :EGAMI NIAM
Melissa and Ed Addington’s extension and renovation is striking for many reasons — one of them being the ingenious lighting scheme. The lighting really brings the contemporary spaces to life and uses eye-catching fittings that highlight the form of the space as well as creating atmosphere. Melissa designed the scheme herself. “Choosing the lighting was my favourite part of the build. I could actually visualise the end result and I wanted the overall look to be 'urban meets Scandi' and the lighting to be sleek and understated. "I spent a lot of time going through different lighting company websites to get an idea of what I liked but I needed to actually see and feel the lights before buying. I stumbled across Holloways of
homebuilding.co.uk 153
Design KNOW YOUR LIGHTING
CTB LANIGIRO :EGAMI
You will probably hear about three different forms of lighting and it helps to know exactly what they are when planning a scheme. Ambient lighting: This is the general, or background, lighting that gives an overall light. It is the kind of light that is commonly provided by a pendant, recessed downlights or sometimes a selection of wall lights. Task lighting: This is really important as it provides very focused light to certain areas. It is crucial to have good task lighting in kitchens and home offices where lamps, directional spotlights and even under-unit lighting can all become a means of illuminating work areas, such as worktops, desks and the like. Accent lighting: Sometimes referred to as mood lighting, this is the fun part — the icing on the cake if you will. You can use accent lighting to really bring your spaces to life, highlighting objects, artworks or areas of architectural interest such as decorative mouldings, inglenooks or handrails. Low-level pendants over dining tables, hidden LEDs beneath furniture or within alcoves, track lighting and anglepoise lamps are all good examples. It can be helpful when developing a scheme to take it in three steps. Begin by planning your background light source, followed by task lighting and finish with a flourish by setting the whole thing off with some accent lighting.
To work out how much light a space or room needs, calculate the area in square metres by multiplying its length by its width. Allow approximately 25 watts (or 250 lumens) per square metre. The light can come from any number of sources, such as lamps or pendants. UNDERSTANDING LIGHTING CIRCUITS
GNTIHGIL NELLUC NHOJ :EGAMI
154 homebuilding.co.uk
While it is always a good idea to speak to a qualified electrician about installing your light fittings, it does help when coming up with a plan to have at least a basic understanding of how lighting circuits work. Lighting circuits are radial. This simply means that they are linear power circuits where the cable leaves the consumer unit and runs to each outlet (or fitting) on the line before terminating at the last. Most houses will have at least two separate circuits, one for upstairs and one for downstairs, but it is a good idea to have more than this in reality. At the very least you need to ask your electrician to install your lights so that you can operate each type or ‘level’ of lighting separately.
Be a copycat — look around other people’s homes, restaurants, hotels, anywhere you see lighting that you like and could work in your home. What ideas could you copy? Ask them for recommendation and tips. If you are using an architect or designer, they may be invaluable in giving you ideas and advice too BRUSH UP ON LIGHTING
LLUFTHGILED :EGAMI
CONSULT AN ELECTRICIAN
Many electricians have a wealth of experience when it comes to lighting design and will happily offer advice on a scheme — your electrician may also have some really useful contacts you can tap into when it comes to buying fittings and fixtures and might be able to get you some considerable savings. Speak to your electrician about your ideas, show them your plan and ask for their help in order to refine or expand your ideas.
AMPS Amps are used, along with volts, to calculate watts. Watts represent how much power a light source uses BEAM ANGLE This measures the spread of a light source — the wider the beam angle, the better the spread of light CAP The part of the light bulb that connects it to its fitting (usually bayonet or screw) DELIVERED LIGHT This is the amount of light delivered by a luminaire — measured in ‘lux’ which indicates the brightness of light over a given area DIMMER SWITCH These allow you to adjust the brightness of a bulb or bulbs. LEDs are also dimmable but must be used with LEDspecific dimmer switches LED This stands for Light Emitting Diode. LEDs are highly efficient and last three times longer than Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) — and 30 times longer than incandescent bulbs LUMENS These are units of luminous ‘flux’ — a measurement of the intensity of a light source. A lumen rating (lm) gives the best indication of its brightness LUMINOUS EFFICACY A term that describes the efficiency of a light source. It compares light output (lumens) to the power a light source uses (watts). This results in a lumens per watt rating (lm/w) PENDANT A light that hangs from the ceiling on a cable REFLECTOR LAMP A bulb with a silvered inside layer. These produce a soft beam TRANSFORMER These can be used to change the voltage of an electricity supply. Different bulbs need different voltage levels and transformers can be used to lower voltage TWO-WAY SWITCH These allow you to operate the same light fitting from two different switches in different locations — useful at the top and bottom of staircases or either end of corridors
GNITHGIL NELLUC NHOJ :EGAMI
KU.OC.GNITHGILWOLG.WWW :GNITHGIL WOLG
Design PICK YOUR SUPPLIERS’ BRAINS
GNITHGIL YTLUN :EGAMI
If you find a good lighting supplier you are likely to open yourself up to a wealth of knowledge. Obviously your supplier is likely to push their own products, but providing you have chosen a supplier whose products you like, you could find their input invaluable. Show them your ideas and ask for their thoughts on the plan — they could offer improvements or alternatives you hadn’t thought of and help you to make the most of your budget.
LIGHTING GUIDE: ROOM-BY-ROOM
LIVING ROOM Your living room lighting scheme should very much be tailored to how you use the space. If it is going to be used throughout the day, by children playing for example, a very different scheme will be required than if you only plan on retreating to it to relax at the end of the day. In general, a combination of downlights, table and floor lamps and accent lighting such as spotlights within fireplaces, picture lights and concealed cabinet lighting works really well — although some people love the idea of a central pendant that can act as a focal point. Bear in mind that televisions emit their own light and you don’t want your lighting conflicting with it. ‘Bias lighting’ involves placing lighting behind the TV to avoid glare or eye strain. BATHROOM Bathroom lighting requires careful thought in order to be successful. You need to think about zones and IP ratings. Zones are given to the different areas of a bathroom — so Zone 0 is a wet area, such as inside a shower
CTB LANIGIRO :)THGIR DNA TFEL( SEGAMI
KITCHEN Most kitchens these days tend to be multi-functional spaces, making different types of lighting all the more important. Start with background lighting to illuminate the whole space well — recessed downlights or adjustable spotlights are good options. Ensure that these lights are positioned so that the worksurfaces will be well lit and that the light will not be blocked out if you are standing working at them. Next, consider task lighting — it will be required over the hob, over the dining space and can be useful over certain areas of worktop. Extractor fans often incorporate task lighting, while under-unit LEDs also work well. Accent light, such as LED strips, can work well under base units or within glass-fronted cupboards or shelving. enclosure. An IP rating indicates how resistant a light fitting is to water and the rating needed will depend on which zone the light will be fitted into. Recessed downlights are popular in bathrooms, along with task lighting above or around mirrors. Avoid targeted overhead lighting — it's very unflattering! BEDROOM Bedrooms really do benefit from plenty of lamps and wall washers — these are the ideal way to create a soft, cosy glow. Ensure these lights are dimmable to allow you maximum control. Use task lighting around mirrors or over dressing tables and consider highlighting a stylish headboard with accent lighting. You might also consider automatic lighting in the wardrobe. “Soften high-level fittings, such as a feature pendant, with dimmable indirect options, such as recessed lighting in alcoves so attention is not drawn to the ceiling centre, as this can make the room feel less inviting and not as cosy,” suggests Paul Nulty, founder of Nulty Lighting.
LAYER LIGHTING
You are likely to hear a lot about using ‘layers’ of light. All this really means is that the best-lit spaces have several different types of light source that can be used alone or in conjunction to create different effects. For example, a background light such as a pendant, task lighting such as reading lamps and accent lighting such as concealed LEDs.
USE SMART LIGHTING
Smart lighting allows you to control your lights when you are away from home or by voice control. This is a great way to increase your home’s security, and comes in handy when you have your hands full or don’t want to leave your bed or sofa to operate lights. Smart light bulbs are an inexpensive starting point. Pop them into your light fittings and control them using an app on your phone or tablet — most work with home assistants such as Alexa.
homebuilding.co.uk 157
Create a warm welcome with these stunning designs
Amazing porch ideas
STSEUG GNIMOCLEW KROWKCIRB LUFITUAEB HTIW DLIUB-FLES SIHT NI DETAERC SAW HCROP DEVRUC TNAGELE NA RIA NEPO
SEDACED ROF DOOTS SAH TI EKIL KOOL EMOH DLIUB WEN SIHT SEKAM HCROP EHT NI LIATED OT NOITNETTA EHT HSINIF EGATTOC
MODERN MIX ZINC AND TIMBER CLADDING CONTRAST WITH THIS COTTAGE’S BRICKWORK
YNAPMOC HCROP HSILGNE ;TRUB NOMIS ;TNORF NABRU ;EMARF KAO HSLEW O/C ;)3X( LLEWXAM NOMIS :)THGIR POT MORF ESIWKCOLC( SEGAMI
SAERA CIFFART-HGIH S’EMOH A NO ERUSSERP EHT ETAIVELLA OT SREDNOW KROW NAC NOITIDDA HCROP A NOISNETXE LLAMS
SHELTERED RECESS ALTHOUGH SET BACK FROM THE REST OF THE ELEVATION, THIS PORCH MAKES A BIG IMPACT
SEPYT GNIDDALC HTOB FO ELTTIL A SESU HCROP EVITISNES SIHT ,EGATTOC DNA NOISNETXE NA GNIGDIRB NOITIDDA LARUTAN
A FRESH LOOK A NEW PORCH, LIKE THIS TIMBER DESIGN FROM THE ENGLISH PORCH COMPANY, CREATES GREAT FIRST IMPRESSIONS AND KERB APPEAL
Design
By Sabatino Torchitti
Cantilever design BEHIND THE DESIGN
Don’t be left hanging in the balance as to whether a cantilever design is right for your project. Sabatino Torchitti from Resi does the homework for you
YHPARGOTOHP SREVIHC DRAHCIR REHPARGOTOHP ,STCETIHCRA BBINK MADA O/C :EGAMI
TAMING THE TENSION The cantilever for this project has been designed by Adam Knibb Architects, in close collaboration with the structural engineer. The aesthetics needed to work within strict structural constraints to provide the ‘anti-gravity’ effect desired. Using techniques from bridge construction, steels run through the floor deck and roof, connecting with vertical columns using moment connections, which transfer moments (bending forces, also called ‘shear forces’). This gave structural rigidity and uniformity for the rest of the first floor to be constructed from.
A
re you guilty of spending your time buried in swish architectural magazines, ogling fancy designs from around the world? Then you might have encountered this month’s special feature: cantilever design. This gravity-defying detail was first seen in the civil construction industry, appearing in bridges such as the Forth Bridge in Scotland. However, in recent years, ambitious homeowners and architects have been bringing cantilever features into the residential sector, delivering some surprising benefits for those lucky enough to have them.
WHAT IS A CANTILEVERED STRUCTURE?
Cantilever design is defined as a structural feature that extends horizontally from a vertical element and is only supported at one end. This can be as simple as a cantilever balcony or an open corner of a building. It’s also a popular design for recycled shipping container new builds, where one unit juts out from the top of the other. Don’t be fooled, there’s more to cantilever design than just stunning aesthetics. On a practical level, having a suspended element allows you to create a larger home without
homebuilding.co.uk 161
eating into your garden. Perhaps the most beautiful example of this is Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous Fallingwater House, with its terraces suspended over the babbling brooks and a waterfall. Most of us don’t have such a dramatic water feature, but the principle is the same. What’s more, the shaded alcoves that result beneath help to reduce solar gain in downstairs living spaces and create privacy. A cantilever design can also help circumvent certain planning hurdles, for example by allowing ground floor access points to be retained or preventing protected trees from getting the chop. Of course, being so eye-catching, cantilever designs come with their own planning challenges, so they mainly pay off in the hands of experienced designers who can manage the planning process on your behalf.
GETTING THE DETAILS RIGHT
When designing cantilevered structures, you and your architect will need to balance what’s possible from a planning perspective against the amount of space you want to create. How far your design will be AM.UN YB REDNER ,STCETIHCRA BBINK MADA O/C :EGAMI
WHAT TO CONSIDER
1 2 3 4
able to protrude will depend on construction. Don’t forget: a balcony is a cantilevered structure, albeit a very small one. You don’t always have to opt for big and bold. If you’re set on going all-in and want to know the maximum span, there are three main areas your designer will need to consider: lThe load above — how much weight is on top of the supported section of the structure? l The anchor point — how is the cantilevered structure connected to the other elements of the building? l The materials you plan to use and their weight and strength. As there’s so much structural work involved, having a good structural engineer on your project will be vital. It’ll be their job to make the structural calculations that will allow your builder to create a safe and legal final result. These structural details will be checked by building control to make sure your project is compliant with the Building Regulations.
CONSIDER THE COSTS
As cantilevered structures are more technically ambitious than most other features, you should
Is your local planning authority known to be quite conservative? Try submitting a pre-application to get a sense of what might be possible if so. Don’t let your elevation go to waste — cantilevered spaces have the potential to provide stunning views when paired with structural glazing. Having difficulty visualising your design? Ask your architect if they can provide 3D visuals. Some can even provide virtual tours of the proposed space. Don’t forget to consider the amount of shade a cantilevered structure will create in your garden. This could be the perfect place for a rockery or a water feature!
INCREDIBLE SUSPENSE A cantilever is a structural element that extends horizontally and is supported only at one end. At Shanks House (left), designed by Adam Knibb Architects, the unsupported structure is distributed evenly across the length of a beam, which is firmly fixed to a steel column hidden within the timber frame wall. Steel beams run through the floor, completing the supporting structure and creating the illusion of a ‘floating’ building element. As a rule of thumb, the back span of a steel beam (fixed to a column) should be around twice the length of the unsupported section.
be prepared to pay a premium if you want to include them in your design. Not only will an architect and structural engineer likely charge a premium rate to cover the extra attention these designs demand, you’ll also be confronted with an even bigger price tag when it comes time to build. Cantilevered structures are made possible thanks to both steel beams and reinforced concrete, materials which don’t come cheap. Therefore, if your biggest priority is to keep things cost-efficient, this might not be the design for you. Of course, you might find that the space a cantilevered design offers you is justified by the planning hurdles it helps you overcome. There’s the resale value to consider too; a well-made cantilevered design is a luxurious feature that could deliver a high-end price for your home. However, if you are looking to make a return on your investment, we recommend researching your local housing market first. Some areas suffer from a ceiling price, meaning no matter how nice your development, your home won’t exceed a certain price point on the market. If you’re still on the fence, consider consulting an architect about what is and isn’t possible. Unlike cantilevers, these professionals won’t leave you hanging (though they may make terrible design puns).
homebuilding.co.uk 163
Design
164 homebuilding.co.uk
Renovating a Victorian house: 10 GREAT DESIGN IDEAS Victorian house projects are often seen as something of a holy grail in the renovation world, with buyers clamouring to snap them up — we take a look at some of the top transformational design ideas
V
ictorian houses are packed full of character, often including soaring ceilings, pretty mouldings, classy woodwork and countless other decorative details, so it isn’t hard to see why so many would-be renovators are enamoured by them. However, they are not without their challenges for modern-day homeowners, so it’s best to go in prepared. Here we take a look at the best design and remodelling ideas for renovating a Victorian property, be that a modest terraced home or a sprawling detached number. While all houses – and all owners – are different, there are some common themes among the opportunities and difficulties presented by homes from this era (1837-1901).
Create a contrasting extension
LLEWXAM NOMIS :EGAMI
Some of the most successful Victorian house extensions are those that sit in complete contrast in their design to the original building, celebrating the fact that they are part of the evolution of the house, rather than aiming to mimic the original architecture. The key to the success of a contrasting extension is to ensure that it in some way echoes the shapes or proportions of the original house, perhaps through materials or window shapes, for example.
homebuilding.co.uk 165
Design
Open up the warren
One of the main bugbears modern-day homeowners tend to have with their Victorian properties is that the layouts can feel like a maze of small, separate spaces, with no obvious connection to one another — very much the antithesis of how many of us like to live these days. For most of us now, it is preferable to prioritise an easy flow, natural light and an open, spacious feel. Look at the existing layout and consider removing internal walls that carve up spaces that could easily work as one or that block natural light from percolating between rooms.
Open up the staircase
It is common for staircases in Victorian houses to have walls on either side, boxing them in and making them feel claustrophobic and dark. Consider opening up the staircase, either to one or both sides to create a more open, brighter feel. Not only will the staircase benefit, but so will the spaces around — natural light will be able to flow through the open spaces and an all round airier feel will be achieved. XOC DNA XOC :MOTTOB ;RUHTRA LUAP :POT :SEGAMI
homebuilding.co.uk 167
Design
Retain internal windows
If you are extending your Victorian home and thinking about blocking up any now redundant windows, consider keeping them as an interesting feature instead. Not only can they add character, but it is also a good way to ensure that your extension doesn’t interfere with the flow of natural light reaching inner rooms.
Don’t fret missing original features
While original features might be highly desirable in any Victorian home, there are many cases where they have long been missing, the victims of some poor misguided attempt to modernise the house during the post-war era when they were seen as unfashionable. Although you could indeed seek out replacements at reclamation or salvage yards, or try your luck at auction, you might like to see this lack of original features as an opportunity to embrace the bare bones of the building instead – high ceilings or large window openings perhaps – and highlight these with a more contemporary interior scheme that looks to the future as opposed to the past.
RUOBRAB DIVAD ;SPILLIHP YMEREJ :POT :SEGAMI
Design
Deal with a dingy landing
Landings are often the gloomiest spots in Victorian houses, where the principal, more public, spaces were often prioritised when it came to natural light. There are several design ideas that can help here; you could bring in light from above using a rooflight or, in the name of keeping disruption to a minimum, a lightpipe. Lightpipes are nifty little solutions in these situations, weaving their way from the roof – where they can be fitted flush with the roof tiles – to the ceiling; their reflective inner coating shining bringing in light to dingy spots. However, if it is views of the sky or treetops you are after, a rooflight will be a better option. If you are keen to leave the ceiling or roof well alone though, consider replacing solid doors with glazed or partially glazed ones to allow light from other rooms to penetrate the landing. Alternatively, swap solid balustrades for more open or glazed versions.
Consider a two-storey extension
GNUHC NERRAD ;SPILLIHP YMEREJ ;2X KOONS SIRHC :TFEL POT MORF ESIWKCOLC SEGAMI
If you plan on extending your house, how about going for a two-storey structure? Many people shy away from the idea, thinking they can’t afford it, but a two-storey extension is actually a much more cost-effective way of adding space than a single-storey structure. The reason for this is that you potentially get twice the space offered by a single-storey extension, but the cost of the foundations and new roof remain pretty much the same. Given that the roof and foundations tend to be the most expensive part of any extension, it makes sense to add two storeys where space and permissions allow.
170 homebuilding.co.uk
Add a side return extension
Many Victorian house renovations are carried out to terraced or semidetached properties. The ideal way to add space to these types of houses? A side return extension of course. They deal with that awkward narrow space that often runs down the side of these properties, opening up narrow kitchens while offering the opportunity to flood those darker, inner rooms with light when fitted with large glazed openings that look out over the rear outside space, or via banks of rooflights. While you may be able to extend under Permitted Development, a side return extension often requires the removal of walls, so you will need to consult a structural engineer.
Create a hallway
Many terraced and semi-detached Victorian properties were built with either a very tight entrance hall or without one at all. Family homes work best with hallways, where coats and shoes can be removed and stored, and guests welcomed in. There are several ways to create one in these spaces. Some people choose to remove the wall that separates the staircase from an adjoining reception room or outdoor rooms, such as an old coal store and use it as one open space. Otherwise, it might be possible to shave a section off a room that lies next to the front door and use it as self-contained hall space instead.
homebuilding.co.uk 171
Design
Look to the loft
KOONS SIRHC :MOTTOB ;RUOBRAB DIVAD :POT SEGAMI
Many Victorian houses were built with generous attic spaces and pitched roofs, making them ideal candidates for loft conversions. A loft conversion is a really economical way to squeeze more space out of a house and will almost certainly add value to it. At the cheapest end of the market lie simple rooflight conversions, while dormer and mansard loft conversions will cost considerably more — although will also add much more space, and are often required where head height is an issue. You will also need to think about how to make space for the new staircase that will be needed to link the loft to the rest of the house. One of the best ways is to make the existing landing a little bigger by stealing a sliver of space from an adjacent bathroom or bedroom, then build the new stairs sitting above the existing flight.
homebuilding.co.uk 173
The latest SMALL PATIO DOORS
1 Origin’s OB-72 bifold doors are made with aluminium and can be dual coloured to any RAL hue. Also available as a French door, priced from £1,200-1,500 per sash (+VAT). 2 With an Art Deco style and a thermally broken aluminium system, the Heritage patio doors from IDSystems are a modest addition to period and contemporary homes alike. Similar
projects (with sidelights, overlight and fitting) start from around £3,750 (+VAT) 3 An elegant double-glazed wooden patio door for a reasonable price, the GoodHome clear hardwood reversible door and frame from B&Q costs £900. 4 IQ Glass’ slim pivot doors have minimal aluminium profiles and full thermal breaks within their frames. Available in any RAL colour, the doors cost approximately £1,000/m2. 5 Made with FSC redwood or oak timber, Green Building Stores’ Performance French doors are triple glazed and are available from £1,700 (+VAT).
homebuilding.co.uk 175
TIMELESS DESIGN Merry and Ben Albright self-built their family home with Border Oak and were careful to combine traditional styles with modern priorities in the interior spaces.
7102 TROPER TEKRAM DLIUB MOTSUC & FLES GNITAVONER & GNIDLIUBEMOH * SPILLIHP YMEREJ :EGAMI
Beginner’s guide to Tself-build here are many benefits to building your own home. It is an opportunity to create a unique home tailored around your lifestyle. It can be a route to creating a home that will adapt as your needs change, for instance accommodating wheelchair use. It also offers scope to build a property that is low maintenance and energy efficient.
What’s more, self-builders often achieve a larger home and garden compared to buying a new home on the open market — the average self-build project is 247m2*, more than double the size of the average newbuild developer home. And, as an added bonus, self-builders typically enjoy a profit of 25% on their investment*.
Once you’ve decided to build your own home, there are some key questions you need to begin answering: where will you build your new home, what do you hope to build, how will you finance your project, who will build it and how will it be built, for instance. Follow our in-depth beginner’s guide to find out how to start this incredible journey…
homebuilding.co.uk 177
SPLIT PERSONALITY Built on a sloping site using insulating concrete formwork, this self-build was designed to have a low-key facade facing the street but to maximise the sea views at the back.
DON’T PAY WHEN YOU DON’T NEED TO Reclaiming VAT One of the major benefits of building your own home is that you can reclaim VAT using HMRC’s VAT431NB form. This includes materials that are fixed into the house. The interpretation of this can be complex. For instance, you can reclaim VAT on timber flooring, but not carpet. You cannot reclaim VAT for design fees or services. You can only make one claim, so keep your VAT receipts safely in one place.
RUOBRAB DIVAD :EGAMI
CIL exemption The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) imposes a fee on the creation of new homes, which is determined by the local authority and is based on the size of the house. The good news is that, subject to certain criteria, self-builders are now exempt from paying CIL. That said, be careful to have all the paperwork in place for your exemption; each key step of the process needs to be followed to the letter to prevent CIL becoming chargeable.
178 homebuilding.co.uk
Pre-build essentials Here are some of the key things you need to consider before ‘going on site’ with your build
O
nce you have purchased your plot there are a good number of steps you need to take before you can begin building your dream home…
DESIGNING YOUR NEW HOME
of obtaining planning permission arguably comes from design fees to prepare plans and documents, as well as any surveys that may be required to support your application. You should usually find out whether your local planning authority has approved your scheme after eight weeks — although more complex schemes can take longer. News of approval doesn’t necessarily mean you can start work. The conditions attached to your planning consent might require resolution first. Make sure they are capable of being satisfied, as failure to do so could hold up your build, and in the most extreme cases, invalidate the consent altogether. You may also find that you are required to discharge certain conditions during the build, too.
BUILDING REGULATIONS
All new homes need to adhere to the Building Regulations, and for this reason a building control inspector will visit at key stages of the build to inspect the work and ensure it complies. These stages include: excavation for the foundations, pouring concrete for the foundations, building the oversite, building the damp proof-course, drainage, a visit prior to completion and a final visit on completion. A completion certificate will then be issued following the final inspection. You’ll need to decide who will carry out your inspections: your local authority building control department or an Approved Inspector from a private company.
You’ll likely need a designer on board to help you formulate plans for your dream home. This might be an architect, an architectural technologist, an architectural designer or an in-house designer at a package company. The design process is likely to take at least a couple of months, possibly considerably longer. Then you’ll LINING UP YOUR need to apply for planning PROJECT TEAM permission… You can establish contact with a builder, main contractor or APPLYING FOR package company during the PLANNING PERMISSION design and planning processes, The cost of submitting a planning but you won’t get an accurate quote for the work until your application varies across the Building Regulations drawings UK, but is currently £462 in England. However, the real cost have been finalised.
One of the best ways of finding a good builder and subcontractors is through word of mouth — ask people you know locally who’ve built their own homes for recommendations. Much like finding a designer, choosing a builder requires plenty of research. It’s best to meet with them to discuss your project and to ask them to quote (your designer can help you prepare tender documents for this purpose). The best builders and subcontractors will be booked up months in advance, so start your search early. The same goes for package companies. You’ll likely wait three months or so.
BRINGING SERVICES TO SITE
Getting services to your site (if necessary) can cost as little as £500 or more than £10,000, depending on the site’s location, what services you need, and whether the connection needs to be made across private land (in which case you’ll need to secure a wayleave to grant access) or public highways (which may involve road digs by approved contractors). If the cost of bringing in mains gas and drainage is prohibitive, it may be time to investigate the off-mains alternatives, such as oil, LPG or a renewable heating and hot water system, and a sewerage treatment plant for drainage. It’s important to note that, while electricity is not essential during the build, a water supply is often needed early on.
WHERE WILL YOU LIVE?
This is one of the biggest decisions you’ll need to make prior to your build. Some are in a position to remain in their existing homes while selfbuilding. However, many need to consider an alternative. You could stay with family or friends, but remember that the average self-build project takes around a year on site, and be realistic about
FINANCING YOUR BUILD
Funding your project may require a specialist self-build mortgage…
There are two significant costs when building your own home: the building plot and the build itself. There are also a few additional costs that you’ll need to factor in — see the box below. Funding your build You’ll need access to money to buy a building plot, to pay for professional services such as architectural designers’ fees and any site surveys required, and to fund the build itself. How you find this money will, of course, depend on your financial situation. It may come from your savings, equity in your existing home, a self-build mortgage or, most likely, a combination of all three. Surprisingly few high street banks provide formal facilities for self-build finance, so you’ll probably need to approach a specialist self-build mortgage provider. A self-build mortgage is tailored towards the way you pay for a self-build project — with money released in several stages, rather than all at once (as it would be if you were buying a house). Finance will be released at key stages as the build progresses, for example when the foundations are laid or when the building is made weathertight. There are two main types of stage release mortgage. The first is an arrears stage payment mortgage, which sees funds released as work is completed. The second is an advance stage payment mortgage, which pays out before each designated stage of the build begins. The latter has the obvious advantage of assisting cash flow and is generally
better suited to those who do not have large pots of savings to fund their build as it progresses. Some, but not all, self-build lenders are willing to lend on plot purchases too. Rates of interest for self-build mortgages are typically higher than those that are currently available for a standard house purchase or remortgage, and the arrangement fees vary significantly from lender to lender, so be sure to shop around. Once the property is habitable, some lenders allow the borrower to switch to a lower rate of interest. The amount you can borrow will depend on similar factors to those that would govern your limit on a standard house mortgage; in most cases these will include an affordability assessment, income multipliers and LTV (loan to value ratio — a measure of lending risk). Lending policies change regularly, but lenders may, for example, offer to provide funding for up to 85% of the value of the building project. In order to progress your application you’ll likely need to provide plans and a breakdown of the potential build cost.
REMEMBER TO FACTOR IN THE FOLLOWING COSTS...
In addition to the plot and total build cost, there are other costs associated with building a home that need to be accounted for, including those associated with purchasing the plot (legal fees and stamp duty), a topographical survey, any surveys you need for planning purposes (such as ecological surveys), design fees, planning fees and the cost of creating plans for Building Regulations purposes. You’ll also need to purchase self-build insurance as soon as you buy your plot, and it’s a good idea to get a warranty too. Another common ‘hidden’ cost is the price of bringing services like electricity, water and mains gas to site. These extras can add up fast, so stay on top of them.
timescales if you plan to rely on someone’s hospitality. Renting temporary accommodation is another option, but an expensive one. You could also live on site in a caravan, a static or perhaps in an outbuilding built first.
homebuilding.co.uk 179
Six ways to find a plot
Finding your self-build plot It’s the starting point to any self-build dream. Here’s what to consider when plot hunting
Y
ou may be fortunate enough to have a plot already at your disposal — a large side garden, for instance. However, for many self-builders, their journey begins with finding a suitable plot. It’s important to keep an open mind when looking for a plot. Typical plot types do include greenfield sites as well as fully serviced plots offered by developers with self-builders in mind, but plots may also be brownfield land, or old buildings that can be replaced. In these latter cases, it’s important to consider potential pitfalls such as contamination, which can be costly, but provided you’re careful, there are hidden treasures everywhere. The key is to treat every home as just a temporary occupant of a building plot — once you get into this mindset, opportunities begin to present themselves.
WHAT MAKES A BUILDING PLOT?
A piece of land is not a building plot until planning permission is granted. Access is another key requirement (see box). If you do identify land with the hallmarks of a potential building plot, then as long as it doesn’t fall outside the settlement boundary or contravene other planning policies, there is nothing to stop you applying for planning permission, even if you do not own the land. If you opt for this route, ensure you have a contract in place with the owner so you can purchase the plot for an agreed sum if you are successful. More commonly, you will have purchased a plot with outline or full planning permission already in place. The good news is, you can re-apply for planning permission for a design which more closely resembles your dream home. That said, the
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR WHEN ASSESSING PLOTS
l Ensure planning permission has not expired and is not about to expire. There is no guarantee that reapplications will succeed. l Keep an eye out for access. If doesn’t extend directly up to the adopted highway, there should at least be a legal right to cross third party land to access the plot in perpetuity. l Check for covenants that could limit the ways the land
l STUDY THE LOCAL AREA Think like a developer and search out opportunities others overlook. Get out and about in your chosen area or use Google Maps to look for homes on large plots that have either a large side garden, or infill land. l SIGN UP TO PLOTFINDER.NET Register with specialist plot services like www.plotfinder.net, which collects information from those selling land (including estate agents and individuals who are not selling elsewhere) and makes it available via subscription. l CONTACT EXPERTS Some package companies, such as Potton and Border Oak, hold lists of available plots online. l VISIT LOCAL AUCTIONS Many opportunities are sold via auction, so establish who the key agents are in your area and get on their lists for catalogues. If you haven’t been to an auction, go and experience one first hand to familiarise yourself with the process. l CHECK YOUR LOCAL AUTHORITY’S WEBSITE Check recent planning applications on your local authority’s website. The details of the owner are often included on the application, and there is nothing to stop you contacting them directly. l READ OUR IN-DEPTH PLOT FINDING COLUMN To get the real inside track, self-build expert Mark Stevenson’s advice is indispensable — take a look at his series on page 121. existing design and planning history of the plot will provide a good clue about what is likely to be approved.
WHAT TO PAY
The price of your plot will reflect the local housing market. Ideally, the real value of a plot should LINED UP equal the end value of house Self-build projects minus the total build cost (visit require specialist www.homebuilding.co.uk/calculator). insurance to You should also try to factor protect against in any ‘additional’ costs and public liability issues, fires, storm put aside 10-30% of your build damage and more. cost to cover any unexpected Get cover in place expenses. Typically, self-builders pay as soon as you exchange contracts between £100,000 and £275,000 on your plot. for a plot. However, this varies across the country.
TOP TIP GET INSURANCE
might be developed, and for overages — obligations that may involve further payments to the previous owner down the line. l Ensure services are in place. If they are not, then research your options, and establish the likely cost of bringing them to site. You might also plan to use off-mains options, which are readily available for heating, hot water, and drainage. l Check whether the title deeds are ‘absolute’ or ‘possessory’, and negotiate on the plot price accordingly.
homebuilding.co.uk 181
HANDS-OFF APPROACH The owners of this turnkey self-build chose everything from the windows and doors down to fixtures and fittings before Facit Homes constructed the house to Passivhaus specs ready for them to move straight in.
Choosing S a build route Self-build is a broad church — you needn’t lay a single brick if you don’t want to!
7102 TROPER TEKRAM DLIUB MOTSUC & FLES GNITAVONER & GNIDLIUBEMOH * SEMOH TIICAF :EGAMI
elf-build is a broad church and there are many routes to getting an individual home built. However, generally speaking most self-builders choose one of the following routes: lProject managing the entire build themselves, including hiring and coordinating subcontractors – such as plumbers and electricians – to complete the build, as well as buying most of the building materials. lChoosing a main contractor or builder to manage and coordinate the build on their behalf. In this case, the builder or main contractor will often buy all or the majority of the building materials. lChoosing a professional project manager to coordinate their build. lBuilding their own home by hand — the ultimate DIY route. lOutsourcing the project to a package company, many of which coordinate everything from design concept through to completion. Other package companies may offer the opportunity to decide on the level of service required. Only 16% of self-build projects are undertaken on a DIY basis, with the majority (57%) of self-builders choosing to instead
project manage subcontractors to build their house for them*. The reality is that most selfbuilders use a combination of the approaches outlined. One popular route involves commissioning a package company to build the ‘superstructure’, with the self-builder managing the groundworks before and interior fit-out after (first and second fix work, decoration and the like). Choosing the right self-build route for your project is a decision only you can reach, but there are undoubtedly factors that will influence this choice: your finances, how much time you can devote to the project and how you are at carrying out DID YOU capable jobs yourself, for starters. KNOW? Those looking for significant Project managing cost savings need to understand your own home is that the more work and time they the most popular put in, the more they will save. build route for a self-build. Find out The Homebuilding & Renovating Self & Custom Build Market what’s involved Report 2017 found that those by visiting our building their own home through website: www.homebuilding. DIY saved 25% on their build co.uk/advice/ costs against those managing their could-you-project- own projects, while self-builders manage-yourtaking on the role of project building-project manger saved 17%, compared to those who used main contractors.
homebuilding.co.uk 183
CHOOSING A CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM
SPILLIHP YMEREJ :EGAMI
There are a number of different build systems to choose from (see below) — no longer is the choice simply between timber frame and masonry. In most instances, your chosen construction system will have little impact on how the exterior of your home will look, as most cladding materials can be used with all the main construction systems. Construction systems can be broadly divided into on-site methods, such as masonry and ICF, where the majority of the structure is built on your building site, and off-site methods, where the main structure is constructed elsewhere and delivered to site to be erected. The latter tends to result in a faster build on site. There are essentially three things to consider when deciding: price, quality and speed. If you are not too concerned with how your house looks ‘under the bonnet’ or feel unable to make this decision, then it might be best to hire a professional to do this for you. Your chosen architect, structural engineer or builder may have preferred methods of working and in such cases you would be well advised to work with your appointed specialist on the systems they know and like. Alternatively, they may offer advice on the most cost-effective or suitable construction system for the home you hope to build. Conversely, if you have your heart set on a particular construction method – maybe oak frame for its character, or timber frame because you hope to project manage once the superstructure is built – then it’s a good idea to approach a designer or package company well versed in that construction system from the outset. Each construction system has its own set of parameters and design challenges, and designing a home with said construction system in mind is a cost-effective route.
OAK FRAME ON A BUDGET Constructed in just 15 weeks, this oak frame home was built to a budget of £175K.
THE MAIN CHOICES INCLUDE… lMasonry Modern masonry homes consist of an inner loadbearing skin, a cavity, which is fully or partially filled with insulation, and an outer skin, which often protects the structure from the elements. Materials are readily available and most builders are used to working with blockwork. lTimber frame Timber frame walls consist of timber studwork panels, usually fixed in place with oriented strand board (OSB) or plywood. These can be built on site by a carpenter (‘stick build’) or prefabricated, in which case they can either come as a closed panel system with factory fitted insulation and joinery, or as open panels that need insulation and joinery installed on site. lSIPs Structural insulated panels are manufactured off site, and once delivered can be erected and made watertight in a matter of days or weeks. The loadbearing panels typically consist of a rigid insulating core sandwiched between two pieces of OSB. SIPs can be ideal for those wanting to build an airtight, highly insulated home. lICF Insulating concrete formwork offers an on-site approach. Ready-mix concrete is poured into formwork, typically made of expanded or extruded polystyrene. The formwork acts as both the ‘mould’ for the concrete and is left in situ to provide a continuous layer of insulation. Another benefit is that ICF can be suitable for building basements. lOak frame Ideal for those who want a characterful home with vaulted ceilings, tastefully exposed beams and double-height spaces, the oak frame structure is typically manufactured off site and erected on site. The frame is normally encapsulated within a SIPs or timber panel system to create an energy-efficient and airtight build. lSteel frame Most new homes and many extension and renovation projects feature steel in some form — usually steel beams to provide support above openings. This construction system can be well suited to homes where large spans and large areas of glass are used. But again, it’s a hybrid method of sorts as it will need to be encapsulated.
homebuilding.co.uk 185
2021 winner Best Green Innovation Brought to you by
WALLBARN: M-TRAY®
WINNERS REVEALED!
T
he Homebuilding & Renovating Green Home Awards were launched to acknowledge and celebrate manufacturers and suppliers of green building materials and sustainable homebuilding services that are leading the way in safeguarding the future of the construction industry, and contributing towards the netzero carbon movement. From heat pumps to insulation, green innovations to natural materials, the shortlisted products and services demonstrated a positive impact on the lives of self-builders and renovators. Here, we reveal the Green Home Awards winners for 2021…
2021 winner Best Heat Pump
Brought to you by
VALLIANT: AROTHERM PLUS
2021 winner
Best Green Supplier
Brought to you by
GREEN BUILDING STORE
2021 winner
Best Ventilation System
Brought to you by
TOTAL HOME ENVIRONMENT: HPV SERIES 186 homebuilding.co.uk
This Passivhaus-certified ventilation system delivers heat recovery ventilation alongside precise space heating, cooling and – with the HPW air to water heat pump – hot water too. The ventilation system can be over 1,200% efficient in ideal conditions (in comparison to a boiler at only 90% efficiency) with COP’s ranging from 3-12. It is suitable for homes of 110m² to 420m² that are well-insulated and airtight, with low U-values and heat losses under 9.5kW. Uniquely, it has not one, but three separate supply ducts so multiple airflow zones can be catered for. The third supply duct comes off the unit before the integral heat pump gets involved, allowing, say, a master bedroom to be at a lower temperature than the rest of the supply zones.
2021 winner
Best Natural Building Material Brought to you by
ACCSYS: ACCOYA®
Wallbarn’s M-Tray® delivers a premium quality instant living roof — in a box! This modular green roof system has revolutionised planning and installing eco-friendly living roofs, allowing almost any area, however inaccessible, to be greened instantly with little fuss — and with the added bonus of quick and easy access to the roof deck post-installation should it be required. All the elements of a traditional roll-out system are contained within M-Tray’s® 500mm x 500mm x 100mm cassettes, each of which is self-contained, fully-grown and established section of green roof. These trays simply click together, delivering a finished green roof in a fraction of the time required for more traditional approaches. The system is perfect for new builds and retrofits.
The aroTHERM plus is Vaillant’s next-generation air-to-water monobloc heat pump. Historically, the most used heat pump refrigerant was R410a which is currently being phased out under f-gas regulations due to its high Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 2088. The aroTHERM plus uses the natural refrigerant R290 which has a GWP of just 3. To compare, if R410a was released into the atmosphere, it would release the same amount of carbon as a 13-hour flight — whereas R290 would be the equivalent of a 15km car journey. R290 enables the aroTHERM plus to run at a higher flow temperature up to 75°C, providing 25% more usable hot water (>200 litres per day). With a seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP) up to 5.03 and an ErP rating of A+++, the unit delivers excellent energy efficiency for both retrofits and new builds. As a small specialist company with 25 years’ experience of working on low-energy homes and buildings, Green Building Store combines technical expertise with outstanding personal service and aftercare. The company offers a wide range of products, including triple-glazed windows and doors, advanced MVHR systems, specialist airtightness and insulation products, and consultancy and building services. What’s more, it operates a small building team which works as a laboratory or test-bed for the products it offers. Green Building Store also provides a range of free resources on its website, aimed at educating would-be green self-builders and retrofitters, as well as a host of webinars, covering topics from Passivhaus to heat pumps.
We combine technology and ingenuity to make high performance, non-toxic wood products that are extremely durable and stable. Fast-growing FSC-certified sustainable wood is transformed into a building material with characteristics that match or better those of man-made alternatives. Accoya wood not only competes on performance, but also benefits the circular economy, locking away carbon. What’s more, Accoya’s Cradle to Cradle (‘C2C’) Certified™ Gold level is perhaps the most prestigious and differentiating accreditation. We create Accoya with our proprietary acetylation process, which increases the already naturally-occurring acetyl content of wood. This reduces the ability of the wood to absorb water, making it more dimensionally stable and, because it is no longer easily digestible, extremely durable.
2021 winner
Best Heating Innovation Brought to you by
The road to 2050 Net Zero is ambitious but essential — and the steps are already being taken by Worcester Bosch in the heating sector, through the 100% Hydrogen Boiler Prototype. Converting our hydrogen-ready boiler from natural gas to hydrogen takes just an hour. More importantly, the boiler can run on natural gas until the day that hydrogen becomes available, saving costs all round. With the boiler market run rate being at around 1.7million annually we would very quickly populate a huge amount of properties ready for Hydrogen, helping the country to be equipped to meet 2050 targets for a more sustainable future.
WORCESTER BOSCH: HYDROGEN BOILER PROTOTYPE
2021 winner
Best Green Interior Product Brought to you by
CONTEMPORARY CHANDELIER COMPANY: ELEMENTS & CRIZZLE
2021 winner
Best Airtightness Product
The LEDs we incorporate into our pendants are super-efficient diodes, which are designed to deliver more usable light and higher flux density with minimal power consumption. These LEDs are intended to be operated with a forward current of 700mA, but in order to extend their operational life and further improve efficiency, we run the LEDs at only 350mA. This built-in longevity is often an important consideration since chandeliers are often situated in hard-to-reach locations. Each LED uses only 1 Watt of power; a 4m long chandelier with 35 pendants therefore uses less power than a single traditional light bulb. Using only clear glass in our designs means that any damaged or sub-standard spheres can be also recycled back into the furnace to ensure zero waste during manufacture.
Pro-clima’s Aerofixx is an innovative solution for difficult airtightness detailing. The spray tool connects to an air compressor and can be used for filling and sealing joints and gaps, helping to address airtightness in small areas or areas where tapes and other such airtightness products would be unsuitable or difficult to apply. Judge Paul Testa commended this product as such: “This is a lower cost entry to spray airtightness membranes which are transforming difficult airtightness detailing."
Brought to you by
MGN TERMORASANTE AEROGEL THERMAL LIME PLASTER
Brought to you by
2021 winner
Best Low-Energy Glazing System Brought to you by
GREEN BUILDING STORE: PROGRESSION RANGE
2021 winner
Best Green Building System Brought to you by
PRO-CLIMA: AEROFIXX
Best Insulation Product
Best Hot Water Innovation
ARISTON: VELIS EVO WI-FI
Brought to you by
2021 winner
2021 winner
RURAL HOUSE: R. HOUSE The MGN TermoRasante AeroGel Thermal Lime Plaster, available from Core Conservation, is a green, building-friendly insulation product that combines the best aspects of traditional Venetian lime plastering with the most efficient modern thermal insulation technology: AeroGel. The result is a breathable lime plaster with a combined thermal performance of just 0.016W/mK at 5mm thickness. With this product, the thermal insulation of existing plastering can be improved without adding significant thickness. It can also be used to repair localized thermal bridging around windows and door frames. It is suitable for listed buildings, breathable and flexible like the best Venetian lime plasters, and it can be applied to uneven or curved surfaces. It's easy to apply without any seams or gaps that would allow heat to escape — just add water, mix and apply.
Ariston’s Velis Wi-Fi electric storage water heater boasts an ultra slim twin tank design which reduces stratification and provides up to 16% more hot water compared to other electric storage water heaters. Available in capacities of 45 and 80 litres, all models measure just 27cm in depth — a space-saving alternative to a traditional 100L cylinder, perfect for small apartments and loft conversions. The Velis Evo Wi-Fi also runs independently, so does not require connecting to an existing heating system. The Velis Evo Wi-Fi is the only electric water heater of its kind currently certified for the UK market with Wi-Fi controllability. The Aqua Ariston Net app enables users to turn the unit on remotely for a hot shower and offers energy savings of up to 25% using daily and weekly programming.
The PROGRESSION range of high performance triple glazed timber windows, made by Slavona in the Czech Republic, is available exclusively in the UK from Green Building Store. Key benefits include: • U value as low as 0.68 W/m2K • Passivhaus-certified A-rated • Designed with ultra low maintenance PROGRESSION is a popular choice among Passivhaus designers because of its high performance and ‘frameless’ contemporary aesthetics, with minimal sightlines, maximising daylighting and passive solar gain when needed. Green Building Store’s window customers are also entitled to free technical product support including installation PSI values, technical advice on detailing and installation, as well as PHPP-ready data where required. Being energy efficient is at the heart of everything we do — from the design, construction, building materials and delivery of our houses, right through to our staff offices and fleet vehicles. Everything is considered in our drive to be as environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible. Our houses are energy efficient and airtight – our airtightness rating is between 2-3m³/h/m² – ensuring they are extremely economical to run. One advantage of the R.HOUSE is its off-site modular construction: this allows a 90% reduction in manufacturing waste. Our materials are responsibly and locally sourced and FSC approved. What’s more, our sawmill has its own forest and replants 10 trees for every one felled, while the sawdust produced is used to make biomass fuel for heating.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
HIGHLY COMMENDED: BEST HEAT PUMP
Kensa Heat Pump: Evo Series Grant: Aerona³ R32 Air Source Heat Pump Range
HIGHLY COMMENDED: BEST GREEN BUILDING SYSTEM
Paramount Groups’ Timber Frame
HIGHLY COMMENDED: BEST HEATING INNOVATION
Pichler PKOM 4 Compact Service Unit
HIGHLY COMMENDED: BEST NATURAL BUILDING MATERIAL
Corksol: SprayCork
THE SHORTLIST
Magnetic Pulser Systems’ (MPS) Magnetic Damp Proof Course; Franke's PureSteel Stainless Steel Worksurfaces; Foresso’s Timber Terrazzo; Herschel Infrared’s Herschel Select XLS White infrared panel; Warmup’s Pro Hydro Quoting Engine; Energy Carbon’s Drytec; ROCKWOOL; MGN Rinzaffo; Loft Leg’s Loft Lid
homebuilding.co.uk 187
Advertising feature
EXTENDING IN A PANDEMIC: ASite QUICK GUIDE insurance is more important than ever, say the experts from Self-Build Zone
M
ost people assume because they are simply doing an extension their home insurance will cover them. However, relying on your builder to have sufficient insurance often isn’t enough. Most only have Public Liability Insurance which will require negligence to be proven, which can be extremely time consuming and expensive. When doing an extension, conversion or renovation you do need Site Insurance to cover the existing structure and the new works you are carrying out. WHAT DOES SITE INSURANCE COVER? Site Insurance, also known as self-build insurance, covers the project from the moment you purchase the plot right up to completion. Self-Build Zone are the market leaders in Site Insurance and Structural Warranties for selfbuilders and we’re the provider for the National House Building Council (NHBC). We’re backed by an ‘A’ rated insurer and our policy is unique in covering even the existing structures on site. We can cover the entire site and structures
including losses as a result of fire, theft, flood, storm damage, vandalism, accidental damage etc. HOW DOES COVID-19 AFFECT MY BUILD? It’s still a tough task to coordinate suppliers and installers at the moment. So if nobody’s on site, how do you keep your project safe and secure? There’s little issue with leaving blank plots unattended: as long as you have at least Public Liability Insurance on the site and have put up suitable perimeter security, you’ll be covered. If you have a project underway and no trades on site, a good insurance policy should give some protection if something goes wrong. Even then, insurers will expect you to demonstrate a duty of care to them. If you have a live build but you can’t move forward on it, the first step is to secure the site and everything on it. Or, better still, take items away and store them somewhere safe (along with returning hired tools and plant). Make sure that entrances and openings
are made secure, site containers locked and alarms set. Remove ladders or padlock them to something immoveable. To minimise any risk of arson, take away any fuel lying around. And if you don’t live within earshot then tell the police that you have an unattended building site. Think ahead, too, on things like organising site inspections for building control (which are your responsibility) or warranty technical audits. DEALING WITH LONG DELAYS Notify your insurer in good time if no works are being undertaken for a long period (usually 60 days). This may affect the amount and scope of cover insurers are prepared to grant, given the site is not being checked or worked on. If your project is underway but not yet wind and watertight, and will be left vacant for a long time, your warranty provider will want to know. It may be worth conducting another survey before work restarts, to ensure the project has not been prejudiced by, say, having open wall cavities during bad weather. It’s also worth keeping digitally dated photographic records, pre- and post-lockdown, and detailed diary notes.
homebuilding.co.uk 189
SOURCING SUPPLIERS
FOR YOUR DREAM HOME? The National Custom & Self Build Association campaigns to remove the barriers to more people in the UK building their own home. Look out for the NaCSBA stamp and be assured that you’ll be working with a company you can trust.
MAKE SURE YOU LOOK OUT FOR THESE NACSBA STAMPS
l All members are committed to working with self- builders in a fair and transparent manner l All members are funding the growth of the sector so more people can have an individual home l All members are covered by NaCSBA’s consumer Code of Practice – to protect you if things go wrong
A FULL LIST OF MEMBERS CAN BE FOUND AT:
www.selfbuildportal.org.uk/members
Next month
JULY 2021 ISSUE, AVAILABLE FROM 27 MAY 2021
l Creating your renovation budget l Sunrooms: A design and build guide l Inspiring self-build and renovation projects l Could you be your own interior designer? l A self-builder’s guide to drainage!
DON’T MISS AN ISSUE
NOTRUB EVAD :EGAMI
Turn to page 76 to find out more about our latest subscription offer
homebuilding.co.uk 201
Signing OFF…
Final word
What the Homebuilding team have seen, recommend and love this month
KITCHEN MAGIC
Now that my new kitchen’s in, I’ve got a little bit of room to rest on my laurels and appreciate the afterglow of a job well done. It’s not quite 100% complete; my consumer unit, for one, still needs some attention. Nonetheless, I’m happy with the results. The palette of tasteful greys I chose works as I’d hoped, and my new induction hob is nothing short of sorcery. Jacob Barlow, Production Editor
THE GREAT MOTIVATOR
A SIMPLE REFRESH
I often catch myself daydreaming about how I can give rooms in my home a little refresh. But I’ve realised that I’ve got the ideas just not the time to pull it off. When you see how much attention to detail a good quality decorator puts into their work, meticulously sanding, filling and painting walls, you get the reality check that painting a room is never a ‘quick job’. Dulux’s new Simply Refresh range has been made for a time-deficit, impatient decorator like me! The range has a one coat guarantee – excellent – and is available in a range of colours (blush pink, shown above), too. Think it’s time I invested in a pot or two and got to work… Michelle Guy, Deputy Editor
202 homebuilding.co.uk
One of the few downsides of working for HB&R is the vast number of beautiful homes we look at every day — I know, I know, not really a negative, but bear with me. At the moment, between working full-time and moonlighting as a painter, tiler and anything-else-that-needs-doing-er, there don’t seem to be enough hours in the day. In short, I’m feeling the effects of project fatigue and home-inspiration overload. But then I read about homeowners like Alan and Melanie Williams (page 44), who worked come rain or shine, day in and day out for three years, and my three months of renovations can’t quite compare... Time to get back to it! On a more positive note, our annual Awards scheme is open for entries and we’re all so excited to see the projects you’ve been working on. So if you’ve recently completed a self-build, renovation, extension or conversion project, make sure you submit your entry before May 14. To enter visit www.homebuilding.co.uk/awards — it only takes 10 minutes. Amy Reeves, Assistant Editor