Jack757

After many years we are now in a position to start on our new dream home....Demolish existing bungalow to build 4 bedroom house, approx 250sqm and outbuilding. So far.... We have spoken to a builder locally who has given us lots of advice, viewed his work and he uses a single architect locally that he works with and advised us to discuss with him going forward (this architect has been mentioned numerous times as a recommendation of FB pages to others for extensions etc). We have also got details of other architects that dealt with rebuilds in the area and similar to the style we are after and knows well the parish criteria etc. We have also spoken to another builder that again uses a specific architect but want to charge initially £1.5k for a client brief and assessment (at this stage I do not feel I want to pay this). We really like the work or the first builder but my concern is that prices from the architect will only be applicable to him and not a range of builders/out to tender as another architect (although would presume they are have their go to builders). So where do we go now??... Have more architect meetings? Accept the builder will charge the going rate through the route or architect/builder? Cough up £1.5k before even deciding who we will be using? Please help as I feel we are getting nowhere and to this point we still have no idea of a rough costing apart from online calculators.

Thanks. Definitely no meter so will have to investigate for a further ground stopcock

Thank you. I'll have to have another look externally as don't recall seeing anything. Think a pump for the wells would need electric? Or if that system was around back when it was put in. I don't believe electric supply down that end of garden. However I'd think the well water must be going somewhere or surely they'd overflow over time or with heavy rainfall like last year. Seems coincidence the taps are next to or adjacent to 2/3 wells.

Hi All.. Looking for your thoughts on my situation. Background... My plot is half acre, part prone to flooding due to clay ground and slight incline. Many years ago (probably 30+) French drains (or similar) were installed at the bottom half of garden consisting of 3 wells and 2 taps. I believed these taps were fed by the wells, used just for watering the garden and for livestock. Forward to yesterday and we needed to change a dripping tap (B). Turned off the stopcock in kitchen which turned off all water to kitchen tap and outside tap A but not to tap B or C. Still full pressure nothing changed. We then turned stopcock back on and turned on kitchen tap and outside tap A which then reduced pressure on tap B & C. To note taps B & C are just mounted on metal pipes about 3ft tall coming out of the ground. No other stopcocks known or found. We have no idea of the set up of this or what is happening, water feeding from etc. Any thoughts or ideas please.

Just interested, having lived there most of my life never know it existed until now.

I have an air raid Anderson shelter to go with my missing cesspit lol

I have found a written record that a disused cesspit from when bungalow was built 1906 is within the garden and a very rough measurement from boundary. I have no knowledge of this and now got me wondering. Firstly how could I actually locate it and would it effect building on site (I think it falls about 40ft from rear of property.

3 years, personal legal reasons that shouldn't have taken so long!!! Been in no hurry and not planning to move out of my existing house until new house is built (or at least watertight cashflow dependant) so I suppose been thinking and overthinking a lot but no action! Thank you, I think I may be getting my head around it all. I will have to look at the LPA policy. My thoughts were purely guessing no size issue due to previous surrounding properties being built twice if not three times the size of which I am going to (we want a practical house not a huge heat/expense swallowing waste of space). It seems looking at recent planning applications in the area over the last year they are refusing a lot of pools with outbuildings, garden rooms etc due to green belt when neighbouring properties have had these agreed and built in previous years (the area is full of pools and tennis courts in the gardens!) so a planning consultant may be the way to go!

What would they do for their cost that the Architect couldn't advise on? Sorry if sounding nieve

Thanks for your reply. I think we need to speak to a couple more architects rather than just the one and get a idea of where we are going. Sitting on this for over 3 years so far without a clear idea of what to do first or the best way to do it. I would happily leave building the workshop until after the house but it would be really useful for storage in the interim. The existing property is a bungalow and detached garage, we are looking at potentially demolishing both and increasing the existing bungalow footprint by 3 meters across and 2 meters deep and adding an additional floor. With regards to PD Rights this is what was concerning my on the relevant councils website...RELEVANT PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS, AS SET OUT IN SCHEDULE TWO OF THE GENERAL PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT ORDER 1995 MAY BE REMOVED BY CONDITION ON THE PLANNING PERMISSION, WHERE IT IS CONSIDERED THAT IMPLEMENTATION OF THESE PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS COULD CAUSE MATERIAL HARM TO THE GREEN BELT.

As a rough guide approx here

This gives you a bit of an idea from the property just along the road...

This is what is quoted for other planning applications along the same road The Green Belt boundary is drawn broadly 10 metres beyond the average rear building line of dwellings along the street frontages.... therefore would it make a different to the replacement house?

Yes both front and rear garden are

Seems quite strange as when we checked previously it looks like only the garden is green belt not the properties nor their frontage to road. The bungalow was an original building of over 100years ago! Confusing even before we start as we've been looking at this for over 3 years!!

I'm hoping the green belt allowance shouldn't be affected too much due to the size of plot against the workshop area and the house will not be that much bigger footprint that the existing bungalow. Is this something the architect we choose could advise? Not heard of a planning consultant before? Can they retract the PD after we've built?

To pick your brains please..... We ultimately have a 1/2 acre plot on which we are wanting to build around a 66SQM storage/workshop at the bottom of the garden. We are also looking to demolish and build the house roughly on the existing footprint. I have a feeling if we put plans in for all at the same time it may be rejected on the basis 1) garden is green belt and 2) neighbours being awkward. Ideally we feel we'd like to put permitted development for storage/workshop first, build it and fill it and then put planning permission in just for the house. However, could the permitted development then get revoked or we be told to remove structure or once its up its up? I have been advised the local council can take away the permitted development rights at planning also so planning to do it after the house doesn't seem logical! Any advice please.

We are nearly through all the legal paperwork and need to get on with making decisions... We have an old bungalow within a half acre plot which are are looking to demolish and build 4 bed house on. We also want to build a large storage/workshop at the bottom of the garden (garden only is green belt). We were going to apply for P.D for workshop, build and use for storage and then apply for planning for the house but due to how much the existing bungalow is costing us currently and £50k quotes for workshop I'm now wondering whether to apply and build the house first and use self storage short term. I believe if we submit planning for both incorporating the workshop it would not get passed as per architects feelings and potentially neighbour issues, so looks like it would them be P.D after once house complete. Opinions please. Anyone had similar circumstances. Would P.D after being an issue or would we be better doing it first? Thank you

@joe90Thanks. The old existing garage which is block and render was pretty watertight and not too noticeably cold (no insulation) until recently when the roof started leaking, however it is now over 40 years old so no surprise. That is partly why we are thinking of the same opposed to steel, although without the flat roof! I'm presuming the architect will factor building regs in, wouldn't he? I haven't instructed him further since our last meeting and we need to start getting on with this soon as want started before house plans move forward. We know nothing about building and this kind of thing so quite a learning curve and wonder what on earth we are doing!!!!

@Gus Potter Thanks. So this is an image of what we have been quoted on so far which is what we were potentially looking at for a steel structure. 12x8Mx2.4M to eaves. 2 manual roller doors, and privacy door. 40mm insulation to walls and roof, just the cost seems very high without groundworks cost, whatever that will add on. We've got a house to build after so don't want to go to OTT with the workshop funds. We are in the East so cold not too much of an issue, he can add electric heaters in the future if he's too chilly!!! No lift/hoist needed. To be honest we are so busy we would rather just get someone to do the lot and it means we don't have to be on site either.

Our intentions are to put in a 12M x 8M workshop/garage at the bottom of the garden under permitted development. This to be approx 2.4M and 2M away from boundaries. To have 2 roller doors and single privacy door. No electrics to be fitted yet until main house is built which could be a couple of years after. This would be the structure, groundworks and installation. Access not an issue. We are stuck on the best structure to use between insulated steel frame/roof or block with render. I believe brick would be far too expensive. We are looking for the most cost effective option but also that it will not condensate and is suitable for storing classic cars and working on them (Ramp will not be needed). Ideally would also like to fix whatever we need to the inner walls. Also being in the country we are prone to rodents so needs to be pest proof and long lasting. We've had a couple of quotes for steel structures with installation around 40k (no groundwork costs yet) but are yet to look into block. Anyone got anything similar? Any advice please?

@AlexGe Hi. I've been following this as just starting to look at similar (without mezzanine) under permitted development. How have you got on? Did you find the cheapest option or if block/brick was reasonable?

Thanks for all your additional comments, still food for thought as think we will go ahead with our architect designing and make the decision further along the line... I'm still liking the brick/block construction route currently but lots of ideas to look at first. @SarahG Thanks for your comments... Great to hear of a similar path. We are a little stuck at moment as are applying for permitted development to put a large workshop up which we can granted and started before going ahead with plans. We are in no rush currently, just getting fed up with paying the bills on a second property whilst we decide. Hoping ours isn't that much per sqm. We are in Essex but been given a figure of approx £2k sqm, which is still considerably more than we started considering this pre covid! I was also hoping to get a builder to do all the first part and then take over project managing and get separate people in after that to save some costs. Look forward to seeing your updates as sounds very similar to us.

Thank you all for your comments. @Thorfun I'm slowly heading more towards timber frame going by what I am reading. I am going slowly through the comments and forums but such a minefield. I keep saying to myself is it worth it.... hopefully so and the upheaval will pay off in the end. Hopefully I will be able to update as I get further along. @ProDaveThank you. I'm certainly looking more along this route and think timber frame and brick skin does appeal. @SteamyTea Perfect, very true regarding the spirit level ha-ha. We wanted to keep things simple and certainly would not be going ott with kitchens and bathrooms. We are just looking for a warm functioning family house that has enough space for us and doesn't cost a fortune to run, nor too much cleaning for me! Not too far from Southend. @TimCxGood idea. Haven't seen anything similar to that around here but will keep my eye out and see what info I can find.

@Temp Thank you for your comments. I am not particularly fussed about the oak frame it was just another method brought into the equation which we hadn't considered and I don't think the extra cost and problems will warrant for what we want. We have started with photos etc for the Architect, we are governed by the style and size what is in the road and I have been reviewing lately what has and hasn't been allowed. The Architect has a fixed fee price which I was only hoping to use initially for plans and through approval, possibly for tender paperwork. Each we can do stage by stage. I have plenty of free time on my hands and am in no major rush. @Russell griffiths Thank you for your comments. We are not at planning approval yet. We are well under what would be allowed on the size of the plot and by other new builds, our small 4 bedroom will be tiny in comparison to the many large 6 bedrooms standing in the street. We just have a fair few restrictions on height, distance from front to road and property style. We will have the majority of the 500k budget to pay when needed whether in advance or as we go, therefore paying for a timber frame would not be an issue just whether it is the best option. We could always leave driveways, gates, patios and internal finishing until later if need be.