canalsiderenovation

Oh yes, we have spent many a summer day and night watching tourists trying to navigate under the bridge with the bywash pushing them into the side when they haven't yet got the hang of steering! We are on the Shropshire arm of the Llangollen canal close to Whitchurch.

We viewed the original 1972 plans on microfiche before buying the property. It was a garden/nursery/plant growing area and years before that land associated with an estate. Plans were for someone in their mid 50s and initially wanted two bungalows but this was turned down due to access over the bridge so they changed it to one. Planning was never sought for a house and I went though all the application and initial plans etc . This was never an option, not because any issues had been raised due to footings or ground conditions but because I guess the person who wanted it never wanted a house. Local neighbours and people in the area confirmed this since, it was a retirement bungalow basically. Then later in life, planning for an annex for another family member was granted but lapsed as the family member in question died. The RICS surveyor we had initially knew our plans to extend etc and although wasn't specific did say that there was no issues with the current structure and the ground was good, not clay, good ground/soil (probably due to its history as a garden/nursery etc) no cracks in walls etc but I guess at some point we will need this checking.....

We see kayaks a lot, definitely tempted by a kayak. Would be great in summer, when we need a break from gardening!

We don't have mooring, there is a bywash adjacent to our garden and I don't think we'd get it, not like we can afford a boat at the moment ?

The flood risk came back as high risk of surface water flooding, nothing to do with the canal though. Our buildings insurance is £66 a year (cheaper than our previous house in a cul-de-sac) and no history of flooding, and we viewed it multiple times last November/Dec/Jan before completion and every time we had heavy rain and snow! We have a bywash adjacent to the garden (pic) and are right near no less than 5 locks.

Thanks so much I wasn't expecting such quick responses. We did a lot of this research already to narrow it down to the two, so we did have more than those to start with. Whilst we aren't after the cheapest, we do want someone who will listen and we can get on with. We would have paid for the RIBA ones IF we thought the money was worth it. We didn't. The first one, his work was quite basic to be honest, small extensions etc and didn't really have any suggestions, however he did seem keen and the RICS knowledge would be useful. We had a full RICS building survey done by someone else before we bought the house. One thing that put us off slightly, and this is going to sound odd, he bought his dad who sat in the car so we felt rushed and there was an element of uncomfortableness, kind of like he struggled with people, lack of eye contact etc... In some ways this is digging at us a bit. The second ones had already visited our property (walking along the towpath side opposite our house so arrived already having done some research), invited us to their home based office after quoting and we have been since, showed us all computer based designs, gave us names addresses etc and we were able to see a lot more plans on the website, which included converting a church and a modern self build which is the look we are hoping for. Reading back it almost sounds like we have made our decision doesn't it? It's just nerve-racking starting this off. I'm sure as we progress it will get better but it's this initial one - wait til we have to find a builder ? Here is some pics of the property currently and floor plan. We hope to extend out from the kitchen and up. As strange as it all is, actually the person who designed it has been very clever as we have views on every window and sun all throughout the day. And yes, it was build like that and no it has never been two bungalows.

Hi, I'm new here, hoping this is the start of some good advice. We have a two bed detached bungalow and want to completely remodel and extend this up and out and also remove the old falling down garage and build a double garage. We have had four people round, and have narrowed down our shortlist to two. Can anyone advise on what they think of fees etc and if their is any other questions we should be going back and asking. Option 1: A RICS Chartered Building Surveyor specialising in Planning, Architectural Design and Party Wall Matters regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. We really liked this person in terms of his knowledge although our initial view was he would work with our ideas but wouldn't necessarily 'think outside of the box' and be as creative as some others though we would be confident what he would design would work well for the property structurally, but the design part was lacking. His fees are £1600 for obtaining planning documents and £850 for obtaining building regulation plan approval with the assumption that new foundations will be traditional concrete strips and the roof will be formed with truss rafters (total £2450). Specifically this includes (and I'm copying and pasting): - Preparing a draft design based on our discussions. As we work through the design I will amend it to suit your needs. Once we have a scheme you are happy with I will proceed with the planning application. - Any new septic tank will require porosity tests on the ground, you can undertake these the tests as they are straightforward. Once I have the test results I will calculate the amount of land drainage required. - For the first-floor extension the existing foundations will need checking, I can advise if a test hole is dug. - Finally, an ecology survey may be required and this will need to undertaken by a specialist. My advice, submit the application and see if they come back asking for a survey. Planning:- I shall submit the planning application on your behalf, the council’s planning application fee will be £206. The council are allowed 8 weeks to make their decision. Building Regulation:- These approvals are required and an application needs submitting prior to the commencement of the on-sitebuilding works. You can either use the council or an approved inspector to act as the building control checking body; I will explain the options when we get to that stage. The council’s fees for this are approximately £250 + VAT when submitting the application and £500 + VAT when the works commence on site, I will confirm these fees after the planning application has been determined. Second Option: Well two for the price of one, male and female team. He is CIAT registered and worked for a large local firm for a long time before setting up on own. Female did 5 out of 7 years RIBA before the practice owner died (family firm), seen all certificates etc. Both seemed really seemed keen, really creative and gave us ideas we hadn't thought of and are keen to work on it as their centrepiece for their portfolio (we would be their 100 job since setting up, have seen examples of their work too). The details of pricing we have been given are as follows: Stage 1 – Survey existing dwelling and garage and carry out a full measured survey of the existing floor plans/elevations and insert into drawing system ready for submission with the application. Garage Extension *£70.00 *£420.00 Stage 2 – Design and Planning Submission for extension. Prepare design drafts for consultation with the client; amend accordingly. Garage Extension *£140.00 *£980.00 Stage 2a – Planning Conditions In the event that the Council impose any conditions these will be answered at an hourly rate. *£35/hr Stage 3 – Building Regulations Prepare detailed construction drawings at 1:50 and 1:20 scales; prepare supporting documents and submit all to Building Control. Answer any conditions. Liaising with Structural Engineer, sound specialist, energy assessor and Building Control Officer. Garage Extension *£245.00 *£980.00 Total for garage Total for extension *£455.00 *£2,380.00 Total £2835 (Extra costs then go on to cite local authority fees etc as per first quote and surveys we may need). My concern is neither are on ARB, and the two RIBA architects we had were very expensive and left us a little underwhelmed, one wanting to spend the majority of our £150k budget on energy saving and quotes between £8-£15k. There is only around £400 difference but I'm tempted with our second option. Both firmss the second couple previously worked for are RIBA. Both are local. Thanks