PART DEMOLITION OF 1970'S BUNGALOW

[Deejay]

I love this site.  This is my first post and we are still at the thinking stage of our new build. I have been involved with a previous self build on this site.  We currently live in a 1970's bungalow which we intend replacing with a new build house and triple garage (l-shaped).  We would like to stay in the bungalow during the build as the main  part of the new build house will fit on land (garden) immediately to the west of the bungalow - and I mean almost abutting the existing dwelling.  Because of the nature off the site we had hoped to demolish part of the bungalow ie the three bedrooms to the rear and live in the remaining part.  We shall be submitting a pre-application to our local planning department to get an idea of whether they will allow the new dwelling as we are in a conservation area.  We obtained planning permission in 2011 for two other new builds further down the site - and we undertook the build of one of these.  My question is - does it seem feasible to part demolish the bungalow (the success of the previous build was mainly due (in my view) to the fact that we lived in the bungalow on the site.  Part demolition would leave a reasonable area for storage of materials as the site is quite tight lengthwise.  It would mean us building the main house first - moving into it - and then starting again on the link and triple garage (this will provide me with a granny annexe over the garage).  So we shall have diggers etc back for foundations and also all the other tradesmen required.  Not sure whether this works out better financially or not.  Does anyone know how this would pan out with planning and building regs.  A friend said they thought we would just have to do two separate applications for building regs.  Now I've put it in writing not sure whether its a good idea or not.

[ProDave]

Would a static caravan fit on site for temporary accommodation?  A lot easier than trying to live in half a house.

[Deejay]

Thanks for responding.  A static caravan would fit and we might have to consider this.  We were wondering if it's possible to demolish part of a single storey building with a hip roof and make it watertight,d and also how we would get round Planning and Building Control.  When we built the first house we had a stable and an old prefab demolished (I put the prefab on ebay mainly to try and get it removed and ended up selling it for £200 + taking it down and removing it to be re-erected elsewhere).  What remained was a smaller stone stable which we kept up and the builders used it for storage and having their lunch etc so it was very handy.  The back of the new house was almost up to the old stable and we didnt demolish it until as late as possible.  However, there was plenty of other space on that particular site for storage of materials.  We have garden space for storage at the bungalow but that will end up on the far side of the new build which has no access which is why I think we would have to create some storage by removing some of the bungalow.  Does this make sense?  Just considering different options at the moment.  

[ProDave]

Planning is no issue. You get planning for the final finished build, how you get there is not a planning matter.

 

I don't think building control is either.  Our last build we built the house first while living in a static caravan and then moved into the house.  We then built the double garage which was where the static caravan had sat.  Building control did not sign it off as complete until that was done.

[Deejay]

That's really interesting.  I thought we wouldnt be able to move into the house until it was signed off by Building Control which they presumably wouldn't do unless the whole dwelling (inc garage) was completed.  If this is the case, it made sense to have two separate applications so that one could be signed off when completed to enable us to move  in, and then the other signed off when the garage is completed.  I'll phone them tomorrow and see whether anyone can answer the question.  It sounds as though you completed your first house in two separate stages, so how did this work for you in terms of starting all over again on the garage.  Do you have any thoughts on whether it is possible to part demolish a bungalow with a hip roof.  I was hoping someone on this site might have done something similar and could share their experience.

Thank you so much for your advice.

[ProDave]

Up here, you can apply to Building control for a Certificate of Temporary habitation when a house meets certain basic standers even though not complete. We will be doing this soon.  I have not heard of anything similar in England, but plenty of people do move in before it is complete.

 

I suspect demolishing half a hipped roof will need some temporary props to support the ridge board and purlins where you cut it.

[Temp]

Ok so you want to demolish part of the bungalow and live in the rest for awhile. I think the ease or difficulty will depend on the layout of the bungalow. That will determine how hard it is to erect temporary stud walls and OSB and/or plastic sheeting to keep out the elements. Does that side face the weather or is it sheltered?

 

The other issues are..

 

Can the electrics to the part being demolished be easily cut and isolated? Where is the meter and CU?

Where is the boiler and hot water tank?

Gas meter and supply pipe?

 

Edit: You might need an SE to confirm the roof will remain safe?

 

Edited January 19, 2020 by Temp

[Deejay]

The part we are thinking of demolishing contains three bedrooms - the boiler and meters are at the other end of the bungalow.  Therefore it will mean I would think that the electrics and heating would be able to be isolated fairly easily.  The bedrooms are positioned almost separately from the rest of the bungalow (it's a reasonably sized property) and the rooms that will remain are of a good size and include a dining room which can be used as a bedroom.  My concern would be the hip roof which has a fairly long ridge - I assume a gable end roof would have been easier to shorten.  Amazingly we have the plans of the original build which detail the roof construction, which may be useful.  If we are granted planning permission and decide to go ahead with the build, then from previous experience I think it helps to be as near to the site as possible (and I am no spring chicken).  Last time we had a builder for stage 1 and I did all the materials ordering, soil testing , new services, hiring second stage tradesmen etc etc and being on hand seemed to work. The builder and his men were easy to work with as were the rest of the tradesmen so no complaints there.  Unfortunately he has moved away so you never know what might happen this time.  Thank you for your input.  I was hoping someone on this site might have done this themselves, or perhaps know someone who has.  All input is greatly received and very useful.