Advice on where to start for a complete beginner!

[834843]

Hi folks,
I'm in the process of buying a first floor flat in SW London. It's a Victorian end-of-terrace house, about 950 sq ft, and it needs complete renovation. I'm planning to do a loft extension at the same time - to get everything done up front, before moving in, while it's an uninhabited building site.
When I say 'complete renovation' I mean it needs:

• Loft extension (1x ensuite bedroom, likely a Mansard extension)
• 1x wall knocked down between kitchen and dining room
• Gas central heating throughout (i.e. boiler, piping, radiators in every room)
• Electrics (*) 
• 1x bathroom completely replaced
• 1x kitchen completely replaced
• 1x functional fireplace removed and replaced with decorative fireplace
• 2x disused (boarded up) fireplaces uncovered and replaced with decorative fireplaces
• Re-plastering
• Painting
  
  *I'm not sure what is needed from an electrical perspective since I have a "domestic electrical installation certificate" from NICEIC dated 2019 (which is reassuring) but there are hardly any sockets in the rooms and all the switches are very, very old looking. The consumer unit looks brand new, though.

Bearing in mind that I am a COMPLETE beginner, this is pretty scary/terrifying/exciting. You'll probably see a lot of posts from me in due course.
To begin with, I'm looking for help with a couple of questions around design and planning.

1. The neighbour submitted a successful planning permission application for the same extension in 2017. I have downloaded the application, including very useful technical drawings of the planned extension. Is it possible to re-use these to save me some money? (We have the same house, albeit mirror image). I'm wondering if it is possible to get bespoke versions created at a discount since the work has already been 'done' by the original architect / architectural technician / structural engineer. Also, which of these 3 professions is best suited to my needs? I struggle to understand the difference between them.

2. I know that in London, getting a loft extension has become 'productized' in that you can buy such extensions as packages from dedicated loft extension companies. However, since I'm looking for a loft extension AND an entire renovation of the underlying house, should I steer clear of these dedicated companies and go for another type of building company? I'm keen to keep the whole job centralized to one contractor organization, who then liases with all the subcontractors on my behalf. Any suggestions on where to look?

3. Are the neighbours' plans (from the planning website) sufficient to get a realistic 'quote' for my property, even if I don't end up using them and need to get my own designs made up. I'm keen to start the process of getting quotes immediately while the house purchase is processing.

Massive thanks for any input! I'll be sure to respond back.

[Mr Punter]

You will need your own plans.  These could be cheaper if you want them based on what the neighbour has done.  Maybe have a chat with them and find out who did the design and the construction?

[834843]

Yeh, I'll do that. I think the current owner didn't do the work, though. 
I'll see what I can find out from the current owner.
I'll also see what local architects might offer for bespoke plans based off the neighbour's public documents.

In regards to the type of work, is an architect essential (vs. an architectural technologist vs. structural engineer)?
I'm not clear on the differences and whether all 3 could do what I require here.

[Gus Potter]

Hello @834843 "

 

"Hi folks,
I'm in the process of buying a first floor flat in SW London. It's a Victorian end-of-terrace house, about 950 sq ft, and it needs complete renovation..."

 

To all.. a few general points when thinking about altering flats. The top floor flat can be less problematic to convert from a structural point of view. Tenement flats or similar can be tricky, as are blocks of three storeys and more. Some blocks have a shop on the ground floor that has been opened up to form a more clear / open plan floor area. The first floor flat above  a shop like this is the most difficult to tackle when you want to knock down a wall. What can happen is that when you knock down a wall you start to introduce point loads (from the beam you put in if required) and these can suddenly change the load distribution on say the shop beams below.

 

Often for the attic (not high rise) you find the roof spans front to rear, this helps to hold the walls in place. But.. in some cases the internal walls in the top flat provide stability to say a gable wall at the end of the terrace. This can be more of an issue say in England etc cf Scotland where sarking boards are used. Sarking boards stiffen a roof at rafter level. In laymans terms this means (sarking used) that you turn the roof into a couple of big beams that can more easily transfer say wind load to where it is more esily dealt with.

 

In terms of structural design it's important to consider how what you do will impact on the whole building, not just your flat. This means that you often want to see in the flat below, or if you have mid floor flat then you also want to see what is above. What you are looking for is the actual layout, alterations that have a completion certificate but also as importantly, alterations that have been carried out with no approvals... cowboys.  Apart from the safety issue there is an old expression has some merit..last man (person) on the job gets the blame.

 

If you are budgeting on the basis that you may turn a profit by making an alteration it may be worth paying / asking for some advice first. To keep the cost of this down one of the best ways is to put together a small info document. Often you can find estate agents floor general plans on line showing the properties above / below that have come on the market. Take some extra photos of the inside / outside of the building ( the bit the agent has not included) etc and put this all in a document...the more info the better. This can really help someone give you initial advice / pointers.. which is often free if they feel you have put effort into it. If you write to say an SE and say "how much for a loft conversion" you'll just get a genric response.

 

@834843" In regards to the type of work, is an architect essential (vs. an architectural technologist vs. structural engineer)?

 

The essential thing is to find someone that has experience. One key here is to appreciate that every job is different although all the flats may look the same as the next block. Much can be lost on the builder's labour charges if the structural connections are too complicated, or the insulation details and materials can't be bought off the shelf (you often need to pay premium for a small quantity), you can't physically get a beam up the stairs and into the attic and so on.  I have found that many experienced Architects  / Architectural Technologists have a sound understanding of the structural concepts and SE's reciprocate. There is much cross fertilisation between the professions.

 

All the best with your new home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[834843]

Quote

To keep the cost of this down one of the best ways is to put together a small info document. Often you can find estate agents floor general plans on line showing the properties above / below that have come on the market. Take some extra photos of the inside / outside of the building ( the bit the agent has not included) etc and put this all in a document...the more info the better. This can really help someone give you initial advice / pointers.. which is often free if they feel you have put effort into it. If you write to say an SE and say "how much for a loft conversion" you'll just get a genric response.

That's a great idea - I'll do that for sure.

Thanks for the response, appreciate that a lot.