New project insurances. Urgent.

[saveasteading]

Another daughter, another self build renovation / change of use.

 

Recommendations for what insurance / insurances  we need please.

It is a barn conversion in SE England. I promise more details when appropriate.

 

Bank of M and D.

 

It has been drifting along at lawyers' pace for many months and suddenly it is time to sign. 

And suddenly we realise we have to insure it. TOMORROW!! Nobody told us.

[Moonshine]

i went with https://www.selfbuild.uk.com/

 

not sure if they are the cheapest / best. I didn't have to claim

[Russell griffiths]

So is it an empty shell, or are they going to live in it. 
we are using protek, have never had to claim thankfully so can’t really comment if they are good, but they’re always helpful on the phone. 

[saveasteading]

6 hours ago, Russell griffiths said:

is it an empty shell,

It is an empty shell. structurally sound though may need some strengthening for the safety factors difference between agricultural and domestic. Maybe not....its got to be close, as it held 3m of grain against the walls.

 

It's big. The idea is to do the structural work and make it weathertight,  then do up 1/4 as self-contained and move in. Then do the rest.

 

I've tried the Intelligent Insurance website quote system.  But it isn't intelligent . It gave me a quote but then I asked a person to confirm if it knew what it was  doing. ie it asked silly questions.

along the lines of  it's a barn conversion,  self build, its a shell .....how long have you lived in it?  with zero not an option. What is the rebuild cost (now or when finished?...no idea).  So the real person decided it couldn't be covered. 

I'll try the others tomorrow.

 

I'm not even sure what cover is needed. It's not worth a lot physically at present and could only be damaged by driving a train into a column, and it wouldn't even  do much harm.

so in principle public liability now, gradually increasing. then there is  a stage when it is occupied in part, and I guess the nature of cover changes.

 

[Russell griffiths]

Public liability now then, then add £100,000 rebuild to it every year you renew it. 
I’ve upped the rebuild cost of mine three times now. 
have renewed it 4 times.

[Alan Ambrose]

>>> But it isn't intelligent . It gave me a quote but then I asked a person to confirm if it knew what it was  doing. ie it asked silly questions.

 

Welcome to 1984, expect a lot more of this (:

[kandgmitchell]

4 hours ago, Russell griffiths said:

Public liability now then, then add £100,000 rebuild to it every year you renew it. 

Ditto, what do you want the insurance to do? If the current structure is robust and unlikely to be destroyed by fire, lightning or vandals then why insure it as yet? If there is a chance that persons will injure themselves on site and blame you then that is the risk you need to cover from day one. Then as the work starts and you need to insure against losing the work you have added, a policy becomes more important but you have time to search.

 

We used Protek but also we had Titan Insurance quote - they have humans!

[saveasteading]

I can't get insurance.

The idiot AI chucks out the application because it is less than £2,000/m2 which "all buildings cost as a minimum".

 

So I increase the cost to £2,000/m2. Over a very big area that is silly money, and it gets rejected as being out of their cost range for risk.

 

Someone recommended Self Build Zone. 

They will only take on projects with full designs (drawings and calculations) and all consultants and  contractors already appointed. They really want building regs approval in place too.

Ie its not really self build as I understand it.

It seems they only cover new-builds with full packages of design and  a PM.

Perhaps that's what people who go to the grand designs exhibition do, and the self build part is the decoration.

 

We don't have possession and detailed design will roll along ahead of the work

There is a big and solid steel frame and floor to work with. 

 

This has been done before. Where am I going wrong?

 

 

 

[Roundtuit]

I used Versatile Insurance, a brokers in Okehampton, for plot and then build insurance.  Not sure if they're still operating as their website appears to be down, but might be worth a call.  I found them to be helpful, competitive and, well, versatile.