Cotswold project - hello!

[janelondon]

Hi all, I've been lurking around for a few months as we looked around for a suitable project.... and we finally are embarking on one!

 

We're purchasing a property in Gloucestershire in the Cotswolds AONB to do a teardown and rebuild. Thankfully the property isn't listed and is outside the conservation area, and there are no TPOs, though being in an AONB does pose some challenges. It'll be our first ever build of ANY kind - we've never even done a reno! 

 

Currently, the site has got a house that's ~300 sqm - habitable but old and VERY poorly insulated, and its positioning doesn't quite maximise the plot's panoramic views across the valleys. There is also a little cottage that we'll have to do the sums on to see if we want to refurb or rebuild. The land is a series of terraces that slopes downwards towards the back of the house, so we're thinking of a partially sunken basement for the new house that's only visible at the back, which can hopefully reduce some of the visual mass and provide additional floor space that we want. We're in the midst of picking a local architect and also will have a planning consultant onboard to help us navigate the replacement dwelling application process.

 

Current preference is for a near-Passivhaus build, with timber frame structure above-ground, and perhaps an ICF basement... but I'll need to do a lot more reading before making a decision! 

 

A few items on my to-do list as we are closing the purchase:  topo survey, bats (I have read some of your cautionary tales...!!!), and clearing trees on plot before planning app.

 

Will have a LOT more questions as we embark on this project. Thank you in advance - the forum has already been a wealth of info and has given me some confidence to navigate the early planning stages! 

 

Merry Christmas! 

 

[ProDave]

Hi and welcome

 

That sounds like a nice project I wish you well with it.

[Russell griffiths]

Hi, we are in Cirencester, building in icf, 

have a good company for topo, and lots of contacts for the tree clearance. 

Russ. 

[janelondon]

1 hour ago, Russell griffiths said:

Hi, we are in Cirencester, building in icf, 

have a good company for topo, and lots of contacts for the tree clearance. 

Russ. 

1

Hi @Russell griffiths I've read your blog with much interest! We're just down the road in the Stroud DC area. I'll send you a PM to get some recs now. 

[MikeSharp01]

Welcome to THE forum - but I guess you knew that otherwise why pop up. Good luck with the project, sounds interesting.

[Jimbouk]

Great part of the world, we live between Stroud and Cirencester, although our new build is in Devon.

 

Suggest you do your homework re planning consents....

[TerryE]

Jane,  You've engaged at a good point in your cycle.  There is almost a numbing amount to learn.  As you say "we", I assume that you and your partner are doing this together. The more that you can work together and share the load the better.  I think the fact that Jan and I worked as a partnership was one key to our success. 

 

If the finances work for you and you aren't trying to crash timescales, then one of the things that we found really hard to get in the early days is just how long everything is going to take -- at least a year longer than your most pessimistic expectation.  Just getting your first application approved is a long journey, and then you might need to amendments, then clear the preconditions to get ready to break ground.  At the same time you've got to decide your approach:

• Do you want an architect, or do as some of us have done and to the overall design yourself and used an architectural technician for all of the documentation sets? The former is probably less risky and it seems that you've already chosen this path, but even if you go the architect route then you should spend some time first getting your brief and specification in place, so that the place is truly yours.
• Do you want to hire a project manager or do you have the time and skills to do this yourself?
• What broad specification do you have in mind?

Tour the area and look for recent new build example that might give you ideas.  Learn to use the local planing authority (LPA) online system and look up the planning history on these builds.  Lurk here and research the topics that you think that you need to understand.  Review some of the major topic threads and blogs and decide which posters are providing the sort of info that you need.  Ask focused Qs when you need to; the more that you show that you've reasonably researched a topic, then the more focused the answers will be.

 

Many members will be happy to let you visit their properties and talk face-to-face about their approach, issues, etc. So just reach out.  And good luck!

Edited January 9, 2019 by TerryE

[janelondon]

@TerryE Thank you for the good advice. Indeed - having spent the last few months trawling buildhub, I've realised there is almost an infinite amount of things to learn about and get our heads around - from bats to build methods to thermal design! The only sure thing about this project is that it'll be a very steep learning curve!!! Your point about a partnership is a good one - my partner is more about the big picture, whilst I am extremely detail-oriented (perhaps obsessively so) so we will be sharing the load in a way that reflects our personalities... 

 

We are getting an architect as 1) our build is a pretty major one for us, 2) we've never done a build before and 3) we do not have the time or (more importantly) skills to do what other buildhubbers have done and design their own! To your point about brief and specs, we've spent the Christmas period really nailing down our "wishlist" and have come up with a detailed (9-page!) brief for the architect and landscape designers to work from - this covers our aspirations for the property, sizes and spaces of the rooms we want, how we intend to use each space, etc. However, in terms of design, apart from knowing that we want a traditional stone house (such as yours) being in the AONB, we are happy to be led by the designers as to shape, form, orientation and aesthetics. Having spoken to various architects, I realise that where they can really add value is helping to design a property that sits well in the context of the landscape and surroundings - which is so important for us as we are in a semi-rural area overlooking the valleys. (Though we are very much avid Pinteresters so we will most definitely be providing our input when concept designs are produced.)

 

As we live in London and the property is in the Cotswolds, we will be hiring a PM, or (less likely) having our architect manage the build. My thinking is that if we do go for an MBC type build, we would only bring on a PM after the frame is up to help manage the trades. Perhaps we should start speaking to PMs now to find out their availabilities and experiences with managing timber frame builds - I do have a shortlist of PMs but have yet to contact anyone.

 

In terms of broad spec - finishes will be mid to high-end for the house, and mid-range for our cottage. We will need to look at energy design more closely to figure out what is affordable/realistic and I'm now doing my homework about all things energy/insulation/heat loss/renewables and will have a play with Jeremy's heat loss calculator once we have a concept design. We will be following Passivhaus principles but not building to Passivhaus standards. We might have a go at district heating for the commercial RHI as we will have the house, cottage and a garage flat - though this is just broad strokes thinking at the moment and I will need to do the calcs for sure.

 

Re planning, I have stalked the LPA website extensively and compiled a summary spreadsheet of replacement dwelling cases and applications for large extensions - noting why some have been permitted or refused. Currently, this is the biggest unknown for us and I'm doing as much research as I can on planning processes and timelines in order to manage expectations. We do also have a planning consultant onboard who can hopefully help us to navigate this murky AND subjective process!

 

Back to more blog reading now - many more questions to come! 

 

 

[TerryE]

4 minutes ago, janelondon said:

My thinking is that if we do go for an MBC type build, we would only bring on a PM after the frame is up to help manage the trades.

 

My suggestion is that if you are going the architect + PM route , then engage the engage both of them before you contract the TF+foundation contractor.  The architect should take the lead in the TF engagement but you now have two other control agents and everyone needs to be on the same page.