Fire Destroyed listed building

[Pywell89]

I am in the presence of negotiating the purchase of a grade 2 listed major house, which was recently destroyed in a fire.

What remains is probably 30-40% of the perimeter structure of the property. The roof is gone, all internal fixtures. Fittings and elevations are gone. It is essentially a partial shell.

My question is, will the LBC insist on retaining the remaining structure and rebuilding onto it (assuming it’s structurally sound)?

Furthermore, all the historically significant features and fabrics have been destroyed, how stringent would they be in the new internal layout of the house? Would I have to rebuild to the same layout as previously or would there be room for adjustments?

 

[Flyfisher]

I don't think anyone can answer that question except the local council historic buildings officer (conservation officer).

You should contact them as soon as possible.

 

[claraclattermole]

I would have thought that it would need to be rebuilt using traditional materials and techniques which I assume would be eyewateringly expensive.

 

[Pywell89]

I would have thought that it would need to be rebuilt using traditional materials and techniques which I assume would be eyewateringly expensive.

When you say techniques what do you mean? Materials I understand, but techniques…. Could you elaborate?

 

[Flyfisher]

The difficulty with this sort of question is that we have little information about the extent of the damage or the historical significance of the property.

I also wonder about the current owner of the property because if the relevant authoritiesare going to enforce any repairs/rebuilding/restoring to the damage caused by the fire, then until the property is sold it must be the current owner that would be responsible for any such works. If they have adequate insurance then why would they not make the appropriate claim to pay for the repairs? If they don't have adequate insurance or simply can't face it all and decide instead to sell, then the buyer will take on that responsibility so it is essential that they fully understand the extent of any required works.

While we can all speculate about what the listing authorities might or might not require, that's all it is - uninformed speculation. Only the relevant authorities can geve a definitive answer, and with the amount of money likely to be involved, any potential buyer would be mad not to contact them directly.

One thing to consider, though, is that for insurance purposes the rebuild value for listed properties is usually much higher than the market value, often twice as much or even more. Thus, if the market value of the property in good condition is, say, £500k, then the rebuild cost could easily be £1m or more. If, for whatever reason, there is no insurance cover then the remains of such a badly damaged property might have effectively zero value (ignoring the value of the land it sits on) because it might easily cost more to restore than it will ever be worth. That's not to say there might not be other reasons for someone wanting to take on such a project, but it's not likely to be financially rewarding.

But, until the relevant authorities have confirmed their requirements/demands pretty much anything to do with such a project is going to be guesswork.