Approach to Conservation Officer

[Moo]

I'm surprised that you haven't had Conservation Officers queuing up to explore your house!
Whereabouts are you? (There are some real experts here who I'm sure would gladly accept an invitation to afternoon tea ....)

 

[Sonyaclegg]

It's either the best thing that we have done or the worst thing in buying it! It's almost watertight with a lot of Herterlan and rolls of lead later. Just the odd drip which we will get to the bottom of. There is a lot of history on the building on the net but I'm off to look in archives in the library etc. We bought it as a repo as the owner ran out of funds. It was with the bank for some time and some of work done by the previous owner was undone by the bank not keeping up with repairs. The previous owner did some things very well, and others not so well. He also stripped it out of all 60 rads and boilers, internal doors etc so we are reinstating those at the moment. There are no show stopper pieces of work, just masses of little things on the list which will take some time. We are engaging with good quality builders with experience of listed buildings. Some are sensible in pricing, some take one look at the building, presume we have a limitless pot and then give us an inflated price and they don't get the work. We fell in love with it and have a long plan to complete the restoration. I'm glad that I've found and joined this forum as your collective experience has been informative and I have learnt a great deal in a short time. I also don't think I can bore you too much because of the collective interest we all have so expect lots of photos and posts now I have figured it out. We had the gas connected to a meter this week, next week it's the electricity. I was unreasonable excited. The septic tank application is in planning. One we have heat, we will dry it out and have a target date of March to move in and then the fun really begins.

 

[JoceAndChris]

You certainly can't bore us too much! We'd love to hear about all the decisions you have to go through with this and what the CO and EH have got to say on the matter of the mullions. What history have you found out? I appreciate you won't want to give away too much, as the house will be easy to identify, especially for Gareth, who usually guesses the exact house within a couple of photos. :wink:

Ohh, sorry to read of the rads and the doors being taken out, were they those pretty column rads? And lovely hardwood doors? You aren't posting that the roof is falling in, that's great news - the damp issues don't sound too bad. Without proper heating or electricity or regular fires burning it will have suffered a bit though, I think stone likes a gentle warm through. It will be transformed by the addition of the services, I can understand your excitement.

You might like "The Old House Handbook", by Marianne Suhr, and for fun, "Castles in the Air", by Judy Corbett, if you don't have those. Yes it's a brave thing you've done, you'll be interested in Flyfisher's experiences I'm sure, who is also rescuing a G2 *. The rewards must be astonishing, on a much much smaller scale, I can't explain the pleasure of turning something from cold, depressing, and unfunctioning into something warm (er) and cared for and comfy. I'm sure we'd all agree, and the sense of connectedness with the past is a very moving and enriching experience.

Please do keep on posting!

 

[Flyfisher]

Wow. Now that's a project! I think this must be the first stately home on PPUK?

Yes it's a brave thing you've done, you'll be interested in Flyfisher's experiences I'm sure, who is also rescuing a G2 *.

Happy to help as much as I can, though our house is mainly timber frame so I doubt I can offer much concerning remedial works to stone. I'd certainly second Andrew Gayton's point about getting EH involved in any preliminary discussions regarding your plans for the building - those are the discussions where you should really be agreeing all your plans in principle so that the formal consent applications don't give rise to any unexpected surprises. I'd also point out that Andrew's and Gareth Hughes (amongst others here) are professionals in their field, which is one of the great things about PPUK.

We are engaging with good quality builders with experience of listed buildings. Some are sensible in pricing, some take one look at the building, presume we have a limitless pot and then give us an inflated price and they don't get the work.

That is certainly something I can relate to. I'm sure some quotes have been made up as they've stepped out of the car, such is the ridiculous range of prices I've been given.


Exciting times ahead!

 

[tobydog]

Well, despite having some royalty / near royalty among us (the Duchess and the Lady), I think we have finally found a place large enough for the PPUK Christmas Party .

What a great place Sonya. Good luck and I look forward to hearing / seeing more.

 

[plasticpigeon]

That's an amazing looking house. I'd be happy to live in a pile like that in a derelict state and just have a few working facilities. Since I seem to be having enough problems doing up my 3 bed terrace I can offer no practical advice beyond saying, please try and find tradesmen that have experience of and are actually passionate about quality restoration. Please keep us up to date with progress it looks like a fabulous and ambitious project!

 

[LadyArowana]

That looks like a fabulous project, very exciting, we will all be asking for lots more pictures.

I think we have finally found a place large enough for the PPUK Christmas Party .

What a great place Sonya. Good luck and I look forward to hearing / seeing more.

Oh yes, that sounds like a plan :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[dandrew]

You mentioned the decision of leaving as is or replacing window internal stonework. A third alternative is a 'plastic repair', which is not permanent when used outside (due to the British weather) but may last longer indoors. The essence of plastic repairs is that a lime-based material is applied to the damaged stonework and sculpted into the correct shape during its setting. If there is a lot to repair then it can be necessary to make a wire scaffold that is anchored to the remaining stonework. If you search for Lithomex you will find a material that is used for this task - it can be colured with pigments and there can be made to match whatever kind of stone you have - Womersleys in West Yorkshire offer this service. The chap on the SPAB Technical helpline said that a plastic repair can be appropriate, but would only comment on materials if he had a copy of the specification (composition) of the material. Might be worth considering if you want a medium-term fix but are short of cash.

David

 

[Sonyaclegg]

Thanks for all your replies and thanks d Andrew for v helpful suggestion. I will take some pics to post on here and to email to the suggested company. We feel very privileged to be able to take on this building and bring it back into use. It's not been lived in for a very long time and it just needs a family to love it again. I contacted our local museum today and advised we had bought it. I'm off to see their stored information next week. They were very enthusiastic and said that they had internal photographs. I've only seen one of the inside so I'm keen to see what they have available. I can have copies. I'm soooo excited. Bringing me back down to earth was an email from the planning officer. Previous plans were passed and permission granted to build housekeepers cottage and garage within the garden area. Today the officer said he would expect to see plans submitted for the garage in the curtiledge of the house and provided an OS map and a hatched area suggested we put garage there. We don't own the land! I did refer him to previous planning application. I can't imagine why the officer is suggesting a different site for the garage in light of the agreed but lapsed application. Oh dear!

 

[middi]

I would like to think the reason why the CO may prefers a different site from the previous ( elapsed) application is due to the aesthetic appearance of of the proposed building in relation to the main house.

i am sure the Co will tell you the reason of his decision if you ask him/her

Middi

 

[Flyfisher]

I suspect Middi is correct.

Such suggestions may seem daft from an owner's perspective or preference, but we should always remembers that conservation professionals have what's best for the property itself (and its curtilege) as their primary focus. Thus, ideal works may not always be practical works - and not actually owning a piece of land would seem like a good reason for something 'ideal' not being practical. :lol:

This is why early discussions amongst the interested parties are so important in gradually moving towards a project solution that is acceptable to all parties. My experience (limited to a single G2* property) is that the informal planning process is the really important stage. General plans for the property can be discussed and fanciful ideas - from all parties - can be aired. Some ideas will be non-starters but may spark other ideas or different ways of achieving the desired goals. I'm sure a lot can depend on the actual personalities involved but my experience has been very positive and our CO has suggested a number of solutions to problems we've wrestled with, which we would never have thought of ourselves (or would have thought they'd be unacceptable).

That's not to say it's always plain sailing and we spent the first half of this year having some very detailed discussions with EH who were not initially supportive of some proposed new works, but they were always open to discussion and we were eventually able to convince them of the merits of the proposal. Ultimately, the conservation professionals know that the best way to preserve these wonderful buildings is to have them occupied, lived in and loved and for this to happen the buildings have to be practical homes - which is where the challenge lies.

 

[Feltwell]

Wow. Now that's a project! I think this must be the first stately home on PPUK?

Pfah. My outside loo is bigger than that :wink:


OK, maybe that just a *tiny* bit of an exaggeration. What a lovely house, and what a project. I hope you have lots of supplies of patience, money, kit kats* (in joke - don't worry), vision, persistence, tenacity and time! And be prepared for deadlines that are, how can I put this, flexible - old houses have a habit of making this happen.

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by - Douglas Adams

 

[Sonyaclegg]

I hope we have all we need Feltwell. It consumes all of my time and we haven't moved in yet! I have to say I'm getting a bit anxious about getting it right. We have to submit a painting scheme plan and I'm hoping a lovely neutral scheme will meet with their likingive had lots of stressful family events in the last two years and could cope with that but this seems more stressful somehow. This part is the intensive worry bit and we will be rewarded with our forever after family home for our efforts. Hopefully. I've heard it springs eternal.

 

[Feltwell]

You'll be fine I'm sure. If you're starting with an attitude of doing what is right by the house, rather than "how can I get round the rules and make this house fit my will" (as many do) then you're starting from a good point. Set plans and expectations of timescales by all means - we all do - but bear in mind that not meeting them is not a failure, and any old building will throw up some surprises that will delay things, especially with all the officialdom that comes with your listing.

 

[Sonyaclegg]

Flyfisher, it was listed in 1951 and I cannot find any record of what was done to the inside of the mullion frames. I went into some records on Friday and found a survey on the internal lay out from 1953. A university undertook a photographic survey in 1986. I found a wonderful picture of the front door full of studs circa 1824 when it was used as a pub.

Gareth, we are in the North West. Our house looks very much like a Jacobean house in Barbados called.....I'll find it in a min

 

[Sonyaclegg]

St Nicholas Abbey

 

[JoceAndChris]

How wonderful that you're finding the history complete with pictures! Please upload the studded door if you can, would love to see.

North-west; gorgeous.

 

[Gareth Hughes]

Ah, I recognise the building now. I won't say where it is, but I can see its condition is already far, far, better than when I saw it 15 years ago. And the interior really must be very nearly a blank canvas, which makes me rather surprised about the attention being paid to paint colours by the planning authority.
I can't think of any really good examples of rescued houses of similar date nearby, but not too far afield are places like Plas Teg near Wrexham and Nantclwyd y Dre in Ruthin which are both open to the public and worth a look for ideas.
You're also not too far from one of our regular posters, Schoolmarm, who isn't as frightening as her name suggests.
I hope you intend to replace the missing colums from the lower part of the porch?

 

[Sonyaclegg]

Thanks Gareth,

It's totally blank at the moment. I can understand the planning office being sensitive about paint colour if any of the original paint work was in place but there is none. It's in good condition or poor condition depending on which surveyors report you read! It's almost watertight. I think we have water ingress from the stone in places so perhaps ome lead over those pieces of exposed stone will resolve that. I've spend the last two months walking around peering up at buildings to see how they treat there coping stones on the roof. Most have a layer of lead over the stone or under the last course o stop water ingress through the stone.

Gareth, do you mind me asking what your profession is? You must know you stuff to find ours with the references you had!

 

[Sonyaclegg]

* their