New to The Forum and New to Living in Listed Properties

[Woody3]

Hi everybody,

I've been lurking in the background for a couple of months now, reading different threads, to get a general feel of owning a Period Property, but now I think it's about time I should introduce myself before I start picking at your knowledge!

Basically, we've just bought a Grade II Listed, 18th Century Stone built farmhouse in Derbyshire, which requires a scheme of refurbishment.

I've worked in the Construction Industry for a number of years,as a Quantity Surveyor, but have never worked on a listed building, so there is quite a bit of learning for me to do before I crack on with any work, especially in terms of LBC's!

I've always had an interest in "old" Architecture, so don't worry, I'm not the type to add a load of mod cons into the property and ruin the character. If it was up to me, I'd still be using candles :lol:

Anyway, I will leave it as that for now, as I don't want to bore you on my first post!

Many thanks

 

[Schoolmarm]

Welcome!! Have you got any pictures?

 

[MdB]

Welcome !

(Have you got any pictures???)

 

[JoceAndChris]

Hello! Lovely to have you join us, and we look forward to every detail of your project, with pictures please. :wink:

 

[LadyArowana]

Welcome, you wouldn't happen to have any pictures to share would you?

 

[middi]

Hi and welcome

middi

 

[Penners]

I've been lurking in the background for a couple of months now

Ah - I thought I noticed the curtains twitch once or twice, recently. That explains it.

Welcome, Woody. Do please let us see some pictures of your property*.

*Are you detecting a theme, here?

 

[Moo]

Woody - if you're going to get any sense out of this lot, I suggest you get very busy with your camera. Now.

 

[Penners]

Woody - if you're going to get any sense out of this lot, I suggest you get very busy with your camera. Now.

Now then, Moo. Please don't go making promises to Woody that the rest of us can't keep.

Sense?

 

[Keithj]

From another newcomer (a bit longer here), welcome.

They aren't a bad lot at all, and there's some first rate advice to be had!
I'm still waiting to find out where the next Forum boozeup is happening...

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Welcome Woody - please share your collection of PPUKPorn with us?

:wink:

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Hi Woody, welcome! You have an interesting combination of knowledge to put together then ---- Quantity Surveying adding in the world of LBC!!

Nothing will happen if you don't tell us more, how about some pictures--!!!!

 

[Moo]

I'm still waiting to find out where the next Forum boozeup is happening...

Is that an invitation?

 

[Pford75]

Welcome. You don't happen to have any digitally captured and stored images of your property do you?

 

[Woody3]

Thanks for the warm welcome! , but sorry for the slow reply...been really busy moving in etc, plus I'm having to connect to the Internet via my phone

However, if anyone is interested (depending on the Internet connection), I will post some photos up tomorrow, but as a bit of a taster, here's a quick glance...

The front elevation is our first priority to get it looking more original. I'm currently researching what type of windows would have been installed initially, any ideas? We are also considering removing the conservatory, but as its South facing, we are in two minds to keep it (it was given LBC back in the 80's), however, we would like it to be a tad more subtle i.e. not brilliant white!

Thanks again and sorry if this post doesn't make much sense, but I'm worn out from a rather hectic day!

 

[Keithj]

I'm still waiting to find out where the next Forum boozeup is happening...

Is that an invitation?

Seems like an idea! Not before Christmas now, though - the diary's chokka.

Somewhere in the East Anglia area maybe - there are more than the average of period properties round here.

 

[Penners]

We are also considering removing the conservatory

Act in haste, repent at leisure. Before you do anything at all about that conservatory, I suggest you live with it for a year or so.

We have lived in our current house for just over two years now, and it's the first house that we've had with a conservatory. It's such a lovely thing to have! It extends the house into the garden and the garden into the house. It's a wonderful place to sit with the doors open on a summer evening - with a glass of wine, of course. And when the weather is foul outside and the rain is lashing the glass roof, there's something very cosy about being almost out in that awful weather, but it can't quite get you! It's a great feeling.

And of course the conservatory is a fuel saver. Over recent weeks we've had quite a few days when the weather has been cold, but the sun's been shining. The sunshine warms up the conservatory to a surprising extent, so we open the doors between the conservatory and the sitting room, and let the heat circulate around the house.

So, even if you're not entirely happy with the aesthetics of the structure, see what it's like living with that conservatory before you pull it down. In white, I agree that it's a bit "sudden", but (assuming it's wood) a coat of paint can change that.

 

[Jellyfire]

Welcome woody, and lovely looking house! Penners speaks wisely, the best advice for living in an old building is to live in it for a while before making any big changes. You will more than likely revise your opinion on lots of things in that first year or so.

 

[Flyfisher]

We are also considering . . . . .

Consideration, of almost anything, is fine as long as it's done over an adequate period of time. I certainly wouldn't remove a conservatory without having lived with it for at least one whole year. We had one at a previous house and Penners perfectly describes how it merged the house and garden. Keep it for a year and you may find you can't live without it.

 

[Penners]

We are also considering . . . . .

Consideration, of almost anything, is fine as long as it's done over an adequate period of time.

Absolutely right. Promise yourself at least a year of coffee and Kit-Kats (the perfect recipe for a good dose of consideration).