Restoration of cottage- best sequence of events?

[Anonymous]

Hi folks, we've recently bought a really nice place at auction (stone built cottage and attached barn- not exactly sure how old but certainly well before 1850). Could someone enlighten me as to the 'correct' sequence of events to effect a smooth and efficient restoration of the cottage (and stabilisation of barn). I'm thinking that the following is pretty good- anyone got any better ideas?

1) Remove old wallpaper, floorcoverings, bath panels etc. to uncover as much as possible for the experts to see the structure etc.
2) Employ historical building damp/pest expert, building experts/structural engineer to prepare work required and professionally written 'quote' request.
3) Get 3 quotes for work
4) At periods throughout work get structural engineer to check work quality.

Also- when would Building Regs. necessitate having the Building Inspector call if all you are doing are internal works?

Any help on this would be great. Also, don't suppose anyone knows of any relevant period property experts in the Sheffield area who I would be advised to use?

Best Regards,

Andy

 

[Anonymous]

I'd suggest a few thing before your #1
Relax, take it easy, don't rush, join SPAB, live in it for a little while, grow some flowers, get into the attic when it is raining very hard and make sure there are no leaks and the gutters and drains are all doing what they should do, read. Then you'll know what to do. A great deal depends on how much you want to do yourself and how much you want to trust and pay other people to do. Have fun <IMG SRC="http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/discussing/smileys/smile.gif" BORDER=0 ALT="">

 

[Anonymous]

I would go with Biff in relation to living in it and getting to know your building. Also maybe worth tackling some of the work yourself , even if you are not in the job. It can be very rewarding so long as you do your homework first.

 

[Anonymous]

Biff is spot on with his advice about checking the attic during a heavy downpour, and looking very carefully indeed at the gutters and drains (again. pray for a convenient monsoon - it revealed something that could have been disastrous in our present house).
If you don't get your house watertight (and, please note, I don't mean cover it with plastic) you'd be wasting your time and money on the cosmetic things.

 

[Anonymous]

Biff's right - the roof is the first consideration, then drainage. And then try to experience a winter in the place to see what really does need doing first.
And do have a go yourself. It will be vastly cheaper and you may even get a better job done, unless you've lucky enough to know some real conservation builders who actually know what they're doing and don't charge a king's ransom.

 

[Anonymous]

Oi - a bit less of the praying for a monsoon, if you don't mind. I'm about to cut a hole in a wall for a new window!

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry, David. I take it all back.
Especially as I've just begun tackling the twitch grass that's colonised My New Allotment.
Perhaps Andyk could be persuaded to postpone that 'phone call to the Rain God for a few more weeks?

 

[Anonymous]

Well, judging by today's showing, his prayers have fallen on deaf ears anyway!

 

[rshartley]

In my experience, if you are paying people to do any of the work for you, you really need to choose carefully before you let them loose on your property. Only use tradesmen that come highly recommended or whose work you know. Ask for references and talk to their previous customers. Draw up detailed specifications and get fixed prices. Never assume that the tradesmen you use will have a clue about how to do things the way you expect.

I needed to get work done quickly on a project and made the mistake of using a firm who turned out to be worse than hopeless. Apart from delaying the whole project by 4 or 5 months, it cost me at least £10,000 more than it should have done.

 

[biffvernon]

Only use tradesmen that come highly recommended or whose work you know.

The alternative is to use the young and ignorant but willing to learn type. If you know what you want and how to do it it can be easier to employ the naive than the experienced.
And that way we get a new generation of skills.

 

[Sue Wilkinson]

Andy, absolutely try to do what Biff says, and live in the place as is for a year, six months at least if you can't hang on a year.

When we moved into our house I simply cleaned it properly, and slapped some emulsion over the most disgusting bits (it was already emulsioned) so that it wasn't depressing. I then read everything I could get my hands on about old buildings and their care.

1 year later our ideas of what we wanted from the house and barn were completely different to when we bought it. You don't know how the rooms will react in different light and at different times of year. You don't know what heating will be required and what will spoil things.

Then we commissioned a specialist, a surveyor with experience, skills and love of sympathetic conservation of old buildings (recommended from a list of such professionals held by SPAB) to carry out a full structural survey and make recommendations. This he did and took a great deal of care over it. He made recommendations of how to conduct the repairs and what materials to use. He gave us time-lines so that we got the roof sorted first etc. Some recommendations were made on an 'as and when' basis because they were not urgent.

Armed with that document, it was obvious what we needed to do first and how to go about it. We then struggled to get a suitable builder. They (the builders) will tell you the most appalling rubbish to get you to yield to their ways, so stand firm. The most common response I've heard is things like "oh of course we will use lime in our mortar" for which you instantly know they will use a cement mortar and chuck a handfull of hydrated builders lime in it, probably with some washing up liquid, and the whole job will be weak as a result.

My biggest mistake was getting the house rewired by someone who did very neat wiring runs on exposed beams, but hacked out the walls and filled them back with backing plaster. That was criminal and I'm still removing the stuff.

So, take your time. It can seem frustrating. You want to move in and rush about doing things, but it really is the wrong way. Read, join SPAB and go on a weekend course for period home owners run by them. After that you will understand what you have bought and how to treat it. Then find your local SPAB recommended surveyor and get the full survey done. This is not like a 'buying a property survey', its instructive, not doom and gloom. At the end of that you will have your order of works and rough guide to costs. The surveyor may be able to recommend local builders suitable to this type of work, or go back to SPAB and ask what they know for your area. I can't see what you would even want a structural engineer for. If you use one of them you will end up with underpinning, steel RSJ's and goodness knows what else of unnecessary interference and runination, as most of them will be 'new build' experienced rather than old, and it will cost you an arm and a leg as well.

Sue

 

[skier-hughes]

I can't see what you would even want a structural engineer for. If you use one of them you will end up with underpinning, steel RSJ's and goodness knows what else of unnecessary interference and runination, as most of them will be 'new build' experienced rather than old, and it will cost you an arm and a leg as well.

Sue

Actually our mortgage company insisted we use a structural engineer and we found one who was used to dealing with period properties and he was very cheap in comparison to the period property surveyor we had first picked out to see the house.

We also then had a period property surveyor come to look round the house after we had moved in, as you did, who gave us more food for thought on how to look after the house.

Graham

 

[Ian Bond]

My biggest mistake was getting the house rewired by someone who did very neat wiring runs on exposed beams, but hacked out the walls and filled them back with backing plaster. That was criminal and I'm still removing the stuff

Quite agree: that was a mistake I made, but the wiring was so bad I ended up doing it all myself anyway. That was before nanny told us it was too complicated for simple DIYers.

Anyway, you can help make the routes for pipes / wiring or at least supervise / advise to stop unnecessary damage being done to something precious, like a cornice , ceiling, floor. And you could also do the making-good yourself - save the electrician plumber a job / yourself some cash. Or at least make sure whoever does the repairs does them with the correct materials etc.

I let tradesmen run amok, and created plenty of damage myself in the early days - I wish I'd taken it more slowly and read-up first.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...s and Don'ts of House and Cottage Restoration

There's a lot of don'ts!!!!!

The other mistake I made was to start too many jobs at once, and have ended up with chaos / mess / despair

Good luck with your new home, and enjoy it.

 

[Ian Bond]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0950676527/203-6505932-8055155

Maybe this link will work? Not used to this new fangled forum thingy yet.

 

[Carol]

Pick your structural engineer with care and you will be fine! Our roof (1450s) was showing worrying signs of movement when we called in ours and he organised various timbers and some steel solutions in a 'conservation manner' which means roof should last another few hundred years.