Help! New renovation - conservation area

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Durham
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Hello - hope some of you experts can help as I'm under pressure! We're in the process of buying a small old very damp house. Need to remove and replace all external concrete, repoint with lime and re-render with lime and have been recommended to plaster with lime inside. Budge won't run to lime plaster inside, so we planned to knock off all plaster, leave stone walls bare and let them dry out then maybe paint with distemper at some point. So the costings have been doing my head in and then I came across building regs! And then I found the house is in a conservation area which I am hoping means the building regs for insulation won't apply - at least outside. We don't want insulation on the walls - we want to keep the original character. The walls are stone - about 2 to 3 foot thick. But I guess they could say we have to insulate inside - if we did there'd be no space! Plus the idea is to let the walls dry out not seal them in - especially as ground levels are low at one side and against someone else's yard.

So does anyone know - do building regs still apply to re-rendering and insulation if you are in a conservation area? Likewise we were going to re-roof with like for like re-using stone slates - but if we have to start putting loft insulation in there won't be a roof space.

Any help gratefully received. Oh and not to mention the cost of all this insulation! And on top of that I don't like insulation - I'm asthmatic - would rather just wear 2 woolly jumpers.
 
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Thanks! Yes been trying to get hold of them all afternoon. I've read a few things on here about people doing lime render and lime plastering inside, so if anyone has any tips about whether building regs insist on insulation on the outside (or inside) of a house with thick stone walls, would be grateful.
 
Buildings in a conservation area, or listed buildings, are specifically excluded from the thermal insulation requirements.
 
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Buildings in a conservation area, or listed buildings, are specifically excluded from the thermal insulation requirements.

I would still check this very carefully prior to buying. I bought and own a Victorian property in a conservation area. The house needed gutted and BC expected me to bring the external walls of the property up to modern day insulation standards as I was completing damp proof work. As far as I know if you are not affecting or altering the walls (which you are) then you are ok, however if you are affecting a percentage of the walls (the installation of a DPC and the replastering to a height of 1m was sufficient to qualify) meant they expected me to internally insulate the walls.

If I am honest I fought them on it on the basis of the fact it was likely to cost over 10k to do as I have beautiful original cornicing, picture and dado rails and sash boxes that would all need ripped out and replaced. I argued tht the payback time was inexcess of 50yrs according to the info on their own website. They made me do additional insulation in the attic and also add additional insulation in the new solid floor I was installing in the kitchen area (a bit of a sop to them but I was happy to do rather than insulate the walls). The BC officer admitted that he detests this part of the job as the public are usually totally unaware of this requirement and it is easy to create this legislation but has major impact on period properties that are not designed to be airtight and that well insulated.

If I am honest if you can get away with not telling them and you are planning to stay there for a while (ie beyond the period when BC requirement is necessary if you come to sell) then I would suggest say as little as you can. Many would disagree with this but hey just my thoughts.

PS I am in NI so BC regs are prob different and if so please feel free to ignore.

Good luck
 
Thanks very much for that info - as you say I need to be careful. A v helpful surveyor just told me that if I only remove the damaged render and patch with new lime render it doesn't count as replacement. He also mentioned about insulation requirements for floors so will hope there are some flags under the concrete and won't bother with new floor!
 

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