2 Bed Bungalow into....

[eddieed]

Hi all,

Well in December we moved out of our beautifully restored 3 bedroom 1825 cottage and into a 1950's 2 bedroom bungalow. Which will become our house - what it will be I am not sure. We may utilise what we have and extend, or we may knock down and rebuild.

I will upload some photo's of the as is, including the garden which is more of a jungle.

We have had to move in, but glad we have as it has really helped us to understand the plot already - inculding how the light travels etc.

So far we have - removed half the kitchen and installed a new one from Wickes clearance at a cost of about £200 including worktops and sink.

Fitted a combi boiler on a temporary basis

Painted all the rooms in magnolia

Put cheap as chips carpet down everywhere and lino in the bathroom

Cleared out all the crap that was left in it

Had the place cleaned from top to bottom proffesionally as it was grim - not lived in for 2 years and prior to that by someone very old.

 

[eddieed]

Well I know it has taken a while but time flies when you are having fun...we have finally managed to clear the whole the garden. Well... Myself and 2 friends removed 4 of the large conifers in about 5 hours but the two largest we decided were too big - plus the quantity of waste material to get rid of was just too much to handle - so we paid for the other two to be removed and some of the other bulky stuff as well (self seeded conifers, shrubs that had got out of hand etc) We are now left with this, we are pleased as it's bigger than we thought it was...hoping to find someone who can get a stump grinder up the steps next!

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• eddieed
• 19 Apr 2016

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• 19 Apr 2016

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• 19 Apr 2016

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• 19 Apr 2016

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• eddieed
• 19 Apr 2016

Plan at present is to lower the top level down so it is flat with the second wall - we probably use Gabions to hold up the garden behind us (structral engineer needed first - but there is a lot of material - the height difference is about 5 foot between the two!

 

[eddieed]

Adding some pictures of clearout day - prior to completion of contracts. Everything got dumped on the drive and we had a skip delivered the saturday after we moved in.

Basically removed half the kitchen, all the carpets and curtains. Cleaners then followed us in the place was grim!

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• eddieed
• 20 Apr 2016

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• 20 Apr 2016

Loung diner - we actually really like the fireplace - we have had it swept and inspected and it is currently being used.

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• eddieed
• 20 Apr 2016

Second bedroom - which is currently our room.

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• eddieed
• 20 Apr 2016

Dated but functional bathroom - has been cleaned and a new lino put down - fitted a shower as well my dad had an old one lying about.

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• eddieed
• 20 Apr 2016

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• 20 Apr 2016

Hall way - the carpet was grim and has gone

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• eddieed
• 20 Apr 2016

Kitchen - you could bearly stand up with the grease on the floor - but the lino was pretty good so all proffessionally cleaned and is OK. We removed half the units and bought wickes cheapest a new top and sink. Gas cooker fitted and boiler as well. Units on the right are John Lewis - they are functional all just lined with Fablon to make them easy to wipe down.

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• eddieed
• 20 Apr 2016

Front Bedroom - biggest one so the children are sharing it at present.

Everything has been painted Magnolia except the kitchen and bathroom which will now stay as they are until we do the work.

 

[eddieed]

Well its been a while but we finally have some designs (partly as we were so tired after moving and just wanted to relax and also we wanted to see how the land and light worked) and planning permision is submitted.

One neighbour has said they can't support us as they are now going to sit on their patio and look at our wall - I almost suggested, but restrained myself, that they turn their chairs and look at their garden instead.

So waiting game time (including the results of a Bat survey).

Pictures of the design...

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• eddieed
• 18 Oct 2016

Existing

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• 18 Oct 2016

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• 18 Oct 2016

We are very happy with the way the architect has developed the design to use the very steep slope of the rear garden. I always think the 2D images look a little funny the large glass section at the back is actuall half window and half roof - but it isn't very clear.

Edit: I probably should have sdded that the road we are on is on a slope as well. The pink lines on the front elevations show the line between our neigbours on one side and those on the other - showing we have fitted the house into the street scene. The house to the right will still be higher than ours is when it is finished!

 

[eddieed]

Well joy of joys our existing roof has been used as a bat roost! The worst part of all of this is 1 the cost of the following surveys and 2 the delay - we have been told emergence surveys which are now needed cannot be done until May - we were hoping to start building in March! This will delay us for a year at least.

ANyone any experience of this or advice.

 

[Nige F]

No experience re. bats I'm afraid - just use the time to cross all t's and dot I's about the planning and also any mods to your layout . That bath could be worth £££ to someone as it's almost Deco in it's appearance. Excellent job of clearing the conifers - maybe use the time in the garden too. All the best with the project.

 

[eddieed]

Thanks Nige - I think thats the case - means we should have plenty of time to fit the builders in.

We think we will start the garden the challenge being to get to the heavy machinery into the garden we were going to go through the garage - including taking off the roof - now we cannot do that so we need to think of what the other options are.

Re the bath - funily enough there is a very similar one in a National Trust Property near us - it must weigh a tonne - I could hardly even lift the end panel when I removed it to do some plumbing. I think it is the original suite and the bungalow is 1930's its in suprisingly good nick considering.

 

[Curlewhouse]

Working with wildlife all I can say is your stuck with the bats I'm afraid. You are probably looking at mitigation, which means either finding a way to incorporate them as they are in the build, (making alterations outside of their breeding & hibernating periods) or making somewhere else for them to live, which can be in the new part of the build or sometimes a standalone thing on the premises. With bats it is a small window when you can disturb them really - see THIS LINK and you'll see what I mean by the time you extract hibernation and breeding/nursing seasons. We have them in some buildings at work and we've had to section off some parts of the lofts for them to live in undisturbed, which isn't the end of the world in our case, but since your looking at taking that roof off, (I think?) then the bat folks will have some recommendations to make. I'm actually planning to include bat roosts in the stonework of our new (self) build to attract them, but then I'm not planning on ever moving from this house or altering it so they can be someone elses problem in 100 years time maybe! Once your lovely house is done, you may eventually be able to feel lucky to have them on a summers evening when you sit out with the kids and watch them, but I sympathise with your frustration over the delays as we've only finally got clear of delays (caused by different reasons) and lost a year too, (though that was thanks to people just not getting on with the paperwork) and it is hugely frustrating! we tried to avoid thinking about it by using the time to work on other aspects - using the extra time constructively to find bargains in materials and so on.

 

[eddieed]

Thanks Curlewhouse - Application is being withdrawn today - in the meantime we are going to submit pre application advice - hopefully that means we can iron out any build issues prior to the new submission which should be in May next year.

I have the Topographical surveys so we will likely get on with some of the landscaping around the house. Obvioulsy the parts that will not be impacted by the build.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Well joy of joys our existing roof has been used as a bat roost! The worst part of all of this is 1 the cost of the following surveys and 2 the delay - we have been told emergence surveys which are now needed cannot be done until May - we were hoping to start building in March! This will delay us for a year at least.

Anyone any experience of this or advice.

Down this neck of the woods any proposed work done on existing rooves as part of planning permission is ever likely to need the bloody dreaded Eco Survey and as you have discovered should there be any evidence of the little furry critters this can throw a bloody great delaying spanner into the works - not to mention fearing the outcome!

Best advice is to get up into your loft before the dreaded bat hippy surveyor ever gets there with a Henry and forensically clean the place as if you were trying to clean a murder scene - alas too late for you now, you are in the system and shall have to wait your fate! God forbid you have them roosting in your loft, the hippy will quite possible stamp on your proposals seeing as your proposals require the entire removal of the roof and total destruction of the bats home and the planners will likely side with him.

It would be immoral for me to suggest going into your loft and attempting to rid your loft of any of the little feckers before the emergence surveys to try to ensure the bat hippy does not see any evidence when he sits in your garden with his hippy mate for a couple of hours a few times in March does not witness any activity and then gives you a £800 bill for the privilege!

Little other advice to offer unfortunately other than move house.

 

[eddieed]

Thanks Freddie - I wish it was only £800. Seems we will be in this for about £5k by the time its finished - they have to sit outside of the house 3 times, then write a report and then a mitigation report and license application. Even if there hadn't been evidence some of the existing features on the house I think would have meant we would have to have a survey anyway. Apparently its prime bat roost material.

I will of course not be getting rid of the bats they are not in the roof at the moment anyway. I have some thoughts to deter them from returning!

One thing I would say for the bat survey man is that he is pretty sure there will be a mitigation proposal whatever happens and it wont stop us doing what we wanted to do. He did in that part seem pretty forward thinking at least.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

£5K WTF???? They'll probably be two of them, they'll be two or three survey times say 12 hours labour r thereabouts, a visit to fit a remote detector for a couple of weeks, some time for traveling and some time to write the report. Ask for a breakdown of your £5K - that's ridiculous! Have you actually seen the quote?

Having to get a bat survey done with some authority's down here is mandatory even when the house is only a few years old in well built up areas - madness!

 

[eddieed]

Mad isn't it. Our initial survey was mandatory because of where the house is. That was £325.
Each emergence survey is £550 - because of the shape of the house they need 3 people for each one. Thats £1650.
The report on the emergence surveys is £440.
The mitigation report and licence application is about £1000.
Thats £3500 ish.
We have to have some form of search done by natural england - thats about £200.
Plus paying for any mitigation measures that we need.
So £5k was a bit over but not much. Thankfully they are not VAT registered.

I had a second quote for the emergence surveys and report and that was more!

 

[eddieed]

Well the planning application has been withdrawn. Whilst we wait we are submitting a pre application advice and having a meeting with the planning officer. Hopefully that can get all the design elements sorted whilst we sort he Bat part!

Had a very frustrating day on Saturday. One of our neighbours has been contacted by one of these party wall parasitic companies and they have so call instructed them as surveyors...at our cost of course. So angry as I had spoken to the neighbours and said our architect would deal with everything of that nature but if they ever had any issues or questions please come and talk to us first. Thankfully as we have withdrawn the application I was able to email the company involved and state application withdrawn nothing of interest here for you. I will at some point speak to the neighbours and say please don't do this we will ensure everything is covered.

Why do people do this...these companies are the ambulance chasers of the building trade!

 

[Ian H]

The new drawing looks great!!!!

Is that 23.9mtr ridge height measured from sea level?