Building Doctors

Trickle vents make me cold

buildingdoctor — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:57:02 +0000

Increasingly our customers are seeking ways to reduce their energy consumption with the increasing rise of electricity prices. One customer said that they’d woken up one morning with snow on his bed as he’d left the trickle vent open last snowy winter. Most houses have trickle vents on their windows or big brick vents and unfortunately you need them to get through building regulations but without the snow bit. Over a year these vents lose a huge amount of energy, so increasingly we install an MVHR or Mechanical Heat and Ventilation Recovery Unit instead . Well they are really quite easy to install especially if you are refurbishing the house and the internal air benefits are amazing. In short, a few pipes with a box tricks will filter, scrub and retain the heated air and give each room a little bit of fresh air so no need to open the window. In the long term these machines annually save between £300 to £1500 on average family house, making the pay back after 3 / 4 years. They make a lot of long term sense.

Some of our customers worry that the duct work and boxing will impact on the ceilings levels, but if the boxing is carefully planned they can always be tucked against the walls and covered by a cornices or you can make interesting lighting features near them. In big houses, say 5/6 bedrooms you might need one machine per floor to maintain fresh air balance, 1 machine per 1000sqft keeps the pipe work reduced and means the machine can run quieter. Some units come with a boost, so when you’re are cooking, or in the bathroom, the ventilation speeds up, dragging away the background moisture, and recycling the heat, ultimately the house begins to have that hotel bedroom fresh air feel. The best thing for me about these MVHR units is that i don’t have that small rattling bathroom fans in the corner anymore chucking £20 notes into the garden every day all winter. I have sealed air tight house, it’s an efficient modern home [1905 upgraded in 2007]. My little MVHR ’vent box’ saves me money, it’s sounds quiet, and does not make me cold!

Here are some useful links:

http://www.homebuilding.co.uk/feature/ventilation-your-options-explained

http://www.ornl.gov/sci/roofs+walls/insulation/fact%20sheets/whole%20house%20ventilation%20systems.pdf

http://www.vent-axia.de/range/clone-sentinel-kinetic.html

http://www.dealec.co.uk/acatalog/vent_axia_lo-carbon_sentinel_kinetic_plus_online.html

How does Building Doctors work?

buildingdoctor — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 09:25:32 +0000

It’s a question we’re often asked but it really is quite simple. What we’ve done is taken the complex areas of architecture, building and design – the key components of any extension, conversion or home improvement project – and combined them into one package. We’ve then broken the package down again into easy-to-understand services from which you can pick and choose. We know that some people like to get stuck in and do part of the architectural and building work themselves. If you’re great at interior design, then you don’t need to use us for that part of the project. Or you might want to shop around and use another professional for any elements of the project. That’s fine. In fact, the way Building Doctors works makes integrating what you want us to do and what you want someone else to do seamless.

Of course, we’re happy to take on the entire design project. We have a team of highly experienced architects, interior designers and surveyors, and great relationships with our contractors. We’ve been designing, building and consulting on stunning interiors for over 20 years now so we’re pretty good at what we do!

We split our services into “Kits”. As well as allowing you to cherry-pick the level of help you need from us, doing this provides a useful checklist for you to follow and allows you to plan each element of the build. It also makes costs transparent.

We’ll help you work out what Kits you require, and how many, during our project starter visit. That’s the time you’ll meet with an architect to discuss your ideas for your extension, conversion, interior or even complete new home. The meeting lasts 60-90 minutes. During this time we’ll establish your requirements, address any issues, propose solutions and design options, and give you a good idea of timelines and costs. It’s a consultative process from concept to completion.

So what next? If you decide to go ahead with Building Doctors, you’ll open one of three types of accounts. The account you open depends on the level of involvement you need from us. Our accounts give you access to information such as sample specifications and drawings, and to our tried and tested project management routines to enable you to develop your own project if you wish. If you require our full help, our premium account provides our complete architect’s management service. It’s a flexible way of working – you only pay for what you need from us.

Whichever account you choose, you’ll have a load of telephone talk-time so you’ll have on-going expert advice and all the top tips you need. And if you’re a fan of social media, you can get extra hints and tips from following us on Facebook, You Tube and Twitter or by reading our blog.

So, that’s it. Once your account is opened, we’ll book in your survey. And then the hard work – and the exciting bit – starts: the creation of your dream home.

“The Builder is not a toy” – Avoid being ripped off.

buildingdoctor — Sat, 14 May 2011 10:07:06 +0000

I’ve had some bad experiences with builders, it has to be said. You can always tell when you’ve had workmen in the house: huge fingerprints, no milk, endless dust and foot prints. So here are a few ways I’ve learnt to start off the right way and in the back my mind i hear my granny say: The Builder is not a toy.

1. Get design ideas from a Architect, and Interior Designer, you may not have thought of everything. Tradesmen don’t design, they’ll offer design advice, but it tends to be based on what easiest to for them build.

2. It is best to use a professional schedule, which creates parity between your quotes, limits the cost overruns and sets the minimum standard.

3. By using Detailed Drawings, Specification and Schedules you can form the basis of a good contract. This will limit construction confusion, and minimise the daily questions.

4. It’s just not enough to “Measure twice, cut once”. At the minimum, you should tender with 3 main builders and several sub-trades for each section of the work. Choose the middle price, never the lowest. Tender with 5 get 3 prices. Tender 2 get 1.

5. Tender with builders who are busy and recommended to you. Go and see their work. Waiting for the right busy builder is always better than rushing to use the first and cheapest available. Remember tendering a £60-300K should take 2/4 months to get prices and agree a price.

6. Have construction consultant check the contract documents before signature, and then with a few site checks, you can limit the potential arguments and make a better job. By using a JCT Homeowners Contract with ‘Builders’ [Roof or Damp proofing or Canopy etc] Design you will have a firmer agreement where less design liability is placed on your shoulders.

7. Try and choose builders with a neat letter head, VAT numbers, and personal address. Check out any claimed memberships, always get references, and go and see his work.

8. Never ever pay in advance, or give a deposit. Pay for work and materials as they arrive to help the builder get started. Use your schedule to estimate the percentage of work completed, and pay promptly by cheque.

9. Try not to change you mind, as ‘change orders’ confuse builders. Make decisions in advance, late changes cost more, and constant changes create frustration.

10. By arranging a formal builder’s site meeting, you will be able to take minutes, and coordinate the business of building. Do not email the builder every day with one sentence, one instruction, one change. Follow up a weekly meeting with a single list of revised agreements and comments.

11. As each job is completed agree to pay in stages up to 90-95%, paying the remaining 5%-10% some 6-12 months after completion, you will know whether the roof is still leaking.

Now that I follow these basic rules, I find that my building site life is much easier. My ultimate goal is to have the perfect drawings and support documentation so that our customers only need to ask their builder one question… “is that one sugar in your tea?”

Can I do the Interior Design?

buildingdoctor — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:50:58 +0000

For many people it’s not so much “Can I do the interior design” but more “Should I do interior design myself” Other people ask us “When do I get an interior designer in?” Here’s some of the initial thoughts:

1) I know what I want, I’ve got the photos, but I’ve not got the time

2) It’s an extra project cost that going to stretch my limited budget

3) A designer might ‘takeover’ or ‘sabotage’ my dream design

I CAN DO THE INTERIOR DESIGN MYSELF

Of course you can but would a few experienced pointers help? A professional interior designer is there to help you and work alongside you, managing the design and providing choice.

We help many a clients with as little or as much help as they fell necessary, often a single meeting. They’re the type of clients who want to run the project themselves with a little support, guidance and designer expertise for the times when:

- They’re too busy to shop for the floor tiles

- They can’t decide on a paint colour and the decorator’s starting tomorrow

- The electrician needs a lighting decision now!

We help you at the times when you’re more than capable of making the decisions but the added time pressure and project schedule doesn’t work with your diary and available time or hinders your clear thinking.

As a DESIGNERS ON CALL we provide hourly consultations for those tricky moments when all you need is an hour of our time for a clear and decisive decision to keep on track, thus saving you project time and keeping within your budget whilst creating a gorgeous home.

IT’S AN EXTRA PROJECT COST IN MY LIMITED BUDGET

Since the beginning of this recession we have had more clients coming to us because they have a fixed budget and they don’t want to overspend or make the wrong purchases.

We work closely with our clients to understand what they want to achieve, what their dreams are and why they are undertaking the structural changes. From this we can advise them where they should spend their budget for maximum effect.

As a DESIGNER IN YOUR POCKET we provide specific design knowledge and product advice so that our clients make informed choices to remain within their budget and timeframe to create a gorgeous home.

If you’d like to further information or speak to our creative director then please contact:

GWENDOLINE ALDERTON / Building Doctors

www.facebook.com/gainteriors

Looking after our network

buildingdoctor — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:17:59 +0000

It’s a curious fact of human nature that many of us pay more attention to keeping track of our success at recreational activities than we do tracking our success at the fundamentals of building our business. Avid golfers can tell you their handicap & recount, in detail, the last round they played. But how many of us can give a detailed account of the things we did last week to strengthen our referral network.

Three years ago the company used to wonder, why didn’t we get more word of mouth referrals? We know were good at what I do, but only a few of past clients or friends ever refered us. In 2008 for example only around 10% of our turnover was initiated from word of mouth, however we’re getting better as in 2010 it’s some 30% …. So something is happening!

One of the reasons is we have a better website, we have recognisable brand, and now a blog. The company has referral strategy, and we members of a BNI business group which trains us. Our BNI teams shares business networks and contacts. Ultimately we are better organised and we are getting better at staying in touch with Clients and this is why are being referred.

We’ve asked our selves how often should we stay in touch with that person? Looking n the internet we found some rules suggested by BNI founder Ivan Misner. Here are his rules of thumb for keeping in touch and for nurturing relationships. These tips have helped us keep in touch with our customer base and strengthen our business relationships.

1. Spread out your contacts.

Regardless of the type of relationship with your clients, regular contact is generally good. Two short meetings or phone calls are more beneficial than one long session. Each meeting becomes an opportunity to strengthen the relationship and to enhance your visibility and recognition.

2. Schedule predictably.

Stay in touch with your clients regularly. Train them to expect to hear from you at certain times. For example, if you usually contact certain customers during the first week of every quarter, they will come to expect it and will budget time for you.

3. Make each contact lead to the next.

Before concluding a meeting or telephone conversation, schedule the date of your next contact. In written correspondence, close by stating the date your customer should expect to hear from you again: "I’ll send you a note or e-mail by the end of the quarter." This practice establishes a chain of contacts, with each meeting leading to the next.

4. Assume responsibility for making contact.

You can’t control whether clients will contact you, but you can control when you contact them. Take the initiative; stay in touch with your customers. This is especially important for your most important clients. When clients or customers do not feel cared for, they are more likely to try someone else. By staying in touch with them, you are much more likely to head off potential problems down the road.

5. Invite them to networking events.

One way of making sure to stay in contact with your customers is to invite select ones to some of the networking events that you go to. This is a great way to meet with them periodically while getting you out of your cave to network and to meet other people.

6. Stick to your plan.

As you achieve success in establishing routines with your sources, some of them may begin taking initiative with contact. Don’t let this interfere with your contact schedule–that is, when they initiate the call, don’t count it as one of the contacts you’ve scheduled.

Happy times and here’s to good business health.

Building Doctors

Is my loft big enough

buildingdoctor — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 12:51:19 +0000

Turning loft areas into habitable rooms is an effective way of adding space to your home. Looks can be deceptive- the dusty and dingy space may hardly look like a bedroom, but with the right design it can be transformed into a light and airy space. When you first venture into the loft and contemplate that extra bedroom, the space may look cavernous and enormous, again this can be deceptive- with structural beams in place , the actual usable space can become limited.

Gaining permission to convert a loft can be a walk in the park or utterly cumbersome depending on the council you come under and the architectural character of your neighbourhood. If your property has never been extended you may be able to convert your roof space by adding a dormer under permitted development rights where no planning permission will be required. However the size of your dormer will depend on a fixed percentage of extendable volume. This varies from 10 to 15 % of the total volume of the house, and council guidelines. Planning Permission will be required if your property has already been extended. Loft conversions invariably involve altering the roof structure to add a rear facing dormer. Modifications to the front are infrequent and are only allowed if it keeps with the personality of the house and the surrounding area. These are some of the important aspects the planning officer will consider when processing your planning application.

-    The size of the ‘apron’. That is the distance between the existing roof eaves and the spring point of the dormer

-    The distance between the top of the dormer and the existing roof ridge line

-    The distance between the party wall and the new dormer( if you are in a terraced property)

-    The materials and finish of the dormer.

Planning officers are typically concerned with the exterior of the property, so you may find them to be slightly unsympathetic to what can actually fits into the loft space with the tiny dormer they have just approved!.

Complying with Building Control

areatrade — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 12:50:40 +0000

Once you have chosen a contractor, which I trust you would do after a tendering process and consulting the client he has worked for before- who is hopefully not his uncle and before the garden gets dugs up, it is important to make sure that the buried stash of money is relocated and that the construction will meet standards set out by the Building Act. Compliance with building regulations will ensure that your home stays safe sound and warm. If it starts leaking the minute the contractor’s van turns around the corner then something has gone wrong- either he has taken the wrong turn or simply that he has not detailed the roof adequately to meet regulations.

Almost all building work, including internal re-positioning of walls will require observance of regulations, checked and endorsed by a District Surveyor (DS) from your local authority. There are two ways to appease the DS. A building notice will require you to submit a simple application along with a location plan to the council. No detailed plans will be needed. There are certain disadvantages to taking this route. You have to make sure that the contractor fully understands your requirements in terms of finishes, type of construction, insulation etc. With no plan approval provided by the council, the DS will inspect and certify the work as it progresses. The biggest problem with this process is the potential ambiguity of the work. Since plans have not been approved beforehand by the council, the DS, during his site assessment may ask for changes to work already done to comply with regulations. For example if the roof is not satisfactorily insulated and ventilated or the new foundations have been covered and built over- without inspection, the visiting Candyman –as he is known in the builder community, will seemingly ruthlessly and quite sensibly ask for the roof to be rebuilt or the foundations to be exposed again. This will impinge on budgets and time.

The preferred and safer route is through a Full Plans Application process. All elements of construction including insulation, ventilation, building, structure, electrical and drainage are detailed in plans drawn by an architect and submitted to the local authority along with engineering drawings and calculations. Any changes required will be explicitly asked for by the DS before the construction starts. This will ensure that the budget does not vary a great lot and that there are no major hiccups during the construction phase.

An invitation to Build

areatrade — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 12:49:51 +0000

You have the all important planning permission granting document and you are rearing to go. But who do you go with? Finding the right builder can be a daunting task. They come in all sizes, shapes, colour and attitudes. Would you do an X factor style selection where the person who lifts the most bricks gets the job? Probably

However small your building/refurbishment project, it is always advisable to approach more than one builder or contractor. Yes, Andrew built your sister’s extension and it looks great, but take your drawings, also to three other people and ask them to price it up. But builders do not sit on supermarket shelves, we have to find them. Your agent or architect may know of a reliable contractor that he or she has worked with before, friends and neighbours are a good source and there is of course the Yellow Pages; to add that fourth builder to the list. Once you have your list compiled and they have all nodded their keenness, give them a comprehensive package which includes drawings to price and return by a certain date. In effect what you would have just done here is a formal tendering process.

What you include in the tender package and its thoroughness will determine the level of detailed costs that you would expect back from the bidders. Drawings that have been approved by the council (Planning set) will have minimum required detail and would be more to do with the exteriors. Contractors can only produce ball park figures with these drawings. So for a true costing the tender package should include:

o    A covering letter asking the contractor to respond by a certain date along with his terms and conditions, start and completion dates, insurance details and confirmation of acceptance of the penalty clause which financially protects you, the building owner if the contractor overshoots the completion date.

o    A comprehensive ‘Scope/ Schedule of Works’ which lists out all works to be carried out in detail. The bidder is asked to price for each item in the list. The reason for this is, re-pricing and checking for compliance becomes easier during the actual build stage, where there may be certain additions or omissions to works depending on site conditions.

o    A full set of updated drawings that meet building regulations (Building Regulations set, different from the Planning set) and structural engineering drawings and calculations.

All this may look a bit over the top if you are just building a small extension, but given the nature of the building process recording information becomes imperative to protect against inaccuracies and to ultimately get what you planned.
Next month I will be looking more into selecting a contractor and complying with building regulations.

Achieving Planning Permission

areatrade — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:46:23 +0000

For many of us, having been granted planning permission is a momentous occasion. Depending on the complexity of the scheme, you or your agent may have had several negotiations involving withdrawals, revisions and re-submissions. But what have you been granted approval for? After months of dialogue the design may suddenly look severely diluted from what you originally envisaged. It is essential to confirm all the conditions that come with planning permission.

A planning approval document is largely divided into two parts. Part 1 describes the proposal and the location to which it relates to and part II lists the conditions that come with the approval. Make sure of the following

1.    Description of scheme – as soon as your application would have arrived at the planning officer’s desk , he or she will have revised the explanation of the scheme provided by you or your agent to suit the language of the LPA ( Local Planning Authority). You would have had a chance to point out misunderstandings of the scheme at this stage; likewise be certain that the description of the proposal on the planning approval document is what you negotiated and have accepted.

2.    Check that the drawings associated with the approval documents are pertinent.

3.    Planning permission is valid for three years from the date of approval. If you decide to hike the Himalayas for a while and then get back to build your extension, check to see if your planning permission has not reached its use by date. It is possible to extend the approval for another three years for a small administration fee, provided the proposal has not already expired, failing which you would have to go through the entire planning process again and planners have a tendency to change their minds.

4.    In some cases , to retain the character of the locality, one of the conditions to granting permission may be a joint scheme with your neighbour, where both of you are expected to make changes at the same time or complete within a set time frame. Make sure you and your neighbour are aware of this condition. Under certain circumstances you will be allowed to appeal for removal of this stipulation.

5.    A requirement to get approval for materials prior to construction may also be a condition. This will strictly be enforced say if you are in a conservation area or even close to one.

6.    You will invariably be asked to obscure bathroom windows facing your neighbour- unless of course your neighbour is Stevie Wonder.

7.    All planners are self confessed tree huggers. The conditions to granting permission may need you to preserve or even plant new trees and shrubs.

8.    Lastly and importantly, though not mentioned in the approval document you would have to get building regulations approval for all the works that you propose to carry out. This is done by either submitting technical plans to the council for prior approval, where you would get an opportunity to make amendments or issue a building notice just before starting construction and allow the district surveyor to inspect the build from time to time and ask for changes.

Dealing with Rejection

areatrade — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 16:38:09 +0000

You have spent months, maybe years trying to get planning permission for that beautiful rear extension to your house, the one with the handsome folding doors that opens up the entire house to the garden. You dreamt of making perfect poached eggs in that sumptuous kitchen while you saw your children frolicking in the garden. Then, one day you see the letter box on the door sticking its tongue out with a very official looking letter. The council’s emblem is on it, the champagne in the fridge can’t wait and is bubbling with excitement, threatening to pop and soak the cabbage. Rip rip…go on, says hubby .It is a pink coloured slip; in the blackest of bold letters it announces ‘REJECTION OF PLANS’ What? How can this happen? You have worked with the Architect for months and you suddenly think Piers Morgan is your architect, driving a Ferrari in Marbella with all the money you have given him. The champagne is flat darling ..calls out hubby from the kitchen. You hear swearing as some more plaster falls on his head.

You now have two options, load grandpa’s rifle with horse manure and hunt down the architect or simply sit down on your sofa, with a box of tissues and look at the letter carefully.

Extending and planning to refurbish your home can be a daunting process. It is a time consuming modus operandi of sorts, where you have to negotiate and come to a consensus with your partner using all kinds of techniques including, bribery, threats and bad cooking. But you would have also had to speak to your neighbour, the nice Mrs Jones, the one with the Rottweiler, hmm it’s amazing how dogs get to resemble their owners you thought when you went around and said you were gong to give her an award- a party wall award. And then after all that, this- the council thinks yours plans are loony.

A Planning rejection letter does not necessarily spell the death knell to your refurbishment project. According to the government, local councils should be determining 60% of all major planning applications within 13 weeks, 65% of minor applications within 8 weeks, and 80% of all other applications also within 8 weeks.
The funding councils receive are linked to improved planning performance. So it may be the case that your council’s planning department , inundated with planning applications and understaffed might have given a verdict ,without having the time needed to discuss a scheme. So all is not lost; it is time to measure up when slapped with a rejection slip

But my architect said the turrets on the extension are fine.

Call up your agent (if you used one) and ask if a negotiation process took place. Was the agent proactive? Was a pre-application consultation with a duty officer conducted? Did he or she establish a dialogue with your assigned planning officer? Did the agent keep you updated with the progress of the application? Busy architects, sometimes put in an application, turn on the kettle and completely forget about it. Although, they cannot guarantee a positive outcome, they can as part of their professional services, follow up the planning application and discuss an outcome.

Planning officers base their decisions on three aspects. The consultation process where Mrs Jones gets to say something about your extension, the rule of the book- the UDP (Unitary Development Plan) is the local authority’s planning bible. This, although to a large extent is standard in all counties, it can vary in policy matters. For example if you are trying to divide your house into two flats and if there is a shortage of housing in your borough , the UDP will support additional homes, provided they are sensitive to the surrounding and meet other requirements like parking. The hammer finally falls at the planning officer’s supervisor or line manager’s desk. Even if your planning officer would recommend to his superior to pass the scheme, the manager’s white powdered wig might start glowing, when he or she sees the scheme. He or she may pick up on things, other departments would have overlooked. The conservation officer says yes, the fire safety officers says nothing to worry, the highways authority are fine with the parking arrangements….but, hold your horses, the manager sees that standing from the nice terrace that your architect designed for you, you are going to be overlooking into your neighbour’s garden- the Rottweiler is sunbathing again darling.

There is a fourth determinant that is wedged between these other aspects- one that is not technically part of the planning process.-Negotiation. A scheme that appears to contravene every rule in the UDP, annoy the entire street- an extension that is bound to have the neighbourhood dogs howling at it at night- still has a chance of being saved from the guillotine – only if your agent or architect armed with required rule-book familiarity and professional experience would call the planning officer and justify the need for the dormer to be the size it is , because dear planning officer the internal head heights are currently for hobbits , and also if need be negotiate a size that would appease the planner and see the scheme through. Planning officers are only concerned with the outside appearance of the scheme; they don’t really care if it’s a Dali temple on the inside. But they are not such a bad lot and will listen and most important of all will be prepared to accept amendments, that is if the architect offers any- to hand you the all important planning permission and if they fall in love with your scheme, beware they may invite themselves to that family barbeque on the new decking.