Tightening of the Green Grants

Home renovators are choosing renewable technologies over green grants since the government have made it harder to obtain the grants. Thus where the Government Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP) was going to be used up by 2008, it’s set to last another 15 years according to Labour MP Lynne Jones.

Last financial year, the grants were so popular that they were used up halfway through the year; more money was allocated on a monthly basis, but then used up in the first few minutes of being released. The scheme was suspended in March and relaunched in May, with the maximum funding from £15,000 to £2,500 per home. As a result, few homeowners can now be bothered to apply.

source: Homebuilding and renovations

Going Green News

Terraced houses being renovated

Victorian terraces in danger of demolition under the government’s controversial regeneration programme are being given a new lease of life by developers hoping to bring ‘loft style’ living to the suburbs.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott’s ‘Pathfinder’ scheme will see 10,000 homes in the Midlands and north of England flattened by 2006, with more facing demolition after that. But a housing association, Adactus, has pioneered what it dubs the ‘Tardis terrace’ - a reworking of the cramped two-up two-down - which it hopes will keep the wrecking ball at bay by attracting more people to depopulated areas with dilapidated housing stocks.

‘We’ve had a problem with terraces in the north - people think they’re small, dark and ugly,’ admits Adactus chief executive Paul Lees. ‘We’ve got to accept that they’re not family houses anymore. People want more space.’

The conversion of the terraces is innovative. Part of the first floor is removed, leaving an airy double-height living space, overlooked by an open-plan bedroom and lit by a skylight in the roof. A newly fitted kitchen is at the front, with a snug, second bedroom and patio at the rear.

Contemporary-themed interiors are geared towards singletons and childless couples, but the company says some over-60s were among those queuing down the street to view the four pilot houses in Preston that were completed last month.

Adactus plans to expand the ‘Tardis terrace’ blueprint. It has recently won planning permission to convert a row of seven houses in Nelson, East Lancashire, creating five larger houses with eco-friendly features such as solar panelling and windmill-powered external lights.

A further six houses are planned for Manchester’s troubled Moss Side district, and proposals have been made to renovate 25 houses in both northern Manchester and in Bootle near Liverpool. The company is also looking at other areas of Liverpool and Lancaster.

Half the houses at each scheme will be available to buy at around £75,000; the rest will be for rent at £55 a week. Shared-ownership options will be available. ‘People buying will hopefully have some commitment to the area,’ says Lees. ‘And those renting have to have a demonstrable housing need.’

Whether the rundown areas surrounding the new terraces will put off buyers remains to be seen; successful regeneration depends more on local social and economic issues than snazzy interiors. But it is likely that ‘Tardis terrace’ residents will be well-behaved: Adactus was the first housing association to pilot what became the anti-social behaviour order.

Adactus already owns some of the terraces it plans to convert; others it will buy from local councils for £15,000-£30,000 each. It says refurbishing a ‘Tardis terrace’ costs £45,000, compared with the cost of demolishing 10 terraced houses and rebuilding five new homes at £95,000 per unit.

Developer Urban Splash also has an innovative take on the terrace. It has won permission to convert 349 houses in Langworthy, Salford. The area, once featured in the opening shots of Coronation Street, was once called a ‘place of hopelessness and despair’ by Hazel Blears, MP for Salford.

But, through Blears’s encouragement, Urban Splash hopes to breathe life back into the area by attracting young professionals who are priced out of the city-centre market. The new-design terraced houses will have the same facades, but the inside is reversed: bedrooms will be downstairs and living space above. Alleyways and outbuildings will make way for communal gardens.

Prices for the houses will be around £100,000. ‘In London [such properties] are called mews and sell for half a million,’ says a spokesperson, adding that the site for the houses was chosen with care. ‘It doesn’t necessarily transpire that it will work in other areas. It depends on the condition of the housing and infrastructure.’

In light of such schemes, John Prescott’s Housing Market Renewal Pathfinders policy has come under fire. Some have claimed that it puts 400,000 houses - some ripe for renovation - at risk of demolition.

In May, ITV’s Tonight with Trevor McDonald challenged Prescott’s plans by refurbishing a terraced house in Liverpool at the cost of £24,000. The property’s value rose from £15,000 to £60,000 - and could have fetched up to £80,000 if neighbouring houses received similar treatment.

A government spokesman claims that only 10,000 homes will be demolished in the first stage of the programme, against 20,000 to be refurbished. ‘Refurbishing homes is a key part of the programme [but] there will be instances where it is not always economically viable to refurbish, where the house condition is too poor or where refurbishment has been tried but failed.’

Jonathan Ellis, CEO of the Empty Homes Agency, is not convinced: ‘We’re becoming concerned that demolition is becoming the default option. You cannot rescue every property, but each case has to be argued.’

Michael Chambers, head of policy at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, cautions that local infrastructure is key to regeneration: ‘People aren’t going to live in these areas if there’s not a decent school. Unless you can regenerate the local economy, the housing will stay empty.’

Rics says there is a shortfall in specialist skills in the property and construction industries needed to restore Victorian terraces.

· www.adactus-group.com (0161 872 7731); http://www.urbansplash.co.uk (07000 37 37 37)

source: Guardian

builders News planning

New design for Renovation Central

Renovation Central has grown up. It’s moved from my ramblings and rants to a solid and ever growing source for all you home renovators. So it seemed the right time to have a face life and organise the content so it’s easier to find. I would love to hear your comments and thoughts and any suggestions you may have to make this site better for you.

News

News - Rising house prices force owners into their lofts

Rising house prices and increased stamp duty have made life very difficult for anyone who wants to own a bigger home. So if moving house is ruled out and there’s no room for an extension, then moving up may be the option you’re looking for.

Research by GE Money Home Lending shows that loft conversions add value of your home: anything from £22,000 to £45,000, depending on where you live.

But how do you go about it? The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) says converting loft space typically takes about 12 weeks, with disruption kept to a minimum until the builders break through to build the new stairs.

And the Loft Shop, a chain of loft accessories showrooms, calculates the cost of a conversion at anything from £16,000 for a one-room extension to £40,000 for two bedrooms and a bathroom.

A stand-up idea
The first thing to do when considering a loft conversion is to stand up, according to John Longworth, managing director of loft specialist Sashtec. He advises checking that you can stand upright at your loft’s highest point, as this needs to be at least 2.3m high to comply with current planning requirements.

If you can stand up and are keen to go ahead, you need to apply for planning consent and building control approval from your local authority, both of which will incur a fee. This will vary depending on the size of the project and your particular authority. Contact your local authority or consult the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).

Currently, most loft conversions come under what is called permitted development, which means you don’t have to go through the more lengthy formal planning application process a new building is subject to. However, a government white paper on planning published in May could potentially mean big changes in this area.

The government claims the white paper reforms will mean a simpler and quicker application and appeal processes. However, Brian Berry, external affairs director at the FMB, advises those currently considering a loft conversion to “get on and do it quickly,” as the changes may actually make the process more difficult.

He adds that if the proposals do become a reality, homeowners in built-up areas may have to go through the more traditional planning process, which can take up to eight weeks, rather than qualifying for permitted development.

“It could mean that 90% of planning applications would need to go through the planning application process,” says Berry.

“Last year, 126,000 loft conversions were allowed under permitted development in the UK. If the majority of these need to go through the planning application process there would be an avalanche of applications to local authorities.”

Although the proposed changes are subject to consultation until mid-August, it’s worth checking on their progress with your local authority before embarking on your loft conversion.

Permission granted
Once you have permission you can get on with the work. Finding the right professionals for the job will save a lot of time, money and hassle. An architect will manage the whole project from planning and design to selecting a builder and supervising the work. The Loft Shop says you should expect fees ranging from £1,500 to £3,000, in addition to building and material costs.

Alternatively, you could get a builder who specialises in loft conversions. The FMB advises homeowners to get at least three quotes before starting any work.

Funding for your loft conversion shouldn’t be a problem, especially if your property has increased in value and you have equity in it. Many mortgage lenders are prepared to provide loans for home improvements, which are added to the mortgage, or let you release equity by remortgaging.

James Cotton, mortgage specialist at broker London & Country Mortgages, says mortgage rates are lower than personal loan and credit-card rates, but warns that the debt will usually be spread over a longer period of time. This means you will ultimately pay more in interest.

Cotton suggests personal loans are suitable for smaller jobs, but for more substantial projects a flexible mortgage may be the answer. These allow you to withdraw funds as and when you need them.

Going green
A loft extension could also boost your green credentials, which means you might be able to turn to a specialist to help raise funds to pay for the work.

Jenny Irwin, from the Ecology Building Society, says: “We want to encourage borrowers to use existing resources to meet their needs, and this is why we lend for renovations and conversions - we see it as a form of recycling.”

Whatever work you get done, you will need to inform your mortgage lender and insurer; adding an extra room to your property could result in a higher buildings insurance premium. Failing to do so is inadvisable, as Vicky Emmott from Halifax Home Insurance warns: “If you make any changes to your property and don’t tell your insurer, you could invalidate your home insurance policy.”

A loft conversion could help you sidestep the property ladder, add value to your home, and ease your ethical conscience - but only if you take the time to do things properly.

source: Times

Going Green News planning

News - Parents’ DIY skills boost house prices

British parents have used their Renovation skills to add £33bn to the value of their children’s homes over the past five years, a survey claimed today.

Mums and dads have donated an average of eight days’ labour to their offspring since 2001, with 30% of those questioned admitting they would ask their parents for help to avoid paying for work to be done, Halifax Home Insurance said.

The company said that as a nation parents had donated 167m days in total, saving their children £14bn in labour costs.

Parents were most likely to get a call from offspring aged between 18-24, with 84% of that group saying they had drafted in their mums and dads to help with home improvements in the past five years.

Perhaps surprisingly, one in five 55-64-year-olds said they had turned to their mum or dad for assistance.

Almost half (43%) of those surveyed said they asked their families to help because they didn’t have the skills to do the work themselves, a figure that increased to 53% among 18-35-year-olds.

Only 31% of this age group rated their renovation skills as being better than their parents’, compared with 42% of 35-54-year-olds and 63% of over 55s.

Despite a lack of skills being revealed as the top reason for people to bring in their mum and dad, most of the jobs they gave them were pretty straightforward.

The top parental task was painting and wallpapering, followed by gardening, general renovation and building furniture.

On average these jobs added £2,390 to the value of the property, or a total of £33.4bn across the nation as a whole, the insurer said.

Martyn Foulds, senior claims manager at Halifax Home Insurance, said: “It’s no secret that, if done well, even basic cosmetic tasks such as redecorating can add significant value to a property.

“It would be great to see more young people taking an interest in renovation as their parents won’t always be able to help them out. Being able to complete even simple tasks alone can save money.”
source: Guardian

News

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