Archived Entries
December 2008
Unprecedented Activity in the Home Improvement Market
Now that the planning rules have been relaxed making it easier to alter our properties, the nation has taken real advantage. According to recent survey results, it would appear that 20% of us want to convert our loft with 33% of us thinking that loft conversions will add the most value to our property while 17% of people thinking that kitchens are the best room to extend.
2009 Welcomes an Interactive Forum to doineedplanningpermission.co.uk
In our quest to become one of the most innovative and informative planning and home improvement websites, we will shortly be launching a forum where we will be actively encouraging and seeking your opinion on all matters to do with improving your home. Be it a good or bad experience, we would welcome your views.
Update: The new interactive forums are now available in the Forums section.
Little Cheer in the Property Market
This week, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) issued another grim forecast for the property market. In its opinion, it predicts that house prices will probably fall by a further 10% during 2009. To put this in context, it would represent an eventual price drop of 25% from the peak experienced in the summer of 2007. Whilst the number of property sales may have bottomed out and could rise by 10% in 2009, the flow of mortgage funding appears to be the biggest obstacle to property price stability.
Coupled with grim economic news, all the signs point to a further decline in property prices in 2009.
We don't have to look very far to appreciate that the construction industry is always one of the first businesses to bear the brunt of any economic downturn. Simply look at those sites under construction and count how many dwellings are currently being built. In some instances, major construction firms are simply building to order. The RICS suggest that new housing starts will plunge from their already depressed level of 110,000 this year to 80,000 in 2009 which is a country mile away from the government's own target of building 2 million new homes by 2016.
The purpose of the Sustainable Communities Strategy is to address the chronic shortfall of housing stock in those areas where demand outstrip supply. The consequence of an under supply of housing is that prices rise disproportionately to earnings and we end up in the current malaise. Whilst the aim of the strategy is welcomed, our construction industry is exposed to market forces which will dictate the rate of build. Hence the target of 2 million being built by 2016 is as likely as snow in Dubai.
The bad news doesn't finish there I am afraid. The RICS warns that if the economic recession turns out to be deeper and longer than expected, and if unemployment rises to the 3 million level, it is likely that house prices will fall even more than the current 25% prediction.
Whilst a further fall in interest rates is predicted, this in its own right can do little to improve consumer confidence. The government has a responsibility to the property sector by aiding banks in order that they may start lending again on less restrictive terms than at present. If introduced, these measures may prove too little too late for the beleaguered property selling profession. As liked as much as completing an income tax return, the plethora of estate agents has become a staple of any high street. Their demise together with that of many brand names synonymous with shopping will have a profound impact upon the vitality and viability of many traditional high streets. That is for another day....
The future is grim as we know it.
There is more to heating than simply panels
Are you looking for an effective way to keep your home warm? The answer could be right beneath you...
Talk to any interior designer and it is without doubt that if they could have their own way, conventional radiators would be consigned to the science museum. Yes, they can be considered ugly given the blank panels hanging from walls but also the pipework that feeds them is a eyesore. When compared to underfloor heating, a properly laid system can provide consistent warmth as opposed to the hot and cold spots of conventional radiators and free walls from clutter.
Whilst some systems use electric-powered underfloor heating, this tends to be energy hungry and in these days of high energy prices, can equate to expense. Instead, the reality of underfloor heating is that it is likely to be a wet system of pipes filled with circulating hot water.
Yes, you have guessed it; it works very much on the same principle of a conventional heating system with pipes buried in a solid floor or between the joists of a suspended timber floor.
The system is very much favoured by green builders who use it for its energy saving potential. Underfloor heating works by creating a giant radiator from the floor. This has the effect of warming you directly rather than the air around you for which I am reliably informed means it can run on lower temperatures.
When compared to underfloor heating, radiators work on the principle of giving off only around 20% of their heat by radiation, the rest by convection. The hot air rises from the radiator then flowing across the room and drawing up cool air in its wake. Not only is this extremely inefficient with the warmth located invariably at ceiling level but it also means that the temperature of the water in the system has to be much higher. It is believed that the water temperature has to be in the region of 80 Degrees C as opposed to 45-55 Degrees C. Moreover, if your room only has one panel, think that single panel has to heat the entire room...
The benefits of underfloor heating include its ability to run off any type of boiler, and that it can be bolted onto any existing central heating system. For most of us, the last thing we really want to be doing is lift existing floor slabs. However, if you are considering an extension or converting your loft, why not install this type of system?
Additionally, it runs at low temperatures making it an ideal for renewable energy sources such as solar panels or ground source heating, which are unable to provide water at high enough temperatures for traditional heating systems.
Whilst the benefits of underfloor heating cannot be denied, the system has drawbacks and these are largely to do with installation and the flooring beneath which you wish to install it. Should you wish to choose this form of system, you will need to compliment it with high levels of insulation at floor level. Additionally, if your floorboards are prone to warping or shrinking, this may also affect the efficiency of the system. Some say that underfloor heating is best avoided beneath timber flooring and others believe that if the floor is properly seasoned, there should be no issue.
When considering any alteration work, there is more to heating than simply panels...
Beat the Housing Market - Build an Extension
The dark, cold days of winter are here. You'd like to move house but the market is at a standstill, and you can't get a mortgage for love or money. Perhaps the best course is to improve what you've got - convert the loft, build and extension, go in for some green energy generation or put up that summerhouse in the garden.
But aren't we talking hassle here? Wouldn't we need planning permission, and neighbours will probably object. The answer to which is POSSIBLY NOT. You can do a lot without planning permission. The limits are set out in the Government's snappily titled General Permitted Development Order. This has just been revised to "make it a whole lot easier to improve your home" (Caroline Flint - Housing and Planning Minister). But minister's claims are rarely matched by reality and Council planners are finding the new rules more difficult to interpret than the old ones. Previous limits for house extensions were 50m³ or 10% for terraces (70m³ or 15% for other houses), up to a maximum of 115m³. Now, if you want a rear or side extension the limit, in most cases is 50% of the open land around the "original" house, i.e. garden.
This seems clear but, as usual, the devil is in the detail. There are what Ms. Flint calls "carefully calculated size limits" to ensure what you do "strikes the right balance between the interests of homeowners and their neighbours". So don't get too excited at the prospect of doubling the size of your house, there are many limitations. An extension may not:
- Be higher than the existing house or extend more than 4 metres beyond the rear wall of a detached house (3 metres for others).
- Exceed 4 metres in height if single storey (7 metres if more than 1 storey) or extend more than 3 metres beyond the rear wall if more than one storey high.
- Come within 2 metres of the boundary of the "curtilage" of the house (usually taken to be the garden) where the height of the eaves exceeds 3 metres;
- Extend beyond the side wall of the house if it is more than 4 metres high, more than one storey or is more than half as wide as the original dwelling house;
- Involve or include a veranda, balcony or raised platform; etc.
So it is dead easy to work out whether you need planning permission isn't it? Or perhaps not!
Lots of other changes and additions are also permitted. You can add a porch, microwave antenna, solar panels, ground source heat pumps; convert the loft; or build a greenhouse, detached garage, summerhouse, swimming pool, or tennis court in the garden, or anything else "incidental to the enjoyment of a dwellinghouse" without planning permission. But these are also subject to limitations.
The householder is on the horns of a dilemma. You want to do something to your house or in the garden, but don't want the expense and delay involved in getting planning permission. You need to be sure your proposal is "permitted" before you proceed. Get it wrong and the Council could take enforcement action for breach of planning control. You risk having to apply for retrospective permission. At worst you may have to take down what you put up. How can you find out if permission is needed? Your local council may offer advice but will often charge for this service. Or there is an interactive guide on the "planningportal" website under "houseguide", but it isn't easy. Best of luck!
-- George Crutcher MRTPI - Planning Consultant tel. no. 07797 070992
