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September 2010
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- September 2010
Ensure You Insure
In these times of housing market stagnation the trend is now to improve rather than move to achieve that dream home, thus making the most of what we have and of course adding value to our properties. One of our first tasks is probably going to be rushing off to the nearest kitchen showroom or arranging a meeting with a builder or architect. We will be consumed by the thrill of our project and the prospect of a beautiful home and will no doubt be excited about its future value (see also What Could my property be Worth?). But how many of us at any point in proceedings will have actually considered insurance? Whether it's cover for major building works or the value of additional contents in the new extension, insurance is probably one of the first things we should be thinking about.
Did you know that the average British household has upward of £45,000 worth of contents, with living rooms and master bedrooms containing the most value? And don't forget that outside space too. Many of us will have items of furniture and ornaments in our gardens and our sheds could contain nearly £1000 worth of property - anything from tools, mowers and even bikes. Apparently a client of one insurance company had around £30,000 worth of shed contents!
It's therefore essential when making decisions on your policy that you don't just compare annual premiums, but also the level of cover provided and the sum insured. Not informing your provider of any structural or high-risk electrical work (in kitchens for example) could result in an invalidated policy. And research indicates that less than half of us have accidental damage cover included on our policies, something to bear in mind particularly if you intend to do the work yourself.
For more information and price comparisons on home insurance just click the link to moneysupermarket.com in our Who Can Help directory.
New Ideas for your Home?
Then look no further.... www.doineedplanningpermission.co.uk welcomes Metris, Tile Depot and Vertical Blinds Direct to the site.
Metris offer you beautiful solutions for your new kitchen. Their contemporary bespoke designs are made from finest quality materials from around the globe.
Tile Depot has a large range of wall and floor tiles sourced from all over the world bringing great quality at great prices.
Vertical Blind Direct specialise in superior quality ready made and made-to-measure vertical blinds at discounted prices.
For more information click on their links on our home page.
DoINeedPlanningPermission welcomes Jolly Log Cabins
We are delighted to welcome Jolly Log Cabins as our latest advertising partner.
Jolly Log Cabins offers a huge range of wooden buildings from sheds to summer houses and garages to pet homes. They are confident that you will find the building you are looking for and can discuss bespoke designs to fit your exact needs whether you want a log cabin for living in or a large commercial building for your business.
Click the link in the Who Can Help directory to find out more.
Fed up of waiting for work to come to you?
Who are We?
www.doineedplanningpermission.co.uk are specialists in the field of Planning and we provide an easy to use and highly informative website aimed at the householder. We help unravel the complexities of the planning system and point customers in the direction of companies and advisors who can help make their dream of an improved home a reality.
How does the Site Work?
One of the key strengths of the site is its simplicity.
- Pictorial links on the home page as well as a drop down menu bar
- Straightforward planning and building regulation information under each topic
- How to apply for planning permission and what to do if the application is refused
- Directory of relevant consultants, contractors and suppliers who can assist
- Latest news and information for homeowners
- Blogs and forums
What are the Benefits to your Business?
- Listing on our site directory with a link to your website
- Listing on the specialist web pages most relevant to your business
- Post code defined area of search
- National exposure of our website in home improvement magazines and online (Real Homes June 2010 and Homebuilding and Renovating online directory)
- Homepage feature article welcoming you to our website
- Experienced web site manager and website optimisation
- Client follow up and communication
- Active marketing strategy
- Competitive advertising rates of less than £1 per day
How much will it Cost?
- 3 month package - £90 (£30 per month)
- 6 month package - £150 (£25 per month)
- 12 month package - £240 (£20 per month)
- Pay for any of the advertising packages in advance and receive a 10% discount
Where can You go from Here?
Browse our site and if you have any further questions about our business or advertising packages you can get in touch at contact@doineedplanningpermission.co.uk
How to Fight Back when it comes to Household Fuel Bills
A sure way to end light-hearted conversation is to mention household fuel bills and their meteoric rise over the past seven years. According to the comparison website moneysupermarket.com household bills have doubled since 2003. Fuel poverty is a real issue amongst the vulnerable and occurs when more than 10% of household income is dedicated to paying fuel bills. However, with a degree of guile and imagination, we can do our best to reduce our energy consumption in the following ways:-
- Be savvy and search out competitive deals from other suppliers. There is nothing a service supplier likes more than a customer who is compliant and loyal to them. One thing I have begun to recognise in life is that there is little personal gain in being a loyal customer. Make your supplier be it your telephone provider or utility supplier work for their money and above all, take the time to search out more competitive deals. Also, avoid being caught in the trap of thinking that you have to stay with a supplier for a certain period of time. You can in some circumstances, change supplier after as little as 6 weeks for example but do check that the tariff you are on does not incur any penalties for doing this. I changed my dual fuel supplier last year and was rewarded with a more competitive tariff and Nectar bonus points which paid for my turkey!
- Be Proactive and submit your meter readings. Again, we are all too comfortable in paying estimated bills which falls right into the hands of the utility supplier. If your gas and electricity meters are not regularly read, estimated readings mean that you could be paying more for gas or electricity than you actually use. More importantly, if you do not submit your own meter readings, you will not be entitled to a refund should you find you have overpaid.
- Take the exercise and switch your appliance off at the plug. It is something we all do with unerring regularity and will ultimately cost us in the long run. Leaving appliance on standby is a real no no and can cost us up to £10 per month per appliance.
- Invest in Mastic and Foam. If you feel a draught, that will often indicate a potential heat loss source. In this case, try if possible to seal any gaps by either using mastic or expandable foam. By doing so, you would not only reduce the draughts but also your carbon footprint by approximately 15-20%!
- Get those Curtains lined or shutters ordered. Sadly windows are one of the most efficient ways of losing heat from your property. This is a real issue if you live in a listed property with single pane windows and the potential to have them replaced not possible on historic building grounds.
- Last but not least, wrap up warm and turn that thermostatic control down by 1 or 2 degrees.
If you have imaginative ways of reducing your fuel bills, we look forward to hearing them in the comments below.
Leylandii - The Modern Scurge of Britain
I read with incredulity of the man who refuses to cut down the Leylandii trees within his front garden. I am sure many of you gasped in horror at the pictures of the suburban street in Plymouth which show Leylandii that had overrun the front garden and engulfed the house plunging it into darkness. You can only feel deep compassion for the neighbours who have to put up with what can only be described as urban warfare.
If you are experiencing difficult neighbours who are not prepared to cut back their Leylandii, what can you do about it? The rights with reference to overhanging branches will apply, but if you cannot come to an amicable arrangement with the neighbour then I am afraid to say, the Council cannot help you.
Civil law allows you to remove any overhanging branches that overhang your property back to the actual boundary line, ie projected up into the airspace over the line. This can technically be done without informing or gaining permission from the neighbour, but it is always much better to at least inform them. Technically the wood removed is owned by the owner of the tree. Therefore it should be offered or returned to that owner. If the tree is protected by any of the means listed in the first question then the appropriate pre-permission will need to be obtained.
Alleged blocking of light to the house or garden is a separate situation and there are complex legal issues involved. Consequently if an amicable discussion or agreement between the parties does not resolve the problem then consult a solicitor.
Leylandii is basically not a tree but a hedge and will not be protected. Leylandii will never be covered by a Tree Preservation Order. There is a self-help pressure group active in the area as part of a national lobby for the introduction of legislative control of Leylandii, who might advise you on the legal opportunities. In order to find out more, why not visit the Hedgeline website.
A Head Start When it comes to Working Out an Extension Cost
When it comes to adding an extension to our homes, do we really have any idea what the work is going to cost? In most cases, the traditional tried and tested route is to get a minimum of 3 quotes from local builders and compare quotes. Human nature will mean that we will tend to go with the cheapest or indeed the builder who we feel we can do business with. Certainly, there is no harm in this approach and one we all feel comfortable in using. However, before we even get to that stage, we need to have some idea as to likely costs, otherwise, we are raising our own hope value only to be dashed at the quotation stage when we find out that the extension is a project too far. In order to help get you started, we at do I need planning permission.co.uk have created an extension cost calculator. Whilst fairly crude, it will give you some kind of idea as to the potential costs of having that extension or alteration undertaken.
The calculator is extremely simple (and can be found on the home page) to use and all you need to know really is how big you wish the extension to be and whether you want to finish it with either a flat or pitched roof.
As you will appreciate, the costs do not include fitting out costs as ultimately, the decision as to specification boils down to individual taste. The calculation doesn't include any likely fees and assumes that the extension is built on flat land and doesn't include any potential ground remediation work and doesn't allow for regional differences in cost.
We hope that you will find the calculator useful and look forward to hearing any comments you may have about it.
When it comes to home improvement, love thy neighbour
A belligerent neighbour whose sole objective is to make your life as miserable as his own is a sad tale that many of us can relate to. To add further salt to those wounds, any bridges of reconciliation were burnt years ago with little to no hope of making up. However, at times, we have to swallow that bitter pill, bite our tongue and go that extra yard to “love thy neighbour” as who knows when you may need their support.
When it comes to home improvements, to have a neighbour who accepts your grand expansionist plans for a two- storey extension hard up against the common boundary for example is a case in point. Their support can save you money and angst in the long run. In most cases, many of the common projects we carry out will not need planning permission which means that the local authority will not be required to consult with your neighbour over the said project. From our own experience, we would recommend that for the sake of common courtesy, you let all your adjoining neighbours know of your future intentions to carry out works. Again, by having their support, life can be so much easier when it comes to executing the work. For example, you may live on a busy street with limited parking meaning that you may have to park a builder's van on a neighbouring drive in order to allow materials to be stored on your driveway.
If you require planning permission, your neighbours will be consulted by the local authority and at that point, will have the formal chance to either support or object to your proposals. Again, for the reasons set out above, it helps to talk in advance and hopefully, head off problems saving you time, money and any relationship you have with them.
For those projects which are likely to affect your neighbour, the Party Wall Act 1996 governs the alteration of any shared structures, access for undertaking work, hours permitted for this and responsibility for repairing any damage. You must serve notice to all owners affected- both freehold and leasehold- two months in advance, ideally by hand with an independent witness or by recorded delivery. Include full details and preferably, a set of plans. If they fail to respond within 14 days or refuse consent, you are in dispute and must pay for a surveyor to negotiate a party wall agreement. You can share the same surveyor, but your neighbours have the right to appoint their own independent surveyor at your own expense. They don't come cheap and a typical party wall agreement will cost approximately £700 per neighbour.
It is also worth checking the property deeds to see if there are any restrictive covenants in place to prevent further development of your property without the consent of any beneficiaries. These apply to most ex-local authority properties and to many homes built on estates.
When your neighbour decides to play his music loud or has a dog that fails to stop barking, remember that home improvement. Please let us know if you have had similar experiences, using the comments below.
How has Garden Grabbing affected you?
The Government recently announced changes to the planning system with the intention of reducing the infilling and development of existing back gardens, often referred to in the media as garden grabbing.
For residents and environmental groups the changes have been warmly welcomed and predictably, the House Builders' Federation has called the changes unnecessary. The Government sees itself responding to a clear and present danger that has seen nearly a quarter of new houses built on gardens over the past 10 years.
Whilst it is still early to see the full effect of these changes, one possible fall-out from all of this is added pressure to build on existing Greenfield sites and settlement boundaries. We look forward to hearing your views on the subject.
Sales of solar panels go through the roof in August
For many, August will be remembered as the month of record low temperatures and leaden grey skies. Paradoxically, for solar panel installers, it was their brightest month ever with record sales to households according to the energy regulator Ofgen. The success is largely down to a government scheme that rewards households who generate their own energy.
The feed-in tariff system enables households to receive 41.3p for every unit of energy they generate regardless of whether they use the energy or sell it to the National Grid. After the panels are installed, the tariff is paid for 25 years and increases in line with inflation.
According to the Energy Savings Trust, solar panels cost between £6,000 and £12,000 to buy and install depending on their size. The Trust calculates that a typical installation could generate about £700 a year from the feed-in tariff as well as saving the householder about £100 a year on energy bills. In addition to this, people could make about £25-£30 through selling unused energy back to the National Grid.
With energy prices expected to go through the roof, such an investment backed by government funding may well be worth considering. If you have installed solar panels or have taken advantage of the feed-in tariff system, please let us know your opinion.
