Making a ruin into something habitable.

[Liz]

This may be a bit of a pipe dream but not far from where I live there is a run down old house in the middle of the field. The roof sags a bit and there are no windows, but the location is wonderful with even better views than my present house if that's possible. Leaving aside the fact that I have no idea who owns it, - what things would I need to take into consideration when trying to make it habitable? And what sort of costs/timescales would I be thinking of - principles rather than actual costs. At the moment it's a one up one down with attached barn - standard peak district stuff. How would access be agreed with any neighbours whose land would need to be crossed?

Has anyone else done such a thing? I'm sure lots of you have.

Ideas for reference materials, websites, magazines, - anything please.

Many thanks

Liz

[Andy Dingley]

Lovely !

Basically it's a new build, but with simpler planning permission. BTDT, worked out very well.

There are a couple of pretty good self-build mags around these days (any big newsagent) and the whole process (especially mortgages) is much easier now than it was 10 years ago.

[Liz]

Oh brilliant, 2 excellent bits of advice already, thank you. I don't think there is an address, but I can give map coordinates so that shouldn't be a problem. In fact, I don't want to knock the thing down, and start afresh, I'd want it to look much as it does now, but with windows and a decent roof and to convert the barn into extra space. Very similar to the one I live in now.

Am straight off to the newsagents, the mags I've seen go into doing up i.e prettifying, rather than working out costings for access road, basic services. And getting a mortgage for paying for it. Am obviously looking in the wrong place. Thanks to you both.

Liz

[BigWallop]

It may be possible to build a timber frame within the existing skin of the property. But make sure you have permission to take service, i.e. Electric, Gas and Sewage, to and from the site. The service supply seems to be the most expensive part of this type of building project.

[Nick Finnigan]

In the National Park? The authorities don't want people to actually living there and ruining the views, you realize.

[Peter Crosland]

Planning permission that you have almost no chance whatsoever of getting particularly if it is in the National Park.

[Peter Crosland]

How long ago was that? Current guidance to planners is different.

[Andy Dingley]

OTOH, if it's "refurbishment" (as ours was) then you can do it, even in a particularly well-defended piece of green belt. Our starting point was a pair of cottages that had been empty and derelict for 20 years, with little more than the walls standing.

[Steve Firth]

The road part very much depends on how it is done. Gas will be a non-starter in remote parts of the Peak District. Towns were all converted to natural gas pretty quickly but outlying areas were never connected to any network and some of my relatives had oil-lamps even in the 1960s (having missed the era of gas lighting completely).

Most farmers approach to access roads has been not to bother. The bedrock is pretty close to the surface in many places so a few trips backwards and forwards in a Landie soon creates a usable trail. Only posh folk have tarmac drives and they don't actually last very long in the conditions. A better approach is possible to construct a rammed stone roadway.

[Dave Plowman]

Sounds like the ideal way to ruin its character. ;-)

[James Hart]

Just tell the farmer that access won't be a problem as you've enough room to land your helicopter so won't be needing to drive across his land, he might become a little more cooperative then.

[<nightjar>]

If you are re-building a ruin, it needs to be capable of carrying heavily laden lorries, possibly in bad weather.

I was only thinking of electricity and possibly water. I presume that drainage would be a septic tank and gas, if at all, would be bottled or in its own storage tank.

Colin Bignell

[IMM]

It is not a new build. A new build means demolishing the existing and building fresh. In a new build you get "all" the VAT back, but not in a renovation.

[IMM]

Only half the land in the UK is on this registry after nearly 80 years.

[IMM]

Best demolish and start again, as you end up with a house without damp, proper insulation levels and get your VAT back, which may be £30-40,000. A house can be say a timber frame clad in local stone. You may be able to use the stone of the existing house. If it is stone of course.

[IMM]

Demolishing an existing house and rebuilding to a similar local vernacular design is common.

[IMM]

It must already have access. It is a house.

[Andrew McKay]

Surely you meant Lear Jet? ;)

Andrew

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[Jim Ley]

So it would probably be cost effective to have it as a new build and not a renovation... a couple of days demolishing and skip hire against all that VAT...

Jim.

[Jim Ley]

No I don't think many people think the UK's planning laws make much sense, but I don't think the pro-reform is enough of an issue considering the opposition to anything that makes it easier to build new on greenfield sites from certain groups. So we're stuck with nothing happening.

Jim.