1. Damp

Rising damp can be difficult to treat in a listed property. In the 1900’s, building in the UK involved bricks and water with single leaf solid walls. Bricks are absorbent materials that slowly absorb humidity and water whenever exposed to them. The single leaf solid walls comprised of one layer of bricks that separated the indoors from the outdoors but were greatly these were affected by capillarity.
Despite any strong materials used in a structure, dampness when identified in buildings requires urgent attention. If ignored, the structural integrity and strength of the building gets compromised overtime. You’ll need to get proper advice from a specialist experienced in older properties. Damp in listed properties is normally identified by the following:

• Decay in timbers in contact with wet masonry
• Deterioration of the external fabric of the wall due to freezing and thawing
• Accumulation and movement of salts and other chemicals within the walls thus causing wall stains
• Growth of molds on the inside surfaces of walls
• Corrosion of metals with the wall

2. Ground settlement/ subsidence

Subsidence is when the ground beneath a property sinks, pulling the property’s foundations down with it. This causes the walls and floors to shift, leading to cracks and potentially destabilizing the construction of the property. This can be caused by:

• Leaking old drains beneath the property which weakens the soil strength
• Poor soil properties within its foundation e.g clay
• Growth of tree roots beneath the property foundation
• Ground vibrations/ earth quakes

4. Energy Efficiency

There are restrictions to buying or renovating a heritage property which limits its energy efficiency. This is due to the close monitoring by the municipal councils who aim at having the property upgrade compatible and complementary to the original design or existing system.
Any new design additives/amenities should not alter the story behind the heritage property and must be fully compatible to the existing system. With regards to energy installations or upgrades, this doesn’t give room for applying the modern energy options during renovations thus limiting energy efficiency within the property. Also, by the laws set, refurbishing these old historic buildings majorly deals with repairing

Secrets For Successful Open-Plan Living

Airy, spacious and versatile, open-plan living is a popular design choice for the modern home, but a successful scheme requires careful planning. We’ve rounded up the best-kept design secrets to help you transform a large empty room into a warm and welcoming sociable hub for the whole family. You might want to take notes…

Celebrate structural features

If your open-plan space has characterful features like exposed beams or support columns, don’t try to disguise them. Instead, let these architectural quirks enhance your scheme for a completely unique interior. In this barn conversion, characterful woodwork and an original brick hearth frame a charming country-style living space.

Conceal your kitchen

For a sleek open-plan space, make the kitchen area as unobtrusive as possible with clever design and coherent finishes. Here, the kitchen units run along the back wall and are raised off the floor. The unit fronts are simple, contemporary and handleless, plus they fit in with the scheme’s brown tonal palette. When not in use, this kitchen has the air of a smart sideboard at the edge of the dining space.

Add a double-sided fireplace

Try to give each distinct area of your room its own focal point. In the kitchen, it could be the island unit or the range cooker. In the dining space it might be a dramatic pendant light. In the living area, a fireplace is ideal. Here, a fireplace has been built into a small partition wall between the dining and living space. And, if you thought you needed a chimney for a fireplace, think again: the latest bio-ethanol fires don’t require a flue and can be placed anywhere.

Wave goodbye to walls

Low ceilings and exposed brick walls would have once made this cottage feel cramped and confined, but now they’re characterful features in an airy open-plan space. Knocking out walls in older buildings can give once-poky rooms a new lease of life. An architect will have more ideas about possible layouts, so get expert advice before you start.

Streamline appliances

When your kitchen is part of a larger living space, it’s regularly on show to visitors. It’s not ideal if guests can see your socks spinning around in your washing machine, and you don’t want your white goods to make such a din that you can’t hear the TV, either. Go for integrated machines that can be hidden behind cupboard doors and buy the quietest possible models. Integrated fridges, freezers and dishwashers will also make your kitchen look sleeker.

Shake up ceiling heights

If you’re extending to create your open-plan space, think about varying the ceiling heights to help to define the different zones in the room. Here, the living zone sits under a low-level ceiling which makes the seating area feel cosy, especially with the log-burning stove. A large chandelier draws the eye up to the impressive double-height ceiling and a piano makes good use of the open acoustics.

Step it up

Creating a split-level floor in your open-plan space will help to discreetly zone off different areas. Here, a small step takes you up to the light-filled living area. Meanwhile, a step down could be used as a transition into a cosy snug or a more formal dining space.

Plan snug zones

Without careful styling, an open-plan room can feel cold and impersonal. To avoid this, subtly zone each portion of the room to create intimate spaces within the larger area. A breakfast bar, for example, can separate the kitchen, pendant lighting over the table will define the dining area, while seating, as shown here, is gently anchored by a soft rug.

Plump for a partition

In a studio flat or small open-plan space, a half-wall can work well to screen off the kitchen from the rest of the room without blocking out any light. A neat little breakfast bar has been made from one side of this wall, while the other side supports the TV, which faces out into a cosy living area.

• I’ll be limited to what you I change to the property!
• I won’t be the only one involved in the renovation process. The authorities might make this harder!
• How costly will it be keeping the home up to date?
• Better yet, I’ll own a little piece of history. But this doesn’t feel enough to take the risk!

2. Maintenance costs

Maintenance of heritage properties can mean to be costly depending on the materials used in it and time of existence. The older a heritage building, the higher its maintenance costs. It is a key maintenance factor that mainly repairs be done not replacements when it comes to renovations and restorations of heritage buildings. Accessing some of these materials increases costs due to their scarcity in the market and need for experts/specialists during the building’s old system repairs. Therefore, you need to consider advice from heritage property specialists before purchasing one. Also, in many cases, any property changes and renovations to a heritage property must be approved by a committee.

3. Location

The location of a building in question plays a bog role to whether one should or should not buy a specific heritage property. Homes in conservation areas require planning permission for works where permission would not normally be needed, such as for demolition. A conservation area is one of special architectural or historic interest, the character of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance. You will also need to give notice to the local authority before carrying out any works to trees on your property.

4. Confirm Approval of previous works

For any works to be done on a heritage property, consent must be granted by the necessary authorities. If unauthorized works had previously been undertaken on the property, there is a risk that you, being a buyer might be required to restore the property to its original condition.

One can however apply for consent retrospectively, but its not a guaranteed option in approval. In these circumstances, your solicitor may suggest asking the seller to apply for permission or suggest that you seek a price reduction.

1. Developing and reviewing the project plan step by step

Most building contractors will meet with you to go over the construction schedule and break down all of the costs, a practice that London Building Contractors takes very seriously. This is a great opportunity to save! Sometimes, contractors will assume you want things you do not, and you can often find elements of the project that you can do yourself or put off until later, when you have more money on hand.

2. Take a Do-It-Yourself Approach

Secondly, you can take the DIY approach, whether you are highly skilled or just handy, you can take up some tasks on your construction which are not mundane and require skilled knowledge and do it yourself. Some tasks that you can take up include painting, decking and fencing, minor landscaping etc. This helps save money on labor cost.

3. Go Eco-Friendly

Fresh homeowners must consider energy-efficient LED bulbs throughout their building project which would help in lowering your energy costs. Compared to older bulb types, LEDs typically utilize between 70 and 80 percent less power. They can be used outside the home as well. Your patio may be illuminated with LED string lights and lanterns while using less energy overall.

Installing smart sprinklers is another way we advise homeowners to save money while making summertime home improvements. London Building Contractors always advise homeowners to get a sprinkler system which waters your yard precisely and irrigates your lawn effectively while minimizing water wastage by using weather information and preset lawn knowledge.

4. Repurpose materials

You may stretch your budget further by repurposing used construction materials. Why not try using materials you already have in good condition in your current project?

Any supplies left over from your completed areas of a job should likewise be repurposed to satisfy other needs on the site. The opportunity to match future projects with objects in your current home is a significant benefit of conserving unneeded resources. For instance, you might want to use the same tile from your other bathrooms at the initial stage to remodel a bathroom at some point. Stored leftover products might just end up saving you from price increment or the possibility of shortage in supply in future.

5. Choose contractors carefully

Professional help in construction projects is key to having some peace of mind and knowing you have someone you can trust is on top of the case for your new home. Taking into consideration how expensive construction projects and renovations are, it is really crucial to choose the right contractor. A professional contractor is well worth the investment because they can manage all the moving pieces of the construction and help you budget for all the important expenses.

A good contractor is also able to manage wastage and can help purchase quality material for your building construction or renovation. This helps save money and prevent any form of try and error or future disasters. A quick tip on where to look for contractors is London Building Contractors, which is one of the leading turnkey solution providers in West London. While working on commercial and residential projects, we have developed excellent relationships with a variety of institutions, Diplomatic Missions, house owners, landlords, and many others by providing full turnkey solutions at every step of the project.