How much does it cost this country to put in disabled facilities in new builds?

latecomer

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

I think you'll find that won't meet Building Regs Part M either - AIUI in new build there has to be a ramp or level access to the main floor.

Its not a new build, just an extension.

PasturesNew

How come new builds are all so small then? Many now don't even have a bathroon, just a shower. There'd be no room for a disabled person to even do a 360 degree turn on the spot in many places. And - a lot of these flats we see converted on Homes Under the Hammer type programmes too.

iamcornholio

PasturesNew wrote: »

There'd be no room for a disabled person to even do a 360 degree turn on the spot in many places.

Believe it or not, you don't have to be in a wheelchair to be disabled

iamcornholio

Hintza wrote: »

Sorry this is a rant.

We have just had a 45 point list back from building control for things that need sorted prior to commencing the build. Most are fiarly reasonable. Some are just plain jobsworth and pointless

But the ones that are getting me are the added provisions for some ficticious disabled person

It's going to cost a fortune to sort out and the budget is as tight as gnat's chuff before we even start.

This is also a rant

You are not the only person in the UK who is building a house.

The whole point of the building regulations is to set a standard, a minimum requirement which is deemed acceptable to the general population.

Why should the regulations be relaxed for you, just because you are on a budget, and not for some large developer knocking out houses for sale to others?

What happens when you come to sell the property - you want to build it to suit your standards (and budget) and then it does not suit the next person.

What happens if you suddenly find that a member of your family needs extra provision, or the property needs adaption. Who pays for this .. the local council, some other agency etc. Why not build such adaptability into a home to save the massive cost currently spent on relocating people and adapting buildings ..... costs which are more often than not paid for out of everyone's taxes

Your gripes about needing to allow for disability and future access apply equallly to every other part of the building regualtions - regulations which are eating into your build budget.

Why not complain about needing deep foundations and the cost of more concrete?

Why not complain about fire prevention measures to stop the spread of fire within or externally ... after all you may never have a fire?

Why not complain about all the insulation ... just turn the heating up?

Why have double glazing - just single glaze and wipe the condensation in the morning, it will be cheaper.

All your designer has to do, is design in provision. This should be able to be done at no cost at all to the build - if he knows his job. And its arguable that good design is inherently adaptable in any case

aliasojo

iamcornholio wrote: »

What happens when you come to sell the property - you want to build it to suit your standards (and budget) and then it does not suit the next person.

Imo, this isn't a valid argument, if the house doesn't suit the next person, then the next person doesn't need to buy it and can go buy something else.

What happens if you suddenly find that a member of your family needs extra provision, or the property needs adaption. Who pays for this .. the local council, some other agency etc. Why not build such adaptability into a home to save the massive cost currently spent on relocating people and adapting buildings ..... costs which are more often than not paid for out of everyone's taxes

This is clearly a valid point and one which I personally didn't give enough thought to until reading some posters replies above. I suspect it's like everything else people don't need at present though, they think 'it wont happen to them' and wont need these facilities in the future and having to provide for them now, especially if change is required, is viewed as more of a negative than a positive.

Your gripes about needing to allow for disability and future access apply equallly to every other part of the building regualtions - regulations which are eating into your build budget.

Why not complain about needing deep foundations and the cost of more concrete?

Why not complain about fire prevention measures to stop the spread of fire within or externally ... after all you may never have a fire?

Why not complain about all the insulation ... just turn the heating up?

Why have double glazing - just single glaze and wipe the condensation in the morning, it will be cheaper.

I think your comparisons are not exactly fair, all your examples are relevant to everyone, whereas it's only a small minority that will possibly benefit from the required provisions.

All your designer has to do, is design in provision. This should be able to be done at no cost at all to the build - if he knows his job. And its arguable that good design is inherently adaptable in any case

I do now wonder if Hintza's architect is as up on these things as he should be given that he is approaching retirement? I think it depends on your relationship with him as to how far you want to push this. If these things are all set requirements, I don't see why you should have to foot the bill for changing the plans etc.

Interesting thread though, I've certainly learned a few things from it.

andrew-b

...alot less than to add them after!

Besides...most new housing stock are houses and not bungalows that tend to be more accessible (not all are though we found) ...simply because bungalows occupy more land and are therefore less profitable to build. So without enough new bungalows it's even more important that more houses are adaptable.

A little foresight early on can make a big difference and as others have said you don't have to be in a wheelchair to be disabled. I'm disabled but if you saw me stood in the street you'd have no idea...until i tried to climb a kerb or tripped over uneven ground etc! The proportion of those with disabilites is probably much greater than many realise. For example i was weeding my front garden yesterday.. a woman passed-by and said to me "sitting down to the job?" ..i smiled and replied "yes" - she couldn't have known otherwise.

One other thing ..estate agents rarely ever market properties as being disability friendly or adaptable. We have energy ratings for properties now (all the rest of HIPs are now being abandoned) which in new builds is pretty much governed by buildings regs...so why not disability ratings too?

aliasojo

andrew-b wrote: »

One other thing ..estate agents rarely ever market properties as being disability friendly or adaptable. We have energy ratings for properties now (all the rest of HIPs are now being abandoned) which in new builds is pretty much governed by buildings regs...so why not disability ratings too?

I would imagine the majority of previously exisiting housing stock is not disabled friendly so people would not want to emphasise negatives maybe? It would only be a very small percentage of homes that would gain a positive rating in this area so not worth considering for the masses?

Home owners can fairly easily better their energy ratings by doing normal DIY work, improving insulation, heating etc etc but adaptations suitable for disabled people would not be on the 'to do' list for most people.

However if new homes are required to build in future provision then perhaps in future we will see ratings such as you mentioned?

Owain_Moneysaver

The 'single survey' home reports that I've seen (in Scotland) do have an assessment of accessibility - number of steps to front door, level walking route to parking, etc.

mttylad

So to surmise the above, the architect should have incorperated these within the dsign in the first place (and as such should not cost you any more for him to redo the plans) and are required to be done and you yourself could become disabled (hit by a bus etc) and so should do them anyway.

You should also ensure that your electrician & plumber also consider the disabled when doing their bits, that doors are wide enough to get a wheelchair in etc.
Having them all done may also help make your house more saleable should you wish to move - something else to consider.

leveller2911

I would also like to rant.As someone who has been in the Construction Industry for over 20 yrs I find it disgraceful that as soon as you mention "Disabled" the prices go up by at least 4x on materials and 2x on build costs.

A prime example is a my sister she has a disabled daughter (cerabal Paulsy) and they wish to demolish the single garage and make a single storey replacement forming a bedroom and en-suite shower room.The square metre size is little more than a single garage.There are no difficult footings to construct, its having a flat roof .The Council are prepared to give them a Grant of 50% as long as they use the "Council recommended Builder and Surveyor.

The Price they have been quoted for this is £45,000-00 which is almost double what it should be and of that £45,000-00, £5,000-00 of it is for the "Surveyors fees"......!!!!!! its a 5mx3.6m box with a flat roof....

Someone somewhere is making a mint out of Disability which in my view is beyond the pale.