Noobie converting and extending a Vic House into flats????

dimbo61

You really need to start with the local council!
First of many problems!
They maybe keen to retain local HOMES for Local Residents and block all attempts to convert a huge old property with 5/6/7 bedrooms and one bathroom into two separate flats !
Local housing stock, age of property ( Is it listed?) Parking Spaces? Garden!
You can also wait a very long time for the utility companies to install 2 separate connections to the 2 flats for Gas/Electric.
Will a 3 bed flat sell ? Are we talking London?

Mark300zx

leveller2911 wrote: »

No offence, just spent my whole working life working on older houses and Listed properties and 98% of "developers" (I use this term loosely) haven't got a clue how to renovate a property and their entire focus is on making money.

BTW you can't divide a house into flats and keep its character and anyone who tells you that you can will be a Philistine.

Keeps it's character no, but you can do it in a way that makes it easy to convert back if anyone should want to in the future.

Your reactionary stance is admirable, but the reality is I am creating extra living space in a city that is desperate for it, what would rather have extra accomodation or characterful houses, it just boils down to a subjective opinion on a social construction!

Mark300zx

dimbo61 wrote: »

You really need to start with the local council!
First of many problems!
They maybe keen to retain local HOMES for Local Residents and block all attempts to convert a huge old property with 5/6/7 bedrooms and one bathroom into two separate flats !
Local housing stock, age of property ( Is it listed?) Parking Spaces? Garden!
You can also wait a very long time for the utility companies to install 2 separate connections to the 2 flats for Gas/Electric.
Will a 3 bed flat sell ? Are we talking London?

Thanks, LA have no problem with it being a flat, parking not required, 1897 not listed, small garden, not planning to sell just rent, London.

Doozergirl

Mark300zx wrote: »

Keeps it's character no, but you can do it in a way that makes it easy to convert back if anyone should want to in the future.

You can't really. We're taking apart a conversion like that right now, but the original features are only retrievable because there was still one slumlord owner and it was done on the cheap and can't have conformed to building regs. Bedroom without a window, anyone?! :eek:

I have no idea of the architectural worth of what is there, or the area, but I'd really look at the value of the house versus flats converted correctly. We made just as much on the house a couple of years after the flats because the cost of conversion is so high and we were able to project manage things more easily when we had less experience of huge projects.

Lots of homework required. And yes, it's wrong to make assumptions. Perhaps you have a vocation more than a career. What ever you do, make sure it's something that people will relish living in.

leveller2911

Mark300zx wrote: »

Keeps it's character no, but you can do it in a way that makes it easy to convert back if anyone should want to in the future.

Nice idea but very difficult if not impossible in practice. So when local building control make you fit 1/2 hr firecheck doors, in the nice Victorian door openings (which may well be non standard sizes) what will you do with the original Vicorian doors? store them in the attic? or take out the door linings and fit modern standard ones to fit firecheck doors. You can have firecheck doors made that are then certified but you really wouldn't like to know the price of them.

Over the years I have seen people start out with good intentions but it doesn't take long before reality kicks in and they realise they can't divide a house up in way as to be converted back in the future. Even if it was possible any future owner would have to buy all the properties in the building to then renovate back to its original state. Not gonna happen is it.

Your reactionary stance is admirable, but the reality is I am creating extra living space in a city that is desperate for it, what would rather have extra accomodation or characterful houses, it just boils down to a subjective opinion on a social construction![/

QUOTE]


Just an opinion but better to renovate as a house and build the much needed housing en mass elsewhere in the City so that the infrastructure (roads,schools,sewage plants etc) can all be built at the same time.

I wonder what would happen to the sewage system if everyone in the area divided their houses into flats.

Mark300zx

The trouble is no one here has visited the property, so no one can really say what can and or cannot be kept, I am only talking about my own house and not victorian conversions in general

Mark300zx

leveller2911 wrote: »

Nice idea but very difficult if not impossible in practice. So when local building control make you fit 1/2 hr firecheck doors, in the nice Victorian door openings (which may well be non standard sizes) what will you do with the original Vicorian doors? store them in the attic?.

Over the years I have seen people start out with good intentions but it doesn't take long before reality kicks in and they realise they can't divide a house up in way as to be converted back in the future. Even if it was possible any future owner would have to buy all the properties in the building to then renovate back to its original state. Not gonna happen is it.


QUOTE]


Just an opinion but better to renovate as a house and build the much needed housing en mass elsewhere in the City so that the infrastructure (roads,schools,sewage plants etc) can all be built at the same time.

I wonder what would happen to the sewage system if everyone in the area divided their houses into flats.

Doors can always be made or bought again, and if the sewer systems are your only concern then your argument has reached it's natural conclusion.

leveller2911

Mark300zx wrote: »

leveller2911 wrote: »

Doors can always be made or bought again, and if the sewer systems are your only concern then your argument has reached it's natural conclusion.

You totally missed the point Mark.

Good luck

Mark300zx

Again you are jumping to conclusions but thanks for your energy, and have a fantastic evening

Doozergirl

Mark, with respect, you can argue about whether it's right or not as that is a matter of opinion, but both leveller and I have a very good idea of what is necessary to produce a converted flat at this time. You cannot retain features. Fireplaces, maybe, that is it.