Loft conversion or not!?

Rambosmum

You could have t/c with building regs,they are likely to know if your property is likely to have had a previous loft conversion or if it is original and if so they won't issue building regs but will write you a letter staying why.

MisterB1959

lets not get lofts confused with attics. attics were a regular part of Victorian construction, not at all uncommon, stand back and look at all the other houses on the street. do many of them also have windows of one sort or another in the roof space?


under PR's it makes a difference as to whether the window is front or rear as to what type would be allowed, under BR's it will state that the window height or roof formed because of the window, cannot exceed the current ridge height (or words to that effect) - which is why you often see dormer windows on the rear and skylight/flat windows on the front of properties. a dormer is more prone to leaking, so some dormers were replaced with skylights/flat windows


your solicitor is working on your behalf, but the reality is that it will probably be some conveyancing clerk that has picked it up, considering the way it was identified.


if they were advised it was an attic not a loft conversion it might ease their concerns.

Katawampus

Hi guys sorry for the lack of reply for ages, had some password issues!

Anyway, thanks for the feedback. We're still waiting for the mortgage valuer's report on what they think. A guy went out to inspect the damp and timber works that were carried out 10 years ago and when I asked his opinion he said, based on the other houses, he thought ours was a conversion then when I explained about next door's identical stairs and removal of the dormer he back-tracked. We contacted three building's surveyors who said that a major contributing factor to their decision would be how the other houses in the row looked, so it seems that this anomalous situation is throwing everybody.

The library of Birmingham is where all the original plans are kept and, after four hours there, we discovered that the envelope for our house was empty as the plans had disintegrated. Rubbish.

I'm tempted to just go ahead without any "report", in the knowledge that next door's second staircase is the same, there's a little fireplace up there, the ceilings are mega high for a standard loft.

My other thought is that planning regs didn't actually come into existence before the 60's so maybe somebody could say whether the room had existed as is since then.

Why does the Victorian era have to be so long ago!?!?!?

Katawampus

Incidentally, if anybody is or knows of a surveyor in the Midlands area who is prepared to give an opinion of the originality of basically a stair case on its own merits, please let me know!

Hoploz

The council records may well help, as has already been suggested. They usually keep originals of planning documents. And they may have records on your neighbour's window conversion to compare. You will prob need to go in person to inspect the papers.

Any old books on the local area might show photographs? Local newspaper archives?

penguingirl

Katawampus wrote: »

The library of Birmingham is where all the original plans are kept and, after four hours there, we discovered that the envelope for our house was empty as the plans had disintegrated. Rubbish.

Is there anything for your neighbour's property? In the absence of your own plans, there's might be the closest available? Or any of the other neighbouring houses?

DaftyDuck

So, when was the neighbouring dormer removed? If it really existed, say 40 years ago, it'd make it as good as original, for want of better evidence.

Old photos would be useful. 1977 street party for Jubilee, old details for any neighbouring property from Planning Office, any other similar dormer in the street belonging to the same terrace. If built in 1901 (there may be a stone date plaque mid-terrace), hunt around those streets and find where that builder was before/went next, and look for more dormers.

Re-visit the property and have a good look round at the plaster, the skirting boards, floor boards and, if not uPVC, that window. Is it old moulded wood? Ask the owner politely if you may take a few snaps of these details.

Send the lot to the solicitor, stating it shows it to be an original structure. I'm guessing he'll either agree, or not have the knowledge, or not have the time, to disagree....

jimbog

A long shot:
http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/

Doozergirl

I thinknyou've done enough. If the loft room is original or pre-dates building regs then your solicitor is realy going too far. An indemnity policy should be enough as long as the lender will accept one.

Katawampus

Thanks again for all the advice.

The plans aren't held at our Council offices, but in the library, and they weren't there. Ours and next door's are the only identical houses I can see in the whole street of terraces, and from keeping my eyes open around neighbouring streets I can't spot any exactly the same (lots of similar terraces but all different). I'm not that savvy with searching for old photos but I can't come up with anything. Nothing on the Britain from above site either sadly
I've basically provided our solicitor with photos of our stairs and next doors matching ones which do look exactly the same in construction, even the curvy skirting board bits, and forwarded the lack of next door's dormer tale. I've told him that I'm basically sure it's either original or very very old (would anybody put a fireplace complete with terracotta tiles cut into the floorboards in a modern conversion?!) and he has back tracked to some extent, saying when these things are considered it is possible it's original.
I think the crux of the matter is that nothing can be proved categorically short of carbon dating some of the wood so we're going to have to plump for what seems most likely. We're still waiting for our mortgage valuer's report so as long as that doesn't show anything particularly harrowing I think we're going to continue with an indemnity. So we will see what they say. In however many years it takes them to actually send the blooming thing through!