Buying a grade II* Listed Building

catshark88

We are considering buying a grade II* listed building, but I'm aware there can be pitfalls.

The house lacks central heating (only has open fires in those rooms) and lights (walk or ceiling) in some parts ie some parts of the house have neither. A previous sales brochure states this is to preserve the fabric of the building. There is only 1 bathroom and 1 ensuite shower for quite a few bedrooms.

For the house to work for us, as a family home, I would need to be able to add ch and some lights. I am happy to do this sensitively and make appropriate compromises. I respect the need to protect a house with this level of listing. I have been told that owners have a right to bring a listed House to modern living conditions, but know that conservation officers can be zealous.

I have no idea what work has been done by previous owners and if it has proper approval. I realise that I can ask, and could sue if lied to, but I'd much rather avoid this being a problem,.

So, my questions are;
1) Is it likely that I would get permission to introduce CH and ceiling lighting?
2) are there ways to identify and indemnify against costs of previous unapproved work, if any has been done?

Any advice on this or other areas of buying a listed house would be much appreciated! Thank you.

lewisa

Why is the building listed? The * makes some aspect of it significant and rare, a particular stone or brickwork feature, or rare type of wooden frontage etc.

Assuming England .. English Heritage will prefer the building to be in use and within reason they will be pragmatic in allowing sympathetic development.

I cannot envisage a situation where they would not allow CH to be installed unless the reason for the listing is the internal fabric of the building and that fabric would be significantly altered by fitting CH, which is unlikely.

phoebe1989seb

OP, not saying our members here don't know their stuff but you might want to try posting on the periodproperty.co.uk site, where there are many experienced owners of listed buildings as well as a couple of very knowledgeable conservation officers

DaftyDuck

You are always at the mercy of the conservation officer for the area, and they do vary enormously in their approach. Grade II, star or no, is very common round my part, and plenty of modification work is carried out with approval. You will have little problem with lighting, so long as it is internal, as it is, in extremis, possible to surface mount, and leave the building structure untouched.

Central heating is more problematic. It can damage the structure in installation, and can, over time, damage the fabric of the property by drying it out inappropriately. I own a Grade II* Georgian townhouse that had central heating installed with no problem (and survives being a student rental, by the way), but have previously owned another that was a 1300's timber framed hall house, and had severe restrictions on how I could install it - including having to (irritatingly and uglily) surface mount pipework.

Conservation officers love their subject and, unlike planning officers, seem quite content to natter away before you buy a property, if they know it. They are quite approachable, in my experience. Unlike obtaining planning permission, there's no financial advantage to the seller should you get to take the c.o. round the property before you exchange.

Owning a listed building does put many folk off, but I've always found it rewarding, if slightly more expensive for repairs and running costs. The houses do appreciate in value better than most housing stock, and there's never a shortage of enthusiasts to buy them.

Cakeguts

Grade II* can mean that you can't change the inside so you may not be allowed to put central heating in which is why it isn't there now. The only person who can tell you what is allowed is the conservation officer of the local council.

catshark88

Thank you all. Will get on to the conservation people next week.

Two rooms have a lot of panelling, so the CH could be a show stopper for us (young kids, so I don't want to have to rely on open fires).

DaftyDuck

... But you don't need to use standard white panel radiators. Possibilities include low radiators, underfloor heating, vented heating, etc.

All the kind of thing a good conservation officer, or a very good heating installer, will understand.

But there will be £££££ involved.

leveller2911

Owning a Listed Property means you will have higher costs of any work to the fabric of the building and also the Curtilage so say for instance you want to change the gates or take down a garden wall then you will need to apply for Listed planning conscent and they will want to see scaled drawings of any proposed work so there is an added cost involved and even then they will specify materials to be used.

I do a lot of work on Listed Properties and although many are lovely and have some great history they are a money pit compared to non Listed properties so remember its not just the house it also includes the garden and any outbuildings,sheds etc. If you want to change the colour of the front door then its again getting Listed planning conscent to do the job and they may say no to the colour you want. Bang goes your planning application money and you haven't changed the paint colour. Just one example of how your wants,likes and plans can mean account for nothing.

Some Conservation officers are great but most of them are pedantic and have their own opinion which in many instances is based on a lack of historical fact. Personally I wouldn't touch a Listed property with a very,very long bardge pole.

Robin9

Your buildings insurance will be much higher than a non-listed building.

Ray_Singh-Blue

I live in a grade II listed building (not II* though).

Many rooms have no ceiling lights - instead we use floor and table lamps and the effect can be very pleasing. We have central heating but I guess there must be similar freestanding work arounds. Or get a servant to light all the fires LOL - that's what they would have done in the 18th century!

Buildings insurance costs approximately double, in our experience, and that is with shopping around.

The easiest way to stay on the right side of your conservation officer is not to change stuff. Of course, that is kind of the point of listed buildings. We have certainly not found it to be a money pit yet.