New "Have a Look at This" thread

RHemmings

ProDave said:

RHemmings said:

joho said:

Spot the cats.

Ottaway Close, New Costessey, Norwich NR5, 4 bedroom town house for sale - 66329810 | PrimeLocation

I never used PrimeLocation so never learned how it works. But, this property is described as an 'eco house' but I can't see an EPC, nor can I see any estimated running costs. Are they there, but I don't know where to look? 

There is no definition of an "eco house"  One was built near us and when first sold was described as an "eco house"  I think just because it had (very poor) triple glazed windows.  It had an EPC D and 2 susbquent owners told us how high the heating bills were, and it is the first house in  the street for the snow to melt off the roof.

Wikipedia says the following:

An Eco-house could include some or all of the following:

• Higher than normal levels of thermal insulation
• Better than normal air-tightness
• Good level of daylight
• Passive solar orientation — glazing oriented south for light and heat
• Thermal mass to absorb that solar heat
• Minimum north-facing glazing — to reduce heat loss
• Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) system
• Heating from renewable resources (such as solar, heat pump or biomass)
• Photovoltaic panels, small wind turbine or electricity from a 'green' supplier
• Natural materials — avoidance of PVCu and other plastics
• Rainwater harvesting
• Grey-water collection
• Composting toilet
• Glass that has two or three layers with a vacuum in between to prevent heat loss (double or triple-glazed windows)
• Solar panels or wind turbines
• Geothermal heating and growing plants on the roof to regulate temperature, quiet the house, and produce oxygen
• A vegetable patch outside the house for some food

Apart from double glazing which a vast majority of houses seem to have, I can't see evidence that any of the other properties of an Eco house (according to Wikipedia) are present in the house linked above. I'm guessing someone latched onto the under-floor heating and ran with it. 

EDIT: Digging into the EPC now. A 'B' isn't bad, and much better than average (if EPCs mean all that FreeBear said:

RHemmings said:

joho said:

Spot the cats.

Ottaway Close, New Costessey, Norwich NR5, 4 bedroom town house for sale - 66329810 | PrimeLocation

I never used PrimeLocation so never learned how it works. But, this property is described as an 'eco house' but I can't see an EPC, nor can I see any estimated running costs. Are they there, but I don't know where to look? 

https://find-energy-certificate.service.gov.uk/find-a-certificate/search-by-street-name-and-town?street_name=ottaway+close&town=norwich

Looks to be a B (81) rating -> https://find-energy-certificate.service.gov.uk/energy-certificate/9481-3824-6205-9595-4755

There's an air source heat pump mentioned in the EPC. But, that gets a 'poor' rating. 

Feature	Description	Rating
Main heating	Air source heat pump, underfloor, electric	Poor

Air tightness is rated as good. There are solar cells. The EPC claims that the house could achieve a 97 A rating with solar water heating and a wind turbine. 

I suppose that with digging into the EPC the house can be justified as being sortof eco house. But, I think that if the term is going to be used in the listing, it should be justified. 

FreeBear

Emily_Joy said:

In case you are after something really special https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/129636101#/?channel=RES_BUY

Ooooo.... A moat. Would love a moat (and a drawbridge), but being a Grade 1 (not 2) listed building, that comes with a great deal of responsibility and expense.

Emily_Joy

FreeBear said:

Emily_Joy said:

In case you are after something really special https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/129636101#/?channel=RES_BUY

Ooooo.... A moat. Would love a moat (and a drawbridge), but being a Grade 1 (not 2) listed building, that comes with a great deal of responsibility and expense.

How does one protect a house with moat from the rising damp? have you noticed EPC?

ManuelG

FreeBear said:

Emily_Joy said:

In case you are after something really special https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/129636101#/?channel=RES_BUY

Ooooo.... A moat. Would love a moat (and a drawbridge), but being a Grade 1 (not 2) listed building, that comes with a great deal of responsibility and expense.

I suspect if you're prepared to meet the £7.5mil asking price then low maintenance upkeep costs isn't high on your tick list when deciding on your next move.

FreeBear

Emily_Joy said:

FreeBear said:

Emily_Joy said:

In case you are after something really special https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/129636101#/?channel=RES_BUY

Ooooo.... A moat. Would love a moat (and a drawbridge), but being a Grade 1 (not 2) listed building, that comes with a great deal of responsibility and expense.

How does one protect a house with moat from the rising damp? have you noticed EPC?

The water level in the moat looks to be some 2m below the level of the building floor. According to these damp proofing surveyors salesmen damp only rises 1m or so up a wall. Even if there were any damp spots, the use of traditional building materials would keep it under check.

Listed buildings are (generally) exempt from an EPC requirements. But if you can afford £7.5million, a few extra quid for heating is unlikely to be of concern.

RHemmings

FreeBear said:

Emily_Joy said:

In case you are after something really special https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/129636101#/?channel=RES_BUY

Ooooo.... A moat. Would love a moat (and a drawbridge), but being a Grade 1 (not 2) listed building, that comes with a great deal of responsibility and expense.

Would it save you money if the moat could be used to prevent TV Licencing people visiting your house? 

mark_cycling00

ManuelG said:

FreeBear said:

Emily_Joy said:

In case you are after something really special https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/129636101#/?channel=RES_BUY

Ooooo.... A moat. Would love a moat (and a drawbridge), but being a Grade 1 (not 2) listed building, that comes with a great deal of responsibility and expense.

I suspect if you're prepared to meet the £7.5mil asking price then low maintenance upkeep costs isn't high on your tick list when deciding on your next move.

Most of the time that's not how it works. Buyers of expensive places have exactly the same worries and concerns as anyone else and push themselves towards the maximum priced house that they can afford.

If you're a celeb with £10m, you don't want to spend £7.5m and waste £2m of your wealth on maintenance. £10m might get you a house with more privacy, an annex for your mother who keeps getting doorstepped by the press etc.

People I know in the £3-4m property price band do a lot of bargain shopping at Lidl, keep the heating off until Dec and drive old but reliable VW's or Subarus.

As with anyone else, someone with £8m may well fall in love with the idea of owning a moated manor and ignore all the consequences. I suspect this happened previously which is why half if it is a £1000 per night Airbnb to pay for the upkeep of the main house.

FreeBear

RHemmings said:

FreeBear said:

Emily_Joy said:

In case you are after something really special https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/129636101#/?channel=RES_BUY

Ooooo.... A moat. Would love a moat (and a drawbridge), but being a Grade 1 (not 2) listed building, that comes with a great deal of responsibility and expense.

Would it save you money if the moat could be used to prevent TV Licencing people visiting your house? 

Dredging the moat and removing hazardous waste each year could be quite expensive.

This one might more suitable for deterring the unwanted - https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/15827222.historic-dunster-pillbox-sale---unique-security-features/ (old listing).

Emily_Joy

RHemmings said:

FreeBear said:

Emily_Joy said:

In case you are after something really special https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/129636101#/?channel=RES_BUY

Ooooo.... A moat. Would love a moat (and a drawbridge), but being a Grade 1 (not 2) listed building, that comes with a great deal of responsibility and expense.

Would it save you money if the moat could be used to prevent TV Licencing people visiting your house? 

We have not paid for TV license for over 5 years, nor we ever contacted TV license people to say we don't need one because we don't watch TV. They keep sending letters but never got around visiting (or we have not been home when they visited).

sourpuss2021

ManuelG said:

FreeBear said:

Emily_Joy said:

In case you are after something really special https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/129636101#/?channel=RES_BUY

Ooooo.... A moat. Would love a moat (and a drawbridge), but being a Grade 1 (not 2) listed building, that comes with a great deal of responsibility and expense.

I suspect if you're prepared to meet the £7.5mil asking price then low maintenance upkeep costs isn't high on your tick list when deciding on your next move.

I’d still be wishing I’d snapped it up in 2015 instead!: 

(Though surely that was just for a flat or cottage within the grounds…)