:'( Help Needed - Uninhabitable Kitchen?! That I've lived in for almost a decade

user1977

Is the other possibility finding a lender who can cope with things which don't tick all the "standard" boxes? I presume the property is otherwise fundamentally marketable (and valuable!).

MWT

It could be the cheapest route for sure, but other than 'not having a kitchen' is a bit hopeful, unless you get lucky with a desktop valuation...

alanyau88

I don't know what your confusion is but it's quite clear to me that the conservatory does not work as a Kitchen.  It is not a habitable part of the building.  You need to bring the whole kitchen into the Habitable Part of your house.  It does not matter how good it looks and how much you love it.  People cannot stay in the kitchen for long hours due to the freezing cold winter or the hot boiling summer.  

If you can't or don't want to move your kitchen, then forget about the mortgage because it's not going to happen full stop.

Brie

Can't help at all but I'd love a kitchen like that.

Ksw3

We tried to buy a house like this but no mortgage lender would touch it. It kept bouncing back onto the market. 

In the end they moved the oven and sink into their utility area and put a proper door between the house and conservatory and it sold. I think the main issue was fire regulations. 

Soot2006

I also love it. I think exterior doors might be your best bet (and the "kitchen" is inside with an additional useful utility conservatory ahem .. )

Big French doors installed in such a way that, open, you will soon forget they are there.  At first they will annoy you, but I think it would work with your setup.

And it will certainly help your thermal efficiency as well

nickhuge

Here's a thought. I'm looking at all my neighbours extensions with envy. Most of them are complete wrap around glass walls and covered flat roofs. I'm wondering if just replacing the conservatory roof for a tiled one, such as below, and having the roof properly insulated, would actually then classify it as a habitable room? The sink is in affect part of the same room as there is no door between utility and conservatory so it has gas, water/drainage and electricity.

This company for instance are mentioning being compliant with recent building reg changes for new roofs.. oakdeneroofs co uk

Certainly looks cheaper than replacing for a proper brick built extension...

MWT

nickhuge said:

Certainly looks cheaper than replacing for a proper brick built extension...

Note the use of brick for the lower portion of the structure... just changing your roof isn't going to do it...

Odds are that was constructed to meet the requirements for being considered 'habitable'...

See what the advice is from your building surveyor.

Edit: I just read the details on their website, nothing there implies that they are changing a conservatory into 'habitable' space, merely that they are compliant with energy and environmental requirements in respect of their construction methods and material.

It is still going to be a conservatory but with an insulated roof...

Also on reflection, probably not enough brickwork in that example to actually qualify as 'habitable' either, would usually need to look more like an orangery to meet that standard.

born_again

nickhuge said:

Thanks guys. What is weird is that Halifax were fine with it in 2016 and suddenly not now in 2023. Made me wonder if building regs were changed in that time but I always thought that if they passed regs at the time, it was fine going forward even if new regs superceeded old ones. Bit like when house have a dormer which then were ruled out in future years in conservation areas. Man it's so annoying, but I appreciate your guidance. I've asked my advisor to contact the lender, I've contacted the council, and I'll look at hiring a building surveyor I guess rather than a real estate surveyor but I wonder if there was another way of getting lenders T&Cs in front of me relating to these aspects.

I would lay money that Halifax have just changed their lending criteria since 2016. As have many other mortgage providers. So you may have to search out others who will be happy to provide a mortgage.

I would also wonder how you building insurance would view the kitchen being in a conservatory, especially given it's location.

nickhuge

born_again said:

I would lay money that Halifax have just changed their lending criteria since 2016. As have many other mortgage providers. So you may have to search out others who will be happy to provide a mortgage.

I would also wonder how you building insurance would view the kitchen being in a conservatory, especially given it's location.

That's such a good point about the insurance, thank you!

MWT said:

Note the use of brick for the lower portion of the structure... just changing your roof isn't going to do it...

Yes, luckily I do actually have a solid wall for the first 60 cm. Here is what Oakdene said..

"To answer your query to bring the conservatory as part of the house you would need to replace the roof to current building regulations and comply with new SAP calculations for the whole house this would then allow the room to be classed as part of the house."

alanyau88 said:

I don't know what your confusion is but it's quite clear to me that the conservatory does not work as a Kitchen.  It is not a habitable part of the building.  You need to bring the whole kitchen into the Habitable Part of your house.  It does not matter how good it looks and how much you love it.  People cannot stay in the kitchen for long hours due to the freezing cold winter or the hot boiling summer.  

If you can't or don't want to move your kitchen, then forget about the mortgage because it's not going to happen full stop.

Yeah I get what you're saying. My confusion is largely around why did the surveyor I hired when I bought the property not say anything as I wouldn't have bought it simply, and why did my first 2 mortgages go fine (with the same lender). And yes I totally agree with you about the discomfort in the extreme (and no so extreme) temperatures. It's indeed unpleasant. I'm just trying to work out the minimum changes needed to bring the structure in to a habitable one, that's all. If I can replace the roof and pass the building regs checks then that's what I'll hope to do rather than move the kitchen. Otherwise I'm going to put an externally rated pocket door that i can pretty much always leave open, and relocate the kitchen to the utility.