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

user1977

born_again said:

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

Which (normal) question on a buildings insurance proposal form do you think might relate to this?

housebuyer143

user1977 said:

born_again said:

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

Which (normal) question on a buildings insurance proposal form do you think might relate to this?

Agreed. The rule is they need to ask the question, you don't need to offer it up. So if they don't ask something happens then they will cover you. 

FarmGirl78

Apologies, I've not read the whole thread so this might have been covered already.

IKEA do a "mini kitchen" which I know people have previously used to get round houses being unmortgageable. Like when they've taken the kitchen out completely as part of a refurb but then had to sell before finishing. It's basically one unit with a sink, for about £150. Kitchens don't have to be fitted. Could you bung one of those in the corner of another room, stick a microwave and an airfryer on a unit next to it, and bingo, you've got yourself a kitchen? The fact you have an 'extra' kitchen in your conservatory shouldn't rule out the fact you do indeed have one in one of your habitable rooms. Worth looking into.

nickhuge

Latest on this. Harringey instructed me that I had to spend £910 first of all on a 'regularisation application' which I did and that meant I could have someone on site for a kick off consultancy. Points of note

- It's not a conservatory, it is an excessively glazed extension
- I need to get an energy assessor in first to see how much glazing I'm allowed to retain
- Then a structural engineer to design it in accordance with the foundations (will be a timber frame, hopefully not too much additional weight)
- In parallel check with planning that all is good from their side
- Then get it built.

Anyone got any recommendations for energy assessors?!

He also said I should take action against my solicitors as they never told me the building I was buying was so woefully inadequate with building regs. Are there specialist law firms who do this I wonder?

Anyway, the important thing is, I have a plan!

MWT

nickhuge said:

He also said I should take action against my solicitors as they never told me the building I was buying was so woefully inadequate with building regs. Are there specialist law firms who do this I wonder?

Not sure how you would have a cause for action against the solicitors, but did you commission an independent structural survey of the property before you purchased it? (RICS Level 3 Building Survey)

If so then you may have cause for action against the surveyor...

nickhuge

After weeks of searching I actually found my home buyers report, I think thats all I got @MWT
, thanks for the hint.

The only references to this area are below for peoples interest

nickhuge

I do actually have building control acceptance of the conservatory plans form 2002, but someone moved the kitchen since.