Britain has long been a nation of enthusiastic home-improvers. For decades, we
have had the pleasurable — and sometimes less pleasurable — experience of
being able to watch television shows about buildings and what we can do to
make them better, or different, often through our own efforts.
Back in the 1950s, Barry Bucknell’s home improvement shows drew millions of
viewers, and our parents would watch enthralled to see if one of Bucknell’s
DIY projects worked (for he had some spectacular mishaps). Now, DIY stores
make squillions of pounds (though admittedly profits have dipped as more of
us decide to get a professional in); there are books that offer us advice on
everything from how to change a washer to how to create a perfect two-storey
extension and, of course, there are millions eager to watch the plethora of
television experts, myself included, telling them how to go about things.
Surely we must all be living in total, utter perfection?
Well, don’t be too sure of that. I certainly don’t live in a perfectly
decorated Zen zone, and I rather suspect that the same goes for most of the
population. Still, it gives us something to strive for. One thing that is
apparent is that we seem to have a tremendous desire to nest in some way or
another, and to continually improve that nest.
So why isn’t perfection achieved, given how much time we are all putting in?
What is missing? Perhaps a healthy dose of realism about just what you can
do — for not being realistic about what is achievable for the amount of time
and money you have is a recipe for disaster.
But how do you know what to do, what order to do it in or how much it will be
likely to cost? Well, that’s where I come in. I am thrilled to be joining
Home to answer any questions you might have about improving your home or
about any building project you may have going.
So here are my first words of advice: remember that a lot of what you see in
inspirational home improvement magazines is the result of a very carefully
structured and glossy photo-shoot: it’s not real life. Photo-shoots don’t
have clutter, the rooms have been styled to within an inch of their lives
and they bear no resemblance to day-to-day living. Don’t try to live without
possessions, as the imaginary homeowners of the imaginary rooms you are
looking at apparently do.
Add up the 10 minutes a day you spend arranging — and then throwing off — all
the cushions you’ve artfully displayed on your bed, so it resembles one you
saw in a magazine. That’s an hour a week you will never get back. Frankly,
life is too short to bother, for a few hours of interior styling heaven.
But there are some changes — quite significant ones — that you can make to
your home that will not only make your life easier but also make your home a
more enjoyable space to live in. If you go about making those changes
properly, the disruption and time it takes will be well worth it.
I can’t promise to have the answer you want, but having spent years in the
building industry, I’ve probably already made most of the mistakes you may
be heading into, so I will have a go at getting you on track and, hopefully,
stop you from having to learn from your own mistakes.
So start writing in now. You can enclose a couple of photographs if you like,
and some basic dimensions of the space you want to change, though no pages
and pages of architectural drawings please. Let’s take a look and get you on
the path to that perfect Zen zone that I, at least, am still striving for.
From layout and design to technical building issues, I learn something new
each day, but there is still so much to learn; new products launch daily and
our lifestyles constantly evolve.
On Property Ladder, the Channel 4 television series I present, I come across
many people who dip their toes in the water (though I think some feel there
are piranhas below) and they are all short of somewhere to go for a bit of
advice.
With any building project at all, good advice is one of the keys to making it
a success.
ADDED VALUE
It’s all about degrees. It depends on how many bedrooms and bathrooms you
already have, compared with the size of the existing kitchen. As a bit of a
steer, most houses are better with kitchens big enough to accommodate a
table to eat at.
If the existing kitchen is already that big, you may be better off with an
extra bedroom, although one with no bathroom nearby is always a little
awkward especially if the house is already a little shy on bathrooms.
So, do the kitchen if it is too small, otherwise add a bedroom, but make sure
it has a shower room next to it, or try and create an en-suite in it if
there is room.
How do you put a bay window back onto a Victorian terraced house that was
horribly “modernised” in the 1970s? And is it worth it for what it adds to
the value of the property?
P Bowen, Croydon
Bay window removals weren’t that unusual as many had subsidence problems
because of poor foundations. Whether it is worth rebuilding depends on the
immediate location (ie, in what condition are other houses on the street?)
and the surrounding area (are there boutiques or pound shops on the local
high street?). If both street and area are relatively “monied” then I think
it is worth the investment.
It will be very disruptive — after all, the front of the house is being
removed — so clear out the front room completely.
For a single-storey bay, you often don’t need more than a foot or two of
foundation, but they may need to be dug by hand, so it’s probably best to
hire a professional to dig and pour foundations.
Most importantly, get a good bricklayer to build the walls, as poorly laid
bricks look awful. You’ll also need a joiner to construct the roof and a
roofer to finish it off.
None of this is cheap. A single-storey bay will cost anything from £5,000 to
£20,000 depending on what detailing you want and on how much work you can do
yourself. As a rule of thumb, recreating a single-storey bay window should
take up to a month.
How easy is it to convert a cellar into a basement room? Do you need to
call in the experts or can you do it yourself?
Mrs H Williams, Bristol
It is not terribly complicated but generally requires a considerable amount of
elbow grease, so it is not a job for the fainthearted. Building regulations
do not stipulate how high a ceiling must be in the actual room, but you need
to have 2m of head room on the stairs. However, in terms of resale value, it
is wise to have at least the same amount of headroom in the room itself.
To achieve this, you need to dig out the floor (plus the required depth of
tanking to stop moisture coming up through the ground). Bearing in mind that
access will generally be up a tiny flight of stairs, this is likely to take
some considerable time. You also need to consider that you may need to
underpin the existing foundations and reroute services, such as gas and
electricity.
If you have lots of head height already, I think it would be much more
realistic to try and do this job yourself — if you don’t I would
suggest hiring a specialist basement company which will be totally geared up
to all the problems you would be likely to come across.
We want to have our loft converted and need to apply for building
regulations approval. We live in Lambeth, south London, and can either go
through the full plans route or go for the building notice route.
We’ve had six builders visit to quote for the job and opinion seems to be
split about which is the better option. I’m not completely clear about the
difference between the two.
N Crowther, south London
First of all, if you haven’t got planning permission, you need to check with
your local authority that you do not require it, and establish a paper trail
that confirms this. If you are doing building work that falls within the
scope of building regulations, you need to have the work approved by your
local building-control officer who will — once he is happy the work has
been completed to the legally required standard — issue a building
regulation certificate. Unless you are project managing the job yourself, I
would strongly recommend that you make your main contractor responsible for
complying with regulations and providing you with this certificate; he is
the one who is doing the work. There are two ways to give notice that work
is to be carried out. For smaller jobs, you fill in a simple form telling
the council you are doing work. An official will then come to the site and
check it. If the work is really simple, they might only return once; if it
is more complicated, they may want to check the work as it progresses.
A full plans application is generally used for more complex projects;
potential problems with the build will be highlighted before starting work.
You will have to submit drawings showing full construction details to your
local planning authority.
For a straightforward loft conversion, it seems unnecessary to submit a full
plans application, but be guided by the contractor you hire. Employ the
builder with whom you feel most comfortable, and they should follow the path
with which they are most comfortable.
Don’t try and force a good firm of builders to do something they are not happy
about. You don’t want them to have any reason to lay the blame on you if
things don’t go according to plan with building control.
What’s your problem?
Do you have a home improvement project that could do with a helping hand?
E-mail your queries to sarah.beeny@sunday-times.co.uk
or write to her c/o Home, The Sunday Times, 1 Pennington Street, London
E98 1ST
