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From The Sunday Times

May 20, 2007

Time to call in the professionals

Whatever work you want done – extending the kitchen, building a wet room, even installing a spiral staircase – seek out a specialist who comes recommended

Sarah Beeny

We want to extend our kitchen. How do we go about it, and what are the potential pitfalls?

David Cain, by e-mail

First, set your budget: all your ideas will have to work within it. Find an architect who can help you with ideas and drawings, or look for a local building firm that specialises in the kind of extension you want, as it may provide a planning service. If you are in a conservation area, have a listed house or have used up your permitted development rights (confirm in writing exactly what these are with the planning authority), then you need planning permission. Your architect can advise you on this.

With drawings and permission in place, get quotes from three builders. Use firms recommended by someone you trust, or try the website of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), www.findabuilder.com. It’s not foolproof, but the FMB strikes off builders that don’t meet its standards. Yellow Pages is a lottery, and cheap and available is not always best.

Establish up front what materials you will supply and what will come from the builder. Your architect can help you devise a schedule of works, which should specify this. Source what you are supplying as early as you can – indecision and lack of availability can cause costly delays.

Q I want a large chandelier that I can hang from my landing. The ceiling area is about 10ft x 12ft, above a deep stairwell. I know what I don’t want – crystals, a gothic look, fringed lamp shades or anything that’s too aggressively modern – but the lights I have seen are all boring, and usually not big enough. I imagine it needs to be about 3ft across.

Janet Reader, via e-mail

Beautifully designed, inspiring light fittings are difficult to find. I recently saw a great chandelier, about 6ft wide, in James Townshend Antiques, in Bath (www.jamestownshend.co.uk), but that may be too wide. Alternatively, you could have one made: there are great designers and lighting engineers around, though it may be expensive. Assuming there’s no rush, I suggest patience. Keep hunting for a ready-made one, and scout newly refurbished hotels and restaurants that have high ceilings, and are kitted out in a style you like, for inspiration.

Q We have a fourbed detached 1930s house, in a desirable part of Sheffield, that has been refurbished and modernised. It has just been valued at £500,000, which means it is probably at the top end in value for its size on our road. The only space we have not touched is the loft.

For £50,000, we could create a spacious double bedroom with ensuite bathroom and dressing room. Is it worth doing, and what is the likely payback period? We don’t need the space, but it would add a new dimension to the property. As a financial adviser, I am more interested in the investment aspect, whereas my wife sees it as a project she can get her teeth into.

Tim Couldwell, Sheffield

I would be surprised if you didn’t recover your money, but I doubt the loft conversion would add much more value. If £500,000 is top whack for your house as it is, then exercise caution – there is a dead zone at that level, because stamp duty rises to 4% on houses valued at more than £500,000. A house at the £500,000 barrier tends to stay at £499,999 for some time, then jump significantly in value.

As you don’t need the space, you might be better off cutting your losses than trying to play around at this point in the market. Otherwise, you could wait to see what the local market does in the next year. If prices rise significantly, you may go well above the stamp-duty level, in which case it would be worth proceeding with the conversion.

Q I own a split-level, ground-and lower-ground-floor flat in a terraced Victorian house. It has two bedrooms on the lower ground floor, and access to the main bathroom is via my bedroom. However, at the end of the hallway are a lavatory and basin that guests use, and I want to convert this area, together with part of the hallway, into a tiled wet room. Do I need planning permission, and how do I find a builder who specialises in this kind of work?

VB, southwest London, via e-mail

A shower room, however small, will add value and make your flat nicer to live in. You do not need planning permission for these changes; unless it is a listed building, you don’t require any other permissions, either. If you have any doubts, consult the building-control team at your local council. Ensure that the wet room is well sealed: damage caused by a leaking wet room is one of the most common causes of household insurance claims. Obviously, in a lower-ground-floor flat, this won’t affect anyone below, but there are other potential maintenance issues, such as dry or wet rot, that could be expensive in the long run. Look for a small- to medium-sized builder – again, look for a recommendation, or someone whose work you can check – or even a reputable plumber. Yours is a relatively small job, and it will be more cost-effective for a local firm to carry it out.

Q I want to lay waterproof flooring on the concrete balcony of my 1930s flat. The existing covering is slate tiles, which I’m not keen on removing, as my budget is limited.

AC, via e-mail

Whether or not you remove the tiles depends on whether the balcony is leaking. If it is, I can only advise that it is far, far better not to waste a bit of money, but to do the job properly, stripping off what’s there and starting again. In the short term, you could use a product called Aquapol, a solution for leaking roofs that I have come across. If the balcony is not leaking, and you want to change it purely for cosmetic reasons, I would recommend either shingle (make sure it does not block any drains) or decking, though be careful with this – wood is heavy, so you need to make sure the joists are strong enough below.

Q We have an old-fashioned wooden stairway, but want something modern, open and light. We would like a spiral staircase, but we have been told that it won’t fit, as the area at the top of the stairs is only 6ft wide. The living areas are upstairs and the bedrooms downstairs. The staircase is not used to move furniture – there is external access to both floors. Do you think we’ve been given the correct advice?

Rachel Swinglehurst, via e-mail

Think carefully before changing a staircase. It is expensive, and although the look you want may be in right now, it may not be for long. If changing it will really alter your living space, though, make sure whatever you install is beautifully constructed and has all the benefits of a modern sculpture. Spiral staircases are stunning, but take up more space than conventional stairs, and moving furniture up and down them is a nightmare, though you say this isn’t an issue. You might be able to widen the top of the stairs by pinching space from the room next door, but this means even more work. Draw the space (not just a floor plan, but the height as well) and work out precisely what you can fit in. Unless you are highly experienced at building work, contact an architect.

Have you got aquestion for Sarah Beeny? Send 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

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HOWZAT

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There was very nearly a nuclear exchange betwen Pakistan and India in 1998

Time to call in the professionals

Whatever work you want done – extending the kitchen, building a wet room, even installing a spiral staircase – seek out a specialist who comes recommended

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