Working on a protected building

Gumbyman2000

Hi,

Looking at buying a house in Dublin City that is a protected building inside and out. It has been split into a few units (quite tastefully with original cornicing replicated - presumably in line with any planning requirements). I will be reconverting it back to the original single home dwelling. Has anybody been through this or similar?

IS ths more trouble than it is worth? Am I going to get grief from planners and incur masive costs? Basically I need to remove a divider in the hall where upstairs is one unit and floor level is another. Also remove the upstairs kitchen/living room and convert it back to a bedroom. I plan on doing it in the original style - if I jsut go and do it and do it right then who's going to know or even complain? What are the planners like? Should I just walk away - basically is this a big obstacle?

Any comments or experience would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Gumby.

sinnerboy

Gumbyman2000 wrote: »

Hi,

Looking at buying a house in Dublin City that is a protected building inside and out. It has been split into a few units (quite tastefully with original cornicing replicated - presumably in line with any planning requirements). I will be reconverting it back to the original single home dwelling. Has anybody been through this or similar?

IS ths more trouble than it is worth? Am I going to get grief from planners and incur masive costs? Basically I need to remove a divider in the hall where upstairs is one unit and floor level is another. Also remove the upstairs kitchen/living room and convert it back to a bedroom. I plan on doing it in the original style - if I jsut go and do it and do it right then who's going to know or even complain? What are the planners like? Should I just walk away - basically is this a big obstacle?

Any comments or experience would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Gumby.

You are sailing close to the wind of our charter with words like these.

I'll take a liberal interpretation and and ask you to confirm my belief that you would never break the law ?

Works to protected structures should never be carried out without professional advice from someone very experienced in conservation work.

Doing it right does not have to be expensive.

Doing it wrong could cost you dear.

BryanF

Gumbyman2000 wrote: »

Hi,

Looking at buying a house in Dublin City that is a protected building inside and out. It has been split into a few units (quite tastefully with original cornicing replicated - presumably in line with any planning requirements). I will be reconverting it back to the original single home dwelling. 1 Has anybody been through this or similar?

2 IS ths more trouble than it is worth? 3 Am I going to get grief from planners and incur masive costs? Basically I need to remove a divider in the hall where upstairs is one unit and floor level is another. Also remove the upstairs kitchen/living room and convert it back to a bedroom. I plan on doing it in the original style - 4 if I jsut go and do it and do it right then who's going to know or even complain? 5 What are the planners like? 6 Should I just walk away - basically is this a big obstacle?

7 Any comments or experience would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Gumby.

i broke your post in to numbered questions

1. yes
2. need more info
3. define grief? & define massive? but yes you will incur costs, some of which will be unexpected.
4. what sinner said.. are you really willing to take that risk? end up in the courts?
5. friendly
6. need more info. define obstacle
7. +1 sinner (was typing this at the time) refurb'n a listed build is time consuming, can be bureaucratic and costly especially if you don't get professional advice and a list of surveys. you also said 'presumably with planning', imo do a planning search before going any further. also get an architect with conservation experience in for a visit before purchase. Surveys: structural (before purchase);damp/ woodworm/ rot: maybe before purchase depending on archs advice (check condition of timbers, lintels etc) measured survey for planning; photographic report;..

gumby,
you sound new to this, hope you have a contingency tucked away.

Gumbyman2000

Hi guys,

Thanks for the info. I can confirm that I have no intention of doing anything illegal - apologies for charter infringements there. Just mouthing off a bit. I am new to this and it is a bit of a challenge. I suppose what I'm trying to guage is how the planners operate. I would want to do the reconversion properly and ultimately I want the period home. In my mind this should be exactly what the planners are be looking for.

What are they like to deal with? How long on average does this process take?

Would a conservation architect usually come to the house (maybe at same time as structural engineer) and give an opinion as to what the planners will go for (and maybe an idea on cost)? Would he/she check that what has already been done to the house complies with planning?

Also, any idea how much a survey by said architect would cost or recommendation for one of these?

One thing I need to figure out before purchase goes through is what the current owner did and whether that complies with conservation planning (don't want to get stung with a fine for something I didn't do in the first place!!). I will call the planners on Tuesday and see what info I can get.

Thanks again,
Gumby,

BryanF

Gumbyman2000 wrote: »

Hi guys,

Thanks for the info. I can confirm that I have no intention of doing anything illegal - apologies for charter infringements there. Just mouthing off a bit. I am new to this and it is a bit of a challenge. I suppose what I'm trying to guage is how the planners operate. I would want to do the reconversion properly and ultimately I want the period home. In my mind this should be exactly what the planners are be looking for.

1 What are they like to deal with? 2How long on average does this process take?

3 Would a conservation architect usually come to the house (maybe at same time as structural engineer) and give an opinion as to what the planners will go for (and maybe an idea on cost)? 4Would he/she check that what has already been done to the house complies with planning?

5 Also, any idea how much a survey by said architect would cost or recommendation for one of these?

One thing I need to figure out before purchase goes through is what the current owner did and whether that complies with conservation planning (don't want to get stung with a fine for something I didn't do in the first place!!). I will call the planners on Tuesday and see what info I can get.

Thanks again,
Gumby,

1. their friendly, they do take there time! with your project they'll refer you to the conservation officer and may look for surveys as suggested above. they'll want a lot of detail about what you want to do. you'll need an architect with conservation experience to deal with the planners on your behalf.
2. Min 3 months, imho it may take 3-12months (sorry for such a varied approximation, but you should be prepared for this eventuality)
3. yes, for opinion on planners and site visit, but you may not get an accurate costing at such an early stage.
4. yes in-conjunction with your solicitor
5. initial consultation will be similar to engineer's report