What can go wrong on a Conversion, Refurbishment or Self Build Project? Common issues with Conversion or Refurbishments

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1 What can go wrong on a Conversion, Refurbishment or Self Build Project? Common issues with Conversion or Refurbishments

2 What can go wrong on a Conversion, Refurbishment or Self Build Project? Common issues with Conversion or Refurbishments Just as standard household insurance protects the contents of your home, a structural warranty, also known as a latent defects warranty, protects the building structure against damage caused by defects in design, workmanship or materials to the structure or the waterproof envelope. This type of insurance is not only a mortgage lender requirement, but it also gives you peace of mind as your project progresses. Rob Clay-Parker, Managing Director for Premier Guarantee Surveyors, details some of the common areas of claims to watch out for. Building conversions as we know are often difficult to complete, frequently with costs spiralling as unknown defects surface. Good and correct investigation can reduce the unknown, however we often see work proposed with minimal investigation or inappropriate investigations employed, based on a standard approach. Refurbishments and conversions can come with their problems which may result in claims being made. This can include issues of damp, mould growth, water ingress and failing roof coverings. CIRIA 111 (Structural Renovation of Traditional Buildings) provides guidance on the level of investigation as well as typical construction methods used and issues frequently encountered; it is applicable to most low rise buildings of the 18 th, 19 th and 20 th Centuries. However even with these fairly well understood buildings, issues occur, we often see remedial Damp Proof Courses (DPCs) injected of inappropriate type for the wall construction, and increasingly at the wrong height (e.g. above structural floor joists) inadequate investigation of embedded timbers or a reluctance to re-cover a roof that although may initially appear to be in good order has in reality never performed to modern requirements and importantly modern expectation. Unfortunately Planning conditions and Conservation control can reduce the appropriateness of a building for conversion to residential use, it is not the case that we don t agree with these controls, its more that unfortunately new home purchasers have expectations that their new home will perform in the same way as a newly built property and often this isn t the case, from single glazed windows causing condensation to appear during colder months, to ongoing maintenance requirements and increased sensitivity to a changing climate, the pitfalls can be huge. Fact is that most properties built in the last 150 years are robust, unfortunately unsympathetic use, poor maintenance and simple issues such as increasing ground levels can introduce the enemy of most buildings moisture, by far and away the greatest defect we see in buildings proposed for conversion is water ingress

3 For more information, go to through failed roofing and gutters/downpipes (usually as a result of poor maintenance) and moisture rising, not through a failed DPC but usually a bridged perfectly good DPC with resultant rot to timbers both visible and invisible behind wall coverings and other finishes. More recent buildings are not devoid of these issues, they contain less timber, and were built to more modern standards, however these present other problems such as concrete defects, cladding issues, and in some cases structural issues. There is a lot of guidance to assist in the process of conversion; however the aforementioned CIRIA document is an excellent start, but reference to British Standards and even some historic association documents can provide an excellent source of further guidance. As a warranty provider, Premier Guarantee can recommend the type and level of investigation, so that when you start hopefully there won t be so many unknowns, and where practical we will agree the retention of elements or make clear where replacement is the only realistic approach. The Low Down on Self Build Despite the recent slowdown of the construction industry, self build is still a booming part of the UK house building industry. More recently, the industry has seen more and more support from Government for individuals who have decided to take on the big self build challenge. This includes an exemption from the Community Infrastructure Levy for people who want to build their own homes and taking forward a range of planning reforms which will support self builders e.g. simplifying design and access statements and to make it easier to change the use of buildings to housing. What s the catch? With the highs of the self-build dream come the perils of the design and build process. Problems lead to delays and delays lead to spending more money trying to get the job done. This can be a logistical nightmare as budgets need to be strictly adhered to as well as juggling the role of project manager with normal, everyday life. Planning permission can also be a sticking point there are rules to follow and you must

4 adhere to them to make sure your project gets going. Speak to your local planning team for more information. Minimise the risk of issues occurring on site Check who you are working with. Before you decide to employ a builder and/or contractor, you should check their professional credentials: are they part of any professional trade bodies and/or do they have any accredited qualifications that you can check against? Look into self-build forums and communities online that offer advice on mistakes to avoid and recommendations of trustworthy builders. A Self Build structural warranty, such as that offered by Premier Guarantee, offers the benefit of 10 years cover for structural elements, waterproof envelope, drainage and more. Our friendly Surveying team can support you on-site at key stages of the construction, checking build progress and adherence to technical standards as the site develops and if you choose we can also provide the Building Control function if, which includes a comprehensive check of your design. This minimises the risk of problems occurring later down the construction line. This type of insurance should be put in place before the build commences. Unlike an Architect s Certificate or Professional Consultants Certificate, structural warranties are insurance policies, providing cover in the event of damage caused by a defect in your property. They can include cover for areas such as additional costs, professional fees, removal of debris and alternative accommodation. Contractors who are working on Self Build developments can also apply for this cover on behalf of their clients.

5 For more information, go to Premier Guarantee offers a combined service of A rated structural warranties and Building Control to the construction sector. From self-build projects to multi million pound developments, we ve now covered over a quarter of a million housing units since Plus we ve grown into an international organisation with offices across England and Europe. Premier Guarantee info@premierguarantee.co.uk Follow us Premier Guarantee Surveyors is the trading name of MD Warranty Support Services Limited. Registered in England No: Premier Guarantee is a trading name of MD Insurance Services Limited. Registered in England No: MD Insurance Services Limited is the scheme administrator for the Premier Guarantee range of structural warranties. MD Insurance Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

6 Yogo Group Case Study Bayview House We always like to hear positive feedback from our clients so we caught up with Yogo Group to get their feedback on combining our Warranty and Building Control services. The project: Bayview House The project consisted of the demolition of a large single dwelling house, excavation to create underground substructure and car parking for 13 cars, erection of a 2 storey block of 8 luxury flats with rooms in the roof with rear dormer, balconies to 1st and 2nd floor at the rear, rear conservatories with fully landscaped gardens. What are the highlights of having both Building Control and your Structural Warranty with Premier Guarantee? I would like to take the opportunity to praise Premier Guarantee and their knowledgeable staff and inspecting surveyor who have been an absolute pleasure to work with during several of our ongoing projects. In our experience we ve found that working with Premier Guarantee provides certain safeguards and advice which allow issues to be

7 identified in good time by their technical department / staff which could otherwise cause problems further down the line, being detrimental to the overall build program. The surveying personnel have been attentive and consistent throughout the projects allowing continuity throughout the build. We have built a friendly and strong relationship which allows us to work hand in hand to provide solutions quickly and efficiently. Did you feel that the joint services improved productivity? Any further comments? We are proud to say our previous project was an award winning development put forward by our Premier Guarantee surveying engineer, winning National and Regional Awards as well as being put forward for Nomination at the Daily Express House Builder Awards. Once again I would like to thank all at Premier Guarantee involved with this project and look forward to working together on up and coming projects. This building was constantly monitored throughout by Premier Guarantee who provided technical and warranty support during the construction to enable decisions to be made swiftly and cost effectively on site without the need for excessive debate, red tape and unnecessary expense.

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