Discharge of LBC Conditions

Over the last nine months I have had a lot of dealings with the District Council on planning matters.  I thought I would avoid a lot of hassle by appointing an architect, but he seems to have been surprised and annoyed by their attitude as well.  When the Council granted Listed Building Consent for the internal work I did not particularly like the look of the conditions, which said that I had to get their approval for all sorts of details before doing the work. This is done by submitting another application to discharge the conditions, and it seems that they can take almost as long discharging the conditions as giving the LBC in the first place!  I would have hoped that I simply had to tell them of the exact details, but it seems that they actually APPROVE fine detail like the EXACT type of woodburning stove, or the type of the extractor fan (vent?), even though they had pictures of "something like this" in the original application. Personally I think that they are exceeding their brief and making unnecessary work for themselves plus delay and stress for people like me.  What they don't seem to appreciate is that there are lead times on purchases and, for reclaimed materials, you must buy it when you find it, not wait for approval, so I have already bought or ordered a good number of expensive items in anticipation of approval.

I wouldn't really mind if they were consistent and operated to a set of clear rules.  As it is, those of us who try to play the game seem to be penalized by having to go with their timescales and capricious decisions; in contrary fashion, 200 yards away there is a sizeable development taking place on a listed pub in a conservation area, with scaffolding and hoarding on the busy pavement, and they have not even made any applications at all, let alone got approval - no planning permission, no Building Control and no LBC.  Why are they not being stopped forthwith?

Anyway, the good news is that we have just found out (via the planning website) that the application to discharge the conditions has now been "permitted" so at last we can do all everything in the LBC application submitted in January.  I am very glad about this as we have already done the door, ordered an expensive window, bought a woodburner and a decorative arch with mantel, and are about to complete laying the limestone flags in the kitchen on the limecrete floor.  It's nice to be legal...

To balance the equation, I have met a Building Control Officer who is most pragmatic, helpful and (frankly) non-threatening, giving advice on how to meet or interpret the rules.  I can work with this sort of person!

My first meeting with a Building Control Officer

The "highlight" of the week, apart from completing the limecrete slab (see previous entry below), was the first visit of a real Building Control Officer (BCO).  I have been trying to develop some sort of communication with BC since early December, and have been in receipt of either poor advice which is contradicted by the next person you speak to, or else they simply fail to respond to telephone calls and even a letter.  So I just shoved in my application, got on with the work (i.e. digging out the hole for the limecrete floor) and called BC when I needed them to do a stage inspection when we were about to lay the limecrete slab this week.

I was actually quite apprehensive about this, but the chap who came was very nice and easy to talk to.  He was also quite frank about the state of the Council's BC team (who have suffered vicious job cuts in recent months), and also about the internal politics which I had viewed from afar.  Basically, Planning, Conservation and BC all have a view of life and the rules for each mean that they are often in conflict!  He believes that BC's hand will be reinforced in the next few years as modern rules on energy conservation are applied more to old buildings, so that Conservation will have less of a say in what is allowed.  Since I had Conservation forbid double glazing in a brand new sash window which is being made for us (replacing a metal framed sixties design), I think that can't come soon enough.  However, I'm sure that there will be a downside somewhere...

I wonder if the BCO was impressed by the amount of spoil outside in the garden?

As I said, the point of the visit was for him to see the construction of the limecrete floor slab whilst it was in progress.  He was interested in the details as he had never seen one before, and so I explained with my customary enthusiasm and he seemed quite happy.  He was well aware that in a listed building he has very little power at the moment and so k-values etc were quite irrelevant.  Logically that's fine (in my view) as what is being fitted well be far better in that regard than what was there, and the point is that if you dig down too far to install a breathable floor then your old building might well collapse.  Presumably someone will sort out this sort of issue before BC do get given wider reaching powers; the idea of a three foot deep hole in such a building does not bear thinking about!

Also this week the plastering was completed for now, and there remains only the kitchen, and a chimney breast in the lounge to be done later.  We have the finished smooth coat on three bedrooms, the bathroom, landing, hall, stairs and lounge.  It has been a lot longer in coming than I anticipated, and my budget was well and truly blown by the extra time and the vast amount of materials required.  The only other thing done this week was finishing the floorboard repairs in the main bedroom.  I replaced two sections of board (which had to be ripped to the right width) and repaired another couple of floorboards which were glued, clamped and screwed successfully so I think I'm fairly happy with my skills on that.  This was all required after the ravages of floorboards being lifted without the necessary love and care (don't get me started!) by certain tradesmen. 

Now, it's Easter and I rested on Good Friday, and even took part in some spiritual events at the church opposite the house.  Today (Saturday) we went for a long walk in the wonderful country around here to make the most of the great weather, and on Easter Sunday we shall be at the sunrise service at the church (you work out the time!).  Then on Monday I shall be back at work on the house - no rest for the wicked!

Laying a Limecrete Floor Part 1

This might be a bit detailed for some of you, but I have been researching the use of limecrete as a breathable kitchen floor for some time and have found very little good advice on t'internet; hence I thought that some detail in the public domain might be found useful.  I shall publish another entry soon detailing some other events of the week.

This week, at last, I bit the bullet and engaged Chris and Shane to dig out the existing floor and help me lay the limecrete slab.  The general deal was that they would do the physical bit and I would provide the technical know-how (aided by desperate telephone calls to Mike Wye).  Of course life is not like that and so I am now absolutely shattered (as indeed they are, and they are half my age!).

When we first saw the kitchen I immediately knew that we would have to sort the floor (photo right).  The red and black 6" quarry tiles, in a pleasing diagonal pattern, were damp and sadly neglected.  They were suffering from a variety of additional coverings (like rotted lino and bitumen), and many (mostly red ones) had lost their flat surface entirely, revealing a pitted face with a white bloom.  I tried various techniques of cleaning but nothing persuaded me (far less Jane!) that we would be able to live with the end result for the duration of our intended retirement.  Delaying this was not an option as there would be no real way of doing it once we had fitted the new kitchen and were living in the house.  Another issue was the strip of bare concrete (foreground on photo) which ran across the room where there used to be a wall; this pre-dated the tiles, as the diagonal lines on either side did not match! 

I made an early decision that what I wanted to do was to lay a breathable limecrete floor, and researched this on the internet.  It can be difficult to get Building Control approval for this material, but there is an exemption for listed buildings on account of the foundations usually being shallower than the required depth to meet Part L (Conservation of Fuel and Power).  I knew that the foundations were about 8 or 9 inches below the floor level, and the essential detail here is to dig down at 45 degrees from the walls at a point a small way above the bottom of the foundations so that the integrity of the walls  is not affected.  If you are cautious like me then that small way is about 6 inches.

I got the team at Mike Wye to do the materials quotation which also gave me the essential design of the floor.  It seemed to me that the quantities required were enormous (4 tons in photo left) so I asked them to do it again; the result was the same so I just had to trust their figures.  Of course, they were very accurate - see later. Their design uses LECA (lightweight expanded clay aggregate) which comes in various sizes but essentially looks like an unappetizing version of Maltesers without any chocolate.  A coated version of LECA is used as a loose lay foundation; this allows the floor to breathe but does not allow any water to rise by capilliary action.  On top of this the main slab is made of a slightly smaller LECA, uncoated (presumably to allow better binding), mixed with NHL5 (Natural Hydraulic Lime).  A breathable membrane is used both below and above the loose lay LECA to prevent migration between the layers.  On top of the slab a screed of NHL5 and sharp sand is laid, on which the chosen floor surface is laid.  Most of the insulation is from the loose lay so I chose to use 200mm of this, with a 100mm slab on top.  This was the task for the week, as we will let it go off before laying the screed and flagstones.

The first task was to remove all the tiles - only about 900 of them - and then Chris and Shane removed (in about three minutes) the old (1950s) fireplace - see result in photo left.  What I had not really bargained on was how much spoil there would be (photo right), and the sheer physical effort in getting it out of the house. Everything had to be lifted up a couple of feet  - well, we were digging down - and extracted through the fairly narrow single French door.

I estimate that they removed something like 10 tons of lime mortar and soil in three days, all by hand through that single doorway.  The end result was basically an empty swimming pool where there will soon be a kitchen.  I also removed about half a ton of rubble which filled the old fireplace - compare the photo left (after excavation, with membrane laid) with the one above.  I was expecting to build a rectangular alcove for the new woodburning stove, and it was there all the time! 

So we worked along from the far end, laying the loose lay LECA with the membrane over it up to a bit of temporary shuttering, then the slab mixture on top up to a couple of feet back.  Then we added LECA in front of the shuttering, removed the shuttering, unrolled the membrane and added more slab mixture, and so moved on.  The addition of the LECA in front of the shuttering is key as otherwise the edge would move significantly when the shuttering is removed and this might allow the slab mixture to drop down a bit.  Here's Chris (right) doing a bit of levelling with some marker stakes for the next bit of shuttering.

 
Finally, we had a floor slab.  I know it doesn't look much for the result of so much work, but I'm convinced that it's a good way of controlling dampness in such an old building.

We actually received 84 bags of the loose lay LECA, and 42 of the stuff to mix with the mortar; we used 81 and 38 respectively - a surplus is far preferable to running out.  The LECA totalled about three tons, and we also used almost exactly half a ton of NHL5.  All that remained was to clear up, including removing the remaining mortar (for the screed next week) from the lawn to the house.  I have to confess that I was surprised to see the entire lawn cleared in just seven hours, and I bet the neighbours were as well, considering that half of the lawn is theirs!

Urgent repairs, and consents

Those who have never bought a property probably have not experienced the frustration of having to wait while faceless people (i.e. solicitors) follow a process which is fairly commonplace but just takes ages...  They are confident in the knowledge that they will get paid anyway so what's the rush?

Urgent roof repairs needed

In my case I want to get on and get the roof fixed before winter.  Every time it rains I want to get up there and fix the holes but I can't because it isn't mine yet, so I just worry about the damage being caused.  All I can do is plan and try not to worry.  The impending onset of winter was in fact one reason why our offer was found acceptable, because the vendor could see that the property would suffer further if not repaired in some way so either he had to pay out for some work or else sell it quickly.  The worst case for him would have been still to own it during winter and watch it suffer, and then he can only sell it for less than now, or even worse the council serve him with an enforcement notice to repair the listed building. This photo doesn't do justice to the poor quality of the roof, but it really does have three holes in it!

So, I need to find a roofing contractor (see separate entry coming soon)

And an architect...

I also need to tackle the questions about the permissions to do the work and I have realised that the services of an architect might be a good idea; although I could do drawings and complete the forms myself, I would probably introduce delay due to my unfamiliarity with the system.  Also, I feel that a professional approach is more likely to get the council's blessing, and an architect will also be required anyway when we do the extension next year.

Consents required

The permissions required look daunting: apart from the normal planning permission and building regulations, we are in a conservation area and the building is listed.  The issue is that each of these may or may not apply to what you want to do.  Apart from engaging an architect, I think the trick is to get to know people at the council before you actually start work or even before you make an application - they like you more if you speak to them and try to follow the rules!  Locally they are very helpful and have a pragmatic view of things. For instance, before making the offer I spoke to a conservation officer who enlightened me about some things:

• If I repair EXACTLY like for like, I do not need listed building consent or any other consent, but even to remove someone's bodge and restore the building to its original state DOES need consent.  (We have a couple of ridge tiles missing and lead flashing has been used instead and strictly even this replacement will need permission to change.)
• Repair is always their preferred option, rather than complete replacement (especially do not re-point complete walls).
• "A house has to earn its keep" - they are realistic in their outlook on what you want to do, but it helps if your requests are reasonable as well!
• They like to see lime used on old buildings and hate to see cement ribbon pointing, UPVC doors/windows, plastic guttering etc being used on old buildings.
• Hence my proposed stone extension in lime met with immediate agreement as to being a good idea, despite the increase in ground area.
• There is a popular belief which is that only certain parts of a building are actually affected by listing.  This is NOT true - although it may be the case that only certain parts were the original reason for listing, once it is listed then the entire building, inside and out, and its entire plot including boundary walls, is all subject to control.
• If I want to make an access through a low wall, I won't need conservation approval as the wall is so low (I don't know the critical height) but I would need listed building consent as the wall was there when the building was listed.