Week 47: All Things Structural
When starting out I never once anticipated learning the law of the land or the might of construction...period! As a first project I perhaps should've taken on a goal that was modest, not something in excess of 75k in renovation. A nice little refurb on a budget of 25k to a tired house should’ve sufficed. But, just to let you know these entry level projects just weren't adding up in terms of time/resources invested; believe me I wasted a whole year looking for these so called starter projects which kept falling through. For what it's worth I am embarking on a formal project which for a starter investor is quite the challenge. The biggest advice I can give at this point is to get over any mental block you may have. It is just a house, plenty of professionals to seek advice from. Once you get over this initial block and overcome your fears the rest is a doddle.
Tip: Get over your fears by jumping in, just do it; okay I'm starting to sound like Nike..haha. But, you will find that the thought of it is much worse than the ‘actual’ act itself.
I'm currently finalising a few bits of paperwork but in reference to the above point, do jump in after your research of course. Don't just literally take my word blindly. The property I have my eyes on is an auction sale with quite a bit of structural element to it. I don't know about yourself but I hated that word as it feels really scary don't you think? Initially I wanted a simple project, none of this extension business and guess what I have kinda bypassed this, but you will have to follow the blog for a few weeks to see how I have achieved this. I will be converting a three bed to a 4 bed by some simple remodeling of the existing space. The age of the property is pre-Victorian circa 1800’s, so putting it in line to meet modern building regulations of the 21st Century will no doubt be fun. Everything needs ripping out or some kind of amendment. From walls (both interior & exterior) to ceilings and floors, well basically the whole shell. Luckily there are some internal walls which are not solid hence this should mitigate some of the cost but the removal of chimney breasts and a side elevation of an exterior will soon eat up any savings made. But I am proposing to work very closely with an excellent project manager who lucky for me has factored in all these into the cost before we put in our formal offer.
He will cost us a small fortune but what I am paying for is his knowledge and experience and the ease in which he will be delivering the project. There is an easier way to do something and a harder way, so pick your hard carefully. For us his price is worth his weight in gold, as some of the things he was pointing out would never have been picked up through the eyes of a virgin investor. Next week I am due to liaise with both a structural engineer to give us the nitty gritty of things and the building regulations officer. So how do we make contact with this officer? Details will be found in the local authority website’s planning department.
Tip: Get acquainted with the planning department and make friends with the Buildings Regulations Officer. You will need them on your side.
Also, do not ignore what they say as it will have consequences on your part. Yes they will be of some hindrance on what you can and can't do in line with whatever handbook they follow. But on a serious note, the last thing you want is to erect something which will have to come down upon their visit. Why take that chance? Listen to everything they say as gospel and now is the time to decide on your subcontractor which hopefully you have a select few. The project manager can recommend some excellent build teams who he has direct experience with, but they do carry a Midlands price tag. On the other hand a local team (whom you don't know) could be very economical but risky so where do we go from here?
Decisions, decisions decisions...