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Plumbing - Heating systems explained

Now that our system is dead I’ve been forced to look into the world of heating 3 months early. When broken down, heating systems are fairly uncomplicated. There are 3 main types; free standing, wall mounted and back boilers.

Free standing:
These are slim boilers that are situated on the floor and usually installed between kitchen units.

Wall mounted:
Smaller, more compact heat exchangers. These boilers don’t require the room to be vented.

Back boilers:
These are the first central heating systems that were on offer. They do require the room to be vented. They were installed in the fireplace and thus are treated as open flued models. When these boilers break down they tend to omit poisonous flumes. This is the system we are replacing and I can confirm that when ours started to go, the room stank.

Other systems are condensing boilers and combination boilers (combi)

Condensing boilers have been around for some time and as more efficient designs are bought out, more savings on fuel costs can be found. Easy to install, care must be taken when considering the placement of the flue as ‘pluming’ (steam like omissions that, although are non toxic, would annoy if placed by a window or door) Also this system needs to be able to drain the result of the condensation away to a drain.

Combination boilers are popular as they remove the need to have a hot water tank and thus save space. They are typically installed in flats and small houses. They allow hot water on demand but are limited if the hot water is required for multiple sources (tap in the kitchen and the shower running at the same time)

Warm air systems are also available and are usually found in small houses and flats. These work by heating the air using burning gas and then pumping the hot air around the house. These systems are very economical to run and are quick to warm up from cold. It’s also possible to get electrostatic air filters to eliminate odours and 95% of airborne particles. (good for asthma sufferers)

You are also restricted to what can be installed where. These are the places where certain boilers can or can’t be installed.

• Kitchen – all types, preferably on an external wall for the flue.
• Living Room – Back boilers are not permitted.
• Bedrooms – only fanned to room sealed boilers can be fitted. Boilers that draw air from the room must not be fitted in bedrooms.
• Bathrooms - only fanned to room sealed boilers can be fitted. Boilers that draw air from the room must not be fitted in bathrooms.
• Under stairs – as long as adequate fire protection is installed giving 30 minutes or more protection all can be installed.
• Garage – all boilers but frost protection is required.
• Roof space – all can be installed but secure access, permanent lighting and boards between hatch and boiler are required to be installed as well.
• Cellar – as external walls aren’t available, only fanned flue and conventional flue boilers can be fitted.

Choosing a boiler will depend on your personal needs, size of house and location you wish to install the boiler. We spoke to Abbey boilers who were very helpful. This article is only a guide and further information and advice should be sort from a corgi registered engineer.

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Gadgets - wireless scarts

Now this is my knd of gadget. Anything to get rid of the snake pit behind my tv. These scart plugs allow you send signals from your video, dvd, satellite reveiver and anything else you care to mention that has a scart socket to your TV without the need for wires.

For more info go to http://www.marmitek.com/en/catalogus/product.php?product=366

Gadgets - 3 in 1 for the kitchen

I thought I'd seen everything, but when I l ived in a poky studio flat I could have done with one of these. Candy have designed a 3 in 1 cooker - Hob, Oven and dishwasher. The hob can either be gas or ceramic depending on the model and the dishwasher can take a full 6 place setting.

For more details go to their site http://www.candy-domestic.co.uk/trio.asp

Diary - Saving £1500

So it looks like the heating is going to cost us around £2500+VAT to fix. I'll add an entry itemising what gets installed and why later.

But it isn't all bad. We got a call from a friend that knew of a house that was going to get levelled by developers to build 7 flats. Most of the interior was going to a clearing company but she could bare to see her range cooker go to vultures. So calling on a 'man with a van' we grabbed a Rangemaster dual fuel double oven for the princely sum of £50.

Moral of the story....swallow your pride and grab what you can.

Diary - New heating system is needed

When we bought the house we negotiated £10,000 off the price to pay for the new heating system. We knew it wouldn’t last - The survey said so, the plumber we got to check it over said so and, to the sellers credit, he said so. But we thought it would last until we started the renovation so that we could plan the installation into the build plan and prevent extra costs of multiple visits from the plumbers.

Unfortunately the boiler died yesterday. No heating, no hot water and to add salt to the wound – it started to snow. We called in our trusted plumbers, Abbey Boilers, and they gave it the final rights. We’ve used Abbey Boilers in the past to sort leaks and replacements of hot water tanks etc. You know you are on to a winning company when they advise you on ways to get things done cheaper without compromising quality or safety and advised us not to throw money after bad hardware.

We have been quoted £2300 to install the new boiler, emersion heater and pumps. The boss is paying a visit on Thursday to talk through the possibility of installing the entire system before the renovation starts. Luckily we know the new layout of the house and the configuration of the first floor. This should make planning the new system easier. We can provisionary install the plumbing to the first floor ready for it to be plumbed in when the building starts and still have the new system working for the ground floor. We know where the new boiler can go as we know where the utility room will be.

So until the 12^th of February we will live in a very cold house with no hot running water…joy.

Tips regarding Planning Permission

1. Eight weeks is the target that most planning offices aim for to arrive at a decision.

2. A little known fact is that you don’t need to own the plot – you can apply for planning consent on any land.

3. If you feel that the result isn’t going to be favourable, you can withdraw you proposal and resubmit it another time without incurring extra costs. You are also not restricted by the amount of proposals you submit.

4. You don’t need to include you nieghbours but it certainly help if you pay a visit to explain your ideas and talk through the plans. The final decision isn’t effected by their objections though.

5. Land with planning permission is worth more than land without. So even if you don’t go ahead with your plans and decide to sell– add this to the valuation.

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Tips on finding your Architect

1. Get recommendations from friends/ family
2. 'Interview' the architect - it's important you get along
3. Look for creativity in their past work
4. Don't be bullied by them - it's your house
5. Don't forget to compare costs.We scouted about asking friends and family if they could recommend anyone. We also got in touch with some trusted builders to ask them who they used. We got 4 firms around to see the space, talk to us about their ideas and give us an idea on how expensive it would be.

We were stunned how reluctant architects are in sketching or even talking through their ideas. What we were looking for apart from reasonable cost was inventiveness and a clear understanding of the space.

The first company – Loftplan – was a company we used on our last house to convert the loft. They impressed us with total professionalism, patience in waiting for us to commit without getting pushy and willingness to discuss every aspect the project. They draw up the plans, explained the process of planning and building and even introduced us to the builders who were going to work on the project. For loft conversions I would highly recommend them, but this project isn’t just a loft conversion and their quote was way over budget - £48,000 for the shell only

The second company was econo loft. The sent of a draftsmen (women) who arrived with smiles and promises at 7pm. She made us sit with her as she sketched her ideas out and it took man handling to get her out of our house at 12.30am. I can not stress how angry I was with this company and late apology from their smarmy MD didn’t help. Don’t touch econo loft

The third was an independent recommended by a builder friend. He was professional and would have done what we asked, and that’s where the plan lay. He didn’t show any creativity or to quote consultants – he didn’t think out of the box. He was also quite expensive for what he was offering. In short the cost would have been around £3000 for a drawing for the planning office and a building regulation plan.

So we went for another draftsmen that was recommended to us. Ignoring the fact he could talk the hind legs off a donkey (in a friendly way not sales way) he instantly offered new ideas that other, including ourselves, hadn’t thought of. He explained the planning process, payment process and sketched out ideas there and then. He didn’t get precious about changing the first draft and kept us in the loop regarding the talks between himself and the planning office. The total cost will be £1800 which includes the building regulation drawing taking us to the building stage. Details can be found on the proposal plan.

Other articles you may want to look at:
channel4
www.architecture.com
RIBA

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Diary - The first hurdle - planning permission is granted

POP - the champers is on ice. We have the go ahead from the planning office. The official line is -

Decision: Certificate of Lawfulness Granted
Decision Date: 01/15/2007

So onward with the building plans.

Cost so far - £900 for the proposal plans

here's the letter of consent

Tips on finding the right house to renovate

Still no news so here are my ideas on finding a good house to renovate.

Research

• Use www.upmystreet.com to research the social demographics. If you are going to add value to the house, it's wise to make sure that those you're targeting would actually want to live there.
• Research what your target wants. A house for young professionals and a house designed for a family will turn out totally different. Large open plan spaces may be what a young couple would like but a family need spaces to hide away from each other (trust me on this – I have 2 kids). If you are in a good area where crime is low and the schools are great then this will have a greater pull on a family than a hip area that would appeal to the younger buyer.
• Are there any plans to build new houses in your chosen neighbourhood? These will be cheaper to buy and could make selling your house harder as the demand in decreased.
• Stick to areas you know. You’re more likely to understand local trends which will help you to tailor the house to local markets when you come to sell.

Find the right house

• Small changes, big profit – Some houses only need bringing in to the 21^st century. Our first house was bought from a little old lady who was systematically ripping out the soul of the house. We added the Victorian features back, Reskimmed the walls and added a lick of paint. That would have been enough to get a small profit back but we bought it to live in. By the time we moved out we had converted the loft and cellar into rooms and gave the garden an overhaul.
• When converting any house, get a professional in to help with the building regulations. These will include: architect to design and help with planning consent, surveyor to cost the job and an estate Agent to help value your house. We found talking to an estate agent very useful to determine if we could justify the investment on our house and if there was an upper limit its value.

Diary - Killing time until the 17th - when permission may be granted

Submitting our plans to the council seems along time ago. I phoned to see how things were progressing to be told sign off will come around the 17th of Jan. So to kill time I've taken more photos, this time close up to show the horror of the house at the moment. The hanging wires, the mould, the chewed skirting boards and the ladder that is the stairs. So enjoy the photos and keep your fingers crossed for Wednesday.

House so far

Diary - Our plans

These are the plans that were submitted on 1/12/07. The dotted lines are the existing walls and roof line. The Dormers are new as is the barn end style roof. One of the back doors will be converted into a window. All this is within the allowed 10% extension, but the dormers and roof alteration could cause concern at the planning office.


We've been told the a decision will be made on the 17th of this month.

Fingers Crossed

Diary - The Grand Plan - Our renovation ideas

Quick background. We bought a house last June. It's a 1930's detached Bungalow - 2 beds, large lounge and a big kitchen and dinning room. What grabbed our attention was it's potential. It was run down. huge roof space and big garden. The walls are made of what can only be described as cardboard, the heating is on it's way out and the wiring needs sorting.

The plan is to install some stairs, add 3 bedrooms and a bathroom on the new first floor. Knock through from kitchen to dinning room to make a huge kitchen dinner. We also want to create a hall way and move the lounge away from the front door. A study and kids room will also be created by adding a wall and moving the kids upstairs.

We've found a Polish builder that will undercut all others by 60% and the plans have been submitted to planning.

We plan to start work in February.

If this isn't going to be stressful enough I thought I'd write to Channel4 to see if they would be interested in documenting the project.

I'll keep you posted.