Getting ready for building!

Because we have our building warrant we can, for the first time, start building up rather than knocking down. We planned ahead so that we could get started straight away on foundations.

Most importantly, Ric was booked for four weeks each in July & September. He is due to arrive a day or so after us for the July stint.

We got ourselves a standard 130l Belle Minimix concrete mixer and a Silverline optical dumpy level & staff, both delivered to Aberdeen. We booked the Ellon Timber mini digger.

We considered getting ready mix concrete for the foundations but decided against. We have a moderate run – 8m or so – at the demolished gable-end and we have more complex runs at each end of the north stretch (to support the structures that will hold the roof up. These are comparatively difficult to access from the hardstanding just off our access track – the only place we could really park a ready mix truck. We also have the other dozen or so very short stretches of foundation in what are currently doorways and which will become doors or windows. These are definitely difficult to access. So we decided on mixing our own and barrowing it round the structure at our own pace – not cheaper than ready mix, but more practical. And good exercise.

I had a bit of a struggle finding a builders merchants I wanted to buy from. I looked at getting an account, to get better prices/delivery and did not succeed. In the end I tried Jewsons, where I once had an account, but did not get anywhere over a couple of weeks before giving up. Self-builders are of no interest to builders merchants in the Aberdeen area. So I went back to Ellon Timber, which is at least a local business. We got cement, 20mm aggregate (blockmix in the local vernacular, also ‘three-quarters to dust’ and ‘sub-base’), rebar mesh and concrete blocks ordered.

Warrants & Certification

Planning & Warrants

We have the quote from our architect for 1) a demolition warrant, 2) revised planning permission and 3) a building warrant. Not having any real idea of how much it might cost, the guesses in my plan are not right in detail, but surprisingly right in total. No sneaky savings, but also no headache.

1. I over-estimated the cost of getting the demolition warrant, which is split roughly evenly between Aberdeenshire council and the architect. This is to allow us to remove the roof and demolish the fire-damaged gable wall, off the back of the current (2012) planning permission.
2. I over-estimated the cost of re-applying for planning permission, this mostly goes to the architect for producing drawings and dusting off the supporting documents from last time. Provided we complete the demolition work by the time the current planning permission expires, we would probably not need another bat survey, hacking £900-£1000 off the bill. Being a bit of a pessimist, I have left this in the projected costs. There is also likely to be more ‘planning gain’ for Aberdeenshire council. This might be around £250 per additional bedroom (over the 4 bedrooms in the 2012 permission).
3. I fairly badly under-estimated the cost of a building warrant. This is partly because the Aberdeenshire council fee is proportional to the estimated cost of the works – and I had no idea what this might work out at. I underestimated the amount of work for the architect. To round it off, I had not included a cost for a structural engineer – about another £1000.

In total around £10,500.

Why the one quote?

Our architect is very local and does steading conversions as a specialism. He worked with Slains Estate on preparing our and neighbouring properties for sale and gained our current planning permission – there will be an element of recycling. He is very experienced and knows how to build houses as well as design them. In a former life he worked in a council building department. Ric, one of my brothers, sat in on a longish meeting with him and was positive. I guess we trust him, even if he is not the cheapest option.

Certification

Time to think about completing the project! Before we have got our hands dirty, we need to know that when we finish the building, we will get a Certificate of Completion and that we would be able to sell the property if we needed to. So we need to understand Certification.

Architect’s Certificate 

Our architect will inspect our building work against the standards, as we progress, and will provide an Architect’s Certificate on completion of the build. This is Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) approved. Should we need to sell the property within 6 years of taking occupation, the buyer should have no barrier to getting a mortgage.

The architect also has Professional Indemnity Insurance which would apply for the six years after completion. Unlike a warranty scheme, this means we, or a subsequent owner, would have to take court proceedings against him. Given that we will be doing much of the work, I would expect to a) avoid problems and b) fix them myself.

At present we plan to follow this route.

Alternative to an Architects Certificate

Building Standards Certification. The Scottish Government recommends using ‘approved certifiers’ to demonstrate that your building design & construction meet building standards. A certificate of design can be included with an application for a building warrant. It tells the local authority that the design work covered by the certificate meets building standards. It is not mandatory, but it reduces the cost of the warrant and should be quicker. Certificates cover either ‘Building Structures’ or ‘Energy’, so you may need two certificates. The certificate of construction can be included with your completion certificate submission to tell the local authority that the finished work covered by the certificate meets building standards AND that it meets the building warrant. Again it is not mandatory, but it should reduce the cost of the warrant and should save time. The intention to submit the certificate must be stated in the building warrant application. Certificates cover either ‘Electrical’ or ‘drainage/heating/plumbing’, so again you might need both. I doubt if these schemes would reduce the overall cost, but they might give peace of mind.

NHCB warranty

An NHBC warranty (e.g. their Solo product) covers similar ground to an architects certificate, but is for 10 years and has a claims process rather than legal redress. It is transferable.

Certificate of completion

This is what you need to legally live in a new property. In our case this is a paper form, to go to Aberdeenshire Council. It requires a certificate for the electrical system (we know about this and I will not be doing the wiring myself), but with no suggestion that this has to be from an ‘approved certifier’. The application also requires that the energy rating for the property is as stated in the warrant, or that a corrected calculation is attached. This will be from the building warrant. The other certifications are optional, we will submit the Architects Certificate. The local authority has 14 days to approve or reject the application.