Always remember anyone can post on the MSE forums, so it can be very different from our opinion. Or how about losing a window or two altogether and replacing them with French doors? I would want to open this into one big room. When extending your home you must first establish whether or not your project will be built over or close to (within 3 metres) of a public sewer. Then lumps of concrete started to fall off it, prompting health and safety fears. Campaign website the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership (LKP) has unearthed instances where individual leaseholders in Edmonton were given a bill of 25,000; in Haringey 44,000; and from Brent council 15,000. A functional home is a happy one; thus, treat yourself to some clever storage spaces, like built-in shelves or floating wall shelves. Informal route. The budget of the refurbishment touched the 100K mark. Other improvements to your ex-council house. Renovating a grade II listed house what can you do without permission? For instance, it will include the landlords responsibilities to maintain the building, your payment schedule, what you may and may not do to the interiors of your flat, etc. 23 March at 5:38PM ProDave Forumite 3.1K Posts Wait 2 more years and you might be able to apply for adverse possesion of the land forming the driveway. So anything we did now wouldn't affect the price should we be in a position to buy it. We don't as a general policy investigate the solvency of companies mentioned (how likely they are to go bust), but there is a risk any company can struggle and it's rarely made public until it's too late (see the. If the house you live in is considered your forever home, it makes sense to extend this property to accommodate your expanding family. Your contact details will not be displayed publicly nor shared with anyone without your prior consent. Alternatively, if you need more help, please feel free to contact us on ourcontact us page here. Anamaria and Bogdan, who run a practice in the local area. The dining table and bench, plus the TV stand, were designed by us and manufactured in collaboration with a craftsperson in Romania. 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Some people might think that there is a stigmas attached to owning an ex-council home, but what do they know? I didn't bother asking the housing dept. It was a lovely collaboration. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. You might be able to extend your lease by: 90 years on a flat if you qualify 50 years on a house if you. Bowraven Limited is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. You may own an ex-council house and you might be wondering if it is worth extending it. A cap will also be introduced on ground rent. Specifically it's got a very big garden, though the house itself is an ex-council 2 bed semi that's had an extension on the back - and it has off-street parking And if youre worried about struggling to sell the house later on, dont think that just because its an ex-council house you wont make any money. If you're able to buy into a metropolitan area by nabbing lower-cost property like an ex-council house, you may be able to reap the rewards later. After she contacted us to inform us that she would like to start a collaboration, we set our first official meeting, where we discussed the contract and went further into the project brief. There are more than 500 properties on the estate, with about a third privately owned. Why? Building Regulations and Planning Permission. UK-wide. The council houses around us have all extended side & rear making a 2 bedroom into 4 bedroom with large kitchen. Our designs are unique and look to create atmosphere and experiences, allowing the client to learn about the architectural design process along the way. filed under Case Study, Renovations. Another con of buying an ex-council house is that it can be difficult to get a mortgage arranged. Once youve purchased the ex-council flat, you are bound by its legal terms. But be sure to check out a few elements before moving into an ex-council house, such as who owns the block of flats and what are their policies on renovations, if its in an area that you want to live in, whether you mind sharing your street with council residents, etc. You should also ask them to help with finding out what your house will be worth with an extension. Can You Get A Council House If You Own A Property? It may not display this or other websites correctly. Jim has successfully transformed this . Consult with a professional about your options if you're thinking about buying an ex-council house for sale. I couldnt recommend them highly enough. The council say the total bill will be 12m and we have to pay another 5,000. Other improvements to your ex-council house Most of all, this decision allowed us to open the hallway to the stairwell, and gave us a bit more space to install a larger skylight above the stairs. For a flat with 80 years left on the lease and expected to be worth 400,000 with a lease extension complete, and ground rent of 100 a year, a lease extension will cost from about 7,000 to 10,000 plus costs mentioned below. Also at this meeting we show our way of working and some of the projects we have done previously. Also, take account of how long you intend to live in the house. When it comes to the housing market, an ex-council house(otherwise known as an ex-local authority property) has a bit of a bad reputation: a lot of potential home buyers dont even consider them. Ex council house House Extension Plans Roof Extension Glass Extension House Extension Design Rear Extension Ideas Lean To Extension Orangery Extension Bungalow Extensions Garden Room Extensions Smart Visoglide plus anthracite grey aluminium sliding doors we installed in Kent. The couple are part of a group of homeowners who either bought former council homes on the open market or through the right-to-buy scheme. She was looking for something that made the entire house feel spacious and brought a calm atmosphere and a flow throughout each room. It's freehold and the council have no more say over what I do with the insides of the house than normal, as far as I'm aware. The project costs have increased for a number of reasons, as additional and unforeseen works were confirmed once on site for example, fabricated steel balustrades along public and private balconies, and increased amounts of brick repairs, which had not been visible during initial surveys, it says in a statement. Florence Bourne, 93, died of shame, according to her family, after being unable to pay a 50,000 bill for the refurbishment of her block in Newham, east London, in 2013. Some ex-council houses have restrictive covenants that require additional permission over and above any planning permission needed to build or extend. !. The house is a 1930's build and was bought from the council in the 80s- it has already had a small 1 storey extension. All rights reserved. Dealing with the local council, in a bid to buy a property they own, is a definite downside to the whole idea of investing in an ex-council house! When do you ever hear this in London? After the consultation, we provided the client with a fee proposal split in to stages of the project. When lumps of the building started to fall off, Lambeth council declared the situation an emergency, erected scaffolding and started work. Lambeth council has offered leaseholders repayment plans, but these could be unaffordable for someone on a modest salary. Bowfin Limited also participates in affiliate programs with MaxBounty, Clickbank, AWIN and other sites. If you are on the council housing priority list, the council has an obligation to find you a council house . Outcome: Two-storey extension to the side and rear incorporating a new dining room and bathroom. Are you a trade or supplier? Your email address will not be published. Hello I agree either polly check your tenancy type and agreement. Come with us now and see if buying an ex-council house could be the answer to your prayers and if you can overcome the cons associated with the process! In order to build an extension on your ex-council house you need enough garden that can be sacrificed to accommodate the square footage of the extension. Its funny, but now she says that she has too much storage space. The Landlord & Tenant Act 1985 requires freeholders to consult leaseholders if major works will result in a bill of 250 or more per property. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. To confirm if you are going to get your money back, you need to check house prices of in your area. Would not extending affect our sale? Ex-council house or not, the same question applies to extending any property. Some of the other flats paid 15,000 last year and now have demands for another 15,000, says Whitehouse. But his first property investment project was to turn an old dilapidated restaurant into a large 5-bed home, which he purchased for 117,500 and sold for 450,000 (to see an "after" photo of the house before it was sold see here: About). Bowfin Property make no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors or omissions or any damages arising from its display or use. You want to have a large enough garden after the extension has been built that is proportional to the size of the enlarged house. After registering her project on, Since completion, her new home has been shortlisted for the, Bernadette chose to speak with several architects via. 1960's remodelling project featured on Sarah Beeny's "Double Your House for Half the Money" in 2012. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. If you want to see if we can help you to sell your house or your property portfolio, please contact us. Ex-council houses tend to have very plain, bare-faced fronts, which means that styling up the windows will already be a huge improvement. (modern). Sebastian OKelly, founder of the LKP,says he is regularly contacted by leaseholders of flats in council properties facing ruinous major works bills. Oxford city councils planned revamp of five tower blocks went from 4.7m to more than 20m, resulting in a cost of50,000 to each leasehold property. But theres a caveat: it only applies if repairs are partly funded by a central government grant. 8. Budget: 80,000. But the rules dont apply if your freeholder is a local authority. The client, Bernadette was looking for an architect to transform her out-dated, tired council house into a modern, light-filled home. OP - as long as you have an assured tenancy - and write in for landlords permission - there shouldn't be a problem, as long as you are planning to stay at the property longterm of course. It might even brighten up the entire street. Assuming the building works for the extension costs 50,000, you would hope the value of the home would increase to at least 250,000. For any building work thats done on a property, its about weighing up the cost of building an extension vs the additional value the extra space adds to the enlarged house. The property was an unloved very run down and dated 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom 1960s redbrick detached house in north Leeds, 70s house renovation exterior - Google Search, Back to Front Exterior Design - 1960's Before and After Remodelling scheme in Surrey, Conversion of Bungalow to Two Storey House, Hampshire, 1960's exterior transformation by Back to Front Exterior Design, If you picture only traditional homes when you think of brick, it's time to reconsider this modern contender, Before and after the addition of a 2 storey extension, House, Forest Hill - David Money Architects Modernising the facade. Jim Lawler works his council house makeover magic again at Clarence Mangan Road. This elegant two story extension gives the house a larger living space and a modern twist. This iframe contains the logic required to handle Ajax powered Gravity Forms. A cool 283,000, or 52%. Once housing prices go up, you'll make money on the house and maybe even more than expected if you follow through with renovations. You can expect to pay from 900 to 3,000 per m depending on location, specification and scale. In order to build an extension on your ex-council house you need enough garden that can be sacrificed to accommodate the square footage of the extension. How have your improved your ex-council home? Need help with your home project? Russell owns a number of investment properties, which includes houses, flats and HMO's. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You must log in or register to reply here. Electing to extend can be an excellent means of maximising the potential available space of your property, without the costly need to relocate. 7. How to get a council house quicker. Moving costs are dead costs that dont add any value to a house, and need to be taken account of when you consider the cost of an extension vs the value this will add to your current home. Extensive surveys will be needed and a thorough audit of your finances will all be necessary but then on top of that, you'll have the annoyance of offset price reductions, if you have been a council tenant for a long time.