How to Know if You Can Knock Down a Wall

When because large-scale alterations to your home, demolishing to rebuild might non be your first consideration. Notwithstanding, it might make sense, both architecturally and financially, to knock down your quondam home and supercede it with something new, designed to your specification.

Then, if you lot have taken on a renovation project that is gradually becoming more and more than involved – think e'er growing extensions, complete internal remodels and knocking down every other wall – this article is for y'all.

Read on to observe out when sabotage and cocky build is the way to become.

How much should rebuilding cost?

The Homebuilding & Renovating Build Cost Calculator is a nifty tool for getting an estimate of self build costs, but you will be looking at effectually £ane,000–£2,000/m² for a practiced quality home of 200m² (the size of the boilerplate four bed).

Renovate or rebuild?

To work out whether to renovate or rebuild, add upward how much information technology would toll to build the house to the size and specification you want it to be. If this were to include a big extension or large-scale renovation, always speak to an builder first to consider the logistics earlier working out the costs. For all-encompassing renovation works, bank check out our guide to costing your renovation project.

• Cost upwardly your extension with our extension cost reckoner

Think that when renovating, everything yous do carries twenty per cent VAT, whereas to erase and replace means nix per cent VAT on almost everything. So, by rebuilding you lot will make savings on VAT and accept the design freedom and simplicity of being able to create your dream home from scratch.

Yous should, as part of your calculations, factor in demolition costs, what you paid for the original house and the potential end value of the finished project.

A 1950s bungalow was sited facing the road. Its new owners wanted to create a modern, 3-storey home which overlooked fields and London in the distance

How much does sabotage cost?

With regards to sabotage, this should cost betwixt £fifteen,000 to £25,000 for an average size building depending on the size of the existing dwelling (or £30–40/m³ but the cost tin be affected past access problems or other complications like asbestos removal).

Don't be too hasty to discard what has been knocked down. Some of the building materials may be salvageable, such as bricks and roof tiles, especially if they have period detail. In this case, the worth of the salvageable items can be first against demolition costs to decrease the cost.

What to consider before sabotage

In one case you have made the conclusion to demolish, there are a number of things you need to consider before you reach for the wrecking ball.

• Hire an architect to assist you lot with the design.
• Apply for planning permission to demolish and replace.
• Check if the building is of significant historical interest, locally listed.
• Cheque if the home is in a conservation area.

If it is listed or in a special designated area, permission may non be granted unless you can testify why the replacement volition exist an improvement. In almost cases you'll receive a conclusion within eight weeks, although controversial schemes can take several months.

Demolishing a home safely

As the land owner, y'all are liable for health and safety on the site, so speak to the Wellness and Safety Executive (HSE) to notify them of the demolition.

Demolition permission

'Classed as permitted development, in some cases you will not need to apply for planning permission to knock downward a building, east.g. for smaller residential buildings of up to 50 cubic metres (measured externally, including the walls),' explains Ian Rock. However, the local council may accept removed or restricted these rights, and it's essential to check.

'There are draconian penalties for unlawful demolition, including the requirement to fully reinstate the original building at your own expense. Listed buildings are rigorously protected (listed building consent is simply very rarely granted for demolition). Similarly, backdrop in Conservation Areas cannot be demolished without prior consent.

'Earlier you unleash the wrecking ball, you also demand to apply for a formal decision on whether the council planners want to corroborate the details of how you intend to behave out the demolition and restore the site afterwards.

'When it comes to building regulations, y'all normally demand to give six weeks' prior written notice to edifice command. Sabotage can only embark in one case the local authority has issued a counter discover, which they as well send to adjoining owners and occupiers, as well as to the relevant gas, electric, water and drainage suppliers.'

Contractors' role

Knocking down an old house is a specialist task. 'It'southward also a legal minefield strewn with health and prophylactic legislation, in most cases requiring prior notification to local authority building control,' says Ian Stone. 'At that place may also be potential risks from hazardous materials, such as asbestos, besides as possible issues with the support and protection of adjoining structures (hence the Party Wall Act may likewise come into play).

'Because demolition counts as construction work, it will normally demand to comply with the construction, design and direction (CDM) regulations. The person nominated as duty holder is legally required to fix a health and prophylactic plan highlighting the principal risks. The principal contractor must and then notify the Health and Safety Executive and ensure that all persons they employ to deport out sabotage work exercise so in accordance with this.'

New foundations

'Where a building is demolished to make way for a new ane, the new foundations can be cutting through the old ones, provided there are no deep cellars,' says Ian. 'Only new foundations ordinarily need to be considerably deeper, so you tin can't simply build on top of the existing ones.

'A new suspended footing floor can bridge over whatever areas of backfill and rubble left below basis. At worst, large areas of backfill could hateful using more expensive foundations, such as rafts. More than worrying is the run a risk of potential contamination from erstwhile industrial use. Your new business firm design will need to comply with Office C of the building regulations, relating to site training and resistance to contaminants. The building control counter notice will also normally specify a range of precautionary measures regarding adjacent buildings.

Sort utilities

And don't forget that your utilities will demand to be capped off. Make sure you requite a long lead fourth dimension every bit utility companies can be slow in responding. You won't need to notify the quango, merely a sabotage company volition demand to know that it has been done and that it'south safe for work to start.

The alterations they wanted to make were also extensive for it to be financially viable to use the existing dwelling every bit a starting bespeak, and so they had information technology demolished and started again

Applying for planning permission: trading land volume

Get planning permission for the new domicile ahead of demolishing the existing 1. If y'all take planning approval before yous demolish, you can 'trade' the existing volume, or size of the house already on the land, against your new plans. This is nigh important if you are in the green belt, as once the belongings's demolished, your state volition have no book and gaining planning consent from this point will be almost incommunicable.

You may be able to gain extra volume on a site with a good pattern. For instance, if the existing dwelling house has two floors with a split unmarried garage, you could build a double-height firm across the width of both the former house and garage.

Legally, you have to leave at to the lowest degree ane metre between your domicile and the boundary of your land to avoid a 'terraced' upshot, but individual councils tin have different requirements so it's best to check with your local authority.

You can besides apply to have a basement flooring level or rooms in the roof, to proceeds actress space within the existing volume of land calculated.

Hiring an architect for your projection

If y'all engage an architect at the get-go of the process, ideally before you buy the holding, you lot tin obtain communication on whether y'all will be able to reach what y'all want to on the site. They can submit a pre-application to the planning department before you buy.

If you lot receive a negative response, you should think very carefully before going ahead and buying the building, to avert heartache afterward on. A pre-application is non equally detailed equally full planning, but it gives a season of the new footprint and an agreement in principal that a new build would be permissible.

Once y'all have purchased the property, you can piece of work with your architect to submit a total planning application with a detailed layout.

Working with Articulate Architects, they came upwardly with a design that moved the accommodation

How to get planning approving

Exist sensible with your awarding for a replacement dwelling, as the planning section is more likely to take plans that are in keeping with the neighbourhood.

For instance, if your street is full of Edwardian houses, yous may exist able to gain permission for a very gimmicky house but you lot'll accept more of a battle than if you lot design something that has like features to those surrounding it. Still, if adjacent to a listed building, the contemporary approach will often exist supported by conservation officers every bit they like compages to stand up solitary in its relevant era, and not be pastiche.

In some cases, particularly if you are within a conservation expanse, yous may obtain planning permission, but with a restriction on types of building materials – such equally roof tiles or bricks – which tin be more costly. In this situation, your architect might need to be clever with the pattern to become the modern appearance you desire.

Don't forget drainage

Earlier you set about erasing and replacing, check the land drainage, particularly if yous are planning a larger dwelling than was there previously. In some cases, you may demand a pump or property tank.

You should also consider who owns the utilities and whether you lot volition likewise need new mains, as you might not be able to connect to the existing drainage organization.

Revising your projection

If you lot accept fallen into the unhappy position of purchasing a firm, only to observe you lot cannot go planning permission for the habitation of your dreams, you lot may either have to lower your expectations, or obtain designs for what will be permissible, sell the firm with planning, and start the process again. Rebuilding your dream home is very achievable if y'all appoint the right pattern squad at the outset, merely information technology isn't as straightforward in most cases as people wish or perceive. Notwithstanding, it's a great feeling when information technology does happen.

Which features should your new home include?

You'll need to adhere to more exacting requirements for the replacement house than would be the example if you'd renovated. Every aspect of the new business firm much comply fully with edifice regulations. This means:

• Besides as existence structurally sound, it must run into certain standards of insulation
• There must exist disabled toilet facilities at entrance level
• There is a maximum stair gradient

Eco features are also well worth incorporating. Underfloor heating costs more to install than radiators, only operates at lower temperatures pregnant it is more energy efficient and cheaper to run.

Thicker insulation exceeding the minimum requirements stipulated in Part L of the building regulations shouldn't add much to your budget, since the non-cloth costs are already factored in. So, information technology makes sense to contain thicker, higher- operation insulation in your design.

With the government currently in retreat over feed-in tariffs for renewables such as solar PV, the returns are diminishing. But since your roofers and electricians are already on site, installation costs are much reduced, and so it may still be worth doing, reaping longer-term benefits.

Nigh the author:

Melanie Articulate is the founder and director of Clear Architects. With experience in both commercial and residential architecture, she believes slap-up design takes careful idea, vision and a deep understanding of a building'due south structure.

Read more about building your ain domicile:

• Discover out what self build is and what the benefits are
• Weigh up whether to renovate or build a new home
• Caput to Homebuilding & Renovating, a site defended to building your dream home

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Source: https://www.realhomes.com/advice/how-to-knock-down-a-house-and-rebuild

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