# Retention Planning



## lfcfan (7 Aug 2012)

Some advice would be greatly appreciated before I go talk to my architect etc. Here's my situation:

I built my house 5 years ago. It's a dormer with 2 ensuite bedrooms upstairs. I had full planning for these rooms. I also had planning to put a biocycle in the back garden where the percolation tests were done. I am in the process of selling my house now.

Issue No. 1: The biocycle ended up in the front of the house along with the percolation area. This was because of the levels and having to go deeper than possible for the tank to go in the back once the house foundations had been dug etc. There are no issues with where the tank is now physically but does go against planning. The builder should never had done it and at the very least should have pumped to a percolation area at the back. 

Issue No. 2: The 2 rooms upstairs have been found to be less than the 2.4M ceiling height required by the regulations to make them habitable rooms. They are around 100MM out. I've been told that to make them comply the ceilings would have to be raised but to keep the floor area to ceiling height ratio, the room sizes would have to be reduced dramatically, making them even more uninhabitable. At present they are 2 large bedrooms with ensuite and one walk in wardrobe and one of the best features of the house. I would be very reluctant to reduce their size and pretty much ruin them. 

So, my options are:

1. Move the percolation area to the back of the house to comply with planning. I've been told this would be sufficient and the tank wouldn't have to be moved. I was also told that the new percolation area would have to comply with EPA 2009 regulations and the current area is at 2000 regulations. I've no idea how much extra work or cost this would mean. 

2. As stated above, reduce the ceiling heights and room sizes to comply with regulations but make the rooms way too small. I really don't think this is an option.

3. There is already 1 bedroom downstairs and a large front room that could be split in to 2 bedrooms and also a dining room that could be converted in to a bedroom and move the dining in to the large living room. This would make it a 4 bedroom house again and for selling purposes could be sold as such. I'm not sure what I would class the bedrooms upstairs as then?

4. Go for retention planning on the bedrooms to retain them as converted attic space and also retention planning on where the biocycle and percolation is now. 

Any advice would be appreciated. Retention planning would be the best and cheapest option if it's a possibility but I've no idea if it is or not. 

Thanks!


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## lowCO2design (10 Aug 2012)

in my humble professional opinion as someone who deals with such issues regularly - no. 4

further to this you may have one recourse to seek compensation for these works/costs - have you contacted your solictor to inspect the due-diligence carried out and your surveyor/engineer/arch at the time of completion?, also your builder may be liable depending on the route of construction you took. if you didnt have these items covered/in-order at the time, tough! you should have known better (to all self builder out there take note..)


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