# Converting house in flats to family home



## Old (29 Sep 2010)

Hi. Does anyone have any experience of converting a house divided into pre-'63 flats back into a family home? We're interested in a house divided into units, but is there much extra involved than a regular refurbishing job, such as removing kitchen piping, changing doors etc? Thanks!


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## Thirsty (29 Sep 2010)

There was a time when pre '63 properties were very much in demand and tend to be in older areas of the city; if you don't wish to be a landlord you might get a better return in selling it on to someone who does?


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## Old (29 Sep 2010)

We don't actually own the house. We'd like to buy it to convert back to a family home.


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## Old (4 Oct 2010)

Ah well.


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## redbhoy (6 Oct 2010)

Would probably depend on what type work you would require to be done. Some rooms wouldnt require much work but others might. Get a hold of a reputable builder. Most give free estimates especially these days.


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## Old (7 Oct 2010)

Thanks! Aiming to get an estimate in the next few days.


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## onq (8 Oct 2010)

Hi Old,

Can I take it from your nic that you intend to convert a period property?

These are a few of the issues you should be aware of, many of which have been covered in previous threads on AAM.


SERVICES AND SAFETY OF OCCUPANTS FROM FIRE

Current standards require the upper floor sleeping occupancy to be protected from fires developing downstairs in multi-storey houses.
Even a standard two storey house is supposed ot ahve an imperforate 1st floor construction giving FR30 with windows suitable for escape purposes at 1st floor.
Multi-storey houses [including attic conversions] may need a protected stairs, upgraded fire detection and alarm system, escape rooflights, etc.

The problem is  - older properties offer no such protection and what is worse they are often riddled with service pipes and drain pipes from each separate flat or apartment which make it easier for cold smoke and gases to find their way around the house leading to death by asphyxiation for those sleepign on upper floors.

When these routes/gaps have been identified, they can be plugged of filled, but the main culprits then are the services you wan to keep, switches, sockets and so on, so these have to be sealed to the plaster surface in which they sit.
This means that each rooms surfaces should be imperforate, restricting the passage of bad air and preventing fire-spread for a reasonable period.

Then you can install a multi-point Fire Detection and Alarm System, with smoke detectors on the stairs and heat detectors in places like kitchens and you should take professional advice on this.

You should also check the attic detailing if your house if part of a terrace to ensure there is not a continuous open spadce running over all the houses, which would expose all the premises so joind to the risk of rapid spread of any fire emergency.
Even where the party/separatign walls continue up to teh attic space, check that proper fire-stopping details have been put in place to seal the wall to the roof covering and the battens broken and bedded in mortar to prevent the spread of flame from one premsies to another.
Also check that the eaves boxing, if it exists has been firestopped in line with the party wall.


PROTECTED STRUCTURES

Many of the older properties currently in flats may be listed as Protected Structures - thsi limits the work that can be done to them without a permission to very little and you need professional advice on this. Even if your property isn't listed, the one beside it may be and there may be implications for you.


POINTING, SPALLING, FLASHINGS, ROOFS, GUTTERS, PARAPETS AND DRAINAGE ISSUES

Older properties suffer from water ingress both through the fabric of the building [pointing eroding and brickwork spalling or flaking off due to sever frost action] and due to the deterioration in methods used to dispose and route away rainwater.
In older period properties, the trouble begins at chimney level, where tall piers of massive mansony are subject to rain, frost and win action leading to the deterioration of both the brickwork and the lime mortar - this can lead to wandering internal routes for rainwater ingress, right down into the heart of the house, where the water may try to get out leaving what seems to be an isolated damp patch with no apparent cause.
Water ingress problems continue down at rook level where the flashing weathering the chimney to the roof covering may have become disturbed or in some cases stolen for its scrap value.

In oder Georgian buildings in particular, there may be complex roof arrangements leading to internal valley gutters made fo lead or copper with similar problems to those described above, with the added problem in some cases of there being internal rainwater outlets running down inside the property which should be traced for water tightness and checked for damp ingress and dry rot infestation.
Similar to internal valley gutters are the problems of parapet wall gutters, a notorious weak spot and often subject to the terrible "remedy" of being covered in torched-on felt or bituminous membrane, which leads to the structure being unable to dry out causing other problems.
Finally on older VIctorian buildings you will have very tightly detailed gutters and eaves details, where the gutterign may have failed leading to water ingress.
In all these cases, wet or dry rot in the timber substrates and members may be the result requiring specialist attention.


BOUNDARY, PARTY WALL AND DRAINAGE ISSUES

Things get done over time and where there are unscrupulous landlords involved almost anything can happen, whether to your property or the ones adjoining.
This can be a relatively simlpe matter of rebuilding a boundary wall or a more complex matter where someone may have built and unauthorised structure over a private drain serving your premises with poor results.
Some of these things can be settled amicably, some will need court action and you need to assess any such "hidden" matters before you buy.
Should you wish to proceed you may find your way smoothed by the Land Conveyancing Law Reform Act 2009.


SUBSIDENCE, SETTLEMENT AND DRAINAGE ISSUES

Several threads have commented on the problems of settlement where a leaking drain has cause the leeching away of fines near foundations, leading to settlement occurring.
Similar problems can occur over a much longer timeframe simply due to the natural compression of substrates, aided and abetted by building or road works in the vicinity.
You should be aware that older buildings used binding timbers to help tie party/separating walls to front elevations and these can fail due to the mortar perishing and the timbers rotting, and it is important to take professional advice and carry out remedial work to stabilise the building during the refurbishment works.


CONSERVATION, PRESERVATION AND PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

Period properties need special care both in ther methods used to preserve, conserve them and the materials that should be used.
For example. stone buildings with lime mortar bedding will some sort of improvement.
Thsi is because cement sets hard and when movement occurs, the joint tends to "stick" wholly to one side of the joint of another, causing significant cracking to become visible.
Lime mortar on the other hand only opens up micro-cracks and these clsoe up agan on cooling, a very useful feature where stone is used, because of the larger eisizes and more unforgiving nature makign it susceptible to movement which the joints can accommodate and then close up again.
Period featuers such as up and down sash timber windows may need "upgrading" to help minimise infiltration losses, but these can be done sensitively without the need for wholesale removal fo the window boxes an replacement with spring-loaded "weights".
Internal plasterwork will cost mopre to remedy usign a craftsman, but quite apart from needing to comply with any planning conditions or considerations this should be looked on as good husbanding, because carefully resrotation and/or preservation fof peroid features will both add to the cacheet of the premises and increase its saleability when you eventually sell on.

I trust this gives you an idea od some of the common issues arising with older, period properties.

ONQ.

[broken link removed]

All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon                     as a defence or support - in and of itself - should      legal        action    be      taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in                     Real Life with rights to inspect and issue reports on     the         matters    at      hand.


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## Old (12 Oct 2010)

Loads of things to look out for that I hadn't considered!
Thanks very much for that post.


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## onq (12 Oct 2010)

You're very welcome.

Also I forgot to mention - beware if part of the building or site is derelict.

I seem to recall a derelict sites notice was served on some poor unfortunate last year.

Councils flexing their muscles and all that.

This list isn't exhaustive.

Just an intro.

ONQ.

[broken link removed]

All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon                        as a defence or support - in and of itself -   should       legal        action    be      taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in                        Real Life with rights to inspect and issue reports    on     the         matters    at      hand.


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