Buying house/cottage plans off the internet

[Brumel]

Hi all,
I was wondering would anybody have any good sites they would recommend, I'm interested in looking at house and cottage plans for a possible self build.

Original site is on 2.5 acres, with a cottage and dilapidated small shed, corrugated steel roof, no electricity, no running water or toilet, site has been derelict for about 10-15 years.

Anybody familiar with Longford County Council, and their views on old derelict cottages, and would I get permission to tear it down?

Any constructive advice appreciated - thanks.

 

[archie83]

In response to your notice regarding the existing cottage, the first thing is to check whether this is a protected structure, on the record of protected structures in the most recent development plan.
If so, this would severely restrict what you could do. Even so, the cottage & shed would require planning permission for demolition works.

Regarding your proposal to look at sites for house / cottage plans, there are a number of things to consider. Generic house plans may give you ideas for what you may wish to include but really this would not be recommended for using as your final layout. You need to consider what would be most suitable in terms of the existing site and environs, what orientation your site is, how to best maximise natural daylight and any potential for renewable energy to maximise the potential of the site and get the best return on your investment in achieving a good BER rating.

Existing services etc will need to be assessed and design modifications may be required to ensure best use of the site.

If the building is a protected structure, you will require a conservation report and an architectural heritage impact assessment, and would need to consider how to incorporate the existing house in a new design.

You should engage the services of an architect even to carry out an initial feasibility study for you to demonstrate what may be suitable on the site. This could help to guide you as to how you would like to approach the project.

You will also require professional input (architect) when applying for planning permission (for both the demolition and new build works), and in the case of a self build project it is highly recommended, to ensure that the project is built in compliance with all of the relevant planning and building regulations, and to properly certify the building upon completion by issuing opinions on compliance. This could be carried out through periodic inspection during the construction stage.

 

[lowCO2design]

Hi all,
I was wondering would anybody have any good sites they would recommend, I'm interested in looking at house and cottage plans for a possible self build.

Original site is on 2.5 acres, with a cottage and dilapidated small shed, corrugated steel roof, no electricity, no running water or toilet, site has been derelict for about 10-15 years.

Anybody familiar with Longford County Council, and their views on old derelict cottages, and would I get permission to tear it down?

Any constructive advice appreciated - thanks.

my two cents
go and speak to 3 local architects, get quotes and ask their opinion.

I would be surprised if you will be allowed to knock it, and whether you're eligible to build at all is a matter best checked out by your chosen architect at an early stage.

its derelict so you need planning permission to return it to habitable status
and even if that was not a problem you need planning for a septic tank

here one architects site that shows some interesting 'rural' options http://ruraldesign.co.uk/

then you have the rural design guides issued by the local authority's, which you should read
[broken link removed]

[broken link removed]

just type in 'rural housing design guidelines' and you'll get more