A Shropshire Surveyor's Guide: Alterations

Welcome to the first instalment in the Nock Deighton Shropshire Surveyor’s Guide: A is for Alterations.

Alterations to a property can include installing solar panels, replacing windows or converting a loft.

Some minor alterations are classed as permitted development so don’t require planning permission, but others require planning permission, building regulation approval and a completion certificate.

Things get a bit more complicated if the property is a Listed Building or in a conservation area or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) like the Shropshire Hills, because different rules apply in certain cases.

You would be amazed at some of the alterations that our surveyors in Shropshire have seen. Here’s just one example...

A 17th century cottage had later alterations and 20th century extensions, and should have had planning permission, listed building consent, building regulation approval and a building regulation completion certificate.

The surveyor quickly established that building regulation approval and a completion certificate had not been obtained.

Furthermore, the introduction of modern techniques, structural elements and materials to a traditional timber frame building had produced unexpected and irreversible consequences.

Replacement of the wattle and daub infill panels with solid masonry had significantly altered the load on the timber frame, which had developed deep cracks requiring ongoing monitoring.

The replacement masonry was in poor condition and an inappropriate sand-cement render had been used to cover it. This render had decayed and expensive and specialist repairs were now required.

Quotations for works were obtained and used to negotiate a reduced asking price.

The clients were made aware of the ongoing cost of maintaining a property of this construction, before, rather than after the purchase, and were able to budget accordingly.

It was confirmed that no enforcement notices had yet been served and that a retrospective application for a regularisation certificate could be applied for.

So as you can see, the building survey gave the clients a huge amount of information and enabled them to reduce the price of the property - certainly a sound investment!

For more information about property surveys in Shropshire, visit the professional services section of our website by clicking here.