Marianne Suhr: Rescue remedy

Click on gallery image to view larger picture.

The project: Honey Cottage, a 17th-century, Grade II listed, four-bedroom cottage in need of extensive repair and modernisation.
This month's challenge: To appoint a professional to design and manage the renovation works, and to get the project underway.

Having finally completed the repair of my own house after two and a half years, I had expected to be living it up at Toddler Splash, with Max, my 10-month-old baby. Instead I find myself suffering from withdrawal symptoms. I never thought it would happen, but I’m craving the whiff of a bucket of wattle and daub and the feel of sawdust under foot.

Luckily I have friends who can help. A surveyor friend, Richard Cain, asked if I could advise on plasters and paint on a project of his that was just starting. When I arrived at the site in the south Oxfordshire village I immediately found myself projected back to 2007, and a house in a similar state to my own at that point in time.

Time management
Harriet and Brian bought Honey Cottage 18 months ago, but had hankered after it for 20 years. They were delighted when the property went up for sale and even more so when they finally became the proud owners of this fragile timber-framed house.

Wisely, they didn’t rush things. After living in the cottage for a year, Harriet and Brian spent time getting to know the house. They discovered how light came into the rooms, where they wanted the kitchen to be, and the best place for the back door. They also considered the layout, came up with a plan for the bathrooms, and even looked at colour schemes.

Only then did they start looking for an architect or surveyor to design and run the job. It’s critical to get the right person, someone who is prepared to listen and design a house to suit you, as well as having the technical and creative skills to actually carry it off.

Harriet and Brian eventually decided to employ Richard Cain, as he specialises in historic buildings. Richard had carried out a couple of local restoration jobs that had really impressed them, and it was easy to track down the professionals involved. After a chat with him, they felt Honey Cottage would be in safe hands.

First steps
Soon work began, and two very careful builders started to remove the modern fittings and alterations in a process of ‘de-sixtiesfication’. Harriet had been longing to explore the modern gas fire fitted to the wall of the dining room; the masonry chimney behind it was more than a metre wide, and was almost shouting ‘inglenook’ despite the layers of woodchip paper that had obliterated any trace of the earlier house. As the builders started to gradually chip away, the 17th-century inglenook began to appear slowly.

Gentle touch
Harriet explained that the first set of builders were brilliant at gently dismantling and removing all the modern accretions. At this early stage, patience and a meticulous approach are crucial. However, when it came to putting things back together again, those same builders were not so ideal.

Harriet and Brian vacated the house for a month to get out of their way, only to come back to find that virtually nothing had changed. It was now clear that the first set of builders simply couldn’t cope with the sheer scale and complexity of their house.

Luckily, they have managed to engage a new team just right for the job, packed with both muscle and experience. Over the next few months they will repair the ancient bones of their lovely old house and make it fit for 21st-century living.

If all goes to plan, I hope to give you all the details on the completed front elevation next month, but I’m not holding my breath.

ABOVE (clockwise from top left): Building surveyor Richard Cain examines the 300-year-old staircase and sketches a repair method for the contractor; many rooms have attractive original features; once the modern gas fire was removed the inglenook was revealed – here, the missing parts are being patch-repaired; plans start to take shape.

Marianne's checklist: avoiding pitfalls

• Try to get most of the work designed in advance. This way your builder will be able to give you a fixed price. Remember, any alterations to the design once the project has started will be expensive.
• Check which items require planning permission and, if your building is listed, listed building consent. These need to be fully sorted before your builder arrives on site, and will take a minimum of eight weeks to come through.
• Any alterations for which you have received listed building consent will be zero rated in terms of VAT. This means that if you are using a VAT-registered contractor, he should waive the VAT and potentially save you a small fortune.
• Before works start, make sure any fragile items such as stair balustrades or floorboards are carefully covered and protected. Once the project is up and running, things will inevitably get damaged.
• If you can, try to move out for the major part of the works. Never underestimate how much dirt and dust will be generated during the course of the project.
• If you are managing the works yourself, always use a contract. You can download a free contract from the Federation of Master Builders website (fmb.org.uk). They also provide a Variation Form that allows you to log any changes made to important paperwork and keep track of the costs.

Getting the right people for your renovation
For larger scale building work, unless you are very experienced with similar projects and have lots of time on your hands, you will need a professional to manage the works on your behalf.

• An architect or building surveyor would usually design and manage the job. You can find someone locally through the RIBA or RICS, ask your council conservation officer, or contact SPAB.
• Crucially, make sure you use a professional who has experience in old building work. Test them, by asking what mix they would use for a lime mortar. If they mention ‘cement’, find someone else.
• Always get references, chat to past clients and ask to see examples of their recent assignments.
• Ideally, get someone local. You will need them to make regular visits and be on hand if an unexpected problem crops up.
• Agree on a fee structure right at the beginning. It is usual to pay between 10% and 15% of the final contract sum, for the design, contractor appointment and management of the job through to completion. This is paid in stages. Although this sounds like an enormous expense, a good professional may well save you money by keeping your builder on target along the way.