Timber Engineering Europe Ltd.
SELF BUILD MANUAL Part2
Buying Land Part 2
By Chris Thorpe of Timber Engineering Europe
Most planning staff are very helpful and if you make the point that you are a self-builder, they will be most helpful. Ask the officer if the particular site would be considered for a single dwelling. If you ask if you can have a 150m2 4 bed house with a Pond and a Detached Garage, you will be asked to submit a drawing for consideration. A general question will normally get you a "Not a chance", or "There is no reason why it should not be considered - subject to..." sort of reply. When you come away from the meeting you will have a feel for the possibility of obtaining planning permission. Next move, Solicitors Banks and Architects! I can hear the reader groaning from here, how do you think we feel? We have to go through this mill on a regular basis. Choosing a solicitor is quite difficult, as they all seem to be equally slow and expensive. Avoid the Compensation, Criminal and Family practices, they just don't have a feel for property, ask around the property people you have met in the course of your search for your plot, someone will have an efficient and sensible property solicitor on their books. We know of one firm who charge a solicitors rate for conveyance business and all the work is undertaken by an unqualified typist - these need to be avoided. Your solicitor will take all the details of the proposed transaction and make arrangements with the sellers solicitors to obtain a contract. Your buyer may expect you to lodge a deposit with your solicitor, or ask for some other proof of your intention. Some ask for proof of funds, it depends on the deal. Never, ever part with cash directly to the seller on the promise he will reserve the plot for you - it will end in tears. Occasionally a seller will ask you to put say, 75% of the price on contract and pay cash for the balance, good for him when he is well gone, but not for you when the Revenue authorities spot the "arrangement". Others may have put the land into a Limited company and offer to sell you the company for £X, including its assets. This is supposed to avoid stamp duty and other tax payments, keep clear of these moves - you have to live on the plot, the dealer/seller does not. Beware of the back-to-back deal, whilst not illegal, it will cost you. Basically what happens is that a seller is not the owner of the land, but has agreed to purchase it for a set sum from the seller. The buyer then becomes the seller and sells it to you at an increased price. A completion date is set and your money is sent to your sellers solicitor, who passes it on to the site owners solicitors minutes later, less the difference, and you are non the wiser. I would always seek proof of ownership of the land, (do not ask the seller for proof - it will probably annoy them and crab the sale) the land registry should be able to assist you here, or your solicitor will be able to find out. Always ask for a "subject to obtaining planning permission" agreement before you go about the business of securing the job. We could write a full book on planning rules but we will desist, we would like you to stay awake and read on. If the planning officer sees no reason to refuse an application, subject to drawings, materials, size, design plus many other issues, he will recommend the scheme to his planning committee. This is a body of serving councillors who sit once a month to consider all planning applications and will usually grant an application if recommended by the planning officer. Prior to the meeting, your application is advertised in the local press and a notice is placed on or near the site for passers-by to read. This is so that anyone who wants to object to your scheme can do so, as a democratic right. All objections are considered and can affect the outcome of your application, if valid. Any objections must be related to matters of planning law and issues such as interrupted views may not be considered a reasonable objection, although being overlooked will certainly be an issue. The committee may defer decision pending a site visit, or for some information to be obtained as a result of an objection, and the matter will be re-considered at the next months meeting. Even if your application is turned down, you can appeal to the Deputy Prime Ministers Office and they quite often overturn a council decision. There is no charge for this service, although there is a fee for the planning application to your local authority.
A good plan is to visit all your prospective new neighbours with a sketch of your intended residence, and explain what you are trying to achieve, and if they have any objections. Offer to change anything they are apprehensive about, and present yourself as a desirable neighbour. Anyway, the bloke at no 6 might be a plasterer, so that's one less trade to find!
In between all this you will have been trying to get your money sorted out - Nightmare!
Your own bank should be approached first and your scheme discussed with a self-build manager. There are a million different approaches to funding a project and you must investigate as many as possible. Buy a copy of a self build magazine and reply to some of the adverts in there, some funders will put money up in advance and some on inspection of the work stage agreed. Some will ask for a Q.S (Quantity Surveyor) to supervise the work others will allow your architect to supervise it. Development loans that are converted to Mortgages at the end are an option, on which you only pay interest on the sum you have drawn down, not on the agreed cap. Bridging loans are a short term option, and are usually put in place very quickly. The monthly interest can be 'rolled up' to the end of the job and added to the capital repayment, a good product if you are going down the Timber Frame route where you expect to be in your home in 3 - 4 months, but expensive if you are letting your project drag on because of material shortages or poor labour relations. There are several specialist packagers about (not general brokers), who will sort your deal out for you. These guys are usually very good and do not take fees up front - in fact they should not take any fees until you have a done deal. Be hard on your deal, if for instance the arrangement fee is 2% try to chip it by half or one %. Always have a go at chipping the interest rate as well, that's business. Don't ask - don't get.
Now for your Architect, these fellows are so different. Ask a small builder or a friendly surveyor, anyone you have met in your quest for a site who they can recommend. Occasionally an Architect or an Architectural Technician will advertise in your local paper "Plans drawn".
Only engage an architect you feel comfortable with, do not hesitate to walk away from those who wish to force their ideas on you. By all means listen, most if not all, will be very experienced and can contribute a lot to a design, but you have to live in the house not them! Agree a set fee for design and for the planning application submission. Once approved, agree a fee for him to obtain building regulation approval for you, and arrange for the local building inspector to pay a site visit. A friendly, easy going Architect is likely to be known and respected by those in the local authority, and this will make things easier for everyone concerned with the project.
There are several more roles the Architect can play in the construction of your new home, and these will be discussed later. Obviously the fee difference between a senior partner in an international firm based in London will differ from an Architectural Technician in a Midlands village. Both will be suitably qualified to get your project to site commencement, although a technician will not be able to certify your project on completion - more about this later.
There are lots of very competent architects in one man practice who are worth their weight in gold to a self-builder, these guys will be happy to share their experience and go the extra mile for you. Find one you like and get on with - you will be glad of his company and advice on many future occasions.
Right - lets get on now, all planning and regulations approved. We have decided to opt for the Robust Detail route, as opposed to PCT. What does this mean I hear you ask?
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