EXTERNAL ENVELOPE Period dramas
Period properties are aplenty in Britain but with their age comes a plethora of issues for architects. Peter Daniel of The Rooflight Company discusses the minutiae that can’t be overlooked when working with historic buildings
own challenges. The first thing you need to think about when working with period properties is the simple fact of when it was built.
T Is the property a Georgian townhouse,
Victorian terrace, or Edwardian red brick? You could even be lucky enough to be working with a Tudor or Jacobean country house. The typical problems of each period can vary quite drastically. Victorian terraces generally suffer from a lack of light and low ceilings, making natural light a priority, whereas Georgian homes were often constructed quickly so you may find yourself needing to fix poor construction work before any cosmetic changes can be made. And that’s no mean feat, because even cosmetic changes can be a challenge in period properties. If your client has bought their period property thinking “a splash of paint here, knock a wall through, massive extension and it’ll be perfect”, you’ll need to warn them to think again. In most cases, you will need to get permission before making any changes at all to a period property, even for things as simple as a lick of paint, and relying on retrospective building control approval is a dangerous game that can result in serious consequences. The Conservation Officer is the gatekeeper to any work, whether the property is Grade I, Grade II*, Grade II listed or even just in a conservation area, and you and your client really need to get your head around what level of permissions you need and how to go about it. The Listed Property Owners’ Club is lobbying the Government to seek the simplification of the planning process, but until that happens it is critical that these time delays are factored into the overall project and the local Conservation Officer is kept on side.
here is no binding definition of what a ‘period’ property is, but properties of every past era will present their
Another good reason to encourage your client to be on good terms with their local Conservation Officer is they may find themselves falling foul of the rules before they even make any changes. An unfortunate loophole in the rules means that the present-day owner of a period property that’s listed or in a conservation area is responsible for any and all changes that have been made without permission, even those made by previous owners. Putting in plans for a new extension might attract attention to problems neither you nor your client even knew existed. The best way to avoid this problem is through an early survey, but it pays to have the Conservation Officer on side!
In terms of the work itself, the biggest factor comes from changes in how we live. Period properties just aren’t built for modern living. Thermal efficiency is a consistent issue and one that does not have a quick fix, but even seemingly small things like getting the WiFi to spread throughout the home can be a challenge and need accounting for when you’re thinking of extensions.
Modern products address these issues; Mesh or Whole Home WiFi systems are designed for thick stone properties with odd layouts, for instance. Likewise, a great deal of work has gone into making modern rooflights look authentically traditional, while performing thermally like a modern window should. It’s a time and money saver to research and mitigate these problems at the start of a project, rather than retrospectively.
In terms of who should do the work, ‘normal’ contractors will probably not be the best option for period properties; often it’s safer to entrust the job to specialist craftsmen who have extended depth of knowledge and the specific skills needed for the job at hand. That’s not a criticism of modern contractors, it’s more that the way
ADF DECEMBER 2020
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Installing ‘modern’ features to a period home like rooflights isn’t difficult, it just takes the right person and the right product
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