We’re proud that this second edition of Old House Handbook is much more than a quick reworking of the old, so I hope that all of you who have found the first book useful – and have helped make it a bestseller – will find this new edition even more so. This piece, which I wrote for the SPAB Magazine on updating the original, gives a sense of what the new Old House Handbook has to offer:

Practical guide to care and repair

IF THE POPULARITY OF Old House Handbook is anything to go by, there is an incredible thirst for knowledge when it comes to understanding how to care for old buildings. The book has been a bestseller since it was first published in 2008, has been reprinted multiple times and has achieved worldwide sales. It has helped guide an ever-increasing number of homeowners, building professionals, craftspeople and local authority staff working on numerous projects, big and small. Flatteringly, according to at least one online review, ‘it’s the SPAB bible’.

When Marianne Suhr and I originally set out to write Old House Handbook in association with the SPAB, our goal was to provide a highly practical approach with simple ‘nuts and bolts’ guidance based on experience. We were keen to help readers get it right the first time around rather than having to live with the consequences of potentially irreversible mistakes that prove damaging to both their pockets and the building. Read more ->

The post Old House Handbook – a new edition appeared first on huntwriter.com.

As the new millennium dawned, an age of good, sometimes exciting, sustainable housing seemed possible, even likely. Now, two decades on, the housebuilding industry is far short of where it needs to be; policies and initiatives that had the potential to be groundbreaking have stalled or been scrapped and the green shoots of optimism have withered. Globally we have reached a state of climate emergency that is already affecting the lives of millions and will profoundly impact the wellbeing of future generations.

But maybe there is hope. The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we live, think and work. There has been a new realisation that health and home matter. Good homes have proved their worth; the not so good have revealed their inadequacies. In future, homebuyers are likely to think more carefully about what they value in a new home and shy away from those that are deficient in design, specification and energy efficiency. 

A point has been reached where the housebuilding industry at all levels has to act and understand that high quality, sustainable development must become the norm. As climate activist Greta Thunberg recently said, the world needs to learn the lessons of coronavirus and treat climate change with similar urgency. The response to the pandemic proves that drastic change can happen. There is an opportunity to mitigate the climate emergency and to alleviate fuel poverty while driving economic activity within the housebuilding sector. Read more ->

The post Making housing greener appeared first on huntwriter.com.

The nature of the Grade II* listed church precluded anything touching the old walls or disturbing ancient burials. Internally CLT (cross-laminated timber) has been used extensively. The only other suitable materials would have been steel or in situ concrete, both of which would have been too heavy to stand on the existing timber floor, and too expensive. The café, which once occupied an aisle of the old church, now opens on to the road. This extension has been built to be light enough to sit on a shallow concrete raft and is clad with bronze which, over time, will variegate in a pattern which echoes the bark of the local plane trees.

‘With the Garden Museum, one of the main things we were trying to achieve through the design was to allow the museum as an organisation to find an identity which enabled them to get their heads above the parapet, literally and metaphorically. What’s been interesting is the way that the architecture enabled them to break the shackles of the building and this has enabled them to be a lot more reflective about the building that they have.’ 

Alun Jones, Dow Jones Architects

The Garden Museum features in New Design For Old Buildings by Roger Hunt and Iain Boyd

The post The Garden Museum appeared first on huntwriter.com.

Visiting Barratt London’s Landmark Place site close to the Tower of London, I watched as, layer by layer, archaeologists worked to reveal nearly 2,000 years of history. This includes evidence for a Roman quayside, a 14th-century Custom House administered by Geoffrey Chaucer, and a later Custom House designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

Archaeology has now become firmly established as a factor to be considered in the planning process and, at Landmark Place, the dig has been carefully planned by Barratt London, MOLA, the construction team and the City of London’s planning team. Consequently, the archaeology can be expertly recorded, unlocking the historical significance of the site, whilst allowing for the construction of the development to continue. The trenches, excavated by hand by a team of 45 archaeologists from MOLA, have been specifically located in relation to the foundations for the new building, allowing for the in situ preservation of significant archaeological remains across the site.

With the archaeology reaching a depth of 5 metres in places, the wet ground next to the River Thames provides the perfect conditions for the preservation of archaeological remains and artefacts made of wood and other organic materials, as well as metals. Some of the highlights include:

• Timber revetments surviving to a height of 2 metres dating from the Roman, medieval and early modern periods.
• Rare Roman timber stamps that relate to the supply of timber across the Roman Empire.
• A monumental Roman wall that protected Londinium, blocking it off from the port.
• Chalk foundations of the 13th century Wool Quay, the first building on the site to control export duty.
• Evidence for the 14th century Custom House, given permission by Richard II to collect taxes, a tradition that continued on the site until 1811. This Custom House burnt down during the Great Fire of London.
• Evidence for the elegant 16th century Christopher Wren Custom House, destroyed by a fire in 1714.
• Artefacts relating to nearly 2000 years of the site’s history, from Roman coins to medieval daggers, weighing devices and cannonballs from the Tower of London.

The artefacts and records from the excavation are now at MOLA’s headquarters, where a team of experts are conserving the items, undertaking detailed research and collating all of the information to reveal the story of this historic site.

The post Hidden London appeared first on huntwriter.com.

For the last 25 years conservation experts and volunteer heritage enthusiasts have come together to join the annual Working Party run by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB). I went along to join them and created a video about the Working Party at Sullington Manor Farm near Storrington, West Sussex. They were working on repair projects across a range of buildings at this ancient hillside farm settlement clustered around a Saxon church on the South Downs.

The annual Working Party week enables the SPAB to offer those starting out in their conservation career experience working alongside master craftspeople. It also inspires schoolchildren about their local history and involves local communities with both the past and the future of their historic buildings – the week is also great fun for all concerned!

Sullington farmstead is a rare example of a once-frequent settlement model along the spring line on the north slope of the South Downs. ‘Sullington’ is a Saxon word meaning ‘muddy place’ and the church, which forms part of the complex of buildings, has Saxon origins. The tithe barn is of later date, but many of its timbers have been reused and could date from early medieval times. In 1685 the manor was owned by the Shelley family who increased the farm with the addition of neighbouring land on the south side of the Downs, explaining a major re-build of the barn around that time. It’s now owned by Gail and Graham Kittle who run it as a cattle farm and holiday accommodation.

The post SPAB Working Party appeared first on huntwriter.com.

Buyers that value a property with loads of charm tend to love listed buildings and, indeed, there are benefits to buying one.

A listed building generally possesses a great deal of history and character, attributes that are definitely appealing to the discerning buyer and can add to the building’s value. You can find out about the history of a particular property by consulting the National Heritage List for England.

The fact that a building is listed doesn’t mean you can’t make changes but listed building consent from the local planning authority is required in addition to any planning permissions. Do not assume that, just because a feature isn’t mentioned in the listing description, it isn’t covered by the legislation: a listed building is generally protected in its entirety. Most applications for work are approved, especially if they’ve been carefully thought through.

Many listed building have been successfully converted and adapted from former uses, such as mills, hospitals and public buildings, into highly desirable homes. Well executed adaptation can breathe new life into these historic structures, preserving them for future generations.

A great example of a Grade II listed building that has undergone partial renovation is the 5,756 sqft Mayfair mansion which was originally built in 1751-52 and then, in 1995-97, specially designed for fashion designer Gianni Versace when it was converted from offices to a luxury home.

Ultimately, owners who take possession of a listed building are acquiring more than a home – they’re moving into a recognised piece of history. For buyers interested in purchasing a listed property, obtaining specialist advice to navigate things like insurance, VAT planning, extensions and alterations is strongly recommended.

post in association with Wetherell

The post Listed building allure appeared first on huntwriter.com.

Not only is the The Environmental Design Pocketbook a useful source of reference but it’s a page turner with the power to draw one in. Before long, twenty minutes have passed between exploring the impacts of a changing climate and the importance of future-proofing our buildings to the advantages and disadvantages of brick slips and an examination of combined heat and power.

Pelsmakers is a chartered architect and environmental designer with more than a decade of hands-on experience designing, building and teaching sustainable architecture. Despite the potential dryness of the subject matter, her knowledge shines through as she guides the reader to make environmentally informed decisions throughout the design process.

At almost 500 pages, the second edition builds on the vast amount of data contained in the first, bringing us up to date on recent changes to regulations and practices. It tackles everything from creating a positive urban microclimate and vegetation and noise buffering to pollutants and the indoor environment and typical mainstream materials and construction methods.

Throughout the book, excellent illustrations clarify the details while ‘key recommendations’ flag the points that require further thought; arrows point to cross references with other sections or chapters and a spanner symbol relates to building maintenance and care.

Quite simply, The Environmental Design Pocketbook is indispensable; what’s more it’s a good read – how many reference books can you say that about?

The Environmental Design Pocketbook is available from the RIBA Bookshop.

The post Environmental Pocketbook appeared first on huntwriter.com.

Reducing the risks

• Always ensure chimneys are safe before lighting a fire and have them lined if necessary. They should be professionally swept on a regular basis.
• Have a fire blanket readily to hand in the kitchen and at least one fire extinguisher on each floor of the building.
• Have wiring checked regularly by a qualified electrical and replace old fuse boxes with consumer units that have circuit breakers which quickly isolate circuits if there’s a problem.
• Damage caused by mice chewing through electrical cables is a very real fire risk. If this is problem, talk to your electrician about using a more durable alternative to the normal PVC type cable, partially in areas such as roof spaces.
• Never allow smoking in or around the building during renovation work and avoid ‘hot works’ such as the use of blow torches wherever possible. Where such works are necessary, ensure contractors understand the risks. Stop all hot works at least an hour before leaving the site and make sure the area is thoroughly checked before locking up.
• Consider the presence of interconnecting voids and gaps in the structure of an old building that can significantly hasten the spread of fire.
• In vulnerable areas, consider using intumescent products that expand and char in the event of fire, slowing it spread. These include paints, collars around services where they pass through walls and strips fitted to the edges of fire doors.

Early warning

• Smoke detectors – preferably mains powered and linked to one another – are essential. They MUST be tested regularly and their batteries replaced. In thatched properties in particular, install a hard wired smoke alarm in the roof space. A heat alarm, rather than a smoke alarm, should be fitted in the kitchen. Remember that smoke alarms should generally be covered when dust is being created so, during building works, install temporary battery operated smoke alarms at strategic points which can be disposed of at the end of the job.
• Modern intruder alarm systems are often also capable of alerting you to fire. Those connected to a remote monitoring service via a telephone line, mean that the fire brigade is called as quickly as possible, even if your home is unoccupied. This may be the difference between saving the historic fabric or losing everything, particularly if thatch is involved. Some systems are wireless, minimising the need for cable runs and damage to the building’s historic fabric.

Have a plan

• Think about how you and your family will escape if the worst should happen, especially from upper floors.
• Make sure you have adequate insurance and that your insurer understands the risks and legal obligations associated with old buildings, especially when listed. Remember that old buildings tend to be more expensive to repair than modern ones.
• Take photographs and have plans, drawings and descriptions of the building; pay particular attention to unusual features and architectural details such as fireplaces, doors and ironmongery. Keep this information somewhere secure – preferably off site.
• Consider installing a fireproof safe for small items and your most valuable documents.
• Although, for a homeowner, it’s likely to be difficult to follow the National Trust’s example, it’s worth noting the words of Helen Ghosh, the organisation’s director general, speaking immediately after the fire at Clandon: “We are still assessing what we’ve managed to save. Having a well rehearsed, well planned salvage plan and practicing it only a few weeks ago means that we probably got out more than might have been expected and we were very well drilled and very well supported.”

Image: Roger Hunt

The post Fire in old buildings appeared first on huntwriter.com.

Built in 1901 as a specialist tuberculosis hospital, it was officially opened by King Edward VII on 6 June 1906 and heralded as ‘one of the three finest buildings of the time’. The design for the hospital and its grounds was undertaken by an important triumvirate of the day: Charles Holden, Percy Adams and Gertrude Jekyll – a partnership linked to the Arts & Crafts Movement.

When the sanatorium was designed it was celebrated as a significant advancement in the treatment of the sick. Rest, relaxation, fresh air and light were seen as equally important to medical intervention in the treatment of patients, so the buildings and surroundings were designed to ensure that these benefits were fully available.

According to a piece published in The Times recording Edward VII’s visit: “The main block is devoted entirely to the patients, each of whom has a separate room with a balcony on to which the bed can be wheeled if necessary, the upper storey being set back in order that the balcony for this floor should not interfere with the light and air of the rooms below”.

The patients could also benefit from the ‘therapeutic gardens’ which form part of the 165 acre estate that now lies within the South Downs National Park. The grounds included ‘Measured Walks’ so the medical superintendent could prescribe “the right walk with proper gradient for each degree of lung power”. The gardens were designed in 1906 by Gertrude Jekyll, the acclaimed horticulturalist. Importantly, she worked closely with Percy Adams to allow the integration of the architecture and gardens.

Much of what the original designers set out to achieve lives on in the homes and communal spaces that have been created. Later, poorly executed additions have been carefully stripped away to reintroduce the original feeling of space and light and, coupled with the detail and history of the place that has been retained, the conversion is an exemplar of how, through thoughtful design and attention to detail, old buildings can be adapted to provide good homes.

The post Adapting old buildings appeared first on huntwriter.com.

Anyone who has used lime will know that it’s a versatile natural material and, through the words of some of the leading practitioners in the field, the Briefing explains the exciting role lime has to play not just in conserving our heritage but in the future of our built environment.

The key attribute of lime based materials is their breathability. Indeed, one contributor explains that they are ‘the Gore-Tex of the building word’, allowing water vapour out of a structure rather than trapping it. Lime also has many other properties, not least its ability to accommodate movement due to its flexibility and self-healing nature and the fact it’s pleasant on the eye.

We know the ancient Egyptians were using lime in the construction of pyramids by 4000 BC so the material has a proven track record of over 6,000 years. Yet, in the early 1900s, cement based products started to replace lime, often with disastrous consequences for old buildings. Indeed, many of the problems relating to damp and decay that I’m asked about today relate directly to the use of inappropriate modern materials instead of lime.

As Douglas Kent, the SPAB’s technical and research director, makes clear in his introduction to the Briefing: “Lime is not a relic technology as some would claim. Far from it, lime has real, practical benefits and is at the forefront of a number of exciting developments in both conservation and sustainable construction”.

Download the SPAB Lime Briefing free here.

The post Building lime knowledge appeared first on huntwriter.com.