The Designers platform.co.uk

New venture to bring customers and professionals together brought to you by Begin Design.

Whether you are new to Design or someone who has been in the field forever, The Designers Platform has much to offer. TDP members work in many settings and come to the association with a variety of experience and educational backgrounds. What we all have in common is a passion for beautiful design, a thirst for knowledge and a resolute commitment to help clients create the home of their dreams.

http://www.begin-design.com/
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Housing minister also gives green light to biggest council housing programme for two decades

Housing minster, John Healey, has released details of £250m to build 3,400 homes and create around 5,000 jobs.

The bulk of the money comes from the National Affordable Housing Programme budget, but has been boosted by extra money as part of the housing pledge announced in June.

The money will be shared between 43 housing associations and other bodies across 97 local authority areas throughout the country.

11 September, 2009

By Michael Willoughby

Read more: http://www.building.co.uk/regen_story.asp?sectioncode=284&storycode=3148624&c=3#ixzz0Qulqu2K4

Planning fee scrapped

01-Sep-2009 10:29:03

With more and more people staying in their own homes, Hertsmere Borough Council has scrapped some of the charges made to residents who ask for advice about home extensions.

Fees for other bigger developments have also been frozen in a bid to boost the local housing market and offer a helping hand in a difficult finance climate.

Cllr Hannah David, portfolio holder for housing and planning, explained: "Whenever anyone is thinking about building or developing, we do encourage them to make early contact with planning officers so that we can work together on projects. That way developers can know early on what is acceptable, and what is not, and this can save a lot of money and time in the long run.

“Because officers can spend hours at a time helping people in such a way, historically we have charged homeowners £250 for pre-application advice for extensions to their properties. For bigger developments of homes fees can go up to £1000 for this advice.

“With the country in recession many people are staying in their own homes, rather than moving, so we have decided to scrap the £250 fee for pre-application advice for extensions, while fees for the other bigger developments will stay the same."

In 2008 Hertsmere received around 100 letters from householders about alterations to their homes, while so far this year it is around 100 already, reflecting the number of families staying in their homes rather than moving.

If you want to use the pre-application service contact the planning team on 020 8207 2277 or email planning@hertsmere.gov.uk

Permitted Development FAQ - Is Your development really permitted?

As a homeowner the idea that you can extend your property without the formal pre-requisite of planning consent can sound very attractive, especially the thought of a glazed rear extension. This is called 'Permitted Development' and was revised and came into effect 1st October 2008.
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/genpub/en/1115315495577.html

However, ‘Permitted Development’ as clear as the guidelines may appear does not give you carte blanche to commence construction nor should it be treated as a means of sidestepping you local authority planning department.

From our recent experience with Permitted Development we present some typical questions and situations a home owner should be aware of before calling a builder.

Q: My neighbour says his builder told him that 'with Permitted Development Rights he doesn’t need planning permission for an extension', is this true?

A: Yes, under the rights for ‘Permitted Development’ (PD) you are allowed to build an extension without formal planning consent but you will need to get retrospective permission after construction is completed. This means making an application for a ‘Certificate of Lawful Development’. In this way it is your responsibility as the homeowner to ensure that the building works carried out meet the conditions of ‘PD’ and building regulations. Should the works not comply, you will be liable for any enforcement action by the council which means you will bear the cost of any remedial or demolition works to bring the works up to standard, not the builder.
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/genpub/en/1115314762605.html

Q: Can I just copy my neighbour’s extension; my house is after all exactly the same?

A: It may not be that simple. Any extension you propose may fall over a sewer access point or storm drain in which case Thames Water would need to get involved and you may need to arrange a ‘Build-Over’ agreement. Any works that build on a party wall which is jointly owned by yourself and your neighbour would be subject to a party wall agreement; there would be fees attached to both of these.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/partywall

Points to consider.

- You still have an obligation to inform the council of any building works you planning or indeed have already built.

- Advice from a neighbour or builder may not always be reliable, neither of them are qualified to give professional advice nor are they liable for the cost of remedial or demolition works should things go awry.

- Always consult your local architect prior to approaching a builder and where possible engage an architect to make an application for a ‘Certificate of Lawful Development’ for you. This will cost but is the safest course of action for a homeowner looking to develop their property.

If you would like any further advice on Permitted Development, Party Wall Agreements please call Bash on 0208 954 6291 or 07961 319 721 or bk@yooparchitects.co.uk

The Phoenix of a supermarket

Kosher Kingdom , a 1200m2 supermarket in Golders Green NW London has been closed since a major fire devastated it last year.

Works began earlier this year to restore it back to its former glory. YOOP Architects were part of the team engaged to raise the store from the ashes. Working closely with the client and the principle contractor (Vascroft Contractor) the brief was to reinstate the store back to its original condition allowing for a few minor internal alterations.

Due to the scale of the works, replacing a number of party walls, a new roof and a new gable end, the new elements had to meet the current building regulations. As well as new electrical, M&E floor finishes and an new fire alarm system. We worked closely with Butler & Young who were the approved building control inspectors. The works were given approval and practical completion will be carried out any day now and the store handed back to the client.

New Parish council Park Maintenance Facilities

A new facilities building for storage of maintenance vehicles and equipment, workshop and changing/ day facilities for employees.

The building proposed as a lightweight structure sitting lightly on the ground using timber frame and having a sustainable drainage system. Heating is proposed from a solar thermal panel.

The architecture creates a simple cost effective form that can be flexible in use over time and be constructed out of hard wearing materials that blend into the park setting.

Conceived as a low energy, low impact structure that is friendly to its environment and the people who will work in it. The building will give a base of operation to the maintenance crews, providing basic facilities including kitchen, changing rooms etc. Also storing the large equipment such as tractors and cutters. A full workshop is also included to look after the equipment. The building will be low maintenance, robust, cost effective and fast to build.

Contemporary building methods are proposed, using timber frame allows a lightweight structure not to disrupt the heavily wooded surroundings, timber frame also is a carbon neutral and renewable building material. Other cladding material will allow it to blend into the park landscape. Large openings allow maximum light into the people part of the building with sliding doors making the building secure after hours. The use of contemporary materials and methods allows the building to be built very quickly further reducing the impact to the maintenance operation and park users.

Associated low technology sustainable proposals are sustainable urban drainage, where the water from the roof drains into a soak pit and not the main drainage system allowing to help alleviate flood threat. The water can be heated by a solar thermal panel, extra heating in the winter via a contemporary efficient double burning log burner using the abundant natural resource of dead trees from the parks.

Would you like to know know more about building and green issues, email ge@yooparchitects.co.uk or call 0208 954 6291

Local supermarkets near completion - YOOP loves Food

Two local near completion.

1. Kosher Kingdom: A fire damaged supermarket soon to reopen after extensive refurbishment.

2. VB Foods: A new supermarket created from a commercial building.

Both food outlets deliver quality modern ethnic foods to their respective communities.

Yoop Architects was glad to be involved.

One Stop Shop Interior design Service - Forest Hill, South london

Yoop Architects attended a great time at the grand opening of Begin Design on the 4th of June. The new premises is awash of soft furnishings, art works, lights and ideas for creating your perfect interior. Contact James and the team for that new interior and storage solutions you have always been thinking of.

James Lambrou

Interior Designer/Director
+44(0)7766 237936
+44(0)20 8699 7750
www.begin-design.com
james@begin-design.com

'A unique and inspiring soft furnishings service. Call us now for a no obligation home visit or visit us in our unique "one stop shop" studio for all your interior needs'

The Building Inspector Is Coming

This Cutting Edge film joins the inspectors as they investigate anonymous tip-offs, uncover dangerous building practices and enforce the law against reluctant homeowners and dodgy builders, even presiding over demolitions if the rules and regulations are persistently ignored. Particularly contentious jobs are passed on to Mark Harding, nicknamed The Sheriff. He tried to join the police force, but failed the entrance test, and now he approaches each case 'in the manner of a criminal investigation'. The programme also meets the homeowners trying to improve their homes while satisfying the regulations - from the pregnant mother whose builder has left her with a new roof that the building inspectors say 'can't be saved', to the pre-op transsexual who has spent 15 years gutting his terraced house without applying for building regulation approval, and leaving all but one room uninhabitable, because he wants a palace 'fit for a princess'. With the recession making moving house more difficult, more people are extending, converting, digging and drilling - striving to improve their current homes. Although the nation's home improvers may not know it, every change they make has to please the building inspector. Without approval, they won't get the certificate they need when they want to sell...

http://www.channel4.com/4homes/diy-self-build/

Why Timber Frame...?

In Europe the building sector is responsible for half of all energy use and therefore half of all carbon consumption. According to Corrim (Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials) timber frame houses are better for the enviornment because wood uses less energy and that, results in fewer greenhouse gases than alternative materials. In a life-cycle assessment it found that timber-framing consumes less total energy during its 'lifetime'.The embodied energy of a building is the energy of a building that has been required to extract, process and manufacture it then to transport it to the building site. The highest embodied energy is found in metals. The middle range of materials such as bricks and blocks also require a lot of energy in their manufacture. The lowest embodied energy is in materials, such as building timber, that require only simple processing. Salvaged materials and local materials (straw bales rush matting and mud bricks) require virtually no energy.

What is the difference between timber frame walling and partial fill cavity walling?
The standard timber frame system consists of a waterproof membrane, sheathing board, structural timber frame, vapour barrier and inner lining of plasterboard. The insulation is placed between the timber frame uprights, and the thickness matches the size of the frame.Cavity walling consists of two masonry leafs side by side, a set distance apart but carefully tied together. The bottom of the cavity can drain and the inner leaf should remain entirely dry.However, Joseph Little, Project Architect with Bolton Construction writes in 'Construction Ireland' (Vol. 8, Issue 2) that we are reaching the limits of partial fill cavity walling. Wider and wider insulation batts are pushing the masonry leafs further apart and making wall ties longer, which has implications for the structure.Partial fill cavity walling is not a 'traditional' building method. On the contary, cavity walls have only being promoted in the Post-War era as a technollogical answer to problems posed with the externally rendered (un-insulated) 215mm solid block walls of the Inter-War years. Partial fill cavity walling belongs to a different era, an era when heating fuel was less expensive and the negative inpact of high CO2 emissions was unknown.Little goes on to write that since 1998, 250,000 new homes have been built to the older and less efficent building standards with inherently high CO2 emissions. Studies show that 8 out of 15 houses with partial fill cavity walling are under-performing and since there are too many variables influencing the effectiveness of partial fill cavity blocks, wet walls become a serious problem.8 out of 9 timber frame houses exceed the design requirement, because with timber frame systems, builders are able to compress quilt insulation, raising the insulation levels beyond what is legally required.Unstable rising oil and gas prices mean that energy efficent homes will be much sought after. It is not an exaggeration to suggest that houses built with interior methodologies and/or materials may, in the future, become worthless.

see link above for rest of article

House prices at auction continue to fall

The prices paid for property at auction still have a long way to fall, but the outlook for the housing market is not quite as dire as a few months ago.
New research suggests that in recent weeks prices of residential properties sold at auction were 25 per cent lower than the same home could have achieved had it been sold through an estate agent.

By Chris Giles, Economics Editor
Published: May 12 2009 00:02 Last updated: May 12 2009 00:02

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009

Tips for eco-friendly computing

Tips for eco-friendly computing
The average PC takes 1.8 tonnes of chemicals, fossil fuel and water to manufacture and causes the emission of 100 kg carbon dioxide each year, but most of us simply couldn't live without one. Unfortunately, computers are becoming more power-hungry as we expect them to perform increasingly complex tasks for us.

Power drain
Desktop PCs that are plugged in all day are especially power-hungry. Unless you flick the switch on the wall or take the plug out of the wall a PC that is apparently turned off will still be using power. If you leave your computer monitor on all night you'll waste enough energy to microwave six dinners. A PC left running 24 hours per day would use £59 worth of electricity over a 12-month period and create 716 kg of carbon dioxide emissions a year.

Small is beautiful
Laptops need to be as energy-efficient as possible so that they can go anywhere. The processors are designed to run on less power, the screens use as little energy as possible, all of which adds up to significant energy savings compared to a desktop PC.

Energy-saving tips
Unplug your PC when not in use, and don't forget the scanner, monitor, printer, broadband box and audio speakers all need turning off too. Use your computer's energy-saving mode: you should be able to turn the brightness of the screen down, or set it to turn off if you haven't used it for 5-10 minutes.

Information provided by Friends of the Earth.

Remember if you buy a cheap laptop, there is a reason! its not sustainable or recyclable and toxic! Choose right.

Environmental status report

The new 13-inch MacBook embodies Apple’s continuing environmental progress. It is designed with the following features to reduce environmental impact:

• Arsenic-free glass
• Brominated flame retardant-free
• Mercury-free

• PVC-free
• 41% smaller packaging
• Highly recyclable aluminium and glass enclosures

Apple is most proud of what isn't in MacBook.

What’s common in other notebooks is conspicuously missing in the new MacBook. Take for example, mercury used in CCFL backlights and arsenic contained in the glass of traditional LCD displays. Apple engineers have said no to both of these substances. They’ve chosen LED technology and arsenic-free glass. They’ve also said no to brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in logic boards, and PVC in cables and connectors. In fact, Apple has done more than remove these toxins from the new MacBook. They’ve done the same thing for the rest of the new MacBook family, the LED Cinema Display, every single iPod and the iPhone. Sometimes saying no is a good thing.

http://www.apple.com/uk/macbook/environment.html

Save Energy, Cut Carbon, Save Cash!

We've found this week's great list from BigGreenSwitch.co.uk

Oh dear... we are amongst the most energy wasteful people in Europe according to a recent survey by the EST. 71% of us regularly leave appliances on standby unnecessarily while 67% boil more water than needed in the kettle. In total, the energy we waste as a nation each year is now growing close to the equivalent of powering an additional 7 million non-existent homes! If everyone were to take just a few simple steps to curb our energy wastage, we could have a dramatic effect on cutting the UK's carbon emissions while, at the same time, all saving ourselves a small fortune in energy bills. Do a little, save a lot!

• Don't leave appliances on standby

• Keep your fridge and freezer full

• Only boil as much water as you need

• Turn your thermostat down by 1oC

• Wash your laundry at lower temperatures

• Switch off lights when a room is not in use

• Use the washing line instead of the tumble dryer

• Unplug chargers and power supplies when not in use

• Shower instead of bathing

• Only use the washing machine when you have a full load to wash

• Defrost your freezer regularly to keep it running at top performance

If we can do just a number of the above, it will make a big difference! Many of the ideas above you'll see in Birchway's Green Charter. More information to follow soon.

Finding your perfect architect

If you've put off using an architect because of the cost, or fear you'll be ridiculed, check out our guide to affordable, approachable professionals.

Why go to an architect?
Architects cut stress and mistakes by:

Finding the right builders for the job – don't underestimate the valu

e of this!

Suggesting materials you or your builder wouldn't know about or have considered.

Translating your ideas and anxieties into practical solutions, often finding space and light where you didn't think possible.

Guiding you th

rough the dull bits like the regulations and contractual obligations you need to deal with.

New build house in East Dulwich progress

New build house in East Dulwich progress