The troubled tale of a listed house makeover

“We bought the grade II listed house about a year ago and managed to get it quite a lot cheaper than advertised because the previous owners had made some alterations, such as taking down an interior wall,” Monahan says. “The English Heritage listing covered only the front exterior of the house. It said ‘interiors not inspected’, so I said to my wife: ‘Let’s go for it’ .” The house, below, was gutted and modernised in the 1960s, when it was used as social housing by the council, so nothing original remained. Having been advised by their surveyor to repair all the ceilings, the couple started work straightaway.

“When we got to the top level there was a false ceiling,” Monahan says. “We took it down and rain started pouring through the roof. It was in a terrible state.” The couple found a builder to replace the roof; this tradesman assured them that the permission of the council would not be needed as they were only carrying out repairs, rather than changing the character of the building.

However, the couple received a letter from Camden council, which said that they were suspected of carrying out illegal work and ordered them to down tools immediately.

Beginning work without checking with the council first can be risky. Andy Buchanan, a director of John D Wood estate agents, says: “You could be liable for an unlimited fine or two years in prison. Not having the correct permission will also affect the sale of the property. A future owner can still be served with a listed buildings enforcement notice. Failure to comply with this is an offence that carries an unlimited fine. It may also not be possible to obtain a mortgage on a listed property without listed buildings consent.”

Monahan says: “I was summoned for a formal interview where I told the council we’d replaced the roof like-for-like, with synthetic slate tiles matching what was there. They said we should have used natural slate. I discovered that the council-owned properties on the terrace all had synthetic slate roofs. When I asked why this was acceptable on their houses but not on ours they backed down.”

The respite was brief, however, because the couple received another letter from the council saying that it suspected an illegal loft conversion was being carried out — in fact the Monahans were simply repairing the existing space. “They eventually accepted this,” Monahan says, “but the problems weren’t over. We wanted to add bifold doors to the garden, got an architect to draw up plans and sent it in for pre-application advice.”

They were again accused of carrying out illegal work. “Seven days later the application was refused — even though other houses have them and the back of the house isn’t listed. It’s a nightmare. They were getting really aggressive with us, but there’s nothing original inside the house. It was all ripped out in the 1960s.”

So, after more than a year of stress, would they consider buying a listed building again? “We bought a Pandora’s box of problems. It’s bad enough buying a property that needs doing up, but dealing with officialdom is worse.”

While the Monahans were very unlucky to have bought a listed building with serious problems, it’s not always so problematic and councils don’t always resist change. Buchanan says: “Planning offices can be flexible and are open to discussion about listed properties.”

Commenting on the Monahans’ case, Councillor Phil Jones, of Camden Council, says: “We very much welcome people taking care of and restoring our listed buildings. However, carrying out work without getting permission beforehand can be a criminal offence.

“So, our advice for owners of listed buildings is always to talk to the council and check whether permission is required before any works are undertaken. I am glad that this matter has now been resolved.”

Making the grade

What is a listed property? In short, they are considered to be of such special architectural or historic interest that they merit being protected — and there are about half a million of them in the UK.

Grade I buildings are deemed to be of exceptional interest, are sometimes internationally important and are the rarest — they include St Paul’s Cathedral and the Bodleian Library, Oxford.

Grade II* buildings are “particularly important”and only 5.5 per cent of those listed are in this category. Trellick Tower, west London, is an example.

Grade II buildings are “nationally important and of special interest” and more than 90 per cent of all listed buildings are in this class. Most listed building homeowners will be living in a grade II property.

The protection afforded to these homes usually covers the entire building, inside and out, and you are required to contact the conservation officer at your local district council for listed building consent (LBC) if you wish to alter or extend the building in a way “that affects the character”. Failure to do this can result in a fine or custodial sentence, and councils can force owners to restore buildings to their former state if they believe unauthorised work has taken place — even if it was carried out by previous owners. For this reason, it is advisable to involve both the local planning and listed building teams at an early stage of any project.

Listing protects a property in the form it was in when it was added to the list — so even if you want to reinstate original features, such as fireplaces that were blocked up — you are likely to need consent.

“Employ an architect or surveyor who has a good relationship with the planning office to act for you, as they will know who to approach,” says Andy Buchanan, director of John D Wood estate agents. “If you are aiming to buy a listed property and wish to make internal changes, it is wise to arrange a pre-application meeting — known as a pre-app. There is a charge for this but it will give you clarification of whether or not it is likely you will be able to do what you wish.”

Any repairs or changes need to be done in approved materials — Cotswold stone in the Cotswolds, for example — which are usually significantly more expensive than modern materials. Listed buildings are exempt from the legal requirement to have energy performance certificates (EPCs) since they often cannot meet energy-saving guidelines as modern building techniques cannot be used.

The National Heritage List will name buildings in your area. See english-heritage.org.uk
Robin Ash

Antiquity - with the comfort of the new

If your dream property is a landmark building steeped in history, you might be hard pushed to justify the purchase price, let alone the hefty running costs. It seems that apartment living is the answer to satisfy those diehard period property lovers — and a concept on the up, according to experts. They note that more developers are snapping up old buildings and converting them into luxury apartments.

Ashley Mason, of Knight Frank, says: “The market for conversions into large apartments has been strong over the past two years. Some historic buildings have been under the spotlight for residential conversion, especially with the closure of pubs continuing apace.

“Buyers, even those who wouldn’t ordinarily consider purchasing an apartment, are attracted to such conversions as they still provide the solidity and character of a period building but without the headaches of having to take care of the ongoing maintenance. The concept of a highly contemporary interior behind a beautiful period façade is undoubtedly an attractive proposition for those moving either up or down the property ladder.”

A development in Ockham, Surrey, offers just this opportunity. The Hautboy, a grade II listed landmark, houses apartments offering a mix of “artisanship and contemporary design”. The Hautboy was built in 1864 by William King-Noel, 1st Earl of Lovelace, Lord Lieutenant of Surrey and the owner of Ockham Park.

Ross Minerva, of the developer Birchwood, says: “It’s a fascinating and beautiful building. The exterior boasts some of the family history, with the five shields of arms decorating the walls.”

In 1957 the house, like the rest of the Ockham property, passed out of the family, gradually losing much of its splendour. The Hautboy was a hotel, pub and restaurant — the Hautboy Inn — for many years. Today the seven apartments — and two houses — have retained neo-gothic features such as the curved roof beams in the penthouse, thanks to the work of the developers under the watchful eye of the local conservation officer.

Minerva says: “We went to great expense to maintain original features. We recreated the original metal-framed windows and matched the bricks for external work, which now are extremely rare.”

Blending the new with the old, the handcrafted kitchen has a Siemens oven, five-zone induction hob and a Caple wine storage cabinet. There are Hansgrohe mixer taps in the bathrooms and internal cabling throughout for satellite television and the internet.

There is the bonus of the property housing hidden treasure. During the construction of the apartments, which start at £595,000 with Knight Frank, a hoard of Middle Bronze Age treasure was discovered. The hoard consists of ten copper alloy objects that were studied, valued and are now exhibited at the British Museum. Pieces include several Sussex loop bracelets, coiled finger rings and a number of copper alloy palstaves, a type of axe. Minerva says: “There is so much history in the building, which it seems, is still unravelling.”
Holly Thomas