Solo Timber Frame

[matt]

HI!

We have obtained our plot of land, we are seeing our local planning officer tomorrow for a pre-lim chat, We assume that during this meeting he will confirm the kind of property allowed for the land?

If we get our wish we will be able to request yourselves to assist us in planning our dream, would it be possible for a 3 storey (dormer) to be built in timber?

Regards

[ChrisD]

Hi Matt,

Exciting times ahead!
We'd be delighted to help you design and obtain planning for your new home.
Building three storeys in timber is no problem at all.

This page on our website will explain a little more about the procedure...
http://www.solotimberframe.co.uk/timber_frame_house_bespoke_design.htm

I'm not sure what type of meeting you have lined up, but I doubt you'll get much more than a non committal 'possibly' from him/her. In our experience they will want to see a full planning application before giving any real guidance.

Take a few photos/magazine cuttings of the type of house you'd like to build as that may help, but don't expect to walk away with a solid idea of what you can and can't do.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Chris

[matt]

Thanks chris, Thanks for your reply

we went to see the planning guy and he was pretty helpful
although he never gave anything away! He did however suggest that a 2.5 storey house would be considered. Apart from finishings is this a much more expensive at this stage or does it make sense to do it now rather than loft conversions etc? Our biggest worry is not really the cost of stairs etc or finishings as we don't have finish top floor to move in, it's the extra cost of the roof that confuses us as we guess it's not as simple??

Regards
natalie and matthew

[ChrisD]

Hi Natalie and Matthew,

You're right in saying that it's more expensive to build 2 and a half storeys, but certainly cheaper to do it now, rather than convert in the future.

Generally, the most expensive parts of the structure of any building are the foundations, the intermediate floors and the roof.
By adding an extra storey you're adding another intermediate floor, and the extra half storey will also means dormer windows which add to the complexity of the roof.

A very quick 'guesstimation' will be an extra cost of £5000 to £7000 based on a 2000 square feet house.

My own feeling on half storeys/chalet bungalows/dormer roofs, is that whilst they keep the planners happy because of the lower ridge height, the additional cost is often not worth it for the compromised extra space they generate.
If you can build a house with a slightly larger footprint, then in my opinion that is always favourable, though not always possible!

Hope that helps.

Chris