New Year - New Project!

Well, er, um, one wee project I wasn't expecting...

The wind last week brought down one (of three-in-a-row) trees right ootside t'front door. So I'll have to replace that with, er, a dovecot...

Whilst in t'kitchen over Christmas, wifie turns to look out the side window and sees a white bird sitting there looking in. I refused to have anything to do with it - "It can bludy well look after itself" - but she brought it in and kept it in a box. Next couple of days was spent find 'pigeon fanciers' in the locality, finally finding some success with a cove in Barnstaple who took the darned thing off our hands.

Tree comes down: I thinks "A new tree". Wife thinks "Dovecot..."

I lose.

 

Is this your own place you're 'verting, Jit?

(Oh, and who's the lady in t'avatar?)

 

I used to keep doves , never again lol

Any advice just shout !

 

the winter storms also caused unforeseen problems

 

which led to this,

 

and after a couple of days,

 

^ looks soooo much better that nicely done Tom .

I've loads on this year love to be busy with projects can't bear thinking of coming home with nothing to do lol !

Jan / February will hopefully see me finally finish the summerhouse that's part cupcake , seating area , gym room that I started this time last year , plasterer coming this weekend then it'll just be to decorate the inside

 

Well in a bungalow and then main roof isn't high enough to convert the loft space. But 15 years ago built a garage kitchen bedroom extension on the side with a fake pitch on the front and flat roof behind. As you step down in to the garage area. My plan is to take the roof off the garage turn the timbers round and builda full pitch roof with two velux windows and some French windows to the rear. Losing some of the garage for the staircase but will still be big enough.

 

A nice external staircase or spiral staircase, could even include it with french doors opening onto a veranda/verandah,at the gable gable end.

 

I can see this as another one of the "next big" thing - bungalow flat conversions. Yes, over the years people have been adding extra rooms in to bungalows by adding dormers but these quite often aren't done sympathetically and not really creating separate access.

With the increase in property prices and newer building technologies I can see more people converting hipped roof bungalows into two or three storey houses with either a gable or mansard type roof on them. Parents living downstairs in the bungalow and adult children living in the "upper floors" with a separate external stairs.

Cost of conversion would be much cheaper than trying to get on the property ladder. And parents and children can live close but still have privacy.

 

Years ago you could pick up bungalows two a penny, at a auction, add a second storey, or flatten & rebuild & make a profit, those days are long gone & now these bungalows are making silly money.
There is a detached 3 bed dormer bungalow built in the 1920's near me, it's rather grotty,perfect for flattening,etc, & they are asking for offers in excess of 600K.

 

Same where my daughter lives, street after street of fairly horrible small bungalows, too much value in them to redevelop completely but with a double hip roof too messy to convert with little benefit. The thing on a £600k bungalow is that you are probably looking at another £400k rebuild cost to put something better in its place. Nice if it is going to be £1m+ but it is a big call.

I can see someone coming up with a neat idea where you take the top off the bungalow then can crane in a pre fab set of rooms on top supported externally from the base. Stair case up the side and off you go another dwelling.

 

And designed with attic trusses, could make you a decent 4 or 5 bed house.

Like this below single storey prefab extension,22K to build a absolute bargain for a extra 2 or 3 extra rooms.

 

Yep that sort thing. These are some of the bungalows next to my daughter - £260k to £310k. Whole street of them virtually the same and on tiny plots so chance of an economic rebuild is limited. But a clever £30k "pod" on the top may work quite well