conversions of buildings

Conversions and rehabilitation of redundant buildings

Why do it and is it worth it?

Renovation vs. Conversion

• Renovation– Renewal– All buildings need renovation if they survive

long enough• Change of fashion, change of standards, wear

and tear

• Conversion– Redundancy

• Buildings are converted because they no longer serve a useful purpose in their original form, they are redundant

Why convert a redundant building to a new use?

• May be perceived as cheaper than new build

• Might “get around” planning restrictions• Irrational emotional attachment to a

redundant building

Cost saving?

• Will it really be cheaper to convert?– Standard cost formulae don’t work– The extent of work needed is very hard to

predict– Builders’ estimates are almost meaningless

and quotations impossible to enforce.– Extra costs will be inevitable

• Conversion is financially a highly risky business

Financial returns on investment

• It is possible to make a return on investment (ROI) in a conversion, but it is not guaranteed and often the return is not as great as anticipated.

• If a building owner puts in large amounts of personal time in the conversion and costs this at £0, any return ROI will be artificially inflated

Case Study; Hill Paul Building, Stroud

• Former textile factory and offices, condemned as unsafe in 2000

• Due for demolition in 2002• Extended and converted in flats in 2003• Some income from permitted additional

housing around the site makes the scheme financially viable

2002

2003

Would you buy someone else’s conversion?

• It is important to remember that the market for barns/mills/oasts needing conversion into houses may be larger than the market for barns/mills/oasts that have been converted into houses

Planning restrictions

• New building in an area might be forbidden or severely restricted:– Conservation areas– Rural areas

• Planning design guides for new buildings may make them too expensive to be viable

• In these cases, conversion of an existing building may be a route to development

• Be aware of the planning implications if your building is listed

Emotional commitment

• People like to convert old buildings, especially for private houses– It can put them in touch with

traditional craftsmanship– It allows them to own an

old “house” which they may not have been able to afford otherwise

– They can put their own work into a conversion project in a way that may not be possible in a new-build house.

Case study: Clavell Tower Dorset

Landmark Trust restoration and conversion

Case study: Brunel goods shed at Stroud Station

• Last remaining goods shed designed by I. K. Brunel • New use has been sought for years, but what can

you do with a large single storied building on a railway line with no parking?

• It has been re-roofed, repaired but no use can be found for it.

What are the costs of conversion?

• Impossible to predict in advance, which is what makes it so difficult to estimate– Is the structure adequate for new loads?

• Foundations – depth, strength, existence! • Walls – stability, strength, durability• Roof and floor timbers – decay, strength,

rigidity– Thermal insulation

• It is both a legal and comfort requirement for buildings to be energy efficient. A building converted to a new use will have to match the required insulation standards of the new class.

Safety in fire

• Conversion from non-residential to residential raises immediate problems of fire safety– Any building containing sleeping

accommodation must meet stringent standards of fire resistance and adequacy of escape routes. These can be difficult to meet in an existing building.

Safety in fire 2

• Conversion from 2 stories to 3 or more stories– There must be adequate protected escape routes

for people on the upper floors. This is a block on many loft conversion proposals

• Conversion of one building in a group to residential use may have a knock-on effect on nearby buildings, such as agricultural buildings

Protected passage from second floor to exterior needed

Services

• Existing services may be inadequate or inappropriate for new uses, or just non-existent.– Having to replace old wiring, lead pipe

work and cracked drains can be expensive– It is far more expensive to thread new

pipes, drains and wires through an existing building than it is to build them into a new building.

• Utility services may be non-existent and can be cripplingly expensive to install.

Designing a conversion

• The design process is much the same for a conversion as for a new building

conception >> development >> realisation

• Conception is fundamentally a forecasting process, you consider the outcome first.

• Development is the process of answering the question of how you are actually going to create this new building from the existing one

• Realisation is actually producing the building, often an act of hope and discovery…

Conception

• Why are you converting?– Be very clear and robust in answering this:

• Is it simply a personal desire to use the converted building? • Do you want, or need, to make a ROI?• Are you aware of the complexities of converting?• Do you have adequate resources to cover unexpected costs?• Are you the client? If not, has the client understood and

accepted the risks and uncertainty of conversion?

• The brief– A detailed, comprehensive design brief needs to be

developed, which is effectively the “mission statement” for the project.

– To prepare a conversion brief, detailed structural and measured surveys will be needed

Development

• The heart of the design process, where ideas are created and tested against the brief.

• This is a reiterative process. Problems which arise during the design development may require a return to the brief for reconsideration.

• The “end” of the development process is a set of working documents (both text and drawings) which guide the realisation. These will become the contract documents.

• Contract documents for conversions will be subject to change

Realisation

• Physically creating the finished conversion of the building.

• Problems which arise during construction may require amendments to the design drawings. This is particularly true for conversions. Problems will arise.

• If problems are so great that you have to revisit the brief, you have a potential financial disaster on your hands. Many conversions are never completed.

Summary

• Be sure you understand why you are converting

• Be aware of the unpredictability of conversion• Make sure that sufficient contingency funds

are available for dealing with unforeseen problems

• Be realistic in the costs of converting and the true return on investment.

• Research the market for converted buildings to get an idea of the true value of the finished project.