Building Surveying
Where have all the Scotch Slates gone?
Do you have a traditional building with a worn out Scotch slate roof laid to diminishing courses? Do you want to maintain the building's traditional character either because it is Listed and you have to, or because you do not wish to downgrade its appearance and ultimately its value? If you answer yes to these questions your options are limited and becoming ever more limited.
VAT exemption on listed buildings goes!
The zero rating of “approved alterations” to Listed buildings has been scrapped in the March 2012 budget. It was described…
Common Repairs – A Change in Direction
The sad state of affairs in Edinburgh Council’s Conservation Department revealed by last September’s BBC investigation has many facets to…
Gutters & Slatework
The brackets that hold up cast iron gutters, or rhones, are known as rhone hooks. In Scottish roofing practice they are fixed to the sarking boards which in turn are fixed to the rafters. In England they have to be fixed to the rafters. The rhone hooks are galvanised steel and should be fitted before the slates go on. They need to be strong enough to carry the gutters but soft enough to bend so as to align the gutters.
Developments Facing Protected Species Constraints
….. and how to overcome the legal hurdles When developers find that they have “European protected species” (“EPS”, such as…
Cost Effective Energy Savings
Whilst more efficient plant and better insulation can make a significant difference to the energy performance of a building it…
The Truth Behind Dilapidations
Frightening Does the phrase “Schedule of Dilapidations” mean anything to you? If you are a commercial tenant, it should strike…
Astragals
No building element seems to offer such scope for bad design as the window. We are nowadays obsessed and confused by glazing bars (known as astragals in Scotland). Our ancestors did not even bother to draw them when they represented their buildings - they were a functional but visually undesirable necessity. Glazing bars were played down and painted a neutral colour so as to minimise their visual intrusion.
Dry Rot, Wet Rot and Woodworm
These are the common names of some of the main diseases that affect timbers in buildings. They all have one…
Dispute Resolution
The conventional approaches to dispute resolution are Mediation, Adjudication, Arbitration and Litigation. Another option that may sometimes have a place…
Building Conservation
There has never been a better time to go back to basics in the care of buildings. To sell a building advantageously in a difficult market it needs to be as free from defects as possible. In a booming market anything went. Now we are back to very careful due diligence and a building defect can unsettle a sale. We will see the number of flagship new building projects diminish as the economy declines but now is not the time to neglect an existing building whether old or relatively new. Dilapidation claims at the end of a commercial lease can be crippling. A stitch in time saves nine.
