We're about to embark on renovating our house, which is partly thatched and listed. The works to be completed include re-thatching, repairing the rafters, rewiring, installing oil-fired central heating, moving the kitchen and the bathroom into the 1960s extension, and opening up two 1960s fireplaces to reveal the inglenooks that we know are hiding underneath. Our Listed Building Consent application was approved yesterday so we'd like to begin work asap (not least since DC3 is due in six weeks' time).
The difficulty that we're having at the moment is with insurance. Our current (very helpful and in many ways excellent) insurers won't cover us while the work is being done because they say that the house will become a building site rather than a home. We won't have a main contractor for the works because the thatcher, builder and heating engineer are all independent of one another, so we can't get cover through our builders. The insurers have recommended that we take out self-build/renovation insurance to cover buildings and contents during the period of the works, but it seems that it's very hard to get this type of insurance for thatched/listed properties.
I was wondering whether anyone out there has had similar experiences and, if so, what you did. Any help much appreciated!