Grade II Listed Houses

[francienolan]

Hello,

We are just starting the search for our first house. I've noticed the house we are viewing tonight is Grade II listed. Is anyone able to tell me a little about restrictions to a house like that?

For context I love older properties and wouldn't want to get rid of period features or change the look of a house like that, and honestly I don't think the house needs anything obvious done to it based on the listing, but it would be good to have a little more information.

Thanks in advance

I would look at why it’s listed on the data base for listed buildings. Then I would try and talk to your Heritage Planning Officer in your planning authority. They would have knowledge of restrictions on this property. They vary from area to area and some areas are very insistent about what cannot be done! So ask the specific person for advice.
Restrictions might be: non use of modern materials, no change of layout, materials to be approved by Heritage Officer, no additional windows, no modern windows eg, upvc, no plastic guttering etc. You can be assured though, that doing anything to a listed house costs more. Some councils won’t want insulated walls or double glazing either so heating often costs more.

What others posters might have done, or not been able to do, are not specific to this house. So ask the relevant person in the planning authority.

I live in a listed building.

Things you can't do, extend, change the fabric of the building ie remove walls etc, remove original features inc windows, build as you please in the grounds.

This doesn't mean you can't do these things, just they need permission and will need to be done in keeping with the building which can add cost.

Things you can do, decorate freely, replace kitchens and bathrooms, all the normal cosmetic stuff.

Really the listing is to preserve the building and grounds for historical interest, but it's critical people are able to live in these buildings in a modern way, as otherwise they would go to ruin.

My experience of Grade 11 listing has been nothing but positive. Our house is an original hall house and dates back to the 1450's and 1700's (extensions).

We completely renovated 3 years ago. We changed most of the internal layout but did not remove any of the original features (we love old houses). Whilst we had to be sympathetic in choosing materials (oak windows instead of UPVC, Oak Bi-Folds etc) they pretty much allowed us to do what we wanted. They even allowed us to have double glazing throughout (albeit wooden casements). We knocked down internal walls (not the original ones but ones in a 1980's extension), re roofed, re plastered the outside, did all the electrics, new boiler and heating system including underfloor heating, 2 new bathrooms and a new kitchen. The original elements still exist and most people who walk past (it is on a public footpath) say we renovated it amazingly and in keeping.

I do however think it depends on the planning officer and the council involved and what you want to achieve but I wouldn't shy away from it.

I own a grade 2* listed house, in all honesty it has been a nightmare from hell.
I have very traditional taste so didn't want to do anything out of keeping in the slightest.
The rules cover things like installing lights. We are not allowed to install new ceiling lights as it would involve notching joists for cables and making a hole in the ceiling for the cable to pass through. Unfortunately our predecessors had never thought it was unusual to live in rooms without lighting! We did fight this nonsense and now have a traditional pendant light in our sitting room!!
We have an exceptionally tall chimney towering well above the house, the survey had been unable to detect a very large crack in it due to its location at the base facing the roof valley. One up scaffolding this was easy to discover. The local planning officer in charge of listing refused to allow us to take down the chimney despite it being extremely dangerous. On this occasion we defied her and took it down. We rebuilt it using tractioal methods and bricks we had to have specially made to match the existing. The planning officer was ultimately pleased.
Everything you do has to be consulted upon and I
Approved, bear in mind it may not be.
Repairs must be carried out using the same traditional method in which the property is constructed which can be expensive and often hard to come across. Our house is cold as we are not allowed to alter the original sah windows, add invisible xenon glazing or secondary glazing.
It very much depends on why the house is listed, and the local authority in which the property is located as they vary enormously as yo how strict they are. English heritage defer all responsibility
for listed buildings yo the lical authorities in thichich they ste located.its worth mentioning even buildings in the garden such as garden sheds are covered by our listing which is insane. Unauthorised eorksto a listed building, if discovered can incur very large fines(in our borough up to £1m). I would certainly contact your local authority planning officer in charge of listed buildings and ask them all about the building and what is and isnt allowed in future and why.

historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/guide-for-owners-of-listed-buildings/

My friends house is listed. The house is Georgian.

The council have been very inflexible and refused to allow them double glazed sashes at the front or to replace the ugly 1970s kitchen window (basement, not visible from the street) with a traditional sash which would match the windows elsewhere.

My brothers last house was listed (Victorian cottage). Different Council who were much more flexible. Double glazed wooden sashes ok.

We have a grade II listed thatched cottage in a conservation area, only got it last year so still learning the rules.

You do need permission for a lot of things and can't take out anything original. Permission also can be slow - 8 weeks here. Only applied for permission for chimney so far, neighbour asked council what form, they told her. She sent it back from her and us and didn't hear back for 2 months. She phoned them and they said not processing it as wrong form and to do another one which costs £400 and will be a further 8 weeks. We need to get thatch redone which will also need permission - have e-mailed and phoned them but yet to speak to anyone.

We had a quote for kitchen and I asked the builder if that required permission and he said modern for modern shouldn't but best to tell council as they had caused issues for a previous client. He said they dislike things like pipes being moved.

We have a tree which is blocking out light from neighbour and thought should get that cut to help neighbour and needs permission for that too and 6 weeks notice though that's conservation area rules.

We absolutely love it but renovation is slow and there's extra permissions and costs involved. Am glad ours had been renovated not too long ago.

There is a listed property owners club which provides advice. We had to get specialist insurance to - only one place in the country will insure but that's more to do with the thatch than the listing, they put price up 30% last year. I love looking at the thatch and the beams and everyone close by having beautiful houses.

Grade II* is a lot stricter than Grade II, if that helps.

Thank you so much everyone, it's been very interesting to read about everyone's experiences, both good and bad!

Ultimately after visiting the house I think it's probably not for us, charming as it is, but I'll keep all of this in mind if we end up looking at any more. On your advice I did look at our council's website, I hadn't realised it varied by council!