Stone shed to house conversion - no clue where to start

[PissedDog]

Hello. My husband and I have an opportunity to look at converting a stone shed/outbuilding on his parent's land into a home for ourselves. We don't have a clue where to start! Do we get some sort of survey first? Or do we start with getting plans drawn up and applying for planning to see if the project would even be permitted before looking at surveys?

We would purchase the shed/land but they are kindly letting us make sure it's feasible first.

Our neighbour is an architect although not sure he has experience in this area. Will pick his brain as he may be able to signpost us. I am doing some Googling this morning and thought I would ask here too.

Look at thr local council planning website for advice on whether they'd support that sort of thing. Some offer conversations with planners maybe for a fee which is the best bet.

It depends very much where it is and what the local planning code is. Eg some areas allow barn conversions fairly easily, and some don’t allow any change of use to residential. Somewhere like the New Forest has very tight restrictions on this kind of thing, as an example.

and then the most complicated part is likely to be the utility services, if it’s close to the main house this might be fine.

Will do this today - thank you.

@Duckinglunacy It's on an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty so won't fall under the Class Q development rights. It is very close to the main building so utilities won't be too much of an issue. We did speak to the council some years ago about building in their garden and that was an outright no. They suggested we could build onto his parent's house - but would need a shared door between the properties. That's fine while his mum and dad are in the main house but could be a but weird in future 🤣

We're hoping to have more luck this time as the shed is already there 🤞

I would recommend getting an architect on board. They are more expensive than other routes but better in the long run. Yes you need a survey. You need to get planning permission. Is it going to be a separate dwelling? Is it ancillary accommodation to main house (can't charge rent). You need to know how it will be converted to meet building regulations and have someone who is mindful of your budget. Lots of questions but you need someone qualified to guide you through

Which local authority are you in. Add your name to their self build register. There are ways in planning of getting accommodation if you have local connections but it does depend

Do you have a basic size of property? Needs to meet national space standards . Am just off to gym class but will look at replies later. I am an architect so happy to advise informally

@fabricstash thank you. It would be a separate dwelling. We're in Sedgemoor, Somerset. We knew we'd need someone to guide us but weren't sure who we would start that process with. An architect makes sense! Will do some research on local ones with experience around this type of work.

Just spotted this reply sorry. The shed is small - we would definitely need to extend it in order to live in it, we'd be happy to extend out bungalow style if we weren't allowed to go up (is a single storey building as it stands). We haven't measured yet - we are in VERY early stages of looking at this. It had a lot of bushy growth around it. My husband has cleared one side but we want to clear the other so we can get a good look at the state of the stone all the way around.

I really appreciate your input thank you. Enjoy the gym - I'm feeling a bit run down so cancelled my class. Hence being in bed Mumsnetting this morning 😊

Right sedgemoor definitely have a self build register. I did get planning for someone there to building a house on their land for their mum. One of planning conditions was their mum was named as first occupant who had to be there for 3 years. There is a planning policy related to this. I must leave!!

I'd look into getting advice from a planning consultant (RTPI registered). They will be able to advise on what might be able to get planning permission.

I’d find a local architect, they are often quite chummy with planners and know what might be allowed. I’d also say that not everything is set in stone and council priorities change. With my property the previous owners had converted an old outbuilding to a holiday cottage. Part of the planning conditions was it could never be sold separately. Anyway years later I got planning permission to change it to residential accommodation and also to separate property so now each property has separate title deed etc.

Doesn’t really matter now as family own it but two separate properties are worth more in
long run as it’s a very limited market for people wanting to buy two houses.

https://www.instagram.com/fandb_planning/?hl=en

My plasterer recommended this guy in Cheddar to a friend who needed someone. I think he said he used to work for new home builders and has a greet reputation for being able to get planning. Might be worth a conversation.

So there is a particular planning policy in sedgemoor related to self builds / custom builds to allow development outside of development boundaries for those with local connections. I have oodles of jobs to do now but might get a chance to look it up later

Thanks @Seaitoverthere will follow them now.

@fabricstash will have a look on their website this afternoon.

Thank you all!

Hi, I'm in Sedgmoor too! B2 architects in Wedmore also have a rep for getting unlikely stuff through planning

It's policy D9, also look at policy CO2. Would recommend getting a local architect. I am definitely not local but was doing for a freind from work. Also recommend a pre-app

Thanks @Kitsmummy and again @fabricstash. I'm feeling a bit more run down today but will be spending time looking at all your suggestions over the next week or so. Will come back to update you if and when we get things going ❤️

@PissedDog Im in an AONB but not yours. There would be problems with your proposals here. Your conversion would almost certainly have ownership restrictions placed on it. Your parents would have to own it. It could not be a separate dwelling with a separate owner. We converted our garage with a flat above but it cannot be sold separately.

The other thing people do here is rebuild on the site of a dwelling when you can get 40% bigger than the original. Ask a planning consultant if this might apply to the outbuilding. Decide if it’s worth keeping first of course. Then, after the new dwelling is built, they then have established a new footprint. They then get another 40% on top of that. However you might only get one 40% if you keep the original building. (Or whatever is allowed in Sedgemoor). In my AONB there are considerable restrictions and I don’t think this is self build.

@TizerorFizz noted ✅️ If this turns out to be the case we definitely won't go ahead as there we would be looking at this being our forever home.

@PissedDog I would do as Seeline says and see a planning consultant or architect that has dealt with similar projects. Knowing what is likely to get pp is important before you spend money on surveys etc. If you can get what you want, engage an architect with suitable experience.

Self build or custom build is a relatively new way to allow local people with local connections to access the housing market in difficult locations. You need expert and site centric advice. Don't cut corners at this stage

A lot of self build are on designated estates. People choose from a menu of designs and services. It’s not usually about doing what you want where you want just because you are a self builder. PP policies still govern the site.

I think you have been misinformed. Anyone can add their name to their self build register. This can allow for certain leeway's in certain circumstances. I am an architect I have used these clauses to achieve planning for people who need to be near their family for various reasons. Self build can mean paying someone to build something for you to live in. This is sometimes called custom build

Not in AONB and other protected areas. Self build makes no difference. I know of several self build estates but not in AONB. Local airforce base is closing and part of that is designated for self build. They work as I said. I might want to self build in my fields but I won’t get pp. PP is needed and policies apply whether you self build or not.