July's Newsletter & this Week’s Links

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Designing Tomorrow.

This month, we dive into government planning reforms, the complexities of party wall agreements with expert Giles Lewis, and transformative home redesigns in Old Portsmouth and Parkstone. Don’t miss our monthly features: ‘Builder of the Month’ spotlighting Neil McDonald and ‘Wines of the Month’ from Wines by the Sea. Join us for cutting-edge insights on home ownership and architecture in our essential monthly roundup.

Planning the Future.

I’ve been asked a few times this week what the impact will be of the new government’s announcement to reform the planning system. The answer is fairly simple: Show me a government in recent times that has promised to reform the planning system and delivered.

They’ve all promised the earth. I’m not holding my breath.

But if they manage to enable the building of more houses, I suppose that’s a good thing. Especially since we are in what the media likes to call a ‘housing crisis’.

The ‘crisis’ is that housing is unaffordable for many people, in part driven by supply and demand. So, building more houses should make housing affordable, as more supply of anything where there is demand means prices fall. That’s what Adam Smith started in ‘The Wealth of Nations’.

Great. But can you really see a government instigating policies that lead to house prices falling? If there is one policy to ensure you lose your seat, that’s it. Well, that and building more houses in your constituency.

Alright, so increase wages to make housing more affordable. This is a brilliant idea; it increases everyone’s purchasing power. Just ramp up the average wage by 75% to get back to the old four-times multiple. Quite apart from that being absurd, any decent rise in wages obviously equals mass inflation. Cinnamon Whirl pastries would become even more unaffordable.

It seems a hopeless cause, but of course, there are lots of things the government could do to help fix the problem, if your that way inclined. Longer mortgage terms would help, and large-scale public housing projects would increase supply. Better, more German or Swiss tenancy models? How about stopping the entire buy-to-let market? Perhaps the dream of mass homeownership is the real problem.

Crikey, that’s a can of worms to open on a Friday morning! What’s clear to me is that it’s a cultural and structural problem that Starmer’s gang, just like all the others, have no more than hot air to blow at it.

And besides, it may be that come the Autumn, none of it will matter. I sense that more pressing matters are around the corner.

I’ve just paid £3.50 for a Cinnamon Whirl pastry. I’m not in a chain cafe on a motorway, Up-West or in Zurich.

In positive news, I’ve made some good videos this week for this Design Daily thing I’ve committed myself to. Yes, I do wake up and wonder why.

I’ve redesigned a house in Old Portsmouth that my daughter Capucine came home raving about. She’s been trained well and saw the potential in this tired old house with great sea views. She is working at Fry and Kent in Southsea this summer and is viewing a few of the great houses they have on their books.

I’ve also had a crack at a nice house in Parkstone. Not far from the golf club of the same name, it’s another tired old place with bags of potential. It’s got a nice garden, so I’ve created a really lovely open-plan space across the back of the property to make the most of this great asset. And importantly, without the cost of extending.

The links to these videos, and the properties are in the usual place at the bottom.

Next week’s Design Daily is based in Scotland. Two fantastic houses in Edinburgh, and a few are in amazing coastal locations on the Mull of Kintyre peninsula.

Design for the Weekend.

In today’s video, I share my five top tips for creating the perfect house. I’ve used a house in Southsea as a model for these tips. I won’t spoil the fun, but a downstairs loo is one of them.

Don’t be a party pooper: we talk party wall agreements.

This week I’ve been talking to Giles Lewis, an independent Chartered Surveyor based in Salisbury, Wiltshire. We had an enlightening talk about party wall matters. And before you switch off – if you’re planning some work on your home, the next two minutes of reading may well save you a lot of angst and expense. Read this on our website.

Imagine for a moment that you’re in the final building stages of your long-dreamed-of house extension. Three years in the planning, months of waiting for planning permission, not to mention the time waiting for your builder to be available, then you raided the piggy bank (and gave it an extra shake) and invested your hard-earned cash in improving your home. After months of construction chaos, it’s now looking fabulous.

But your neighbour isn’t happy. They found a crack in their own wall and are claiming that your building work caused the problem. They’ve hired a surveyor who thinks they have a case because, guess what? When you dig foundations within three metres of a neighbour’s structure and lower than its foundations, you need their agreement. You should have served a Party Wall Notice.

Handled by building professionals – not lawyers.

So, let’s backtrack 12 months to when someone, possibly your architect, mentioned those three little words – Party Wall Agreement – and your builder told you not to worry as it wasn’t an issue. But instead, you double-checked, took professional advice and served your neighbour with a Party Wall Notice. There was a discussion, a surveyor came out and assessed the proposed work and took photos of your neighbour’s property close to your works (complete with current and visible crack) and progressed matters to a Party Wall Award (not all cases go this way). Your neighbour was reassured that the work would not impact them, and the work could proceed.

By serving a Party Wall Notice, the situation was handled by building professionals – not lawyers. So instead of worrying about a court case and paying legal fees, you’re thrilled with your new space and choosing a new dining table. Everyone’s happy.

This, my friends, is why someone like Giles Lewis is worth his weight in gold. As a party wall expert and professional Chartered Surveyor with 30 years industry experience, there isn’t much that he doesn’t know about this. He told me:

“Whether you’re intending to extend your home, convert your loft, or redevelop your land, the chances are that your building work may impact on the boundary of neighbouring properties or nearby buildings/structures which may require compliance with The Party Wall Act 1996.

“Cutting into a wall to take a weight-bearing beam or inserting flashing to your own side of a party wall/neighbours wall will trigger the Act and require the serving of a Party Wall Notice. Although not a party wall related issue, even a gutter or soffit that extends beyond a boundary might be classed as ‘trespass’ on your neighbour’s property. But it doesn’t have to be a big deal – there’s always a solution and these matters can be discussed in advance of works commencing. There’s a lot of misunderstanding about it all and if you’re not sure, then it’s always better to seek professional advice.”

I ask if the process is yet another way to slow down the process or for neighbours to object, or just another cost homeowners don’t need, and Giles tells me that it’s actually the opposite.

“The Party Wall Act is designed to allow you to carry out work on your home, to safeguard your neighbour and to protect the structural integrity of a neighbouring property, and it avoids unnecessary delays in starting work.

Reassuring for both parties.

“And it might sound counterintuitive, but in my experience, people actually get a lot of comfort from being served with a Party Wall Notice by a professional before any work commences. It reassures them that a professional surveyor believes that the planned work is going to be carried out correctly and in a manner that won’t cause issues for them. The Act ensure that measures to safeguard your neighbours’ structures are in place prior to work commencing. Plus, it demonstrates that you take these matters seriously because you are actively seeking their permission. It can create a lot of goodwill, avoid more expense down the line.”

Giles is an accredited member of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and a member of the Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors (FPWS) and representing both bodies, he’s required to act in the highest standards of professional practice. “My aim is to give the best advice based on my experience and make the entire process as smooth and painless as possible.”

If you have a query about work on your home that might require a Party Wall Notice to be served that may require a Party Wall Award to be served agreement, Giles offers free advice, and you can find more information on his website.

Additional resources

Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors – Party Wall Process

FPWS Party Wall Explanatory Leaflet

RICS-Party-Walls-(Consumer Guide) 2020

“Once I’m on a job I treat it like I’m working on my own home.”

Meet Neil McDonald, a builder with a personal touch and an eye for detail. From the start of our conversation, I hear a man who’s justifiably proud of the excellent work he delivers and still gets satisfaction from a job well done. “I’ve been in the industry all my life; I love my job and wouldn’t want to do anything else.”

He started straight from school on the old YTS scheme, followed by college and an apprenticeship and now owns and runs his own company, ENMAC. He has clocked up over 40 years in construction, and I ask him why people choose him as their builder.

“If people want to know about the quality of my work, I suggest that they talk to my previous clients. That will tell them everything they need to know,” he said. “I have former customers who I can pop in and see for a cup of tea and a few who have become close personal friends and I love that.”

He runs one job at a time, which means a hundred percent dedication to that one client for the duration of the project. “Me and the team are on site every day, five days a week, which means I can be the client-facing contact all of the time. It’s me who the customer initially meets and discusses the project with, and if they want to talk something over or change anything during the job then I’m always there for a chat. Customers like that we don’t disappear and do something else and that I’m always around.”

Something I’m sure that customers also appreciate is his strict rule about leaving a clean and tidy site at the end of each day. Even clients’ neighbours have commented how neat the area around the house is and often approach him about quoting for a job.

A typical job for Neil might be a house extension and knocking down an internal wall or two to create a large kitchen living or dining room. At the moment he’s in Bosham, finishing off on a complete house refurbishment, including a loft conversion, new floors, kitchen and all of the redecoration work. He’s used to doing the finishing touches, including the painting and decorating and even laying carpets and says he prefers it because he can leave the house looking exactly as he’d want it to.

“When I finish a job and the homeowner shakes me by the hand and thanks me, that means the world to me.”

He tells me that he rarely takes a day off and laughs when he adds “there’s no point, when I do the phone doesn’t stop ringing!” That Neil is a grafter is in no doubt, but he also gives a lot of credit to his wife, without whom he says he couldn’t do this job. When I get home there’s always more quotes and paperwork to work through, but I try not to let it take over, and my wife helps me get the work-life balance right.”

When he’s not on site you might find him in the garage tinkering with his Lambretta, working on his daughter’s house or entertaining one of his four grandchildren. Portsmouth born and bred, you’ll sometimes find him in the stands watching a Pompey match.

Discover more about ENMAC or find them on Checkatrade.

Wines of the month, by Lucy at Wines by the Sea.

This month we are talking all things South, and by this I mean South America and South Africa. Here are some of the new wines I have in from those regions:

Mavida Sauvignon Blanc, Central Valley, Chile, 2023 £12.75
This great affordable wine from family run vineyard Mavida is the perfect balanced between France and New Zealand when it comes to sauvignon blanc. Citrus notes with green apple and grapefruit. Fresh with balanced acidity goes perfectly with simple seafood dishes.

Simonsig Cape Fox Chardonnay, Stellenbosch South Africa 2021 £19.75
Made from our noble chardonnay grapes, this wine is as enchanting as its namesake, boasting complex flavours, with subtle notes of citrus and butterscotch. Its full-bodied, silky textured palate is layered with ripe apple, roasted almond, and toasty French oak flavours.

Piattelli Tannat, Cafayate Valley, Salta Argentina, 2021 £17.75
The Piattelli vineyards lie in the foothills of the Andes Mountains, where the century-old vines are irrigated by the pure waters melting from the snow crested peaks. A powerful mouth-filling wine with rich blackberry fruits and hints of spice. Concentrated fruit flavours are balanced by a fresh palate with a chalky texture, through to a full-flavoured finish.

All wines are available from Wines by the Sea, Albert Rd, Southsea.

That’s almost it other than to sign off with another selection of links we think might interest you. I may have been hungry when I chose these…

Have a good weekend.

All the best