Sheet 00 · General arrangement
An old house is easier to look after once you have seen it in section.
Slate Lane explains how period houses handle water and weather, what to repair, what to leave alone, and when the law or a professional needs to be involved. Six sheets so far. Pick a number on the drawing.
Drawing register
- 01
Rising damp or condensation? How to tell in a period houseTidemarks, winter mould and patches after rain each point somewhere different.Damp - 02
Should you repair or replace old sash windows?What to probe, what a joiner can splice in, and where the rules come in.Windows - 03
Lime or gypsum plaster on an old wall: which should you use?What to keep, how three coats go on, and why it cannot be rushed.Plaster - 04
Old slate roof: repair it or strip and re-slate?Fixings fail before slate. Which repairs to refuse, and when permission applies.Roofs - 05
Do I need listed building consent? A plain guide for ownersThe character test, what the list covers, and what happens if you skip it.Consents - 06
What can you change on a house in a conservation area?Cladding, extensions, roofs, trees, and the Article 4 direction to check for.Consents
Latest sheet
What can you change on a house in a conservation area?
A conservation area does not freeze your house. It takes away some of the rights you would otherwise have, and an Article 4 direction may take away more.
Who to ring, and when
- Conservation officer
- At your local planning authority. Before changing anything on a listed building, and whenever you are unsure.
- Independent chartered surveyor
- For a second opinion on damp or a defect. SPAB advises choosing someone who is not a contractor. RICS has a finder.
- Structural engineer
- Cracks that grow, a roof changing weight, windows forced out of shape by movement.
- Building control
- Re-roofing above the limits, or windows from an unregistered installer. Find your authority.
- SPAB advice line
- Free and confidential, for anyone with a technical question about an old building.
- National Bat Helpline
- Before roof or loft work if you suspect a roost. GOV.UK explains the law.
Our sources are SPAB, the Planning Portal, GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk. Each sheet lists the pages we opened. Know this ground from practice? Write for us.