iarchitect blog for news, tips and advice for your building projects

Help the Flood Victims

1/5/2016

Sitting down over the Christmas holidays
watching the terrible scenes of flooding across the UK made many of us realise how lucky we are not to live in a floodplain. As our facebook feeds filled up with affected friends and family, telling us of their difficulties dealing with the rising water, we could sit back in our lovely dry living rooms and help ourselves to another mince pie and cup of tea.

There are some things we can all do to help reduce the risks, extent or severity of future flooding.

Hebden Bridge under Flood Christmas 2015

Alongside short term help, by donating time and money to those affected by the latest floods, these home improvements will help over the long term, especially if you live upland of flood risk areas:

1. Make your drives and patios porous so they don't add to surface water run-off

You do not need planning permission to lay a permeable (or porous) drive as this is permitted development. You do need planning permission to lay a traditional non-porous driveway.

Examples of porous materials are: gravel, reinforced grass, specially laid block paving, and permeable asphalt, concrete or resin bonded aggregate.

Alternatively you can drain to a soakaway so that the water will soak into the ground nearby.

You can find more information in this government guidance document.

2. Fit water butts to your rainwater downpipes to slow water flow

This is a simple example of rainwater harvesting and easy to retrofit. You can then use the water stored in the water butt to water your garden or wash your car and windows.

There are many rainwater harvesting techniques, which can give you a store of water to flush toilets, wash clothes and for other non-potable needs. These can also reduce your water use costs. The options vary in complexity and ease of retrofit for existing houses.

We have a focus on sustainable design and can advise on ways to both save water in use and by rainwater harvesting, along with other energy efficiency measures.

You can book a Consultation Call with me to discuss your options.

3. Plant trees and thirsty plants

Landscaping your garden can help, both in flood risk areas to direct water and floating debris away, and in other areas to control wet areas and flow. There are many ways to use landscape to control water, such as creating a rain garden with wet-tolerant planting, an area of lower ground which fills up during wet weather and dries out during a (hopefully) sunny summer.

Trees are especially good at taking up water with some mature trees taking 50-100 gallons a day. If the ground is often very wet then you need to use trees and plants that won't die when roots stay wet for extended periods.

Be careful to plant trees that are sized appropriately to your garden and placed where they will not cause damage to foundations and drains.

Although most of us were not directly affected by the terrible floods we have seen recently, it's likely that more of us will be affected by flooding in the future, as the water tables rise. In the short term, even if our own homes are not in need of expensive and exhausting clean up and repair, we are all still likely to be affected indirectly as insurance premiums increase and the cost to the tax payer of flood defences and repair rise. We all need to take action.

What actions will you be taking to stabilise the water table in your area?

Northenden War Memorial Photo Appeal

11/9/2015

Northenden War Memorial Remembrance Day crowd 2015

The Northenden Branch of the Royal British Legion are raising money to refurbish The Northenden War Memorial. The team have successfully won up to £9k of funding from Manchester City Council and Manchester Airport and are applying for more from The War Memorials Trust to make the memorial safe and more easily accessible. The plan is to complete works in advance of the centenary of the end of World War 1 in 2018.

“In recent years the hard landscaping around the memorial has become very uneven and the steps have started to collapse. More and more people attend the remembrance services each year and many have restricted mobility so it is important to repair the paving and create a new ramp up to the podium for those in wheelchairs and needing easier access. Especially important now as we build up to 2018 and the centenary of the end of World War 1.” said Stephen Morrison, Secretary of The Northenden Branch of the Royal British Legion.

Helped by the conservation team of construction professionals, Project Architect Jane Leach of iarchitect, Landscape Architect Elaine Cresswell of reShaped, and Quantity Surveyor Fiona Hull of Construction Q, they will research the history of the memorial and design a new ramp to be built in the existing memorial garden. The team are seeking help from the public to see what the memorial looked like when it was built.

“Funding from the War Memorials Trust will allow us to repair and refurbish the original design and materials. Anything new that we add will be very carefully designed to be sensitive to the original memorial”, explains project architect, Jane Leach. “We are looking for any photos of the war memorial over the years, and the earlier the better, so we can make sure that we choose the right materials and remain sympathetic to the original design.”

Northenden Remembrance Day November 2015

If you have any old photographs of The Northenden War Memorial please email them to The Northenden branch of the Royal British Legion: [email protected]

Home Design Consultation - Case Study #1

2/13/2015

I frequently save my clients thousands of pounds with the Home Design Foundation Package. This project is an example of how my analysis and assessment of clients needs and their homes ensure that I design solutions that suit both lifestyles and budget.

In this home my clients wanted a better connection from the family room to the garden and kitchen. They enjoy entertaining and wanted to host their legendary barbecues in a sunnier patio with quicker kitchen access. The old conservatory was blocking the garden view and the lean-to store was blocking out evening sunshine from the patio.

Existing Ground Floor Plan

Extension Option

My clients felt they would need an extension to achieve this. So I looked at how an extension might work to create more room, to link to the steeply sloping garden and between the kitchen and family room. They also wanted to move the laundry and freezer from the lean-to store room and into the house to make them easier to access.

I discovered that they had an unused space under the stairs ideal for storage and that their kitchen was brand new and that they were happy with it, apart from the poor link to the family room.

As an alternative I showed them how to create additional storage space within the kitchen, improve the connection with the family room and create a sunnier and easier to access space for entertaining in the garden. This option would simply mean some minor internal alterations, garden landscaping and demolition of the dilapidated conservatory and lean-to store. An option which would save them over £20k in construction costs.

I love improving lives and whenever possible saving you money at the same time. I could help you to do the same with the Big Picture Plan Package. Find out more here: https://www.i-architect.co.uk/bpp.html

Light Touch Option

Winter Warmers #1

1/27/2015

We were challenged by Nick Knowles, presenter of DIY SOS, to share our knowledge when we disagreed with his comments that only very rich people can afford to insulate and make their homes warmer and more energy efficient. This is first in a series of blog posts where we will share effective DIY tips that you can use to improve the comfort and energy efficiency of your home or property for free or very cheaply.

If you would like us to help you make your home or property feel warmer and more comfortable and reduce your energy bills contact us. We specialise in eco refurbishing - making existing buildings work better and more efficiently for you. We also design extensions and new builds following passive house principles and a fabric first approach.

Air tightness is a growing area of knowledge in the construction industry. We now know that up to 40% of heat loss can be due to leaky buildings.

We often feel cool draughts from the uncontrolled air leaking in and out of cracks, holes and gaps in our buildings. By blocking up some of these we can both feel warmer and save on heating bills.

What you will need for this DIY project is a simple roll of sellotape.

Look at your doors and windows and stick a piece of sellotape over any keyholes that are either unused or not used very often. This might be some patio doors to the living room which you can easily reuse again in the summer by removing the sellotape.

This is an almost invisible and simple fix to quickly reduce draughts.

Warning! We do need some ventilation in our buildings to keep our indoor air healthy so don't block up everything!

Share your DIY draught excluding tips in the comments below. #winterwarmers

New Year. New You. New Home

1/8/2015

The beginning of a New Year is always busy with new projects and resolutions. Starting the year afresh and make it better than the year before.

After a fortnight at home with the family, many homeowners decide that they need to make changes or add more space. Space to host large dinners for a growing family, a spare room for visitors or somewhere to work on all those new years resolutions - perhaps a home gym or project room.

There are lots of things to consider when improving your home. You need to think strategically when deciding what work to have done to make sure you get what you want and need and it's within your budget.

To help you with your decision making here are some tips to consider when deciding how to improve your home.

1. Decide what you need

I often find that through carefully questioning my clients during our first meetings, to understand the bigger picture, I find solutions that they hadn't imagined and that can be much better value for money.

Sometimes a big extension is not the answer to giving you the home you need. Ask yourself the following questions to help identify what you need and how your home can meet this:

What do you want to be able to do but your space is not allowing you to do?
How many people does the space need to work for?
What spaces do you have now and how do you use them?
Are there any unused or underused spaces?

Where do you get the best light and views and are these important to you?

2. Set a Budget

It's best to be realistic about money. Once the budget is set make sure that the works are chosen carefully to fit within this budget. Be aware that sometimes spending a little extra in some areas can save you money in the long run. It's not always necessary to carry out all the work at once but it is usually best to have it all designed together so that the final result is a harmonious whole.

When considering how much to spend make sure you include costs for the following:

professional fees: architect, structural engineer, quantity surveyor, party wall surveyor, etc
local authority applications: planning and building control

possible extras: storage, rental / holiday elsewhere during the work, professional deep cleaning afterwards, more takeaways and meals out while the kitchen is out of action

VAT: remember to take into account the likely extra 20%

contingency: setting aside an extra 5-15% is wise, particularly if the work involves an existing building

I recommend getting cost estimates based on sketch designs early on to ensure that the works carried out are in budget and give you the best value. The Home Design Workshop gives you sketch designs that meet your needs and are a good basis to check out practicalities like cost.

To give a finger in the air idea of how much the extra space might cost to build I use a rate of £2k per m2. Although nowhere near as accurate as a quantity surveyors estimate, this calculation helps guide initial decisions on how much space is worked on to suit the budget.

3. Consider build options

How you choose to have your project built can have a huge impact on the cost and speed of the construction and the quality of the end result. Consider how much time you have to devote to the project yourself and what skills you have. Do you want to get hands on and self-build or do you want to hand over the keys and come back to a completed project?

These are some of your build options with pros and cons:

design and build: one company that carries out everything from the design to the completion of the build. This gives you the least design and quality control but the most cost certainty. Typically this is the most expensive option as the companies which deliver this option take on all the risks of keeping the project on time and in budget. There is the potential that they may reduce quality to offset unexpected expenses incurred during construction.

main contractor: you employ a design team to carry out the design and apply for permissions, then a contractor to manage and carry out the construction. This gives you full control of the design and quality and allows you to make changes during construction. However, I recommend that changes during construction be avoided by making the right decisions during the design stage. Be aware that the later changes are made the greater they impact on cost and time.

self managed with sub contractors: you employ each member of the design and construction team separately, giving you maximum control on design, quality and cost. For inexperienced project managers there is a big risk that the project will take longer and cost a lot more.
self-build: you employ specialists as required but largely carry out the work yourself. This gives maximum control of design and cost but quality can suffer unless you have sufficient skills and it can take a lot longer to complete construction, especially if you have a full time job to fit the build around. Remember that to comply with legal requirements some work must be carried out by a fully qualified tradesperson.

To give you more help with your early decision making I have created the Design Your Home Vision Checklist.

This helps you address key decisions from the start so that you can take your project forward with confidence. You can get that like-new home you've dreamed of!

Click on the button below to get your copy of the checklist.

I want to make a start on my new home!

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

12/19/2014

Eco Art Installation at St Luke's Liverpool

We've had a fantastic 2014 and 2015 promises to be even better. Thank you to all our clients, extended design team members and collaborators who have made this such a memorable year. We're looking forward to continuing with more good work in the New Year and producing more of our special blend of eco friendly and heritage sensitive designs.

Our office will close for a 2 week holiday from 19th December to 5th January.

Photograph of our winter light and colour installation at St Luke's "Bombed Out" Church, Liverpool

Before You're 30

11/18/2014

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Last night was a really well organised event as part of the student led series of Before You're 30 talks. I was very privileged to be invited to talk and share my experiences of becoming an architect with the choices and lessons learned on my journey. I also touched on the contradictions between architectural heritage conservation and energy conservation - getting the balance right is going to be a huge challenge for our future built environment.

The other speakers were CJ Lim, author of Food City and architecture lecturer at the Bartlett, and Michelle Martin, who worked on some fantastic community projects in Malaysia with Arkitrek. It was a really inspirational series as I understand they always are. These events are definitely the place to be if you want architectural inspiration and a new way of looking at the world around you in Manchester.

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Using Pinterest for Home Design

7/24/2014

Pinterest is a fantastic way to organise and share images and videos in “boards” online. We find it a very useful way to collect images to inspire our projects, most importantly it's a brilliant way to discuss ideas with our clients.

We can discuss or create clients boards during our Home Design Consultation and refer back to them throughout the design of the project. If you're considering any home improvements creating your own Pinterest board of ideas is a great way to start.

You can see what inspires us by following our Pinterest account.

Find us on Facebook

7/18/2014

Here at iarchitect we're all au fait with social media and we regularly put out information through both twitter and Facebook.

Why not find us on Facebook and like us. You can comment on our posts and let us know what you think. Also feel free to follow us on twitter and if you mention @ArchitectJane in your tweet we'll get back to you.

This is what our principal architect, Jane Leach, looks like so you can be sure that you've found the right architect.

Jane Leach, chartered architect, iarchitect

Open Studio

2/20/2014

This Saturday we are opening our studio as part of the Grumpy Open Studio in Manchester City Centre.
Come along between 10am and 5pm to see behind the scenes of these artist studios.

Grumpy in the City, Brazennose Street, M2 5AS
iarchitect is on the 3rd Floor West

Bring along that bag of plastic shopping bags that you keep in a cupboard to learn how to transform them with a quick and easy creative craft.