Listed buildings

I thought I would write a post about listed buildings as I am about to start working on one. Owning a listed building is slightly different than owning a non listed building in as much as what you can and can not do.

If you have a building that is listed it will be on the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, being listed doesn’t only apply to property but also parks, wreck sites and monuments etc.

Grades of listed buildings

There are three grades of listings I, II* and II.

• Grade I: These are buildings of exceptional special interest. There is only a small number of listings with this status.
• Grade II*: These are high quality buildings and on the most part are unaltered, and often with an interior of special interest.
• Grade II: This is the biggest group consisting of around 95% of buildings.

So if you own a listed building it is more likely to be a Grade II listed.

Working on a listed building

When working on a listed building it is best to check with your local council what you can and can not do to your property, don’t just go ahead with works think it will be ok as it could be costly and you may have to redo the works in line the the local Planning Department. Listed buildings can not be modified without first obtaining listed building consent through the relevant local planning authority.

When working on any listed building any alterations or decoration should be undertaken sympathetically to its original state and or surrounding area.

You should always stick to the guidelines and to what has been agreed with the local council, if not you may be required to change what has been done at your cost.

Local authorities can if required serve a repair notice if they fell the property isn’t being preserved well enough and maintaining it well. If one of these notices are served, it will explain what is required to be done and a timeframe to complete works. If this notice isn’t complied with the local authority could submit a compulsory purchase order to the Secretary of State.

Owning a listed building

If you own a listed building you should do some research about the property, contact the local council planning department and find out as much about your property as you can, find out what you can and can not do without permission. You can find out some information about the listed building on the Historic England website.

When making alterations or simply routine upkeep of your property you may have to employ specialists, such as a thatcher for you roof. You may have to source materials that were used originally on your property, such as slate, or you may need to use lime render rather than standard render.

All of these things need to be thought about and budgeted for when buying and maintaining a listed property.

The important thing to remember is if you are unsure, seek advice. It is always better to be safer than sorry.

Some useful links

Below are some useful links you may find of interest and helpful.

• Listed building on Wikipedia
• Historic England (where you can find listed buildings and general information)
• The Listed Property Owners’ Club is Britain’s only advice service dedicated to helping members get the most from their homes.

Colour trends for 2016

Dulux Colour Futures™ from AkzoNobel have once again come up with what they think the upcoming trends for colour for 2016 will be, through their international research they have selected a range of colours they think will be in trend throughout 2016, this year it consists of a muted and sophisticated palette .

Colour palettes and colour trends for 2016

Quote from ColourFutures™

For 2016 we see a muted and sophisticated palette which centres on soft mid tone shades. The overall feeling continues to be warm, but with even greater subtlety. Bright colours have moved away from primary to something more interesting. Think coral, not orange; ochre not yellow and midnight, not blue. This is a friendly palette but with a dark, mysterious side.

The theme consists of the following four colour palettes and colour moods:

• Heritage & Future
• Words & Pictures
• Dark & Light
• The Grid & Letting go

What is to colour for 2016

The colour of the year 2016 is…… 20YY 36/370 (also known as Cherished Gold).

“We have selected a gold influenced ochre which is both bright enough to attract attention and combines well with other tones. Gold and gold tones are being used everywhere in the design world. It is a recurring colour and material at design fairs and in graphic design as well as in architecture, fashion, beauty and interior decorating.”

Quote from ColourFutures™

You can see more of this years colour schemes here:
Dulux Trade website or here:
http://www.colourfutures.com and download the Colour Futures book(PDF).

Paint Calculator

If you would like to use the colour of the year (20YY 36/370) or any other colour you need to buy and need to work out how much you need to buy, use our FREE Paint Calculator.

How to clean paint brushes

Once you have used your paint brush you have three options, option one is to simply throw it away. This is costly and if you have spent out on a good brush it is a serious waste of money! Option two, store the brush in a brush storage container or similar. This is good if you will be using the same brush with the same colour again in the future. Option three, clean your paint brush.

Depending if you are a professional painter and decorator or a DIYer and how much you have spent on your brushes will determine what you will do with your brushes. For professional painters we like to look after our brushes as we tend to buy good quality brushes that aren’t cheap so keeping them for as long as possible requires they are looked after and cleaned out.

Cleaning your brushes

If you are using water based paints then all you need is some water and soap and maybe a brush comb. Once you have finished with it and ready to clean the brush, get as much out of the brush as you can by wiping it on the edge of the paint can. Then run the brush under warm water, have the bristles facing down so the paint runs out of the bristles rather than up them and into the ferrule where it can dry and go hard.

Once the worst is washed out you can use a little soap to help wash any colour out of the bristles. Once you have done this you can use a brush comb to remove any stubborn and dried paint for the bristles, then give it a final rinse and shake out the water.

You should now store the brush either in it’s original packaging or wrapped in kitchen towel to help keep all the bristles straight, ready for it’s next use.

If you are using oil based paints, you should start the same way and remove as much paint as possible, then use a brush cleaner or white spirit to wash the brush out in, you may have to use clean brush cleaner to make sure all the paint and colour is removed. You can then treat the brush as you would one you have used in water based paints, so wash in warm soapy water, use a brush comb if required and store in its original packaging or paper towel.

Storing brushes

If you are going to use your brush again in the not too distant future you can buy a brush storage container, there are several on the market. By using these storage containeryou can quickly and easily come back to your brushes, they will still be soft, in the colour you want and ready to go. So they are well worth the investment if you use your brushes a lot or are a painter and decorator.