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.

Review of Purdy products

I was recently contacted by a PR company representing Purdy Professional Painting Tools, they asked if I would like to try some of Purdy’s products and give a review. I thought this would be a good opportunity for both myself and Purdy. For me, I get to try some of Purdy’s world famous products and for Purdy, they have a professional decorator giving an honest real life review. All of the products I reviewed were tried and tested on real life jobs.

Here is my review on the products tested.

Purdy Sprig Elite Paint Brush 2 Inch

I have used this brush for Masonry paint, emulsion and primer/undercoat, all water based products. I found this brush to be a good size and the bristles are just the right stiffness. I haven’t tried this brush on a oil based paint but think it would give a good finish and ideal for laying off.
I also like the fact that all Purdy’s brushes are hand finished and have the person’s signature on a label on each brush.

Purdy Marathon Roller Sleeve

I used this roller sleeve on a recent exterior job. The sleeve performed well and held a large amount of paint which was really good when doing a gable end wall, which meant less times up and down the ladder.

I also used the sleeve on a ceiling and was again pleased with the result it gave me, it left a good even finish.

The only thing I noticed was it seemed slightly longer to wash this roller out than other sleeves I had used, but maybe I hadn’t scrapped enough paint out before washing?

The marathon can be used for both water and oil based paints.

Purdy 9″ Revolution Frame

This cageless frame is great to use, it is lightweight and it rolls very smoothly. The roller sleeve has a good snug fit to the frame so doesn’t move whilst in use. This frame had a slightly longer handle / arm than I normally use which was good I was able to emulsion a standard height ceiling with ease without a ladder.

This frame also features a quick connect feature for connecting with the Purdy Power Lock extension poles, but can also be screwed onto other makes of pole.

Purdy Power lock extension pole 2′- 4′

This extension pole is well built and sturdy and is an ideal length at 2 – 4 feet just to get to those hard to reach places or a ceiling without using a ladder. It is made from Aluminium and fibreglass with quick adjustment locking system. It also has a quick connect system for there new Revolution frames, but it will also take their old frames and other make of roller frames too.

This extension pole makes is easy to change length with it’s locking system and is ideal to keep in your van to call upon when needed.

Purdy Jumbo Mini Roller Frame

The jumbo mini roller frame is ideal for getting into tight places, such as behind radiators. Used in conjunction with the Jumbo marathon roller sleeve it hold lots of paint and performs like the bigger 9″ roller.

The frame is cageless and glides well giving a smooth action.

Purdy Jumbo Marathon Roller Sleeve

This sleeve holds lots of paint so you can go a long way with this roller system, ideal for tricky to reach areas. This sleeve can also be used for water and oil based paints.

In Conclusion

After trying all the above products I was pleased with how they all preformed, I especially liked the new Revolution Frame as it was light and had a good smooth glide, I will be using it a lot in the future.

As a result of this review I shall be considering incorporating Purdy products into my tool box, so they could well be appearing in my van very soon!