Sunday, 31st May 2009 - DIY Demolition Day 2
Ok, so we slept really well Saturday night! I haven't needed a shower that badly since 1998, when I volunteered during my sophomore year of college at Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, MN after the tornado hit the campus and town, destroying many homes, farms and parts of the Gustavus campus. I was seriously stinky & dirty Saturday night when we got home and my hair could have been a nest for pigeons it was so dusty, nappy and altogether gross. I washed it 4 times that night, just to get the dirt and grime out. I desperately need a bandana, but I left all of my old ones back in the States, assuming they haven't been thrown out by now. Note to self: find a couple of bandanas before this project proceeds much further, or I'll find myself balding before I realize it.
I digress...
So, Saturday night we slept really well due to sheer exhaustion and partially to our wonderfully hot showers! We woke up early Sunday, at around 8:30am, dressed, ate a quick breakfast and packed our lunches up. Sunday we knew we had to complete the removal of the doors from the house and ensure that the majority of the kitchen on the LGL was removed and tossed out. We had an appointment that afternoon at the house with a few guys who are not only builders, but serious property investors in London, so that was a key part of our day. Before the men arrived, we managed to get all of the carpets and doors taken out of the house and neatly organized in the front garden. We needed a skip badly at this point because it was nearly impossible to enter or exit the front garden from the sidewalk and you couldn't even see over the rubbish out front to the passers-by on the sidewalk. We did manage to accomplish a decent amount of the work before the men arrived.
They arrived after lunch, had a look around and gave us some interesting ideas for the place, but something untimely reared its ugly head. There was mention that the house may not be listed with the local council as a "residential" (privately owned) property, but instead as an HMO (house of multiple occupancy), due to its past conversions. This was not good news, and it was never raised or flagged by the Council when our solicitors/lawyers carried out their Land Registry search. The builders (one funnily enough being named Bob) advised us to stop our demolition of the LGL because if this house was still listed as an HMO we could essentially be dealing with some nasty things (like an illegally dug out LGL, illegal LGL front entrance door, illegal lean-to in the back garden, etc.).
I think I mentioned previously about how this whole process had already been a steep learning curve. Well, obviously, we've not completed the upward slope. A major difficulty for us here is the simple fact that we don't know or we're not aware of the various building categories or the various building regulations when it comes to properties here in the UK. The property laws in the UK are very archaic and nothing like those in either the United States or Italy. I am not arguing that these laws are necessarily good or bad, but simply reiterating that it is difficult to wrap one's head around all of the regulations & requirements just to get things accomplished. This is and probably will continue to be a constant struggle for us when trying to iron out the designs, drawings and plans for the renovation works & extensions in this project.
By the end of midday, the very nice man, Bob the Builder, and his mates/business partner(s) left us with many things to think about, ideas and items to be researched thoroughly by Monday morning. We needed answers and we needed them fast!!
Our builders were scheduled to begin working on the house Monday, June 15th because we are scheduled to move into the top floor by August 22nd. The lease on the house we're currently letting is up on August 27th. Although, now if what Bob told us was true and our house was not listed as a private residence, then we were looking at unknown & unexpected costs to convert it's status! Some serious phone calls would have to be made to our solicitors about any possible negligence on their part in handling the Land Registry enquiries, if this ends up being the case. When one brings up legal issues anywhere near my husband, his ears perk up like a hunting dog catching the scent of a fox. It is something funny to watch, if not intimidating, but I'd not like to be on the receiving end if he's caught the scent of something that doesn't sit well with him. It appears that either the Council &/or the solicitors will be getting the Avvocato Amelia grilling by phone Monday morning.
We headed home around 6pm that evening. The day had been productive, but also very unsettling. I'll keep you posted on the outcome.
No matter what happened that day, we enjoyed ourselves immensely and look forward to the next stage -> REAL demolition days!!!!
