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Hi everyone, I am an Architect, and would love to answer any questions you have on planning, design, construction etc etc. I am starting a blog called AskAnArchitect, and will feature the answers on the blog too. Kind Regards, Oli

Hi all, Has anybody ever had a BTL mortgage on a non standard construction house? I'm looking at a Wimpy No Fine house in my area and I really like it but my broker tells me that in her 12 years she has never processed a BTL mortgage on a non standard construction. Is this true? I thought about moving in myself for a few months and then looking to gain consent to let at some point but I'm concerned about being on variable rate with consent to let as if I couldn't obtain a BTL at a later point. PLEASE ADVISE IF YOU CAN AS IM DEEP INTO NEGOTIATIONS AND DEBATING PULLING OUT

Hi. I have been looking at a new build development (just 9 properties) which are a timber construction. I know this is becoming more popular for speed of build and energy efficiency. I would be really keen to know people’s point of view about whether they hold their value in the long run and whether they are as robust as brick over the long term. They are very reasonably priced presumably because of this, but have some concerns. Pros and cons from anyone experienced in this area would be v helpful Thank you.

My long term girlfriend and I have been looking for a route onto the housing ladder. My girlfriend’s Dad owns a commercial premises on which he runs a profitable laundrette from. He also owns the freehold to the first floor which has separate access and is currently being run as a 3 bedroom HMO. Long story short, the property is well suited for a loft conversion / extension, next door have already done this a few years ago. My girlfriend’s Dad has agreed to “gift” us ownership of the proposed 2nd self contained flat should we fund the works. The works would comprise a small ground floor extension to the business coupled with a light refurbishment, first floor reconfiguration within the existing footprint and a second floor loft conversion. The first floor is currently very dated and a complete refurbishment with a better layout would increase the rental income massively. By day I am a QS and comfortable with the planning and construction aspects of the project. The construction works will cost in the region of £100k-£130k depending of scope and final specification. My girlfriend and I plan to raise the capital from a family member who will release some equity in one of their properties. We will then repay them at full cost plus additional interest. Up until now, it all seems fairly straightforward, however this is where it gets a little complicated. The approximate financials of the project: All in construction costs (including fees): £130,000 Cost of borrowing (from family member): +/- £7,000 This next part is on my to do list in the coming week, I have been meaning to take the plans to a few estate agents and see if they will do a desktop valuation of the proposed plans. At this stage, all I can do is compared to the current market. This property is based in Teddington, London, comparable 1 bedroom flats, just across the road are selling for £330,000 (these are about 15m2 smaller than our proposed flat). To show the feasibility of the projects financials I will assume a final appraised value of £250,000, which is way under what I anticipate the value to be (anyone who knows the areas, will know 1 bedroom flats rarely appear for less than £300,000). Total spend: £137,000 Final appraised value: £250,000+ We would then mortgage the flat after 6 months at the appraised value of £250,000 +/-, using a 60% LTV mortgage. Meaning we would maintain 40% equity (approx £100,000) and release 60% (approx £150,000). This £150,000 will be used to repay our total spend to the family member. Should the appraised value be more and we manage to release more equity, this will be used to begin our property portfolio under the ‘buy, refurbish, refinance’ model. We are currently facing two areas we need some advice on. Question 1: My girlfriend’s Dad owns the property in question as a second home. Once the works are complete, we need to figure out the best way to transfer ownership (the new lease hold) of the second floor flat from my girlfriend’s dad to us! I understand we could be facing capital gains tax and I know there can be issues when gifting a property. I am looking for any tax experts who may be able to recommend the best way to go about this handover? Question 2: As mentioned previously the existing property comprises of a commercial space on the ground floor and HMO on the first floor. The proposed second floor flat which we plan to own and mortgage will be above both the commercial space and HMO. I am aware that when it comes to getting a mortgage on a property above commercial space you are faced with far fewer mortgage options. This is why in the calculations above, I have opted for a 60%LTV mortgage as my gut feeling is this would open up more mortgage options, if we can get a lower LTV, we would probably go for it. My concern is that for whatever reason we may not be able to get a mortgage at all on the second floor flat. Can anyone see a reason why this would be the case? If so, who would be the expert to consult, I am assuming a mortgage broker?

Dear Property Hub community, My name is Luis, I'm a Spanish Construction Engineer that has lived half of his life already here in the UK. I'm passionate about property investment, for now I've done mainly buy to lets and a couple flips. I'm MCIOB, so charted construction manager and I've got my own small design and build company in partnership with an architect and a Surveyor. I'm also working my way into becoming a residential valuer through RICS. almost there, but not just yet! I would be very happy to help anyone interested in investing in property so I can learn about what kind of projects other people do so please do not hesitate to contact me if you've got any worries or queries regarding current or future projects, building works on the go, issues with a fellow builder (we can be a handful sometimes but with patience and beer you might get a smile!) or any others that you think I might be able to help with. I specially love looking at projects to be, feasibility studies to explore the potential of a deal. I'm happy to give rough estimates free of charge and also my opinion as a construction professional on how easy - challenging the idea you've got in mind can be. Bests, Luis

Hello Everyone, I'm a Development Manager (construction background) from North Wales and I happened across the podcast yesterday morning and have been hooked ever since, I've got so many episodes to catch up on! We are a bit unique as a developer and own and operate some of our large buildings in North wales, one being a wedding venue (large listed hall and grounds) one being a 40 room hotel and spa (currently managing the design process for this as we purchased it in April) and last year we purchased and renovated an abandoned listed public house and now operate it as a restaurant and bar (the renovation was circa 700k and we completed it in 3 months yes it nearly killed me). We also have numerous options on residential land and plan on building these out or selves once we achive planning for them. All of this has happened in 2 years of an intense focus on a town we feel has huge potential for growth, currently the county/town is going through the Local Development Plan process and we have a number of speculative sites put forward for residential development. I am keen to branch out and move out of our selected location and am hugely inspired when I speak to people and hear about their own property journeys, i would be particularly keen to speak to other people whom are property investing/developing in North Wales as I feel its potentially overlooked by people building in Cheshire and Manchester. The hammer fell hard in 2008 in North wales and many people who had agreed option agreements and had even gained planning saw their deal fall through due to the credit crunch leaving them to wait for the market to recover.... I work with a lot of professionals and I have a strong support network from Planning Consultants to Architects, Engineers and Solicitors I act as the middle man for everything and manage the entire process from acquisition, design and planning through to funding and construction so I have a good amount of experience at each stage and will happily pass any knowledge on that I have gained or a contact that is more specialized int hat field if needs be.

Hello to all, I'm Iain Large, Along with my business partner in Dubai, we have two 3 bed's and one 9 bed HMO in Chelmsford (our preferred area of interest) through Connection Investments Limited formed in 2013 when we decided to start investing together again after a lucky previous exit in 2008! Having let the business tick away for the last 5 years it's now full speed ahead! With space to build a couple of two beds in Chelmsford on different sites we formed Connection Construction Limited with a builder we've known for many years. Under our Construction banner we work for others as well as on our own developments - so if you're looking for a builder who'll be straight with you then feel free to give me a shout. We've been landlords for 9 years and our construction foreman has been building for 20 years so happy to offer any advice/contacts we can and always interested to learn what others are up to. We're specifically interested in, BTL opportunities locally, development opportunities all over Essex and partnering on developments. We have backing and money to spend, on the right deals... Or first build for ourselves starts as soon as the solicitors give the green light so if you're interested in the building side or just meeting up to see how we can help each other then please don't hesitate to contact me. Thanks Iain Large

Hello all, I'm new to the property hub! Well, I actually joined a few months ago but have only recently started using the hub to it's full potential after reading one of Rob D's books. I'm originally from Scotland but now based in Ireland and focusing on the Dublin market, which is absolutely booming at the minute. A wee bit about me below, what I'm doing, how I can help you and how you may be able to help me: I've been in the construction and property industry for over 13 years. My key focus is on my 2 business' - sourcing and HMO's! Currently investing in Dublin but seeking to move in to the Belfast markets with a keen eye on my former homes in Glasgow and Manchester. In the future my plan is to build a property portfolio in Ireland and the UK. I can help people with sourcing good value property deals and managing refurbs in Ireland and the UK. You can help me with my search for a new financial joint venture partner to help increase the amount of HMO deals that I'm doing. Thank you for taking the time to read and thank you to the Rob's for all of the fantastic free content! Gary