Renovations
House Renovations Across the North East
Andy’s Building and Bricklaying Services carries out house renovations across Tyne and Wear, County Durham and south east Northumberland, working from a base in Blaydon-on-Tyne. Over 25 years of hands on building experience, a written quote before anything starts, and the regulations dealt with rather than dodged.
Call 07854 366464Get a Free QuoteWhat house renovations involves
Renovation work sits mostly with building control rather than planning, unless the property is listed or in a conservation area. Anything that changes the structure, the drainage, the electrics or the thermal performance of an element is notifiable, which catches people out on jobs that feel purely cosmetic.
Renovations
Our house renovations include
- Full property refurbishment: stripping back, reconfiguring and rebuilding room by room to an agreed programme
- Internal reconfiguration: removing and forming walls to change how the ground floor works
- Kitchen and utility works: the building work behind a new kitchen, including services routes and floor levels
- Masonry repairs: repointing, brick replacement, lintel repairs and making good after other trades
- Damp and solid wall work: diagnosing the cause before treating the symptom on older solid wall property
- Floors and levels: new solid floors, insulation and levelling ready for the finish you have chosen
- Coordination of trades: sequencing the electrician, plumber and plasterer so the programme actually holds
- Plaster ready finishes: handing over a sound, square and dry shell for decoration
Regulations
Planning and building control for house renovations
The North East is not one authority. Our working area covers 7 building control bodies: Durham County Council, Gateshead Council, Newcastle City Council, North Tyneside Council, Northumberland County Council, South Tyneside Council, Sunderland City Council. Each has its own guidance, its own fee scale and its own inspectors, and which one applies is set by the address rather than by the postal town, which is why people in places like Washington, Houghton-le-Spring and Birtley are so often pointed at the wrong council.
Renovation work sits mostly with building control rather than planning, unless the property is listed or in a conservation area. Anything that changes the structure, the drainage, the electrics or the thermal performance of an element is notifiable, which catches people out on jobs that feel purely cosmetic. We establish which authority applies and what it will require before a design is finalised, rather than after it has been drawn twice.
Where the ground is part of the question, and across the old Durham and Northumberland coalfield it very often is, a coal mining risk assessment may be needed alongside the application. We flag that at quoting stage so it is a known cost rather than a surprise once the trench is open.
Recent work
Our Approach
How we work
Site visit first
Every job starts with a proper look at the property. Quoting from a description alone is how a figure ends up changing halfway through.
A written quote
You get a written, no obligation quote that states the scope. If something is excluded, it says so rather than leaving it to be argued about later.
Regulations handled
Renovation work sits mostly with building control rather than planning, unless the property is listed or in a conservation area. Anything that changes the structure, the drainage, the electrics or the thermal performance of an element is notifiable, which catches people out on jobs that feel purely cosmetic.
Kept informed
We keep you updated as the work goes on rather than disappearing for a week. It is the least complicated part of building work and the part most often done badly.
Frequently Asked Questions
House Renovations: your questions
Do you do the decorating as well?
We hand over a plaster ready or plastered finish as agreed. Decoration can be included by arrangement, though many clients prefer to handle that themselves once the building work is signed off.
Is the work guaranteed?
Yes. Workmanship is guaranteed for an agreed period confirmed in writing before we start, and material warranties are passed on to you.
Can you renovate one room at a time rather than the whole house?
Yes. Phasing works well when you are living in the property, though it usually adds a little to the total because some setup and clean down is repeated. We set out the trade off before you commit.
Do you remove the waste and skip the rubbish?
Yes. Skips, permits where the skip goes on the highway and waste removal are included in the written quote rather than added later.
Can you open up a room without a full renovation?
Yes. Removing a single wall with the right structural support is a common standalone job and does not require the rest of the house to be touched.
How long does a full house renovation take?
A whole house typically runs from several weeks to a few months depending on scope, how much structural work is involved and how quickly material choices are confirmed. We give a written programme rather than a vague estimate.
What if we change our mind partway through?
Changes are normal on a renovation. We price a variation in writing before carrying it out so the effect on cost and programme is clear at the time rather than at the end.
How do you handle damp in an older property?
By finding the cause first. Failed pointing, a bridged damp proof course, a blocked gutter or raised external ground level cause far more damp than rising damp does, and treating the symptom without fixing the cause simply moves the problem.
Which councils do you work under for house renovations?
We work across seven building control authorities: Durham County Council, Gateshead Council, Newcastle City Council, North Tyneside Council, Northumberland County Council, South Tyneside Council, Sunderland City Council. Each publishes its own guidance and fee scale, and the one that applies is decided by the address rather than the postal town.
Which areas do you cover for house renovations?
We cover 32 towns and villages across Tyne and Wear, County Durham and south east Northumberland, from our base in Blaydon-on-Tyne. Every one of them has its own page setting out the local planning and ground picture.
House Renovations in your area
Every town below has its own page covering the local authority, the ground and the housing stock.
Our other building services
We are a general building firm, so most projects touch more than one of these.
Thinking about house renovations?
Get in touch and we will come and look. Every quote for house renovations across Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Northumberland is written down, based on the actual property, and carries no obligation.
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