A whole house renovation runs several trades against one programme, and the structural work has to happen in the right order or it is done twice. We survey, appoint a structural engineer where the job needs one, coordinate the building control application and inspections, and run the trades to a written programme. We never produce structural calculations ourselves. Below are the Slough specifics worth settling before the first wall comes down.
Upton is one conservation area in two halves
The Upton conservation area falls into two distinct and very different areas separated by Datchet Road. The eastern one is focused on the medieval manor house and parish church. The western one is Victorian development centred around Upton Park, now renamed Herschel Park, which was included in the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in October 2002.
The area was designated by Slough Borough Council in October 1977, and subsequent development inside the original boundary has necessitated boundary changes, so confirm where the line runs today. On materials, the Upton Park houses are built in brick of three colours, red, yellow and plum, with stucco or colourwashed cement render dressings, including architrave frames to windows and openings. Matching that is a specification question, and we price it as one.
Four Slough roads carry their own protection
Slough Borough Council designated parts of Burnham Lane, Langley Road, London Road and Upton Court Road as Residential Areas of Exceptional Character under Policy H12 of the Slough Local Plan adopted in March 2004. The individual house numbers are listed in the policy. The plan describes them as low density family dwellings on main road frontages, uniform in style and date, and dating from before 1948.
Inside one of those designations, Policy H12 refuses development which would harm the character and amenity of the designated area, including extensions of either a residential or commercial nature which would change the scale and nature of the property. If your address is on one of those four roads, check the house numbers in the policy before external work is planned.
Trees and listed buildings can hold a renovation up before it starts
Slough Borough Council requires six weeks' written notice before work to a tree in a conservation area where the stem diameter exceeds 75mm, measured 1.5 metres above ground level. That is six weeks sitting in front of any scaffold position, skip position or rear access route that depends on a tree being cut back or removed.
On the building itself, the revised statutory list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest for the former Borough of Slough was issued on 3 August 1984 by the Department of the Environment. Confirm the listing position before the programme is written, because listed building consent is a separate application with its own timetable.
The council has named outbuildings as a pressure in Slough
Slough's Core Strategy names the pressure on existing residential areas from infilling, extensions and the construction of outbuildings known as Slough Sheds. It says this is fuelled by the demand for larger family housing. If your renovation includes a garden building, expect the council to look at it in that light.
On the building regulations side, Slough Borough Council lists a detached garage as exempt on three conditions. It must contain no sleeping accommodation, have a floor area not exceeding 30 square metres, and sit at least 1 metre from any boundary or else be substantially built of non-combustible materials. Sleeping accommodation is the line that moves a garden room out of exempt work and into an application.
- Complete property refurbishments and whole-house renovations
- External rendering, repointing and masonry repair
- Kitchen and bathroom design, supply and installation
- Cornice, skirting and period feature restoration
- Structural alterations and load-bearing wall removal
Why Slough Homeowners Choose GS Renovation
Slough is about 21.7 miles from our base in Potters Bar, which is a normal working distance for us, and a renovation is planned around a settled site rather than a string of short visits. You get one point of contact for the structural engineer, the building control application, the inspections and every trade on site. We are a contractor: we appoint and coordinate structural engineers and build to their calculations, and we never produce those calculations ourselves. GS Renovation Ltd is fully insured and registered in England, company number 14611254, and rated 4.9 from 31 reviews on MyBuilder. Quotations are free and carry no obligation.
- Original features protected, repaired or reinstated as you want
- Our own trades on site rather than a chain of subcontractors
- A dedicated project manager from first survey to handover
- Fully insured, with cover in place on every site
- First fix and second fix planned around a realistic decorating date
- Kitchen and bathroom selections planned early to hold the programme