The approach to
a building from the boundary should
be designed to allow access for the disabled.
This is
set out in the Building Regulations.
Ramps will be required for the
main point of access to the house.
Normally steps are not allowed except on steeply sloping
sites.
Many local authorities refuse
to issue a completion certificate
until such time as a proper driveway
is installed. They may also insist on pathways, including
disabled access and bin stores
being completed
Planning your Garden
Large amounts of
soil have to be taken away from some
sites. Think about whether this can
be kept on site and used to form the landscaping
with banks, terraces,
rockeries and pond.
You can claim the VAT back on most
materials purchased for hard landscaping
within the garden
of a new
house or conversion, including
fencing, paving and walls. It is also
possible to reclaim the VAT on certain
soft landscaping such as turfing or planting,
so long as they were included or required
within the planning consent.
Stand in the rooms and view the gardens from as many angles
as you can to ensure that trees and shrubs
are planted in the optimum position.
When choosing
patio, pathway and drive surfaces,
be careful to avoid materials which can become
slippery
in winter.
