Anyone live in a Listed House?

[tootles]

Man I would love to live in something built in the 14th century, that would really be cool.

I think you mean cold.

[vicky]

Thanks for all the replies - lots to think about!
Hilary, I will probably be pm'ing you when I come up with more questions - thanks for the offer!
And none of you has put me off, I think I will phone the local council if things get that far...
1600 (and something) I think was when it was built....lots of little doorways and spiral staircases hidden in cupboards...and 2 acres.... too tempting!

[NOG]

You will need to keep a pot of money to one side. Cos English Heratage could come along and tell you to paint the house---now and to use this make of paint. You have no option but to do it. If it needs rethatching they can tell you to use English reed even if Polish is 80% cheeper. and they can tell you who to use to do it.

[Glutton4...]

I have a friend who renovated a Grade II listed house - she said 'never again' and she had the money available to do it. I know she got really p....d off with the mindlessly trivial rules and regulations.

However, from what you've said Vicky, it sounds like paradise to me !

[Hilary B]

Grade I listing means you can't even leave the back door open without permission.
Grade II means you can open the door - but not paint it.
Conservation area means that everyone has to have the same tacky plastic windows at the same time.

It is all about preserving 'features'. Our old house was listed because the village high street was a classic example of an 1860's village high street.

I suppose you have the same sort of thing in your neck of the woods - history being relative and all that!!

My cousin lives in Canada, he bought a house built in 1890 - it is a local heirloom.

(parts of my house date from the 14th century!!)

I love your definitions! (not far out either, although you CAN paint your grade 2 door, as long as it is the same colour as before, and you ask for permission), grade 2* is in between.

On any level you SHOULD have permission for internal work as well as external, but they tend not to know about minor inside things, like a new colour scheme in the bathroom. One house we surveyed the purchaser would have had to remove the partitioning turning part of a very large landing into a small bedroom, because the person selling had put it in without consent. Fortunately she had a good solicitor and they were able to get it approved....

The other thing to look long and hard at with a listed building (or indeed anything old) is that previous modernisations have not made it vulnerable to problems that would not have happened in its original state and use.
Most old houses do not take kindly to being adapted to modern lifestyles, unless the person doing the adapting is VERY sensitive to the nature of the original structure. Such modernisation (and subsequent maintenance) is a LOT more expensive than with a newer property.