Ready when you are

With renovations and materials in such high demand, high-spec historic houses, such as these three in Hampshire and West Sussex, should be snapped up

- Penny Churchill

AS many home-buyers who bought their dream house in the ‘race for space’ of 2020 have already discovered, finding an electrician, plumber, carpenter or builder to carry out even the simplest of repairs or renovations is currently the stuff of nightmares.

It’s a situation that will take time to resolve, says Liam Bailey, head of research at Knight Frank, who expects that ‘delays in the delivery of building materials and inflated building costs will continue to affect the market next year, with completion dates pushed forward, construction postponed or schemes put on hold. Delivery times for construction materials have increased sharply as supply chains struggle to keep pace with demand’.

The reverse side of the coin is that ‘oven-ready’ properties, especially historic or listed buildings that have been renovated to high standards of construction and design, will continue to command a premium in the coming year. Three fine historic houses currently on the market in sought-after areas of Hampshire and West Sussex will give discerning buyers the chance to test that premise in the run-up to Christmas.

The cathedral city of Winchester is rightly proud of its rich architectural heritage and its planning and conservation laws are among the strictest in the UK. But it’s all grist to the mill of Julian Long, managing director of Winchester-based Lonmer Construction, a family-owned firm of builders and designers that specialises in the renovation and rebuilding of listed urban and farm buildings.