I'm back!

After a few months of feverish productivity and a number of HMO projects under my belt, we have some exciting news about our latest development. Over the last couple of years my writing to my blog has been much less frequent due to all this business or should that say busy-ness? However, today, although it is no particularly notable date I have decided to resurrect my writing and let you in to a little project secret - we are starting on a commercial conversion! This is our first commercial conversion of an office block to a block of 6 x 1-bed flats in the centre of Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

The building is about 2,100 sq feet and was previously used as an office. We are working with a couple of other investors on the project and together using our combined skills, knowledge and expertise to create a fantastic new block of accommodation in Stoke-on-Trent. So far, we have the building, we have planning permission and we have a builder lined up. But we need more money! So funding the project and getting into the nitty gritty of the building project plan is our next step. This is our first Joint Venture with our new partners and one of the key aspects of our partnership is going to be agreeing roles and responsibilities. I think it's always a good sign when there's plenty of regular communication and dialogue from the start, which we have had from our JV partners - even on a Friday night after a few bevvies (him not us)! One of the most exciting yet nervewracking aspects of a new project is that there is always masses of learning from the start. Although you don't know what you don't know, I have found that nothing is unrecoverable, and actually most learning is wonderfully applicable in the future. So this will enable us to do bigger and more expansive (yes I did write expANsive not expENsive)  projects later. Commercial conversions, here we come!