Q: What's in a name? A: £100-£50
Entry posted by curlewhouse
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Had to laugh yesterday as I got demand number 4 from our council for us to fill in a form for us to beg their permission to call our house what we want (there are no street numbers as there is no street) . Their first attempt about a year ago when we started building was to try it on for £100 and when I ignored that another form was sent asking for £50. The funny bit was they addressed it to the house, and the form explains that unless we pay the bribe we will not receive mail or deliveries at that address! 
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I know that whilst in the scheme of building a house, £50 may not seem worth arguing about - but my attitude is that we worked for that £50, and these days I'm in a job I love but which is poorly paid (the self build is part of a reassessment of our lives we made, I was making good money, but in a stressful job and hardly seeing the family - I'll probably live years longer now, albeit without the foreign holidays and new cars - but we've never been happier!). I've always paid council tax anyway, and to enter the name on a computer would take maximum 1 minute, maybe 2 if they are 2-finger typists like me. I've also become acutely aware during this process that lots of little back office types feel a God given right to take money from self builders (I call it the "Grand Designs" effect, where the people manage to magic many £000s over their budgets, and I think that's led to the belief we're all rich. Whereas a good number like us, self build because we can't afford someone else to do it, and if you've got a little land, its cheaper than buying a ready built house - we certainly could never afford to buy the house we are building) . So as long as I can, I'm digging my heels in on this one. I've found sadly that this self build turns (for us anyway) into having to fight authority at every turn and nag/push or threaten people to simply do their job. Only last week, to get our deposit back from a company that had let us down and wasted over a month of our time I had to threaten a very large window company with court and they went to the wire delaying it before coughing up. I really wish it wasn't like this.
As it happens, thanks to our friendly postman we are on the post office database and as the months have gone by I see our address appears on more and more firms address finder systems. We are also recorded with the banks, CC companies and so on and I've not had one issue getting deliveries or services or financial matters sent to the house. In fact all our mail goes there now ready for when we move in proper.
Its interesting that on the form I am required to give the house name, then justify that name in a box next to it! Now I understand that sweary names, and the like are not allowed, and that's probably for the good, but for some little clerk to decide even what we call our home is an invasion too far. What's next deciding on our interior colour scheme, the name of our cat? (we haven't got a cat). Do we need to be micromanaged in this country really as if we are not grown ups? Or is it just another nice little earner? I'm not a fan of intrusive government.
As it happens, our choice of house name (originally Curlew House because its the symbol of this national park, Curlews live here around our house, and it's my favourite bird - but we found about 3 others so changed our mind) is Todcroft - and that's because the next house down the road (my parents) was originally called Todcroft, we found that on a really ancient map, so there is a historical reason, and I cannot find another beyond one in Cumbria. But, that's none of their bloody business, and I really resent the idea that I have to ask some clerks permission. If they claim it needs their supervision/input then how come all the horrible twee/generic house names you see where there must be hundreds with the same name? I may have to pay the money in the end. Though I'm unsure of their legal right to demand it actually, they do have power under Public Health Act to maintain the record of street and house names, I can't find anything in that act saying householder must pay for it, so if they can evidence that then I guess I'll have no choice. But I bet they won't refuse to send a council tax bill to the address once it gets habitable!
I reckon if that's a fair fee, then to enter that name in a database will take maybe 2 minutes, they must be paying their clerks in the region of £1500 per hour, which somehow I doubt.
Meantime, today I am fitting downpipes. There is snowfall here again today but it is marginally above freezing, so the snow on the roof is slowly thawing. The sun is shining and its easy to see that if our windows were fitted, we'd be getting lots of thermal gain on a day like this.
As you can see, the patio doors are fitted, facing West, but the 3 big South facing windows in this room are still to be fitted - within the next 3 weeks hopefully. Lesson learned for the windows is that big firms are very definitely not necessarily the best or offer the best value. By now using a local firm we are getting triple glazing for less than the price of double from the big national company! U values also better of course, but what has been nicest is any easy "can do" attitude from them - for example the big national firm said they did not make doors as wide as this and we'd need slim side panes made up - this local firm said "no bother, of course we can make them for you in that size" ! Big difference.
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