Leaderboard

...or even Lidl

Pretty much, yes ! They have 2 connections to water - some have an internal circulation pump so you don't need to put that in - and it's just the basics of a strainer on the inlet and a filling loop somewhere. The electrics are usually a 16A supply (check this in the manual) via a double isolator, and then the control wires. Some have a nice unit you can basically plug in with 2 wires and also use as the room stat. The "commissioning" comes with changing the heating curves etc which is done from the command unit although a couple of professional installs I've seen recently didn't even change the standard settings.

They look great, I'm not on site but I will get my Dad to take photos and send them over. I think the finish is dressed on the fascias not rough sawn - we joined a few together to make deeper boards. This was taken a week after SIOO (just the front boards are treated here not the gable) I'll get my Dad to take another photo from the same angle which will be one month on.

On complaining about Councils, it is a long process that will probably take a year or more in toto. There's an analogy with PP, in that you have to go through the local process first before complaining to the regulatory body. The formal process is something like - complaining to Customer Services Section, then to Head of the relevant Service, then to the Ombudsman. They will probably (never done it) want you to have discussed it with the Planning Officer, and manager of the Officer first. Each Council has its own process (though there will be a template somewhere), which can be accessed via gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-your-council There *is* provision for compensation at national level in some form, but I don't know if it covers eg consequential loss. It might be tempting to try the Small Claims Court if it is a clear cut case, but I have *no* idea if that has ever worked. There are other routes, such as your MP etc. I would say spend your legal / complaints budget on expert planning advice for your second submission, so that you cover as many angles as possible. There are some ideas about selecting a Planning Consultants or advisers on the thread linked below. You need a proven successful record for cases very like yours, and intimate knowledge of your local council. You also need to know their role and your role, to have a very careful brief, knowledge of what your total budget for the process will be to each stage, probably a cap on the Consultant's time / budget, and I'd use a fixed price success fee on top. For your own use it may also help to write down what circumstances will make you consider walking away to avoid "Dog and Bone" syndrome. You can get free advice from the Planning Aid service of the Royal Town Planning Institute, but make yoruself aware of teh types of questions they can answer. http://www.rtpi.org.uk/planning-aid/ Ferdinand

I think we should note for the protection of casual visitors that Peter W is a trained Tree Surgeon, and that these machines can have your leg or arm off very quickly if you feed stuff in badly eg if you get your hand wedged in a branch by mistake, or even if your shirt cuff or glove, gets hooked. They are relentless and can run at one or two feet per second, so you have a few seconds to get free from a moving snag while being dragged off your feet before it is bye bye. That is, 5 seconds for a 10ft branch, or 3 seconds for a person. Requires training to the same degree as a 1m chainsaw imo. This is one of those areas - like moving big but small-looking chunks of rock around or cutting branches off trees which are heavier than they look, where it is possible to get into a situation that could cause far more serious injuries than the casual operator might expect. A mid-sized branch falling badly can break your pelvis, this can make parts of you into a pizza topping. Ferdinand

I think the important points are probably: 1 - Consider your strategy carefully in advance; there are a lot of options. 2 - Local knowledge of your Planning Department is important. 3 - If skinning a cat, you will only get so many chances - and to try so many different ways before the cat notices. 4 - Take advice if you need it. 5 - Once out there, information cannot be brought back in ... so take care what and when you tell anyone. 6 - Consider keeping exploratory things verbal - much Planning Information, such as your correspondence, can be Freedom of Information requested. Not sure where the limits are. Ferdinand

No doubt experience will tell you the answers to all these questions. My best guess is that you'll have enough experience to know just as you finish the house!

As a complete novice when we first decided to build our house, I bought the Housebuilders Bible (10th edition ) and I found it very good to give me a complete overview of the whole building thing. I really like the budgeting sections and am currently using it for our renovation, to give me an idea of costs. But I agree that it does not really tell you how to do it - just the things to think about. David Snell's 'Building your own home' was very similar and again useful for me as a beginner. Then I found The Site Managers Bible by Len Sales and I liked that for explaining the process of using builders and contracts as well as other subjects including a useful Health and Safety. but a book on the actual 'How to do each bit' would be particularly useful, especially the order in which stuff should be done. So I may be looking for The Building Construction Handbook. The OH can read the technical sections and I'll do the rest. Thanks for the pointer and idea for an excellent post.