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Thanks everyone. Windows going in yesterday, today and tomorrow. Never thought we'd see the day. It's a year -roughly- after they should have been fitted. Debbie could only say 'Fantastic, Fantastic' , and me - all I can think about is - What's going to go wrong today, then? So far nowt. ?

Oh and as I say so many times on the Electricians forum, if you are going to change a light fitting, identify all the wires, take pictures, and draw a diagram BEFORE you remove the old light fitting.

Make sure you mention to any new buyers that it went to a closed auction last time and the accepted offer was above the asking price. With any luck, you might end up with a better price to compensate for this hassle/stress ?

@mike2016 anyone buying would want to replace the kitchen but will want something useable pro tem so just try something first. Clear out everything as @newhome suggests and just replace a few chosen pieces on those open shelves. Scrub everything until it shines and then scrub and polish again....review those wall tiles then, they are dated but they are of the same era as the kitchen and maybe some work on the grout may just do it. Replace the flooring as its had it. go for something clean and light not dull and serviceable. Paint the walls a light neutral and then get the EA round again. I bet they say it is fine.

"wires loose with some insulation tape around them" sounds like a recipe for starting a fire too me. At this point I think I would be on the phone, getting a properly qualified electrician around to inspect and rectify things to an acceptable standard. DIY is fine up to a point, but there are very real dangers associated with not correctly terminating cables behind ceilings, in particular. Some "electrical" tape quickly tends to go sticky and come undone when it gets warm, leaving the very real possibility of an electrical short in the ceiling void. The regs are pretty tight on terminating cables in closed off locations like this, and the type of enclosure that should surround the terminations.

If they want to make this an HMO or hostel they will need planning consent.

I did send MBC a couple of pics of our sunny site......

Oh the business case for it is in not in doubt. Can't fault them there. Why pay for insulation when you can get the client to pay for fuel instead. Same logic with the quality of the finish and the systems installed... they're not dealing with replacements or maintenance, so why do anything but the most basic. It is just a shame that the standards are so low here in the UK. We've some of the most expensive housing in Europe despite them being on average the smallest and poorest performing. The industry is so skewed that Self-Build is a luxury, so you're pretty much forced into houses with minimal insulation unless you're as nuts as us. There's so much focus on a cure for our energy consumption and resource utilisation on this planet that we forget preventative measures are usually more effective and cheaper for all of us long term. ho hum

All get connected together and also to any earth terminal on the light fitting. I sleeve mine individually rather than twist them all together like that.

That's the rounded end one.....like I have. My link for the square ended one.

The VAT reclaim notes say that in order to be eligible the wardrobes must meet all 4 criteria from VAT Notice 708 which is here: Basic wardrobes installed on their own with all the following characteristics: the wardrobe encloses a space bordered by the walls, ceiling and floor. But units whose design includes, for example, an element to bridge over a bed or create a dressing table are furniture and are not building materials the side and back use three walls of the room (such as across the end of a wall), or two walls and a stub wall. But wardrobes installed in the corner of a room where one side is a closing end panel are furniture and are not building materials on opening the wardrobe you should see the walls of the building. These would normally be either bare plaster or painted plaster. Wardrobes that contain internal panelling, typically as part of a modular or carcass system, are furniture and are not building materials The wardrobe should feature no more than a single shelf running the full length of the wardrobe, a rail for hanging clothes and a closing door or doors. Wardrobes with internal divisions, drawers, shoe racks or other features are furniture and are not building materials. That said I would think you have a good chance of claiming for the sliding doors only because you could say that your wardrobes meet all the criteria. The wording is a little ambiguous IMO because it says it should feature 'no more than' which implies that it doesn't have to have all of those IMV but to be on the safe side if you are asked (I'm pretty certain you won't be) say that the builder provided the rails so they are not on the claim. The important thing is that the wardrobes don't have the other things that would make them ineligible (eg internal divisions) so ensure that your invoice is for doors only to avoid having any non eligible items listed and getting into a debate about it. So no backs, sides etc either. TBH when it comes down to it, it can depend on who processes your claim sometimes. That said I would say that you have a very good chance of claiming back the vat for sliding doors.

Yes I have 2 (only one fitted so far) The flow rate is so good, I am astounded at how quick SWMBO has a shower now. She says it is so quick to rinse the shampoo out of her hair, that used to take ages in the old shower.

The forum is, as you know a helpful place...the odd bit of mirth keeps things rolling along...no negatively intended. Your doing a great job, keep the faith? If you were nearby I'd come and hold your PB for you...but alas can only view and offer the odd comment. No point though as private first class is doing such a wonderful job?

No, Nick just fits them. Hudson Reed. Come very well packaged, clear instructions and 10 or is it 20? year g'tee. British made I think too. @ProDave has one, I do too.

M5 won’t be man enough - it will bow under the weight of the marble tiles the next user is planning to fit with it so you need to use M12 and be a man about it... And don’t forget the CE Mark on it..!! (CE - Clive Engineering...)

John Ward, who seems to know about this sort of thing, would disagree. The 18th edition of the wiring regulations updates the rules on using the foundation rebar for earthing but not in any terribly significant way. See about 2 minutes of discussion starting here:

The pity is there were only four basic questions in there!

And with the time saved I could spend quality time with SWMBO! You know talk about how she's feeling, is anything wrong, what she bought shopping, our collective elderly parents etc. Thanks for reminding me I need to get some M5 studding!

Wiring regs are UK wide. England and Wales add a few extras with Part P of the building regs but we don't have that here in Scotland or NI. Re holes in battens, I pre empt this and when fitting the battens leave a small gap at 450mm above FFL for socket cables and another at 1200 for light switch cables. It saves a lot of drilling later. I just wish I could get some of the local joiners to be similarly helpful.

Simply put that cable is so wrong I'm almost lost for words. That you choose to ignore the problem...

I'm guessing this is a can of worms [¹] but where's the boundary between “domestic” and “trade” waste? E.g., if you're doing some redecorating at home any waste is surely domestic. What about bigger renovations? Building an extension? Building a separate house on the same site? Building a house on a separate site? Specifically, if I take stuff like the plastic wrapping my timber I-beams came in to the local tip, is there anything I can quote to say, no, for my DIY build this is not commercial waste? [¹] An actual can of worms isn't waste - you want the worms but once they're out of the can the can will be waste.

I'd be tempted to just give a thorough clean, declutter, fix the floors (if they are obviously bad) and paint walls and perhaps cabinet doors. Its easy for the estate agent to suggest spending a couple of £K because its not their money and it might get them their commission a little sooner. Unless its being sold as move-in condition, people want something they can live with for a period of time before putting their own stamp on the place. Rather than spend a couple of £K, perhaps see that as a buffer amount you'd accept below any offer you currently have in mind.

How about a piece of PB like I said? By now I'd have had 3 walls 4 courses up !!!!!!

Just to get clarity on the position with regards to the covenant, I spoke to a friend who is a solicitor a short moment ago. His considered opinion is that the second condition has now been effectively made void by the 1985 Housing Act, and that it would be unlikely that it could be enforced to prevent the house being used as an HMO. He's also of the opinion that, given the small size of the house (and the plot) it would be unlikely to be used as an HMO anyway, although he did highlight that the large number of students in the area mean there is a high demand for student accommodation, and there is very little in the city itself, so many students live in the outlying villages. His view was that our house may well appeal to a buy to let landlord in the area, but that none of the covenant conditions would effectively prevent that. We didn't discuss planning consent, but I'm pretty damned sure that it would not be forthcoming, having worked on the Neighbourhood Plan and knowing who has influence in the local area. He thought that we would be unlikely to get either the first or third conditions of the covenant lifted, unless our neighbour "has lost his marbles" (his words, not mine!). He also couldn't see why the charitable trust had a problem with the covenants as they stand, if they are being honest with the reason they have given (in writing) for wishing to purchase the house as accommodation for elderly or younger people. He suspects (as has been mentioned earlier by @lizzie) that the charitable trust isn't being wholly open about what they want to do with the property, and thinks that the reality may be that they wish to use it as a meeting house. What has convinced him of this is that there is parking for around 5 or 6 cars at the moment, and simply taking out a hedge, erecting a fence along the edge of the lane and removing the garage and attached car port would extend the parking area to accommodate perhaps as many as a dozen cars. I tend to agree with him, as until he mentioned how much parking space could be created I hadn't considered that it would make a pretty large car park.

Garrards hold them but they may be a bit far for you. You could go with a standard joist but would need a steel across the middle to split it to two 4m spans - 8x6m is a big problem with standard timber !

My understanding is that the agent saw the balance in the numbered account and took that as proof that the funding was available. Certainly I have a copy of the bank account details that were going to be used to fund the purchase, but not the full name of the account holder, and I think that is the critical issue. One problem we've encountered before in this age of online banking is that some online bank statements can be printed off and all they give is the sort code and account number, not the name and address of the account holder. We ran into problems when getting proof of ID a couple of years with this and I had to go into the local branch and ask them to print and mail a proper statement (all our banking is now paperless). My first attempt at providing our conveyancer with the proof of ID/anti-money laundering for this sale failed as I sent them the ordinary online account statement print off, which was rejected as it didn't have our names or address on it. Luckily our bank must have realised the problems this can cause, as buried away on their web interface there is now an option to print a full "paper" statement.

Knowing my luck, though.... The organisation refer to themselves as a charitable trust, so that seems a reasonable way to describe them, if anyone asks.

Acceptable terminations inside a fitting are screw terminal blocks, wagos or insulated crimps (the latter wouldn't normally be used on a removable item). Acceptable terminations in a closed space would be insulated crimps (ideally with additional heat shrink sleeving of the correct colour), soldered joints insulated with heat shrink sleeving, or wago connectors, but not screw terminals. Any such terminations in a closed space also need to be in an acceptable housing - wago boxes are ideal for this sort of use usually.

Agreed on this. The wires are outside the ceiling, in the light fitting. Will get these sorted urgently. Thanks Wes

+1. It would be careless of us to continue advising you without being there and testing on your behalf. There are folk who we trades refer to as "know enough to be dangerous" and as you have inadvertently damaged ( severely compromised the integrity of to the point it is dangerous ) your own wiring through mis-adventure then yes, the time had come to get a sparky out. Its probably a very quick fix so explain you've sought help and have identified the issues so they don't pull your trousers down. ? "Make the call".

I wouldn’t even volunteer that much. I would just say that there is a covenant that ensures that it is only used as a single private residence (this is a plus point for most people!) and you believe that was the blocker given that the buyer was a religious order.

The difference between men and women ... Gadget shopping Man - heads straight to the expensive ones, checks out bells and whistles all of which provide additional brownie points, looks for the most powerful and the most desirable from a man’s perspective. Brand status is important. Woman - knows more or less what they want, heads to the mid range, looks to see if it ticks the boxes they need, looks for an offer on something similar, man heads over and tells them that the one they’ve chosen isn’t up to the job. Handbag shopping Woman - wanders round checking quality, style, desirability. Brand status is important. Man - stands in the corner scowling, muttering that there are already too many handbags at home and why do you want to spend all that money on that. Venus vs Mars ?

I think at this point I would be instructing the agent to put it back on the market. Nothing to stop you still trying to save this deal, but I would want more people viewing just now.

Sounds possible that there were linked neutrals in the ceiling fan fitting, that are now separated.

Look at those pdfs I posted they show loop and also junction box wiring.

I don't think this can be so. I cannot see how a covenant can prevent land from being owned by, for example, the state or a company.

I’m with @Mr Punter on this - stick a drain connection in and then you can have sink, WC etc.

Go and find a local new build housing estate and look at the sales office... usually it’s a converted double garage that they then convert back to a garage by way of two doors at the end. I would suggest follow this route maybe worthwhile - replace the doors with a pair of French doors and you get light and the ability to “convert” when the time comes to sell etc. £15k needs to include what ..?? Does it have to be brick or is another wall finish specified on the planning permission ..??

The covenant refers to use, not ownership.

Yep totally. My mower mostly does my smallish lawn on a single battery, or sometimes needs the second one if it’s a heavy cut. The strimmer does all that I need on a single battery. I’ve definitely had enough of using it by the time the battery runs out. My main criteria was that they were both light enough for me to lift and use and both tick that most important box for me. Men will mostly want to get a larger one than women would choose. The hubby wanted me to get a larger mower with a larger cutting width but the extra 5 minutes it might take to mow is definitely worth the reduction in weight afaic.

Checked with a lawyer friend last night and that is usually there to stop splitting a property into Flats or similar, and it’s “private dwelling house” is used to limit the development of a HMO.

I don't think doing a bit of work from home or from your shed or whatever constitutes a breach of covenant. A covenant and a planning condition are two very different things....a certificate of lawful use has no bearing whatsoever on a covenant restriction. I think you need to be careful you don't end up in a mess with your home recategorised as semi commercial premises not only in breach of covenant but also affecting your right to a 100% tax free gain on the sale of your house as your principal residence. The covenant restriction does not mean it cannot be owned by a charitable trust but that it must be used as a private residence whoever owns it ....e.g. not run as an HMO or business premises, B&B etc. Used as a private residence does not mean it cannot be used as a buy to let investment but merely that it should be used and occupied as a 'private' residence and not sublet into separate units. It does not stop you taking in a lodger or using the rent a room scheme as it is still a private residence. Do you know yet precisely what it was that made them back off? If not I would wait until you know.

Have been using these for a longtime - maybe a decade - to allow mum to do the gardening as the continued to get older. Started off with a battery on the belt one, and now have a Bosch purchased about 3-4 years ago from B&Q of all places. But since them lawn has now been abolished it hardly gets used. If you can align with your tool system, that will be a good idea. I think that huge batteries may be a red herring for this - 3 hour sessions may not be a requirement. My watchword would be make sure that the smallest person who would use it is comfortable. F

This was a really useful post as it has helped us solve a similar problem. Here is our experience. We copied @oranjeboom and shelled out for aerogel. Went for the 10mm thick foil backed stuff (foil backed on both sides). The aerogel people said it would be easier to cut and a bit cleaner and that proved true. Bit pricier but worth it for the ease of working with it. Cut with a Bahco insulation saw - really easy to get it accurate to within 5mm. Hard to wrap around the steel posts but with 2 of us we got it tight enough by taping it onto the post first and then pulling it around before taping it to itself. Then timber packers put around the outside so windows can fix to those. Not got to that bit yet but it looks like it should work.

Thanks all for replies as I said this has been going on for the last 2 years. The water co are not really interested as they have been out at least a dozen times She has used up all the freebies insurance company are not interested as they have paid twice already to fix it. The wheels are in motion to get it replaced i was mainly concerned regarding the dirty water coming out of the ground. If we had children I would have gone and told her immediately and shut off her supply being its me and the wife I can live with it a bit for the next couple of weeks it may have actually done us a favour as we are insisting it is replaced in its entirety and removed from our property we have even offered to pay half. Bloody hell im a nice bloke.

Have you phoned the water company? You really need to do this urgently as your sewage could affect the health of your neighbour. Without doubt sewage water is being drawn into the their supply pipe, this is based on sampling I had done in a similar situation. The fluctuations in pressure result in a Venturi effect pulling in contaminated liquids. You should not turn off, adjust or interfere with your neighbours supply. You should allow access to do a repair bit it’s up to the neighbour to sort this leak out and repair any damage to your property, if necessary their insurance should cover this.

For a general understanding of lighting wiring these might help: p4.pdf p5.pdf p6.pdf Note it's sadly quite often the case that blue wires used as switch wires are not marked with brown sleeving!

@Russell griffiths Call the water supply company and tell them they have a burst supply pipe in your garden. Let them deal with the neighbour and turn off the supply. Then there will be no come back to you.