newhome

Cooker hoods - there are some cheaper ones here (but can't comment on the make / performance): https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/ct/cooker-hoods/island-hoods?sortOrder=1 Tesco Direct have quite a few in that sort of price range (note they close down on 9th July) https://www.tesco.com/direct/home-electrical/island-hoods/cat37480027.cat?source=others

We received 3 indicative quotes for the granite (well quartz actually) and used these guys as they provided the best quote. It wasn't a separate cost for the templating, cutouts and fitting etc, it was supply and fit although I think we had to pay for the templating if we hadn't gone ahead with the order. Guess they may have changed their pricing structure these days as it was a while ago. They came and took a template and brought some samples along for us to choose from (we had already told them the types we were interested in from the website so they brought those) and we ordered that day. On the day of fitting they did do some cutting on the day (outside thankfully as it's hellishly dusty) and I think this was for the cutouts and the drainer grooves (not 100% sure as I was at work). I don't believe it was much though as most of it was pre cut including the splashbacks (that are thinner than the worktops). The splashbacks and worktop lengths were already cut to size I believe. http://www.glasgowgranitemasters.co.uk/

Maybe he's already got a reputation he's trying to uphold?

I can't help you with your heating I'm afraid but I do know what it's like to have no heating upstairs as this house had none for quite a while until it got fixed in April. The best thing I ever bought was an electric blanket. I never needed to go to bed cold and stay cold for ages. Was certainly a lifesaver for me. They are cheap as chips these days and will cost so much less to run than your electric heater.

I think we’ve said before, fence, camera. It’s the only way you will get peace of mind and then you won’t have to speculate. Peace of mind is more important than most things IMO.

And that on an allegedly 'Eco' development. That makes it worse IMO as Eco implies that you are getting the very best in areas such as airtightness.

So if the test house on a development fails the airtight test (do they ever fail?) is there any oversight to ensure that any corrective action is undertaken on all of the houses of that style or is it simply back for a retest on that one house, tick box, job done? I get the impression I already know the answer to this however!

I think @Ferdinand is right. If you are going to the hassle of fitting the kitchen out it’s worth the extra hassle of insulating it too otherwise it may be a decision you regret for years to come. It looks like a fairly small area to do so it shouldn’t be too terrible although these things always feel rubbish when you’re in the middle of bedlam actually doing them lol, but rest assured you won’t be the only person thinking that. If the enormity of the insulation task is putting you off then break it down into small chunks, so walls behind kitchen units to start with. And tackle the next small area when you’re good and ready. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and every little bit you do should help address the heat efficiency of the house and one day you will notice a step change. It’s only if you do nothing that things won’t improve. Where is the draft coming from through the windows? That sounds like a problem to try to address (without fitting new windows). Also what heating do you have in the house?

No one can have anything like that here and leave it out, neither sail nor closed umbrella, as it's just too windy right on the coast. We can't even leave things like patio furniture out unless we expect it to make a bid for freedom. It's interesting seeing that the amount of destruction is largely minimal when we have huge gusts here (100 mph is not unknown) as everyone knows what the weather is like and plans accordingly and most trees etc. are only here that can withstand those weather conditions on a fairly regular basis. This is in stark contrast to other areas getting the same type of gusts that are unusual for them with newsworthy photos in the press. I recall my hubby picking up a full sheet of Celotex on a really windy day and a gust blew it out of his grasp and it shot into the air and made a lightening dash for the sea. It was scary seeing it lift high into the air, traverse 2 fields and 2 roads before it hit the sea and kept on going. But there was nothing we could do about it.

Just as an update to this I rang BuildZone last Monday and clearly no one had acted on the email I sent. He promised to look into it and I subsequently received an email that went like this: Good Morning XXX, Hope you’re well. Just had XXXX on the phone asking about her certificate. From the latest RN it appears as though you’re waiting on the oil/gas cert, are you able to tell me what is outstanding so I can go direct to the client? So he sent that to me, not the surveyor . I replied to that effect and also that I didn't have an oil or gas boiler as I had told them before and can clearly be seen by the photo the surveyor took that is in the report. He replied that he would wait to hear back from the surveyor (just hope he forwarded the email on). I'll give it a week or so and chase again.

Yep, it happened to my hubby when he changed from T Mobile. They claimed he owed them £12 (which he didn't) and my hubby refused to pay time and time again in principle. Eventually the 'debt' was sold to a debt collection company that used to send threatening letters periodically that my hubby used to bin. Then about a year after he died I got a letter from them (addressed to him) saying that they would no longer be pursuing the debt. I imagine that it affected his credit score TBH but given that he wasn't looking to get credit etc we didn't pursue that but it really is shocking how these false charges can affect your life so dramatically with no recourse.

They’ll be standard units. If you are going for the acacia worktop (that I think will look great btw) you won’t want wooden doors so you can decide whether to keep them and paint them a colour like the additional pictures in the acacia link or replace with new ones. Go and have a look round the diy sheds to get an idea what you want to do, what you like, and how much it’s likely to cost. The bottom strip is called a plinth. A more modern sink and taps doesn't have to cost a fortune either. Wood effect vinyl would be a good option for the floor to complement the worktop / units you choose.

I’m glad to hear that someone got some joy from the NHBC as they weren’t interested in any issues in the houses on the development I lived on. There were so many issues there was a residents’ association set up just for that purpose. Some houses were far worse than mine. The side of our house and half the patio used to flood when it rained heavily. We ended up paying to have a soakaway put in to address the issue as neither the developer nor NHBC were interested. We had blown bead retrofitted when the solid insulation was found to be missing. However well it worked it was way better than having no insulation!

It’s also scandalous that the supposedly independent person doing the test wouldn’t notice clearly bodged or temporary arrangements designed to get the house to pass.

You should get it to boot it at any cats that darken your door, but try not to hit the postie

I managed to buy a new house where the cavity wall insulation was missing in the entire road (or entire estate for all I know) so we all know that commercial building standards are shocking. It was ‘missed’ according to the developer when we complained. Missed in the whole street? Really? At least when we build our own homes we know what faults we have warts and all (or should do).

I read it the same as @Onoff as @nod used the word temporary above but maybe that’s only those who are trying to cheat the system (well more than the others)?

I noticed that you said that the property has been abandoned for 10 years. Has the previous owner been paying business rates on it during that time? There are several threads that discuss when a dwelling is deemed complete for Council tax purposes including the 2 below. These do not have the complication of a commercial to residential conversion however. Personally I would try the advice @Mr Punter gives above and cite that as you have permission to convert to residential you wish to remove it from the rating list. Then as the house is not habitable it does not meet the criteria for council tax at this point. I also found this legal case that makes interesting reading if they are determined that you must pay business rates. https://www.bsdr.com/publication/business-rates-redevelopment/ If they insist that you must pay Council tax most LAs provide an exemption of circa 12 months if a property is undergoing major works so worth checking the LA website to see what your LA offers. As others have found you may have to fight a bit.

Not that I would trust myself to use a chainsaw but I only ever buy electric appliances now as I can never start the damn petrol things and I certainly can't service them. So lawnmower, strimmer etc are all cordless affairs these days and work fine.

+1. That kitchen will be transformed by a nice solid wood worktop, new sink, tiles, plinth, and painted cupboard doors with more modern handles. What you have isn't terrible in terms of design, and you are restricted with such a small space anyway, so you just need an updated look.

We were lucky with the weather when the roof sarking and tiling was completed in September straight after the frame was up, but when the outside stone and blockwork was started in October the weather was dire and had to be abandoned many times either because of torrential rain or because it was just too windy for anyone to be working at height. And when I say windy it gets really windy here right by the sea, and the gusts can be enough to take you off your feet at times. So that didn't get finished until December, but at least the fact that we had a timber frame and breather membrane meant that wasn't a huge concern as the house was still watertight and could have remained as was for a while longer if needed.

Wouldn't there be more accidents / fires etc. if this stuff was inherently dangerous? I'm not disputing that it might not comply with requirements but how would 99% of consumers even know? I don't tend to buy random unbadged electrical equipment if I think it may have come from China but so much stuff is made in China these days even when bought through a mainstream store, and even the branded stuff.

TF comes with breather membrane. Could you not use that as a waterproof covering somehow although it would clearly cost. TF is watertight so quickly I think you'd be mad not to reconsider it if you need to get to watertight and then mothball. We had no issues AT ALL with our TF kit other than a late notice change of delivery by a few days.

+1. It's a real shame that there can't be a payback agreement in place so that you get some money refunded if other plots use the same infrastructure.

Look great, and what an amazing view. This was my favorite part of the build. Felt like we actually had a house until I realised that there was so much more to do to make it one.