Temp

I actually quite like the converted black barn look but my out building is really just a shed and I'm on the Cambs/East Northants border.

Planners wanted me to paint an oak clad out building "barn black". Not a chance. So I sent them a bit of wood painted black using paint from my children's painting set. Told them it was "barn black" and they approved it. I stained the cladding light brown. Nobody ever came to check.

If the annoying neighbor puts up a CCTV camera... https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-cctv-using-cctv-systems-on-your-property/domestic-cctv-using-cctv-systems-on-your-property See paragraph 2. This suggests that if a CCTV covers areas outside your property it's no longer exempt from the data protection act. https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/cctv That has implications like the need for warning signs and means anyone filmed can ask for copies of recordings.

I don't think you need a ventilated void under the metal roof because all of the structural woodwork (rafters) are on the warm side of the insulation. Any condensation should run harmlessly down the membrane. I would double check with the metal roof supplier just in case they want a ventilated void under the metal or other reasons? Such as preventing corrosion/rust?

Important to use the right cable for long runs and high loads. If my memory serves me correctly the max allowed voltage drop due to cable losses is around 5% (about 11.5V). So a 30A load on a minimum size cable could dissipate 345W. Bigger cable might get the drop down to 2-3V which is still 60-90W.

Both the Sadolins Classic and Extra are more like a varnish than a wood stain/preserver. The Extra more so than the Classic. The Extra is quite thick and needs to be brushed out well to get a thin coat which looks better than slapping it on thick. I think I got the Extra Clear from BnQ last time but yes I agree it's hard to find for some reason. I have also used this place... https://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/product/sadolin-extra-durable-clearcoat I think the Natural is brown not clear. Think it would hide the wood grain. We have a lot of exterior oak with several different finishes on it: 1) Sadolins, 2) Danish Oil 3) Osmo UV-Protection oil. 4) Ronseal General Purpose Wood stain We have Sadolins on our oak front door and that's been very good. Been in the house 11 years and it's only been re-coated once so far. However a door is vertical, I don't know how it stands up on horizontal surface like a chair. The Danish oil needs retreating once a year or the horizontal bits go grey/black. Right pain as I need a scaff tower to do mine.. I've started replacing the Danish with the Osmo which they claim lasts twice as long. So far the bits I did a year ago look very good so they might be correct. The Osmo is a bit light in colour so I've been sanding off the damaged Danish and then recoating with 1 Danish and then two coats of Osmo. The Osmo is about twice the price of Danish. Note that not all Danish Oil is rated for outdoor use. The Ronseal General Purpose Wood stain was used on sawn oak cladding on an out building. I spray it on using Hozelok garden water sprayers. Its solvent based so the sprayers don't last long but they are only a bit more expensive than a decent brush but way faster. This also needs recoating every other year or perhaps more frequently. PS: This is also getting hard to find as everything goes VOC free.

Is it just wood you are painting or metal as well? I ask because Zinsser are known for special paints for metal or damp locations.

One common gottcha is with trades that also supply materials... This has come up many times on the forum.. Normally labor should be zero rated to you, so no VAT to pay or reclaim on that. However if the tradesman also supplies materials (eg wire, plaster etc) then those materials should also be zero rated to you. This can cause problems if the tradesman has had to pay VAT on the materials when he purchased them. You can't reclaim the VAT because the invoices will be in his name. If he is VAT rated the correct procedure is for him to reduce his quarterly VAT return by the amount of the VAT but he may never have done this before and be reluctant to do so. For this reason you should make sure all quotes include VAT at 0% and make sure they understand before work starts. If you run into problems getting quotes zero rated come back here and we can refer you to the right section of VAT 708. Sometimes it helps to give the tradesman a "certificate" but you don't need to under the rules. If the tradesman isn't registered for VAT you have a problem. Neither of you can reclaim VAT on materials he's purchased. In which case if you really want to use him you will have to purchase the materials yourself to get a VAT receipt in your name and "free issue" the materials to the tradesman. As others have said the VAT situation is complicated. Some you reclaim, some you can't reclaim and some you should never pay in the first place. If you pay VAT in error to a tradesman you can't get the VAT back from HMRC.

Another way to beat the system is to submit landscaping plans with your planning application. Then the VAT on any trees on those plans can be reclaimed.

There is a way to claim for white goods but you have to find a "free" white goods deal or negotiate one. In reality the value of the white goods is hidden in the total order price. One possible problem with this approach is that free goods may not have the same protection under consumer law. If there is a fault you might be entitled to a replacement but not your money back because they were free.

If it's pressure treated wood not everything will stick to it - so I would use a exterior wood preserver. If its not pressure treated then something like Sadolins Extra (Extra not Classic).

We have had a FreeSat dish for 11 years. It's been totally painless. Never had to go near it.

But you could just as easily detect the cable in the duct.

Seems plastic conduit is ok outdoors according to.. https://www.theiet.org/forums/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=205&threadid=15130

Actually it looks like NYY-J cable costs more than SWA.. https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/NY1dot5slash3.html https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/SW1dot5slash3.html

Perhaps a qualified electrician could comment on the possibility of using NYY-J Cable underground in something like 25mm black HDPE pipe to protect it. Would that be much easier to joint in the cavity behind the lights? NYY-J cable (similar to Hituf cable)... https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/NY1dot5slash3.html?ad_position=1t2&source=adwords&ad_id=209463183764&placement=&kw=nyyj cable&network=g&matchtype=e&ad_type=&product_id=&product_partition_id=&test=finalurl_v2&gclid=CjwKCAjw_tTXBRBsEiwArqXyMjgFDqoS4uAo8jbcK67p5R3vACdBCReLQorwfJHv2MZyNeoeUKDOtRoCZR4QAvD_BwE

http://www.essexhighways.org/applications/for-contractors/section-50-street-works-licences.aspx and the link OneOff posted says..

Can't say I like the all tarmac front garden either.

Looking good. Not sure if this is relevant to you and you may know already but... We had some doors made for an outbuilding. The panels were T&G boarded. When they were assembled the boards were fitted tight together. Some time later the wood swelled and the whole doors bowed/looked pregnant. I ended up having to run a circular saw between each plank to cut the tongues and provide room for expansion. This solved the problem at the expense of some extra "ventilation". The moral of the story is not to fully hammer the boards together but leave about 3mm at the bottom of the groove and at the shoulders like this. Use temporary spacers to get the gaps uniform...

+1 to a master socket with separate phone and broadband sockets. No need for filters anywhere else. With one of these you must plug the modem into the master socket but that's also recommended if you want the best broadband possible. Tell BT where you want the master socket and modem to go. We use DECT cordless phones with the primary base station plugged into the phone socket on the master. That way we have almost no "phone" wire in the house. Just two short wires, one from the master socket to the modem and one to the DECT base, all three in same cupboard.

+1 on the foundations. They should have dug trial pits to see what was there. Any movement/expansion joints?

A quick look here suggests the penalty is £120 or £80 if paid within 28 days of the penalty being issued but it seems likely that you would be hit with more than one.. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2007/1952/schedule/2/made

I'm have to go out so in a rush.. See.. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/614845/street-works-qualifications-guidance-for-operatives-and-supervisors.pdf "The registration body will then record the certificate on the street works register" Perhaps the register is online?

I would get the phone line installed using BT then switch to whoever you choose afterwards when it's working. In theory all ISP should have the same relationship with Openreach that BT do but I'm not convinced.

We have been with PlusNet for 10+ years. They aren't perfect but I've always found their customer support quite good. My main gripe (also with other ISP) is the lax security some apply to email account passwords. If your email account is hacked the bad guys can request new passwords from other companies that reset passwords by emailing you a link. See also.. From 2015.. https://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/11/25/plusnet_still_delivering_passwords_plaintext/ From 2017.. https://community.plus.net/t5/My-Account-Billing/Password-security/td-p/1419734