Temp

I couldn't find a reason why it's 15m written down anywhere.

If there is a planning condition requiring work to start within 3 years then apply to have that condition discharged. There is a small fee. First you will also need to meet any other conditions that say "Before work starts..." or similar. Typically this will be conditions requiring materials or drainage details to be approved. So go through all the planning conditions and see which you need to do before starting work. Some will only need to be done "Before occupation". Those can be done later. Send in any samples and drawings you need approval for. When they sound happy or if you don't get a reply send one letter/form requesting those conditions be discharged. The fee is per request not per condition so do as many as possible in one letter. My letter said something like: With reference to planning grant number xxxxx I write to request the following planning conditions be formally discharged: Condition 2: The landscape plan has been agreed with the landscape officer. Condition 4: Brick samples have been submitted to the conservation officer. Condition 7: A Drainage plan has been agreed. I enclose a cheque for the fee of £x. Yours etc In my case they wrote back to say conditions 2 and 7 were discharged but 4 was not discharged as they had lost the brick samples! I had to send more then sometime later make a new request to discharge and pay the fee again. I guess these days you have to pay the fee by BACS rather than cheque ? If really worried its possible to apply for a Certificate of lawfulness on the grounds work has started. I have seen that done for a wind farm. They built the site entrance then applied for a Certificate to extend their PP indefinitely. It was eventually built 4-5 years later. However the fee for a Certificate is similar to that for a planning application.

Yes 3m is OK..

They are from the tech guide here.. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/permitted-development-rights-for-householders-technical-guidance If you see references to "Article 2(3) land" that means conservation areas, national parks and AONB .

This is permitted development in a Conservation area. Provided it meets the height rules and is more than 7m from rear boundary. On a wrap around I think it's PD provided it's not more than half the width of the original house. So you can't wrap it all the way around like this. A partial wrap is possible I believe.

Bear in mind your gutters can't overhang the boundary so the wall will probably be set back a little from the boundary.. so you could probably put the fence back?

So how do you fix plasterboard to the underside of these for a normal ceiling?

If it was me one sneeze and the digger bucket would go right through the asbestos sheeting 😞

Welcome to the forum. Was he literally building it himself or using a builder? If a builder was doing the work try and obtain details of any contracts and payments already made. A Quantity Surveyor could calculate how much of the build has been completed, what that's worth and how much more is required. He could slso tell you if the amount paid to the builder was reasonable for the work done to date. Eg has he been over or under paid? However a QS would charge a significant fee. Depending on the financial situation it might or might not be worth continuing with the existing builder. A New builder might be prepared to quote to finish the project if plans exist. As @SteamyTea said best check out the legal and tax position. Would you even have the legal right to finish it or would you need permissions of some sort? Does the existing build match approved plans etc. What would be needed to transfer any rights to that permission. Some countries charge VAT on sale of houses. Not sure about France but would the sale to you be liable to VAT if not completed?

Yes not all Councils have introduced the CIL. Some still use S106 instead and some both.

You might need to fill the condensate trap with water if its not got any water in it (eg if the boiler hasn't been used yet/much.

Blowing? Most shower traps only have an inch or two of water so that's about the limit of the pressure you can pump the drains to before air comes out of traps. You might not ge able to go above 25mm of water. Normally its done with a small hand squeezed rubber pump eg Screwfix parts 19536 and 62513.. Fill all traps. Pump up the pressure slowly until air comes out a trap and the pressure suddenly drops. Thats the limit for that branch of the system. Refill traps and the pump it up to a bit below that limit for the actual test.

Several feet down there is loose hardcore surrounding a drain pipe so if I dig all the way down to that the water dissapears so I don't think I made a sump. I dug out a lot refilled and tested quite a small hole. I think the lawn topsoil I used must have had too much clay in it? Think I'm going try digging out again and trying a mix of sand and ericacous compost. If it becomes too free draining I can always add some of the existing mix back.

I have a flower bed in clay soil but it's had a lot of mature and compost over a decade. I'd like to plant a small Japanese maple in it so today I dug out a barrel load of soil and filled it with a mix of lawn topsoil, soil improver and composed bark. I thought that would make a reasonably free draining soil but it seems not. I dug a hole in prep for planting but when I put a few inches of water in it the water just sat there so clearly not free draining. Im happy to dig it all out again but are there any experts out there that could recommend a mixture of brand name bagged product I could use to make a free draining mix?

Yes I think those are mostly at risk from cliff erosion?

In the UK we love our houses and there is quite a link between the housing market and the whole economy. Banks are reluctant to lend on leasehold properties with less than 60 years left on the lease.... yet are happy to lend on houses that could have major costal flooding issues with 60 years (2080). So I wonder when/if they will suddenly wake up to this and decide not to lend on those properties ?

Double check but my understanding is you only need to claim the exemption before commencement not as soon as you getting planning permission. Think the timescales are.. Assume liability - (must be done before claiming the exemption). Claim exemption (Form 7 part 1) - (Must be done before commencement) Commencement Notification - (Must be done before commencement) Get Building Control Approval Build house and get Building Control Completion. Claim exemption (Form 7 part 2) (Must be done within 6 months of completion) Must live in the house for 3 years after completion. You should also submit your VAT reclaim within three 3 months of completion. Caution: If you move in before completion there is a risk HMRC will deem you to be complete on that date even if you don't yet have Building Control Completion).

I've seen a few people on YouTube building robot mowers that don't use a perimeter wire. Instead they use very accurate GPS. You have to train the mower by manual mowing the perimeter the first time. I suspect it might not be long before we see commercial mowers do this.

I still haven't found you a drawing so I edited something off the web. This is what I was trying to describe above. Some of the details will depend on the type of tile. The saddle extends several tiles either side of the join between ridge and main roof pitch. I suggest asking your tile vendor if they have a drawing.

We're lucky in that we had a lot of space but a smaller variation on this would be possible. Eg path/ramp with steps up the side or front. Doesn't have to look like something you see at a hospital.

Can't remember if that has a name. There will be some lead shaped into an inverted V or ^ , bit like a long ridge tile. One end of that will be interleaved with the tiles on the main pitch like you would a soaker. The other end goes under the end ridge tile. So I think the lead will be all be hidden when viewing the side elevation on the left of your drawing. Where the lower pitch meets the gable wall soakers will be used. The top most of these will be up under the verge and under the lead described above. The lead upstand against the wall will be visible but shouldn't be any need for lead on top of the tiles. If the gable wall is brick this area would look something like this stepped flashing. I can't find a drawing of the whole thing.

Have a look for fire hydrants. Might give you a rough idea.

We made a mistake and our upstairs windows were slightly too low. BCO allowed them provided we fitted restrictors. Would have cost a fortune to change due to the design.

You can also get pipe supports intended to stop kinks at the bend below a manifold. Eg where it transitions from vertical up the wall to horizontal in the floor.

How big is the room? If its a big room with pipe on a close pitch you might be able to take 5m of pipe out without affecting the heat output significantly.