TheMitchells

Well, I bought the sheet of mdf and the OH cut it all up. I am now in the process of painting the pieces. two coats each of undercoat, rollered on. it only takes a few minutes to paint then several hours to dry as its so cold in the garage. So the next quesiton is which is the best paint to use? I need something hardwearing. we have a dog and the hall gets lots of use so it must be tough. and ideally not gloss as i think that would show up the imperfections. I did wonder about car spray paint as that must be pretty tough but it would be a pain to spray all those pieces. Would a couple of coats of a satinwood be sufficently hardwearing?

Thank you for all the tips - I am going to tile the wall but need a cupboard as the heating vent is behind/underneath the basin and we want a small cupboard to store odds and ends. I have seen Jali doors which will allow the heat out the cupbaord without having to extend the vent which would be difficult and look a bit silly. Our basin will sit on the cupboard. I did look to buy one but it would need to be an odd size so easier to make one to fit. It fits in the end of the loo so only 88cm wide. I did manage to go to Wickes today and the hardwood ply is really smooth and will make an ideal cupboard. The edges looked okay. and I think I'd prefer that to mdf. Photos to be uploaded when its done.

As part of our renovation of the cloakroom, we plan to build a cupboard for the sink to sit on with Jali doors to allow the heat out of the vent which will be covered by the unit. I plan to use 18mm plywood onto a frame and am looking at Wickes (its open and close so hoping i can sneak out and get it - doubt the police would consider it essential). They have softwood and hard wood but say the hardwood is not structural so should i get the softwood? It seems the opposite to expected. I'd have thought the hardwood would be better? Any thoughts.

not sure - doubt it as it has to go into the cloakroom and round the loo so not easy. but thinking it will add to the insulation of the floor as its just laid on concrete. no insulation that we know of. yes, its nice and level.

We are thinking of replacing the linoleum in our hall and cloakroom with a new one as the dog scratched some areas so much it removed the top layer. Is it possible to just lay the new one on top of the old one? Or does it need to be removed?

Just watching the last episode - they are digigng out the foundations but the field is so wet, the dumpers are getting stuck. Didnt it occur to them to dig out the drive first and lay hardcore - or even lay some matting - there must be something they could use! They do seem rather useless and not a lot happens in any episode.

sounds very exciting! Great News re the plot - where in the country are you?? Look forward to hearing all about it.

I think most people have been in the same boat as you and its probably done us all the world of good. I am so grateful that while in lockdown we have a garden and it has been wonderful to do so many off the jobs that i rarely get rouond to doing. and the Other Half didnt seem to mind helping either. Horticulture/gardening is an excellent form of therapy; so much so that some Dr's are even prescribing it. Re designing a garden, thats something i help people with. but Manchester is a bit of a long way from Bicester, Oxfordshire. Maybe i could start a simple guide to designing a garden. I used to teach it so will have a look at my notes and pull something together. it may be some use to others too. In the meantime, if you see a picture of a garden that you either like/hate, try to keep a note of what you liked/disliked. and try to decide what you'd like the garden to provide - is it just for entertaining? for relaxing? for children/pets?

Best time to prune a wisteria is in winter - Feb is good - as you can see the framework that you have. Here are some before and after shots. And here it is flowering. In summer, i go thorugh the whole thing and cut back all the long whippy growths to 4-6 buds. this encourages the one nearest the plant to beome a flowering bud (as well as tidying it up), so in winter when i cut back to 2/3 buds, you have a new flowering one and 1-2 buds to grow. then repeat as many times as you like with the flowering spur getting bigger each year. occasionally cut out some of the flowering spurs to keep the plant in shape or let more light in. and if it needs renovating, cut it back really hard, leaving only the framework that is in the right place. it will soon send out new shoots which you can then train in for the future. The main thing is to be tough - remove any shoots that arent in the right place and tie in ones that are. you'll need a strong support too. Good luck.

Thanks Ferdinand for the reminder of that great song! ?

Dont let them put you off! You dont mention where you are based but there is a great Self Build and Renovation Centre at Swindon which I'd recommend you visit. its free if you pre book tickets and is a mine of information, particularly for those beginning their delf build dream. But I agree that it helps if you both are in this together. My other half is not as keen and I know I need him to be on board too before we do it. There are self build shows all around the country and again, you can get free tickets from various sources; magazines or companies which are keen for their potential customers to attend and see their stall. They are great for talking to other self builders to get a true picture of what its like. And there are plenty of self builders who are happy to show you their own house. Then you can truely see the benefits as well as discuss the pitfalls and downsides so at least you go into it with your eyes open. And lastly, try out the podcasts at Houseplanninghelp.com. Go back to the beginning as they are going to be most relevant. Good luck!

Dad has already ahd a letter saying that they have seen his car on our temporary drive and he has crossed the footpath which is illegal. while they dont mention prosecution; that is implied and as am 80 year old, he does not want to do anything illegal and would be horrified to think he'd be sent to court. yes, thats correct. The council say it is the cost of making the pavement to the right specification. and I guess that does make the price more reasonable. howwever, there are loads of places around where people cross the pavement and even park on the kerb and I doubt they get any letters. I shall look into that as we have been told that we can only use those contractors on the list. we did get someone out to give a quote for the driveway and he was not happy as he had tried to get on the council list and couldnt. so he he could not give us a price for the dropped kerb. I still think the prices are way too high for the work. hopefully we'll get more reasonable ones now we are after Christmas and some of the other firms willcome and give us quotes. Fingers crossed!

Go for the Double Height hall - will look fab! who needs another En-suite. you already have two bathrooms upstiars. thats my twopennyworth.

Have been getting some quotes for a dropped kerb for parents bungalow. It tool over 6 months to get the permission but the council finally relented and sent us the contractors list that we can use. Tried about 5 but most too busy as its Christmas! however, had two quotes - £1500 + vat and £2,500 + vat!! here's the kerb - its 5 cm high and made of granite cobbles which they will re-use. Is that daylight robbery or not?? I guess £260 of that is the council licence they have to have. But even so, are they going to re-do the whole footpath around the bungalow? Anyone else had a dropped kerb to give me some perspective on costs? But like usual - we cannot use a local reasonable firm; we have to use someone off the Council list which seems to give them the ability to charge anything they like. Bah Humbug!!

All the podcasts are free, its just the Hub which he charges for. It used to be much cheaper and I certainly would not pay the current monthly fee. But with this offer, you can have a look at the video's which are good. I particularly like the Buckinghamshire Passivhaus as it goes through all the stages from start to finish. It also has the video's from his own Passivhaus build.

This came through today and offer ends Sunday. I certainly liked watching the video's. its quite expensive after that tho. Here's the link. https://hphhub.com/register/monthly-membership-hub/?coupon=7VXNV7CRV2 From Ben Adam-Smith. I'm doing something that I've never done before. I'm giving you the chance to road test our membership community The Hub. So I'm offering a 14-day trial for just £1! Simply click here to get started. Unsubscribe at any time within the 14 days and we'll say no more. But we're hoping you'll see the benefits of being a Hub member and want to stay on. This offer is only available until the end of Sunday, so take advantage today! And if you have any questions in the meantime, please let me know. Merry Christmas! Kind regards, Ben Adam-Smith HOUSE PLANNING HELP - THE HUB

please can you translate this into english?? thanks.?

yes, that certainly looks like the one. I would love to build a house with the straw panels - warm, healthy and natural. and the panels look easy enough to build ourselves. May be ideal for @Mischiefsmum.

Welcome to the Forum - you will get all sorts of advice, and not just about Building. It is a genuinely friendly place, as you have found out already. A while back I saw a Dragons Den episode with a couple of women who wanted to set up a straw building company here in the UK. They were already building straw bale houses but wanted to join up with an Eastern European (I think) company who produce cassette type builds using straw as the insulating material within wooden frames. That sounds just the thing for you. It may be an idea to speak to Barbara Jones of Straw works to see how the idea developed and if anyone knows how to help you acheive your dream, it will be her. http://strawworks.co.uk/dragons-den/ Good luck!?

I love this forum - Just had elderly parents for lunch and Dad brought an Advertisement for a new way of heating his hot water that he was interested in. It was the Aquafficient from Fischer Future Heat. luckily I had read enough on here to think it sounded just like a Sunamp so after they went home, I did some research and found this post. He has been suitably warned and I doubt will bother ringing them. It was a full page advert in The Sun and sounded very good. It did mention that the Aquafficent is 'Manufactured exclusively for the home electric heating experts, Fischer Future Heat!'.

Having just rung Richmond Radiators, they have the timer and element which I can buy to put into the towel rail that we already have. https://richmond-radiators.com/product/digital-thermostatic-electric-towel-rail-heating-element-chrome-white/ or they can supply the towel rail and timer instead and thats cheaper than the towel rail that I have already paid for...... I need to see if I can return the rail and wifi controller and get my money back.

Help needed so I am jumping into this post with another towel rail question? In the parents new shower room, which is almost finished, we need to add a towel rail. I was over ruled in putting in under floor heating (for various reasons) so they are relying on a towel rail for all the heat. There is electric to the location for the rail but no conenction to another point outside of the room for a controller so we need a towel rail with an element controlled by a wireless timer/thermostat. All the decorating has been done now so we dont want to have to channel out for another cable - also there are plenty switches outside the bathroom door that we'd struggle to add another. The bathroom suppliers I went to ordered what I thought was what we wanted but it has arrived and it has a wifi control unit which still needs a cable to the electricity supply for the rail. ie - running it from a smart phone, which isn't what we wanted. i have found this one https://richmond-radiators.com/product/bellerby-thermostatic-electric-curved-heated-ladder-rail-towel-warmer-rack-classic-chromewhite/ Does this sound right - we can have the control unit in the bedroom and it would communicate to the element in the towel rail?? The bathroom supplier has been in communication with the supplier of the towel rail and they say they have not heard of anything suitable for our situation! I am hoping @Nickfromwales can help here. It looks like we'll be charged a restocking fee if we send it back. Help!

sorry Pete, have been off line for a while - its probably too late for you but I am very pleased with the Icon Airflow. its not silent but not too loud and with the bathroom door shut, its barely heard. and its quite interesting watching the iris open as it takes about 20 seconds for it to open. hope that helps others who may be looking.

we have been looking at getting one of these for a while so this is a great offer for us. thanks!

Phew - it wasnt anything we did - the toilet pan is defective! we took out the whole unit and set it up in the garden where we could look behoind while flushing the loo and we could then see where the water was coming from. inside the back are a couple of places with what looks like some sealant or putty. the drops are coming from those and wgen we looked very carefully, it was possible to see a crack that had been sealed over!! the B'@**ers had sent us a defective loo. and the OH has a video that shows the drops forming mainly from that top piece of sealant. I have contacted the company and all they have said is to send the photographs and they will be in touch. OH refuses to have another back to wall pan as it was such a faff to fit (being extra tall) so I have ordered a close coupled comfort toilet from the local builders merchants as well as a new basin. at least then, if we have any issues I can take it straight back. I guess I should have done that in the first place ..................