Jilly

You could probably sell or donate those to the Cats Protection.

Probably best to ring round a few local wood yards.

It’s probably not worth doing it then. But you can propose something else which you can prove works.

Sounds like you think the contractor should pay. I wouldn’t fall out over it, I would be doing everything I could to protect my beautiful floor, with the best will in the world, some trades don’t treat a site like they would their own home.

Eek, the pain of taking 'planning' advice from a builder.

Maybe get a view from a garden designer? They might come up with an attractive way to soften/cover the wall, eg painting it/ cladding with hurdles it and then planting along the top with climbers which will trail down. I couldn’t face a wrecked garden, mud, expense and no summer parties this year. And you’ll still need a garden design after that, with your slightly bigger patio. Think how many gorgeous plants you could buy with the money. An established, clever garden will increase the value of the house also. To me it would be heaven to sit with the existing ‘sunken garden’ feel, and to have privacy and intimacy from the surrounding plants.

Don't panic all is not lost, you just have to be creative. Fort the record, I did a rough perc test on 5 places our drive to get an idea (clay) and there was a marked difference at the different places. I found it difficult to get calculations for a single site as the Wallingford website is for developments, but I recall one of the companies which sells the crates will do the calcs which should satisfy Building Control or the planners if it's a planning condition. Also draw up a system of water butts, rain gardens and swales to slow the water down, plus permeable driveway.

Congratulation, I love old houses, but maybe not in winter. Yes, you won’t get enough insulation under the floor and will have significant heat loss. The Period House Manual might be useful and the associated website to help you worry about preventing interstitial condensation. Back to Earth might be useful too. I stayed in an old Georgian house which had beautifully made secondary glazing, not as efficient of course but better than nothing. Draught proofing will help hugely, but be mindful of causing damp. Make use of solar gain if you can. Thick curtains and jumper. Thick, luxurious carpets will help. I’m not being facetious with these suggestions, but I think it is best to go with how the house would have been used by its previous occupants and improve on that. Or you could be a swallow, shut the house up and only live there in the summer and shoulder months. Buy a cheap place in the sun for the winter with the oil savings….

Might Aerogel be worth considering?

It bugged me that despite the handy rubbish bags I had tied up in useful places, including on the skip, they still chucked crisp packets and all sorts of recyclable rubbish directly into the skip, ready to blow away…

Hi, you need to look at www.planningportal.co.uk to check whether it’s covered under ‘Permitted Development’ (PD) (see Gov website) which is a Planning issue. If it is PD and you don’t need Planning Permission, it may be wise to get a Certificate of Lawfulness, to confirm it, if you are a worrier or have grumpy neighbours. Building Regulations are separate issue, concerned only with construction, so you need to check if the dimensions you propose need it or not. Ring them if unsure.

Firstly, try not to worry, the scary sounding demolition option is very unlikely, but they have to say it. You are not the first person to get this wrong/ confused. It’s not obvious until you have been through it. Did you get planning permission in the first place or did you start building under Permitted Development(PD). Google the definition of Permitted Development, get your tape measure out and and work out if your extension falls within the ‘permitted’ size. If it’s within the size allowed, you in the clear, but will still need your architect to submit the plans. Same procedure if it’s a bit oversized. If it is a lot over sized you might need a planning consultant (or if you are in a Conservation Area) to help you through. The Enforcement Officer might have given you a feeling of which outcome is most likely?

You are right about last minutes panic: be aware that self building can do this to you! It’s all new and emotionally laden. Have a contingency fund, this might happen frequently. Perhaps save money perhaps by living on site if you can? I came rushing here each time I spotted something that worried me or I didn’t understand, and it was like having 10 good friends giving me advice (with a few conflicting opinions of course). Your structural engineer will likely make final decisions about foundations and some of it is up for discussion.

How about chestnut paling fencing, which comes on a roll?

Do you mean Permitted Development (PD), rather than Prior Approval? With the previous extensions it would seem very risky to build when you might not have PD rights. . In view of the planner’s comments you could submit an application with the intention to going to Appeal if they refuse you, perhaps? @joe90 has experience.

When finding trades, suss out if they are safe workers, and remind people to work safely. Do a First Aid course and have good kit. Have basic protective equipment available and get them to use it (this can be very difficult). Don’t leave people alone on site if you can possibly help it.

What the point of the Building Control inspections and calculation checking? They are the people who inspected the build…

The cottages near me have a similar sewer behind the houses, but there is also a sewer in the road which could be joined if a new house were to be built at the end of the row. It would be more expensive, but might be cost effective if put in the same trench as the other new services.

Welcome! You will learn a lot about your clients’ pov from the process, I think it will help your future business. Have you thought about designing it yourself to use as a marketing tool in the future?

How about the self build lenders?

Try another broker, it’s definitely doable. Some thoughts: Speak to a structural engineer? What are the risks? Would a high excess product work? Can you take on the house insurance that the owners have, as in the case where there is a previous structural issue? Approach the insurance company who covered the build itself, they would have wanted the build details? If you can prove it’s insurable, that will surely help? Speak to the owner. If they want to sell to you, they might have some suggestions.

It doesn’t always go down well. You have to carefully recruit open minded builders/ trades etc. A lot don’t know about airtightness detailing.

At its most basic, a compost loo is a bucket and a lid. You can go upmarket and get a urine diverter and do a mini garden soak away if you like. A bale of straw works too. Managed properly they don’t smell and I would rather have one than a stinky blue cabin any day. I set one up on site and nearly everyone was happy with it, bar the electrician, who had a tantrum and nearly went home 😂

I’ve only used Aerogel to clad some steel. It’s surprising dusty stuff, it needs careful handling to avoid lungfuls if you need to cut it.

Aerogel insulation might be worth exploring.