Lincolnshire Ian

We are looking for stone chippings to tart up the felt roof on our existing house rather than the new build. We were hoping that a few 25kg bags of chippings spread over the roof would make it less likely for the surveyor on our existing house sale to say we need a new flat roof (a common thing I have found if the roof looks a bit tired, even when it doesn't leak).

Hi Just wanted to share quotes with the community to help with benchmarking for other people's projects + ask if we are missing anything . We are building a two-storey house, around £200sqm floor space in rural Lincolnshire. We have quotes from 9 different companies. We've found that several companies offer PPC/Architects Certificates rather than an insurance-backed warranty, and some warranty companies simply provide quotes from companies for which you could go directly. So, we have narrowed our search down to two: Protek - total cost £3018 - 4 inspections Self Build Zone - total cost £2632 - 5 inspections The difference in quote price isn't a consideration. We are looking for the best service, a company that is simple to deal with, few hidden pitfalls etc. I have read on here that Protek have a clause that puts the insurance liability onto the main contractor for the first two years of the 10 year warranty, but I can't find this clause in the massive bundle on insurance docs we have been sent. We won't have a main contractor, we will manage the build with subcontractors. Does anyone have any experience of these two companies? Thanks

Hi folks Hopefully this will be an easy one for someone. Does anyone know where I can buy 6mm granite chippings (the little stones that go on flat roofs)? TIA

We don't live on site, so I am afraid I don't have a picture. The windows are externally glazed and seem to be stuck into the frames with double sided foam tape.

We are getting close to the demolition of our 1960's prefab and thought we would do some preparation before the demo team arrives. We would like to remove the sealed units from the ancient upvc windows to reduce the broken glass on site during demolition. We can pop out the beading that holds in the double glazing, but the sealed units seem to be stuck in to the frames. We have been able to remove a window, but it has been a very slow business prizing it away from the glue/tape. Does anyone have any tips for removing old sealed units that are stuck in to the frames? Thanks

Our battles with planning continue. To meet their requirement of a replacement dwelling in the open countryside that should be of "High Architectural Standard" we have ultimately conceded to have a render and clad house rather than brick skin. We are running out of fight and are reluctantly happy with this compromise. Having swapped from brick we now have a decision to make regarding what height we should start the render and whether we should have a plinth. Talking to the Planning Department is hopeless they aren't prepared to give us any guidance regarding what may or may not be approved (they just want to look at drawings as and when they are submitted) and our architectural technician isn't local which probably doesn't help either. Are there any pros and cons to render height (we are a bit worried about it getting damaged during the build process) and if anyone has a photos that would be brilliant. Thanks

Hiya I was just wondering if anyone had read/heard anything about how Labour's new planning strategy could potentially affect self-builders. For example, I have a 1/3-acre plot with outline planning permission, but it's outside the Local Plan Settlement boundary, so I can only build a replacement home, although there is probably room for two or three houses. Thanks

Hi We have submitted a full planning application to demolish and build a replacement dwelling. As we are getting planning permission that includes permission to demolish do we also need a Section 80 notice? Thanks

The blurb talks about swifts being very clean birds with no requirement for cleaning. Apparently, the adult birds poo away from the nest and even eat the chick's poo to keep things nice and clean!

Hi Our planners are keen for new builds to incorporate swift boxes. I researched this a little and realised that Wienerberger not only makes integrated swift boxes but also boxes for other bird species, bees, and insects. We have a two-storey, north-facing gable end that seems to fit the bill for the swift boxes, but I was wondering if anyone else had fitted other habitat integral bricks. We want to avoid bat boxes so that we aren't involved in all the protected species stuff. Any shared experiences/advice would be great. Thanks

Thank you everyone. If our application goes to the Planning Committee (not guaranteed at this point), we will need to consider our next steps carefully. Thanks for your help, it really is appreciated.

Hi everyone Thanks for your feedback. We have seen the Probity document and he has a "predetermined" view of what house design should be on the plot. He actually said during a Parish Council Meeting, "I believe that the replacement dwelling should be a bungalow and no-one will change my mind". This should be enough for him to be excluded from the Planning Committee decision making process, but I guess that he is too self-assured to realise this and I may need to write to the committee chairman.

Hi We are applying for planning, and we have received an objection from a parish councillor who is also a member of the district planning committee. I understand that this councillor should now remove themselves from the planning decision-making process. Does anyone know if there are any guidance notes/codes of practice that would prevent a councillor who serves on the district planning committee from publishing an objection on a freely accessible planning portal? Thanks

Hi @Conor Was that full planning or outline planning. We already have outline, waiting for the full planning approval. Thanks

Hi We have bought a derelict bungalow with outline planning permission and have started the demolition process of outbuildings etc. We don't have full planning approval yet (it's in the system). Even though we don't have Full Planning Approval can we start to: a). Have vat zero-rated services such as demolition and fence rection. b). Claim back vat on items we buy (we may erect our own fence and just buy materials). Thanks