oldkettle

yep, saw the site, but can't match the part number: 40607 is not on their list ?

It's the shaft hole (is this the right term?) - I guess the wheel has jammed somehow and the steel shaft just broke the plastic. I found a few used pumps on ebay for £25-35, seem a better bet than a single used wheel. But it used to be a tenner for a pair of these.

Our Stuart Turner Showermate 1.8 Bar Twin Pump (model 46407) suddenly started making a strange noise and the hot water pressure dropped. Took it apart partially to find the impeller on the hot water side needs replacement (although not clear why - the shaft turns easily and the cold water side is OK). The pump itself is not very old so I thought surely it is easy to find a part - but had no luck so far as the manufacturer doesn't sell these direct anymore and none of the usual suspects seems to stock it. I've managed to find one used on ebay - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-STUART-TURNER-SHOWERMATE-IMPELLER-SHOWER-PUMP/223304405951 - and nothing else. This site https://www.showerdoc.com/newteam-impeller-set-of-2-st-16582 says discontinued. So - is it my search skills or are there some hidden gems available to trades only? Or do I just have to buy a new one ASAP? I will probably try to install the good impeller on the hot water side and see whether it is any better for now :-)

I want to carefully ask whether anybody actually notified BC about this kind of a job. What are the risks of not notifying in case of a floor slab where there is not really much chance of anybody noticing?

Does it mean I need to look for private BC service? As council price list looks rigid to me, options are 1) "TWO STOREY EXTENSIONS" (by size) 2) "Internal alterations, installation of fittings (not electrical) and/or, structural alterations" (by project cost) 3) "Renovation of a thermal element to a single dwelling" - not even sure how it works for modifications to multiple thermal elements

As our planning appeal is going to take quite a while, I am trying to arrange some works that will need to be done regardless of future planning, i.e. removal of the chimney, digging out of the floor slab etc. These are all notifiable and the fees are quite steep. Is there a way to pay only once - for these works and for the future extension (for which there is obviously no documentation whatsoever)?

Congratulations, looks great and feels so solid.

It was a simple arithmetic for me : 20W usually gives about 1500 lumens, whereas anything smaller is a half or even a quarter of that. Makes a massive difference.

I bought this https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00LGWQB6I to replace ours. 20W E27 LEDs work really well. If you find something similar, but with bulbs pointing up, rather than down, it will likely be good enough.

@dpmiller Something like this https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-led-pir-floodlight-black-10w-daylight ?

https://cpc.farnell.com/lloytron/l8516dp/floodlight-100w-led-with-pir/dp/SR10387?MER=sy-me-pd-mi-alte This one claims to be wired properly - "Pre-wired with 1m of H05RN-F, 3x1mm² flex cable" I wonder... Not cheap, though. ebay is cheaper indeed https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LED-Floodlight-10-20-30-50-100W-PIR-Sensor-Motion-Security-Flood-Light-Warm-Cool/183514014398 - the cable is 3-core Plus something like this https://cpc.farnell.com/wiska/10060523/combi-junc-box-76x76x51-ip66-grey/dp/PL13425?st=wiska ? or even that one https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-Pin-Waterproof-IP68-Junction-Box-Connector-Electric-Cable-Inline-Wire-Plug/183506111110 ?

Thank you. Missing earth connection is a problem, can't be resolved without opening the unit. ? Will have a further look on ebay. We have a large drive and due to external steps there are 3+m between the parked car and the front door, so the smaller lights unfortunately won't be enough. On the other hand, we don't have many visitors so the lights shouldn't be coming on too often.

Well, I haven't found a specific model to buy yet as somehow those that are more powerful don't have PIR :-) But something like https://www.amazon.co.uk/WIDEN-ELECTRIC-Floodlight-Lighting-Waterproof/dp/B01JLJT8OY - looks similar. Do you think it's worth going into trouble with opening the unit (I appreciate the offer of help!)? Wiska boxes are less than £5, I already have a cable from the inside to the existing unit, if this is safe I'd just connect this cable and the unit's maybe?

Thank you, Jeremy I did consider doing it. Some reviewers mentioned manufacturers prohibit opening the units. I don't care about warranty, as long as this does't leave me exposed in case of fire / insurance claim.

Our halogen PIR light stopped working some time after I replaced the broken 500W bulb, so I want to install a new LED unit instead. It seems most have a very short cable, 1m at most, which means it won't be long enough to get inside the house. I read that a junction box is the solution - is that correct? Any specific model? I will also be grateful for any recommendations of the lights themselves - looking for something quite powerful, close to 10K lumen. TA.

Does EWI need to be notified to building control? I suspect it does and having a BC approval or whatever certificate they issue would certainly help with any future buyer inquiries. About 10 years ago we were trying to buy a house that was extended nearly 10 years earlier. Planning was in place but it turned out BC completion certificate and any intermediate check information was not. The sellers tried really hard to get one but their BC eventually told them that there was not much they could do as everything was covered and unavailable for inspection. Two banks have refused to issue a mortgage and we had to walk away. Of course EWI is not an extension.

I dug the hole to expose the foundation then called the local building control officer. He was very nice, arranged a site meeting and confirmed he had no issues with our plans.

Got a quote from a planning consultant. £3K, comparable to what we paid to the architect for the whole long process. It looks like we will have to do it ourselves. They mentioned that even when an appeal is rejected the specific reason for the rejection is stated, rather than "mass or bulk" mumbo jumbo, making it potentially easier to address in a new application.

I was sure the name came up in one of the discussions here regarding software but annoyingly a quick search brought nothing. May be it was on ebuild.

Autodesk Sketchbook is now free - only requires registration https://sketchbook.com Via hotukdeals

Only 3kg per shelf though ?. It's quite a bit of money for so little storage.

In our neck of the woods you can't even meet one unless you are a developer. Well, officially you can't anyway and I wouldn't go any other way. There is a recording of the guy saying during the debates that the roof above the entrance door is "the porch" hence the ground floor extension. I wish there was a way for me to use this. I also got a confirmation that local politics is less logical than the big one. Or rather the standard stereotypes don't quite work. Who would have thought that it would be the Labour councillor from a different ward who would speak most confidently in favour of approving the largest house on the street. And I certainly didn't expect my own Conservative councillors to vote against. What happened with "live and let live"? Well, they won't get our votes now.

Well, we lost We took a report prepared by the planner and added our comments, showing every bit of misinformation. We put it in an email, attached pictures demonstrating our statements and added a summary. Sent it to every committee member. My wife was worried delivering letters in person was a bit of "we know where you live". SHMBO. The first disappointment was when no-one else but the head of the committee replied saying he forwarded our email to the planner asking to prepare a presentation. That was the sign for me he was not on our side despite calling the case to the committee in the first place. The second disappointment was that even though our neighbour was happy to come and speak it was not allowed as there were no objections in the first place, hence I was not allowed to speak either. So it works like this apparently: the planner presents the case repeating all the lies, then the councillors discuss the case, some of them citing the lies told by the planner as concerns, then they vote. 4 vs 4 twice, then back to square one where the head joined the vote against us. Shocking process. I honestly can't believe the answer to our statement about say the discrepancy in the size of the building stated was "I measured their plans". How about the size that we specify - does it count for nothing??? He then on a request of one councillor presented the net increase in the footprint which is way over the real one. He claimed we have a ground floor front extension - porch - pointing at the roof above the front door. All is recorded on video. They are clearly not afraid to be caught. Anyway, on every item they voted as planners told them. Sleep now. Prepare to appeal later. The only good news is we talked to someone else who had a similar problem with the planners and they won the appeal. Seriously considering getting a consultant for this as it just takes too much time and I would rather be told right now if it is hopeless.

Thank you, Peter. The reason I am asking these questions is two-fold. First, I don't want to be kidding myself. I am not a professional and there are plenty of things that are not common sense. Second, and it is based on the first of course, I want to know whether - in case of a rejection - we have a good chance at appeal. If my common sense guesses are correct, I would think with a reasonable consultant the chances would be there, but only in that case.

Sorry, as I still can't find a good online source explaining it - may be our resident architects could comment please ( @Dudda @Temp @caliwag ) ? Reading about "bulking and massing" of a house, I found that at a very basic level a mass is a visible area of the building. From http://mcmansionhell.com/post/148605513816/mcmansions-101-what-makes-a-mcmansion-bad The primary mass is the largest shape in the building block. The secondary masses are the additional shapes that form the façade of a building. Windows, doors, or other openings are called voids. Voids allow creation of negative space that allow for breaks within masses. Placing voids that allow for natural breaks in the mass create balance and rhythm across the building’s elevation. Looking at our plan and comparing with the neighbours, I naively say: we are a bit higher in the ridge but since our ridge is perpendicular to the road the area and our house is less wide our roof area and hence the mass is lower than that of our neighbours' houses. So - question one: is this completely wrong, wishful thinking? And question two: does visibility of the house, i.e. whether the walls are fully exposed or partially hidden affect the massing? I.e. comparing say the house on the left - this is the closest to our plans in terms of shape, having its walls hidden to a large degree so that only the top 1m is visible with the house on the right here I feel that the latter has a 5.5m*10m brick wall fully exposed hence even though it may be a bit smaller in size it looks heavier to me. Am I completely wrong again? Thank you in advance.