ToughButterCup

@Ferdinand must have started the Friday-Night-Is-International-Party-Night a bit early.

You may laugh..... Lots of our stuff has already gone to charity shops. Much more to follow. I'm trying to guess how much Hugh's likely to charge for a wee nook in his palace for Debbie's tutu...... Waralora stoof ya gather over the years!

During a build, inevitably there comes a time when SWMBO needs storage for her ball gown. And tutu. But self builders know that their lives are full of dust, damp, fumes, paint and swearwords. And Debbie wants her ball gown suitably protected. And I don't want to pay much. Oh, and by the way SPONS hasn't got a 'Store-Your-Ball-Gown' section. How (never mind how much) have you stored your precious clothes?

PM me the spec. Yes.

I have never made the mistake of telling anyone that I use the book. But I have smiled and politely and declined several estimates on the basis of what SPONS suggests. Neither do I begrudge anyone what they think they are worth. At the same time I do not want to be taken for a fool. Take piling for example: I had four estimates ranging from £15 to £22k. I paid £6,500 for piles . SPONS costs £150. I had some ground work done; actual cost £3000. Two quotes came in at over £11,000. SPONS makes it very clear that there are local variations. I suspect that prices in Sandbanks vary greatly from those in Poole for example. I use SPONS precisely because I know naff all about building.

But the task is of a known size. That - in conjunction with SPONS - makes it possible to make a judgement on whether the day rate is reasonable. SPONS has saved me about as much money as buildhub.

It doesn't matter: you have a known area to build; multiply that by the price per meter. SPONS itemises both labour and material costs, and makes an allowance based on Outer London being the base price; Lancashire's price will be about 0.96 of that price. Your neck of the woods , Ed is about half Outer London cost.... Too easy, too open to inspection.

SPONS sorts out that problem by citing a price per square meter.

Yeah, but now you have to keep it clean.......

Ditto...

OK, so how do you achieve a perfect seal between the top of the tray an the surrounding floor? (i.e. FFL)

Hugh, are you saying you've found a shower tray exactly 25mm ?

Folks, thank you. Since applying for PP, I have already worn out one Chromebook on 'Tinternet. By the end of this I'll not be surprised to have gone through another. Ian

Debbie wants what @Mikey_1980 did in this thread

No Ed, just plain vanilla, grandchild and fogey proof

Yes. Because we don't need it.

This is the suggested build up of our floor (from the slab upwards ). Because the architect has a cruel sense of humour he has specified German stuff ... again. Achtis Technical This is how it goes; And you can bet my bottom dollar that it'll be more expensive than necessary All I want (ahem ...well we want... ) is a warmish floor. And we've got 25mm to do it in. In the words of @Construction Channel, 'How hard can it be?' We'll be using a bit of electricity to walk on, and we'll have grand kids doing their best to scratch the Hell out of it, not to mention the odd dropped angle grinder. Why oh why does the world need so many flooring products? (Sorry, 'solutions') Comments; suggestions, please. Ian

Honestly @Pete, I'm living in the UK as a refugee from my German'ness' . And here I am looking at German kit, and building to German specs wherever I turn - doors4Uk is just the latest in a long line.

That tip has just dug me out of a hole. Needed to cut to the brush down a bit, but still... Tops! Thanks Ian

Living above the shop is starting to get to me a bit....

So, if I intend to build and stay in the house (until people in white coats take me out) , we don't need a SAP done?

Read. This board and others. Read the blogs. Be aware of the national and local building policies. Be patient, and persistent.

Here's a statistic that will help you. £1500 (of living space) per square meter is the 'norm' around here for a typical 'round here' house. Find out your 'round-here' price. You need to network - widely. Widely means know the planning officers, the relevant estate agents. You will need an excellent planner working for you. You will need to read as much as you can. And watch the politics; local and national like a hawk. The micropolitics can sometimes matter as much as national level stuff. Looking at estate agent windows is often helpful. My gut feeling is that your budget may be tight. Read widely, and talk. You'll find that over time your taste changes. It'll have to because of the sheer number of competing pressures.

Try it barefoot.

I'd missed this comment @Ferdinand. I am annoyed to find that I can only last 5 seconds balancing on one foot with my eyes shut now. (standard old-fogey test). Try it somewhere safe, and then try it again a few months later. Useful indicator for old codgers like me.