AndrewR

I contacted what the internet says is the UK office for Evercrete. Seemingly it is a different company now as Evercrete went bankrupt five years ago. So, thanks for the advice on the postal sample process, but can you direct me to a lab that will analyse the sample for £25 please?

I'm restoring an old cottage in the Highlands and the current roof is what looks like asbestos corrugated sheet. It is however stamped with the words "Evercrete Standard AO" and it looks relatively modern. I wonder therefore whether it is asbestos or merely cement. I know that I could have an analytical test done, but I thought that it would be easy to identify the material from the name on the sheets. Surprisingly, I cannot find any reference to it on the internet. Can anyone help please? Andrew

Thanks for all the advice, and particularly the link to the document Jamie. The change of use is because it is not currently registered as a dwelling. It is disused, but not ruinous. The communal waste pipe under the road goes to coastal waters. Whether it actually goes out directly or whether there is some sort of drainage field on the cliff edge, I don't know. I suppose I'll have to investigate and ask around. Though other houses outlet to this pipe from a septic tank, I don't know if my property has a septic tank. This is a job already on my list. I'm immediately cautious about notifying SEPA of the private system in case it impacts on my new neighbours. Andrew

I own an old cottage in Scotland that has not been lived in for a number of years. It is not currently registered as a dwelling so I'm going through a change of use application and I'm discussing plans with my architect prior to submission. The cottage is rural and near the sea, though it is on a street with other, currently habited, properties. Underneath the road is a ca. 6" drain that takes septic tank effluent from other houses and transfers it out to land near the cliff edge. It is therefore a private treatment system and not a local authority - to sewage treatment plant - system. An existing drain from my house feeds into this road pipe. Though pre-existing and used by all other houses on the street, my architect is sceptical about whether this pipe can be used and is suggesting that (by SEPA rules) I may need to install a soakaway to take septic tank effluent. Can someone please give me a definitive answer as to whether he is right, or whether I can argue that it is a pre-existing feature?

Thanks, Jamie: It is not a complex project. It is a conversion. The planning pre-app' came back fine with a few recommendations about access and external material types. Would you please explain what you mean by 'going about getting structural work certified'? I don't want to specify details of the project because I don't want to be identified as being critical of the verifier. Who certifies what and to whom? A

I am just starting my first conversion project on an old building in Scotland. I wanted to do my own planning permission and building warrant for reasons of saving on expenditure and the self-satisfaction. I put in pre-application advice for planning, but have only been e-mailing for pre-submission advice from Buidling Standards (warrant) because I wanted to be sure that I didn't get the submission rejected. It is a very small project. Can someone please advise on the following: 1. Are all Building Warrant 'verifiers' the same, and how does one deal with them? They don't help. I ask questions, and they drip feed information. They won't tell me what I should do, but are free to tell me what I shouldn't do. They give negative responses which I believe are wrong according to the Building Standards Technical Handbook and when I ask them to verify which part of the standards they refer to when making this decision they don't respond [I won't go into details because I don't want to be identified]. Or is it just that I have got a bad verifier? I honestly believe that he doesn't know. 2. Based on 1, it is a big puzzle to me when to actually submit both planning and warrant applications. This is because the two are inter-connected. Planning tell me (in their pre-planning advice - which I paid £140 for) that their decision is based on what I might have to change to comply with building warrant, but (as above) building warrant are at worst obstructive. So, do I first submit building warrant and get this accepted, but taking the risk that Planning might reject it, or do I submit both simultaneously and do we then go back and forth with negotiation until the plans are mutually acceptable to all parties? Based on what I have encountered so far, I worry that they will just not help and that the warrant application will be rejected. I know that there is recourse to go to ministers, but if I do this while my planning application is being considered then would they hold off making a decision on my planning application??? 3. A couple of people have told me over the years that it is best to ignore both planning and building standards and just wait until they contact you. This is not my way, but I'm beginning to think that it is the best course to take. Any opinions? Thanks, Andrew

Thanks. I'm on the look out for an old book that might explain it. Andrew

I was going to post a new message, but saw this recent thread: I own a small croft in Caithness. It has a "well" on the plans of the land and on site this is apparent by an isolated area of permanently wet ground. There is no evidence of a "bubbling spring" however. I'd like to tap this water and make it accessible for domestic potable use, which will mean making good the surface access with a wellhead chamber of some sort and, I assume a small borehole with pipe and preferably hand pump. I'd like to do this myself if possible. Can you advise me on how this water source can be tapped, traditionally (i.e. by DIY and at low cost)? All I am looking at is to have something like a hand pump above the well head which I can visit to gather water. Thanks, Andrew