Alan Ambrose

Apologies, good point - and I think you’re right. I once had a dispute with one of the UK clearing banks where they bounced a big cheque twice … even after I notified them the first time. A ‘SAR’ got me reams (pretty much an entire ream of paper) or really badly formatted info. However, in there was a couple of nuggets of info which helped get the result we wanted.

Congrats, you must feel that’s a major step forward. Thanks for posting the images and the ‘what not to do’ hints. Any chance of an anonymised drawing? I’m interested in the position of dpcs, barriers etc. I think xps a much better choice than, say, Kore. Mind if I ask how you got the drains and ducts (a) in the right place and (b) held in the right place during the pour?

I think those plans you posted are estate agent’s plans no? Take them as ‘artist’s impressions’ rather than anything serious. Call in a good quality builder or an engineer? You can do the tapping thing with your knuckles or drill a tiny hole. An empty ‘cavity’ and a hollow sound almost certainly mean non- load bearing stud wall. Red or grey brick or block dust might mean either. Ask your neighbours if they know? - a structural support will usually run from the bottom of the whole structure to the top. p.s. you often need the freeholder’s permission to monkey with walls, so you might like to sound them out, and it’s possible they have useful info also.

My question was as written. ‘How common?’ i.e. about understanding the context of the planning world we inhabit. It wasn’t code for ‘do I think it’s happening on anything I’m involved in?’ Re: the ‘bribe claim’, I see the Slough Observer and The Observer are another source: https://www.sloughobserver.co.uk/news/24878224.slough-bribery-claims-developers-asked-pay-500-000/

MCS and heat pumps next? Wouldn’t it be better if .gov just stopped trying to micro-manage? It’s obviously crap at it.

If you don’t have passivehouse levels of air tightness, I think you’ll have ample air supply as it is. If you want, have a blower test done - maybe with and without the trickle vents open. We have a barn conversion done 7 year’s ago (not by me) with double glazing, trickle vents and (I assume) minimum BC standard insulation and air tightness. I put in a woodburner as I wanted it done right (I didn’t like the look of the standard flue hangers and had a custom SS plate bent up to fit). (BTW DIY is fine with BC involvement.) No external air supply - I leave one trickle vent open near the stove and that’s it. We have a nest combined smoke & CO alarm and, as I have asthma, I have a Davis particulate detector as a check. We use the stove a lot and everything is good. Yeah in the new place we’ll be passivehouse-like insulation and air tightness … and therefore have external air supply for it.

Look up the EPC from the government website and report back so we have an idea of the level of insulation in your barn. EPCs are a hopeless system, but they do give you a very rough idea. Maybe a screenshot of the bit that lists the floor/wall/roof insulation. Similarly, when you had your heat pump installed, you should have been provided with the calcs. Is there any kind of control system for the individual rooms? What was the heat output of the oil boiler you had taken out?

No, in fact the CDM regulations insist you have facilities for site workers. As Mike says, these are temporary facilities for the building process. You can also try to have your PD restrictions removed at a later date. I removed ours, at appeal, about 7 years after planning was originally granted. Let me know when the time comes.

I didn’t take it as clickbait so much although it is good marketing (in the sense of getting their name out) for the insolvency co. And they don’t have much incentive to fiddle the data or narrative - it’s not as if the article will cause a load of businesses to go bust (and thus the need for their services). A graph would have been good tho.

>>> Beamshield Huh, interesting. Jeez their website is hard work, a labelled drawing would help. So, the usual blocks are replaced by formed EPS? What provides the structural strength? Oh, I see ‘“and a layer on which to lay the structural concrete topping”. So, you cast a normalish slab on top? How thick typically? Presumably the EPS supports the wet load without any further propping? Reinforcing? If you’re doing UFH, do you use an additional screed or try to do it in the concrete and powerfloat?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9vmrpdrk4eo Worth bearing in mind if you’re due to fork out a big deposit.

The blocks are partly taking the loading from people, furniture etc, so that’s probably the reason that solid blocks are assumed. I suppose, in a pinch, you might fill some hollow blocks with concrete - but you would be fairly off piste from the manufacturer’s designs.

Yeah sounds an expensive way of buying a door mechanism 🤔. Thanks @JamesP - every day is a school day apparently.

Great to see the result - often here, we get to see the question and discussion but not the final result. You must be pleased. Is that wax finish on the birch ply?

>>> Use solvent weld PVC vs push-fit too, as they aren't reliable IMHO. For us beginners - is that ‘don’t use’ or ‘are reliable’? p.s. really appreciate the detailed explanation and recommendations.

(this was from a house on Rightmove)

Yeah, I think just turn the heater stat up to a higher temperature. We have towel radiators on thermostats which are positioned outside the bathrooms the rails are in. To get a straight timer schedule only (the stat manufacturer we use for everything else doesn't have a timer-only version) .... I just set the 'target temperature' to 'high' and that sorts it. (Actually 24C on the basis if its generally that hot we don't want the rails on anyway.) But it could be 34C.

Well the BS position seems to make sense - you are asking for lending on land which you don't yet own and don't yet have 100% PP on? It sounds like you need the loan, then complete the deal, then complete the PP - is that right? Maybe there's another source of funds that is happy to process your application to the point where you can close all 3 legs simultaneously?

I only get the headlines rather that the full article, so we'll have to wait until it's picked up by other press...

Reading the deed, a bunch of things don’t make sense to me: + it mentions a charge on the title but doesn’t specify an amount. I guess that’s just possible and maybe the LPA can put a hold on a property sale while they demand a ransom for BNG or similar. + under ‘commencement’ a bunch of things are mentioned that would not normally trigger ‘commencement’ - site clearance, ground and archaeology investigations etc. + ‘The Owners warrant that no person other than the Owners has any legal or equitable interest in the Property.’ - llike a mortgage company, for instance? + ‘that the Dwelling shall be constructed only as a Self/Custom Build House’ - as if there’s a separate category of housing akin to agricultural dwelling. Does it stop being a ‘self-build house’ when 3 years are up? How does it change this official status? + I thought there was a clause which said ‘this all falls away if the house is sold’ but I can’t see that now. More questions that answers, I might be inclined to figure out exactly what the implications are. All-in-all a fantastically complicated mechanism to lock down BNG for self-builds. As a neighbour of mine said yesterday re BNG - you don’t have to be a genius to figure that, before you apply for permission, you should raze the plot removing any flora and fauna …. so that you can claim max ‘gain’. Unintended consequences of badly thought-out ‘rules’?

Interesting, I hadn’t seen the Meanwhile limiters. I think they just switch in a resistor for 1/3rd second and limit to 26A tho? https://www.meanwell.com/webapp/product/search.aspx?prod=ICL-16L#1 18kW of heaters tho will cost about a fiver an hour.

FYI you can still take this to a lawyer at your leisure and attempt to recover the CIL.

Enforcement is going to insist you live in the property, even if you’ve been totalled by a no 10 bus? 😅

@ToughButterCup Good point - from Planning Daily’s feed (I’m not a member, but get the headlines). Mostly LPAs and consultants as customers, I think.

If this is the same company… https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/4773288