Roundtuit

I can't recall the exact qualifying criteria, but you can possibly use your 'free go' for a second application, so the only cost is time (and a bucket full of stress!)

What was the actual wording of the refusal? I assume that the objection has come from the Council's Tree Officer? In my experience, Tree Officers can often be part-time or shared between councils, and may not have much time to put into giving considered feedback to applications, so default to 'no'. I'd try and make contact and get them out to site for a meeting to discuss mitigation measures. You might be able to reach an agreement without spending any money on consultants.

Sorry to hear you've got this problem; no mist coat by the sounds of it. I repainted a bathroom ceiling for someone last year with a similar problem, and it was a real pain in the ass to get an acceptable finish by the time I'd soaked, scraped, sanded, gouged the plaster etc. If you don't get all of the old stuff off, you can still see it through the next coats. If it had been mine, I'd have had it re-skimmed. If its walls, have you considered tiling instead? It will still need some prep work, but might be easier to get a satisfactory finish.

I can't think of a way of your builder justifying an additional charge tbh; it should have been priced in, but even if they did, we're surely only talking about a couple of hundred quid for half a day's work?

I used those 45mm tongue tite screws for our cladding on to 25mm battens over blockwork. Anything sticking out of the back of the batten just screws into the blockwork. Screw heads are just below the cladding surface and barely visible at 5 paces.

I just keep the dog away until the spay has had chance to properly dry. If it's a dog that has a habit of eating grass however, perhaps keep it fenced off until the spayed area has started to desiccate and becomes unpalatable.

Mrs Onoff. She's seen the rate you're getting through the job list...

+1 for the brush-in resin stuff. I used Joint-it. Not cheap, but good results and way easier than pointing up with mortar. Ours has been down for a couple of years and looks as good as day one.

Sounds like too many extracts unless you have a lot of 'wet' rooms. The air needs to flow through the house, not just out of a feed and back up an adjacent extract. Generally I think you can just extract in toilets/bathrooms/utility/kitchen, and feed to every habitable room. As above, a plan would help. (Don't forget a 10mm gap under all of your internal doors is required to get the air flow 😉)

Nah... I think that when he submitted the objections his battle-lines were already drawn, and he'd resolved to live with whatever fall-out followed...

Sounds like your neighbour is set on being a pain in the butt. How was the letter delivered? If not recorded delivery, I'd be tempted to bin it and carry on as planned. However... wiser words are as above. If you can still manage to be civil with the guy, try and come to some sort of understanding and agreement, but you really need to understand what your legal rights of access are first.

Why not just use slate, with a bit more slate, and slate on top of that? Just tap it in until it's tight and chip off anything overhanging.

Pack with slate if you're concerned; that's the traditional bodger's packer of choice 😉

We've got a couple of rooms I've not got round to flooring yet (well...its only been 4 yrs...). Only light foot traffic and load of stored crap in there, but not a problem for the floor. Maybe don't sand off the laitance yet if you're worried about damaging the surface, and stand furniture on bits of cardboard.

Looks a neat job! Has it been professionally designed? Seems quite shallow - are you down to solid ground?

Yep, certainly has that warm, personal touch about it. Please bear in mind that it's only the opening offer. It will take another three quotes and a threat to go to Benchmarx to get to the real survey.

Looks like a pretty standard request from a consulted. You don't have to do anything unless the planners take it on board and make it a planning condition. I'd give the planners and the archeological society the info you have on the site history to help them make an informed decision as to the benefits of an investigation. Best to avoid a planning condition being imposed if you can, but if not, it's not usually a show-stopper!

As above, they should have been supplied with a thin timber jointing strip that fits into the rebate in the frames, so not visible when fitted. To be fair though, mine were big windows and hard to manoeuvre, and too tight in the opening to get the joining strips in, so they're butted-up and screwed like yours, but with a load of sealant between. I've currently got 10mm plastic caps over the screw heads with a view to filling and painting at a later date. Rationel can provide colour matched spray paint.

Unless things have changed, maybe this is a clue re: design route... https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/topic/27157-first-timer-essexlondon-border/ That's not what you need as a client. If your 'architect' isn't adding value and delivering what you need, change them. I did.

Not a big problem, and an easy enough fix. I'd get the new linings in first, assuming you can get a decent fix, then just fill in the holes with a stiff mortar mix and plaster over the top.

Great effort, but get some more soil over the top; if you don't get the top of the pot/compost covered with soil it sort of acts like a wick sucking moisture out of the surrounding soil and evaporating it.

Laminated would be my preference for anywhere near stairs. Both toughened and laminated are considered 'safety' glass; the difference is that if the laminated breaks, it stays in place. If the toughened breaks, it breaks into tiny pieces and allows you to continue your onward journey...

Dig over a trench about a spades width and 6 inches deep along the bottom of the frame so the soil is loose and 'workable'. Add a bit if manure if you have some, but if not, just use a liquid feed later if necessary. Scrat a hole in desired position so that the top of the compost in the pot goes just below the soil surface. Cover up, firm in, repeat until finished. Water well! Those cardboard things are designed to be planted and degrade, but they do restrict the roots a bit. I'd pull off any bits you can without causing too much root damage. The marks on the leaf look like light insect damage, maybe grazing by thrips or something. I wouldn't worry about it, there will be enough leaf to go round! Your old man is right; get them in!🤣

A hearth isn't always needed, it depends on your choice of stove. This is ours; ceramic tiles over anhydrous screed, HETAS installed and no issue with BC at sign-off (England). (The glass on the floor was a later addition to keep the grout clean).

You may find that anyone that's quoted for one of your potential Main Contractors won't be prepared to do the job for you directly. They may bull$h!t around being too busy to fit you in or quote silly high, but ultimately may not be prepared to risk jeopardising future business with the MC; that's not the way it works. If course, that may just be me being cynical, or, it may limit your choice of demo guys a bit. I'd be keen to get started too, but realistically, you'll only be gaining a matter of days.