Roundtuit

Yes, just another material!

They're pretty standard. I did mine to an acceptable standard, and I'm pretty fussy. Paintbrush in one hand, wet wipe in the other! ? If you take them off, you'll get paint in the hinge cut outs and then the hinges won't sit flush. Offer to pay an hourly rate if your concerned about a slap-dash job. I only use water-based paints now (usually Albany acrylic eggshell from Brewers). The finish is good if you don't over-brush, and brush clean-up is sooo much easier.

Unless you're talking big towers and zip slides, I'd probably just do it. Any neighbours likely to object?

I'd politely ask the builder to get a skip in to shift his mistake then ?

The workshop can always have another name for planning purposes, but electricity might be a stumbling block. To qualify for zero rating, the dwelling has to be capable of being disposed of independently I believe. Not sure what that means in terms of splitting titles etc, but HMRC will be the arbiter ultimately rather than planners.

Double boarded plasterboard for sound insulation? As above, you really need something solid to fix to. Can you find a stud? I built-in some 6×2 noggins in a stud wall to coach-bolt to. I reckon it's as good as fixing to blockwork.

I did that. Dumped all of the bricks, blocks, concrete, broken tiles etc in a heap where the patio was going to be, and spent 2 years looking at a pile of crap wishing I had a patio. When I did get round to building the patio, I decided it was a bad idea, got a skip in to get rid of most of it and put about 10 tonnes of Type 1 down. I'd say either skip it, or loose it bit by bit down the local recycling centre.

Asking for a friend? ? Sounds unlikely to be granted retrospective permission for a garage I suspect. Maybe 'outbuilding' that doesn't require vehicular access has a chance.

I think most people would fit 'standard' gates, and accept that the gap underneath at one end is going to be greater than at the other.

There's no easy fix, but if you're not going to be trying to get a car in there, you could explore the possibility of installing a perimeter drain inside the garage, running into your existing drain channel, then dry-line the inside. A similar solution is used for basements in old houses I believe (with a pumped sump). Might be easier than digging the driveway up.

Only the ready-to-eat stuff. You can buy unwashed and do it yourself if approved and validated food safety measures concern you.

I bought Siberian larch from an on-line seller, based about 50 miles away. The price was great, quality was pretty average, and service was poor. I'd shop around and get samples. Local is nice, but if the timber is coming from Siberia, the last 100 miles is neither here nor there.

Ha! One of those self-build moments that convert your ar$ehole into a manhole. I remember the time I thought my planning permission had lapsed whilst my new application was still in progress...

Nah...normal sized blade...tiny feet!

Make sure there's adjacent hand-wash facilities, please!

Depends on your attitude to risk I guess.

Finance is going to be key. Your current lender won't let you demolish their security I don't think, so unless you can get finance in place to complete a new build, some form of extend and renovate sounds most do-able.

Ask him to point out exactly where that requirement is specified, just for clarity. I think it's bollocks. I've seen it required for communal facilities, but never seen it in a domestic situation.

I used a strip of lead flashing folded up behind the cladding and dressed half way down the front of the top reveal lining.

You'd have to do most of it yourself to get anywhere near £350k I think.

I appreciate the need to manage relationships, but surely paying the bill gets your seat at the table? You don't have to be mates but staying friendly is likely to yield the best results. Effective communication is key, and in my experience, much of the industry isn't very good at it, sometimes by choice, so you'll need to compensate. For what it's worth, we encountered our fair share of be!!end$ during the build, and after a while, a month's delay didn't even count as a delay. Just keep your patience, problem-solve on a daily basis, and look forward to moving in!

Could try Walker Nene Truss Co in Wisbech. I think that's where ours came from, although supplied through the frame supplier so I've no direct experience. We had large attic trusses.

Yes. All the sand from the same quarry, and white cement.

No, soakaways didn't come up; someone from the drainage board came out to site to discuss my proposals and ok'd it in principle (subject to the rainwater and treatment plant discharging separately - I think to meet any discharge testing requirements). I followed up by submitting a sketched plan of what we'd agreed, and that was it. Yes the site is level, and I should point out that we actually discharge into a piped section of the dyke - maybe soakaways are to prevent bank erosion?

I suspect anonymity isn't going to be a realistic option if you want to try fix this, so be prepared to pi$$ the neighbours off. I think you need to get someone from planning round to look ASAP so you might need to make a nuisance of yourself, and play on the fire risk aspect perhaps. If you're getting no response, call and ask what their complaints process is... It looks wrong on several levels, and I'd be very unhappy with it next door to me. Good luck!