Roundtuit

A couple of spaces...3 days... a few quid admin... £350?

A strip of flashband, applied with a bit of heat for good measure (paint stripper hot air gun)? Won't be pretty, and won't come off again without a fight, but should stop any water ingress. Your silicon idea is probably as good as anything, and should be relatively easy to take out when it comes to the professional fix.

Yes. I wouldn't be tying up capital if budget was tight, and if I had a fighting chance of building a garage towards the end of the job.

It's not going to be easy - achieving something great never is - but it doesn't sound crazy. Think of your budget over a longer timescale if it helps; you don't need enough cash to finish it, just enough to be able to live in it! Take it steady, keep the cash flow under control (it makes sleeping at night much easier...) and complete sections as you can afford to at your own pace. I'd hire a container and leave the garage until later in the project to give yourself a bit more cash to play with perhaps, and leave the landscaping for now as @PeterWsuggested

Me too. It seems like some of the big archeology business have the market stitched up in some areas. I used an independent guy in Peterborough, so would probably cover your area. Just let me know if you want contact details. Looks like a great project!

Hi and welcome! I'm 300m outside of your planning district; happy to share experience if if helps, and good luck!

Still Purple Toadflax though...?

As above; I'd re-roof if it was mine. Don't bother with a surveyor; just get a reputable roofer to assess and quote.

Purple Toadflax? If it is I can't take any credit; just testing a friends plant ID app before I download one myself ?

Depends on what sort of look you want really. We have glass and like it a lot; cleaning glass beats dusting spindles! Bear in mind that you might struggle to achieve the 'frameless' look pictured in the OP, and will probably need a hand rail.

It won't be an easy or quick route, but any chance of a claim against the surveyor?

Just as a further thought, and I understand you'll have to sleep on this for a few nights; I think the return wall will look just fine rendered, and you can invest the saved cash in something else!

Ok, so it looks like the garage is not featured on the model in the first post. Personally, I think the architect has been a bit remiss and I'm surprised the planners didn't want to see that detail in your application. Don't beat yourselves up about it; I expect most of us have paid a price for the self- build 'learning experience'...

Looks like the garage sits back a bit, behind the downpipe. The whole overhang part should appear on the side elevation surely?

I'd be surprised if the rain was penetrating through the bricks. As above; rake out the mortar and replace with a decent sealant. I'd also repeat your hosepipe test on the decked area whilst keeping the wall/roof junction dry to rule out alternative routes in. Water will track along any joints and gradients and can appear on the ceiling some distance from the source.

I don't think the lenders will worry about whether the fees come from your savings or your borrowings, it's effectively the same pot. They'll just be interested in your equity, the cost of the project and your ability to pay the mortgage.

Recover them from where?

We use the window in the en-suite dressing room as the fire escape to avoid having to set a roof window low enough to meet regs. No door between bedroom and dressing room though.

Use the same fix, it will just take a bit more time and effort using filler to get a good finish. You won't be able to see it when you're done and painted.

I've got similar on my larch. I'm lead to believe the mould is living on the sugars in the sap wood, and will exhaust its food supply in time and then fade as the timber weathers.

I think there has to be a valid planning reason to refuse your application. If there is a valid reason, whether your neighbour objects or not is irrelevant, and whatever private agreement you come to with him doesn't trump planning law. I would continue discussions about acceptability with the planners, not your neighbour.

Yes.

If you ever want to sell, a buyers surveyor will probably be interested in looking up there to establish the state of the timber and the amount of insulation. Hopefully you won't need to remove wasps nests or trap squirrels, but I'd put a hatch in...

Airtightness is important to the performance of your house in terms of heating requirement and comfort levels. In simple terms, you don't get the full benefit of your insulation if the air is bypassing it.

Why have a test before you're ready? For a new build, I'd be aspiring to much better than a scrape through...