ProDave

First go to the home page (click the big build hub logo at the top of any page) From there navigate the list of sub forums and select which sub forum you want to post in. Then and only then click start new topic button at the top right of the page.

http://www.rugbyadvertiser.co.uk/news/long-itchington-couple-ordered-to-demolish-home-disguised-as-garage-1-8156294 What I don't understand is why they tried to disguise the new house as a garage? They bought a "crumbling house only fit for demolition" so why did they just not get permission to demolish and rebuild, which would most likely have been granted.

Exactly why our OSB racking layer is on the inside. Be warned, a whole host of passers by will tell you that you have put the frame up inside out.

A properly installed oil boiler will NOT produce any smells inside the house. In our old house it i in the utility room without issue.

When we were in Australia, on the Gold Coast, there amongst all the new posh high rise developments sat an old wooden single storey "Queenslander" house. It was painted bright yellow, and had the name "asbestos manor" painted on it, and was for sale for $5 million I see it has gained some notoriety http://likeacheshirekat.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/asbestos-manor.html

The day I laid off my builder (nearly 2 years ago now and thankfully amicably, he knew the situation) when re realised it was the only way to stop the project bankrupting us was a sad day. There has been a lot of soul searching, agonising, hatred for the financial "situation", hatred for the people that made it so, despair that the house might never get finished, anger at the sheer number of problems that lie ahead to be solved. You WILL find a way. We have. Our build will be completed, 99% by me and SWMBO by our sheer grit and determination. It will take longer, a lot longer. There are ways to find the finance, sometimes from unexpected places, but we are resolute, we will NOT borrow, I would not wish to give any bank the pleasure of collecting interest payments from us, I still hold them in too much contempt to add to their profit. When it is all done, and the old house eventually sold, we will have our nice low energy comfortable house. It will have cost us less than we expected but the payback for that is I will have done a lot more of the work myself. Your end game remains the same. It's just how and when you get there that has changed. Take your time, don't make decisions in a hurry, you will find a way. Like most problems that have been thrown at you, one day you will thank the banks for the fact they saved you so much in interest charges by declining your business. They are the ones that will be poorer in the end as a result of their choices.

Pic of your meter / CU? I wonder if you are on the "Total Control" tariff, something I think was unique to SSE areas and no longer available a a new install. The give away will be a comlicated looking CU with 3 main switches often labelled "A circuits" and "B circuits" If you do have that setup then one bank (I forget which one) will be specifically for "heating appliances" and will be available and metered 24/7 at the cheap rate. This is where you connect focal point heaters, the immersion boost, showers and towel rails.

Sorry to hear of the predicament. You are not the first to be shafted like that from lenders, it happened to us (in a much smaller way) a few years back. At least name and shame the lender so others can choose if they like, not to give them any business. (for the record it was Lloyds that shafted us) I am sure you all know our predicament, the inability to sell the old house that should have been financing this one. That is now let to a tenant and our new build is edging along ever so slowly on virtually a materials only basis as and when we earn enough to buy a bit more. At lest doing more yourself means you will in the end get a cheaper house. Don't be scared, whatever task you are confronted with, someone here will be able to guide you, that's what buildhub is all about. Do as we did, complete all the heavy landscaping, drainage etc so you have finished with the digger early in the project so you can sell it (there are not many people with a new house barely at first fix who have been regularly mowing the lawn for over a year now) I hope you have better house selling luck than we did. Get a static caravan ready for when you sell the cottage

There's a lesson here. If you are going to take a long time, leave one room completely bare and not first fixed. Preferably one at the front that any nosey parker can look in and see a bare room.

Hi and welcome to the forum. Whatever you buy, make sure it has at least outline planning permission. Some plots are serviced, some are not. that's not a big issue as long as the price reflects it, and you are sure services ARE available. (note the recent Grand Designs house who left the water connection until last, and only then found it cost £40K) Building a house for £200K should be possible, I am trying to do that including the plot price.

Is it just an inspection chamber for rodding, or is there a branch at this location? (take the lid off and rake a picture?)

I believe I heard that a croft can have 3 "caravans" on it's land. this was told to me by the owner of a croft camping site who would take any number of tents, but only ever 3 caravans at a time.

I bought from this seller in Germany on ebay, works out about £14.50 per roll http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20-Rollen-proclima-TESCON-VANA-All-round-Kle-be-band-30-Mtr-x-60-mm-/381452848613?hash=item58d05c8de5:g:DG0AAOSwwbdWMxxx Better than the £20 or more per roll that all the UK sellers charge.

Don't screwy's sell individual lengths as well? I have a feeling they do in the shop but only sell the packs mail order? I guess it's a long drive to get to a shop? What to the BM's on the island have? The downpipe seems a standard size I definitely mixed makes, using the bends in TP as they could more easily be shortened than the ones I got from BP plastics

I suspect there may be a fireproofing issue, effectively having a garage and the house linked by ducting through what is supposed to be a fireproof wall. Perhaps if you had a fire alarm and fire dampers?