ProDave

Where these cases lose my sympathy is when you get statements like "demolition and complete rebuild is the only answer" Er, no, there is nothing wrong with the rest of the pool complex, just the home cinema "box" so worst case rip that out and re design it. I also agree it is a lousy environment for a home cinema anyway with all the humidity from a pool.

I thought this was going to be a thread about a home cinema on a house boat that proved to be a little bit too heavy for the boat........

This was discussed before and it seems to depend where you are. In some areas it seems easy to remove a derelict uninhabitable property from the valuation list, others not so.

Forgot to add, we are on the electoral register at the new address as well.

You can allocate space in the room with the WC or an adjacent room or cupboard that can be reconfigured.

Yep, council tax addressed to new house, all post arrives at new house. Just not paying silly money to get it on the PAF database so stalemate.

How about make one of the en-suites a Jack and Jill also opening to a circulation space. I believe that would then obviate the need for a public shower, so the toilet could be smaller (but check that with BC first) The space saving idea we have is the downstairs WC is in the utility room. Not to everyones taste, but BC are happy with it as long as it has disabled access and there is room for a shower to be added later (if we did that we would divide it into 2 rooms)

I am going to contest this now with the RM and possibly with the Highland council. The HC have told me the new address is on their address database. If I did pay the fee and send off the form to them, they would probably now tell me I can't have that name as it's already in use.

Scottish BR say you must have space to fit a 900 by 900 shower plus it's activity space You might as well fit the shower rather than just leave the space (and install the drain for it) . You need to model the room with all the activity spaces. The door will probably have to hing outwards. My gut feeling is making both bedrooms en-suite is an extravagance in such a small house. Make the middle bedroom just a bedroom and the back one a bigger bedroom with en-suite by ditching those cupboards.

I used to be a Grundfos fan, but have to say I was taken by the Wilo at how refined and silent it was. I only used it as a substitute as I had one spare, if I am buying another to replace the other IBO it will be another Wilo that I buy.

So far this winter I am averaging less than £1 per day for space heating. I am not losing sleep at how I will pay the bill. If we were serious about climate change and reducing fuel use, a house like ours would be normal, not just something a few of us strive to build. And this is the Highlands, -9 last night, daytime high today -6, but you would not know it unless you step outside (I guess the frost on the outside of the windows might give a hint)

But it would still be nice to have an acknowledgement they are aware of the problem and they are working on a solution.

That looks to be the same manifolds I have that also came from ebay. Be warned, those IBO pumps are noisy. I changed the worst offending one (the on in our en-suite upstairs) for a Wilo and it is silent. I will probably end up changing the other one as well .

What was the exact wording that you used to explain why it was not already on the PAF?

I had the same predictable answer from the Royal Mail

Skirting and window boards are a long way down the list, somewhere after doors and door liners.

Just to finish the thread off, here is the finished item:

Every hole should have a nail in it. A PITA but not hard to do.

Was that an on line form? if so do you have a link?

The HA won't care. "Renewables" Check, box ticked, job done.,

This is the modern version of the Electricair https://www.dimplex.co.uk/product/electricaire-r1073 It has a 10KW element and can store 73KWh, so even if it's thermostat was stuck on, it could not consume more than 73KWh in one night. You mention another storage heater and there is the hot water tank, each of these will have a 3KW heater so can consume a maximum of 21Kwh each, so that will give you a grand total of 115KWh. So for some reason that night, everything was running flat out. What you might expect the first night it was turned on from cold? The thermostat in the living room, usually in conjunction with a programmer, controls the fan to blow heat out of the heater to the rooms, that is independant of the themostat on the unit itself that sets the storage core temperature during the overnight charge.

That central blown air storage hater is an Electricair system. They were widely fitted in social housing near here in the past. You can in fact still buy them and all the parts to maintain them, though they are mainly targeted at commercial heating now. They are probably no better or worse than any other storage heater, except being blown they perhaps lose less heat when idle than an individual storage heater. Let's face it here, this is probably an old leaky poorly insulated house so the consumption is to be expected. The only thing "wrong" was whoever quoted you a heating bill of £90, unless they meant £90 per month every month just for heating, then you may be somewhere close.

I have tried submitting that form again. Only this time I did not tick the "new house in the last 12 months" box. I expect it will result in the same you have to pay the fee" response.

I just bought a cheap dirty water pump from Screwfix and as long as there is a bit of a sump it will empty it. Tip if / when it breaks within guarantee, SF will not ask for the old one back because it is "dirty" and just send a replacement.

I "escaped" (from Oxfordshire) for much the same reasons but went the other way to the Highlands. So I can't comment on the SW, but can definitely recommend leaving the over crowded over priced SE