Ferdinand

Should we actually consider that colour change in the light is a good thing? That was the reason I chose the colour for my Skoda Estate.

incidentally, the sun is out so I popped out for a couple of photos of the same roof. To me the larger clumps of Moss are fewer, and it seems to have kept it down. For a roof which is very tricky to access ... top is at about 8-9m and there is a conservatory right across the bottom, I a. Reasonably happy with that.

Suspect not I'm afraid. AFAIK Glyphosate does not work on moss. https://homeguides.sfgate.com/roundup-safe-moss-103841.html And I'd say be very careful indeed where the runoff goes. Glyphosate is delivered via water solution, and you could end up with water butts full of dilute glypohosate if you left them connected. Don't water the leaves of anything with it ! If you did let it reach your butt I'd run it off into the ground or drains at once. I would forget and use it by mistake next week.

Speaking on design. (Deliberately not talking about aspects of the plans, rather thinking around the box.) I think that one risk of your narrowish (and not *that* deep) plot is that the house will look (and feel) like a big shoebox for storing people in. Having said that 10.5m width (or 8m for the house, or 7m for inside the house) is more than most people have, but is not generous. Oversized-shoebox is a classic shape for a pushed-slightly-too-far selfbuild. The house is half of the length of the plot. The front is 10m deep, so you risk the backgarden feeling very short. The surroundings are ribbon development both sides of the road, detached houses of varying age and the rear facing North East. In Lancashire (Q: are you windswept?). One neighbour is close, the other is a drive width away on their plot. OTOH, you have open fields to the back. I think that is actually quite a challenging context, and there are a lot of limits on what you can do. The design needs to be creative in getting light into the middle of the structure, and making it feel like a house-nearly-in-the-country rather than something that could be in a former factory in inner-fringe London where it all has to look inwards. So IMO crucial aspects to do carefully are: 1 - Connections inside to outside - for light, views, and movement. 2 - Face to the street. 3 - Using the countryside outside your garden at the back as part of the garden. How you view the countryside from the inside. That all on top of the basic functional requirements. What would I be thinking? Different from the neighbours not fit-in, maybe non conventional roof shape - possibly with routes to get light in, big roof terrace at back (might even consider a roof-garden over the whole thing or smaller footprint and basement), look for my own aesthetic not try to be polite, try and make the ends articulated not flat - to minimise garage at front and make garden longer at the back by entering through set-back part. Small court / light well half way down one side. Articulate the front so sunlight reaches farther back? Inspiration? Whilst thinking about this I thought of the roof terrace of the Grand Designs "Ice Cube" house in Brixton, and the roof shape of the Wiltshire Grand Design barn conversion near Marlborough. Just thinking aloud Ferdinand

Land Registry for about £4 these days. ? Unless you are one of the holdouts who has not registered it. F

It's like the base colour range of VW cars, or Trousers worn by Mormon Missionaries or IBM Salesmen pre Julian Clary, isn't it? The standard less expensive, potntially less offensive ones dominate. At this point I admit that mine are all white or brown upvc. They are right on get a sample - if you even print out that image above on your own colour printer the colours will be quite inconsistent. I see no safe way to buck the trend except wood, or accept that you are a "sod you all" self-build eccentric. (I think all selfbuilders want to be a little eccentric, but not very eccentric.) Ferdinand

(Please). Sorry - lost further edits. I think the design and concept for the house on this particular plot need some thought - before it gets down to detailed interior thinking. IMO wind back slightly. I feel that the interior is perhaps better than the exterior, which can't quite decide whether it wasn't to be 70s inspired (front), maximise light 2010s, or more form-follows-function (sides). I think there's perhaps a need for a more unified concept, and some unifying features throughout and perhaps a more interesting overall shape. But I think we need the info I requested above to give more useful feedback. How do you plan to live in this house? F

It is a tight plot so the plot has more impact on the design than would be usual, so we really need the Location Plan. And your narrative about why it is where it is one the plot. F

What about rolls of weed fabric, which you can repurpose to use with your garden later? Should get fewer tape marks on your windows.

You can use the Elephant Technique. Drill a hole at either end. Connect your elephant at one end, then make it sneeze. Sorted. (You can do it the other way by squeezing its trunk with a clothes peg to prevent an intake of breath then connect it very quickly so that the insulation is sucked out. In this case you need to be fast runner as the elephant will be quite grumpy.)

If it is a very windy area. I might make it a little permeable.

There seem to be 2 of these threads.

Good

Try just phoning up the main number and asking (?) That is how I started. What does your circs do to a CIL claim on the other plot by a future self builder if the build has started? (Aside)

Looks sharp. I think my only Q is your chosen way of cleaning those Veluxes in the void. F

I have little idea what that number actually means in practical terms - in relation to 15bn of extra trade every year. Except that it is supposed to look small, perhaps by parties who are not happy that we are signing trade deals. Or media after easy headlines.

The content of hoover bags can go in the compost heap aiui.

I'm afraid it can take a couple of years, @Christine Walker, so your PP may expire or become less valuable as your position weakens as the time you have left on the PP shortens. Various thoughts, which may or may not help. You get it started either by talking to them, or by giving them notice to remove it. Other options are going for Detailed to lengthen the PP if you are Outline, or reapplying later. Buyers may be happy with an admission from the DNO that they will remove it, and a timescale. Mine were. Ferdinand

Guessing: because that is where the tablets go roughly, so designed to distribute evenly from there.

Remember that connect-to-phone cameras on wires are actually quite reasonably priced.

Someone recently posted about a system using slim metal posts which impressed me. Cannot remember the name.

OK. Glad to see that your head is screwed on and logical. I think the GHG is well thought out for its purpose - the other half of the agenda was to help boost the economy back out of the Corona Slump quickly, for which it has done its bit by the short timescales. They will need to do something like this continually to address the older housing stock to meet the 2050 target. Since an average older house has about 2 - 3x the emissions of a newbuild, and 65-75% of the stock are pre-energy-efficiency emphasis, that is where the 80% of the emissions problem is on the pareto chart. I expect an announcement in the Autumn Statement about longer term stuff. Ditto RHI. So you think there is only one pot per property for RHI *and* GHG? Interesting. Had not thought about that. Yes - insulation is under leftover ECO funding afaik. I have had about 3-4 of them over the last few years, and a new boiler or two where Tenants have been drawing the appropriate benefits. To emphasise: * Do talk to the Energy Saving Trust to see if they know anyone will do an assessment cheaper. I would not want an assessment from someone trying to sell me something. Perhaps "Green Deal Assessments" are still available if you pay? £300 sounds steep - they used to be more like £100. Try asking an EPC assessor if he could do a fuller report - mine would as they are also Energy Consultants. * Do think about cavity wall insulation. I know one friend who has had this free in the last 2 years. * Don't forget underfloor insulation because 1 Without it underfloor heating will never be efficient (40%+ of heat would be lost downwards) and 2 You only get one chance which is now, as once the carpets are down you lose enthusiasm to dismantle it all again. The easiest form I know is lift every third floorboard and install rockwool with a staple gun, though that is a bit weak for ufh - the last one I did also had celotex sheets over the previous floor. Other ways get you more insulation-power. * Don't necessarily go 3G mad - the good 2G is not actually far behind. Is it actually that much more than the film in £££? * The RHI assessment will want a normal EPC, not a flash one. ATB Ferdinand

It's at the bottom of every page ?, as you say.

Does not work.

Message through "Contact Us"