Ferdinand

You can PIR in any thickness well, beyond 70mm up to and including say 150mm or even 200mm. eg Celotex to 200mm https://www.celotex.co.uk/assets/handy-guide_nov18.pdf The insulation material is a relatively small amount of the cost, and my advice is to really work on the detail and ask lots of questions. I have looked over the years at EWI on half a dozen different houses and always ended up doing IWI, underfloor insulation and loft insulation instead. That is probably not what you want to hear, but you will need to be doing the project on the basis of comfort as well as economics. Happy to comment and point you to resources. Ferdinand

I think that's it. As the RHS say: "Linaria purpurea is a vigorous perennial with erect stems clad in narrow, grey-green leaves, with purple flowers 1.5cm long in slender terminal racemes in summer and early autumn; often seeds freely." They are right it seeds freely; it's bloody everywhere.

I have a small amount of that - and a plague of cats - but I know catmint. I would describe the leaves as "straplike". Thanks.

Why not grow an evergreen or flowering climber, or say tomatoes? If you look back at editions of some gardening programmes there has been a lot of "from the presenters garden", and some have included balcony gardening in flats. eg If you look up The Beechgrove Garden on BBC2, one of the presenters has been stuck in a flat in Edinburgh. I am something of a fan of that programme since introduced to it by mum, on the basis that if something will grow just outside Aberdeen in the land of howling gales, I have a reasonable chance of making it work 400 miles to the South on my modest hill in Notts. They also seem to be far less up themselves than other gardening programmes. Ferdinand

I am actually wondering whether it is a traditional wallflower. They are noticeably shallow rooted.

That site does look quite like the one from the IoW that was on Grand Designs a long time ago. Very attractive.

Douglas Adams, in "Life, the Universe and Everything", that Arthur Dent expressed a need for "a strong drink and a peer group". That is what this Gardening Blog is for - my need for the same thing because my knowledge about gardening is patchy, just like my garden. Buildhub cannot supply a strong drink, but I am hoping that the peer group can help me get to grips with the garden I inherited last year. The idea has been around for a couple of months, and is now in a position start. We talk a lot about building here, but not so much about all the aspects of the settings of our houses - planning, clearance, climate, fencing, groundworks, trees, plants, soil, hedges and all the rest. That is what I hope can get a bit more coverage and conversation here, in all its aspects. This is a group blog, with potentially as many authors as wish to contribute, so if you have a question, or a project, or a garden you have liked or a plant you have spotted or grown, we can sign you up as an author or do a one-off contribution. If you would like to involved as a one-off or regular, do send me a Private Message. For my first question - what is the purple plant in the middle of the piccie below, and is it a weed or a specimen? Do I take it out or leave it in? Comments are most welcome. Plant identification is one of my weak points. * The header picture is of the Dill and Watercress in my microveg "Green Wall" - which has been one my new projects during the lockdown period, which I will post about more as things go on.

That wasn't me - I would douse my leg in nitric acid, cut it off with a rusty hacksaw, and feed it to a rabid labradoodle before doing that. I use something with a texture selected specifically to hide any potential lines, and especially any marks or scratches. Rather like the sensible default colour for any car being the same as the colour of the local dust. I am not one of the "lets create as much aggro as humanly possible for ourselves by buying the most awkward patterns possible" set ? . Give me a construction cocktail instead, any day. ,

Great news. ? *polishes nails on shirtfront*

You could frame out with eg 20x10mm rather than normal size timber.

In that case I would try and frame out first if space allowed.

What does he say it is?

I think it's Peter Pan.

If it's a money pit logically you have to fill it up not raise it down? ? I'll refrain from quibbles with direction of travel "raise it down" ?? (Serious post after my toast and marmalade)

OP says uninsurable.

Many BHers end up with Cottage Oak doors, and if you work the angles the door including hinges and furniture can come in in the £90 to £100 range. Which might give you what you would like. Other things you can do include sets of doors of ebay from people upgrading etc. Depends on if your sizes are standard etc. F

What's your budget? Are we in £25 doors or more like £75? Are you committed to white? (Have you tried getting posher doors at a discount?)

Normal upvc door? Or you could do a composite door? Or are your actual requirements more demanding?

You have presumably considered sprinklers, which relax various fire requirements?

5.5 * 5.5 * 0.15 is 4.5 cubic m, so only approx 5 bulk bags. Have a crack for a weekend, and you might be surprised how much you move by hand.

You need to ask them. The ones I listed above come under the "habitable" requirement. I am going on what is required before finance for BTL renovations becomes more difficult. Extensive dry rot may be a further cause to make it unmortgagable - but I have never done one of those. This may be a useful thread over on propertytribes - this mentions Dry Rot but the commentator implies 'usually' which would put you into specialists or special arrangements eg phased release as value increases. https://www.propertytribes.com/11-scenarios-that-make-a-property-unmortgageable-t-9544.html F

Isn't this "deposit" a total Red Herring in this discussion? Your "deposit" is eg the other 40% when you take out a 60% mortgage, n'est-ce-pas? And you don't need cash to buy that because you already have it. The advantage of that loan is that it provides by shuffle more working capital. Depends how much headroom you need combined with how the costs compare to any mortgage. Essentially it provides water under the boat to stop you grounding - the question is whether a) you need the water, and b) there is a better way of providing it.

When it comes to finding an agreed outcome, remember that one of your options will be arbitration if it is not clear and horse trading does not work. I hope that you get a resolution on this following normal contract law principles ... which will revolve around what was clearly communicated back and forth, and what assumptions could be expected to be made by a competent contractor or client from those communications. It would be too easy to spend more on going round and round than the size of the issue itself, which would cut off both your noses. Best of luck, anyway.

Except via VAT exempt suppliers, of course.

Welcome @Imogen - what an interesting person to take this on ?. For your questions: If you want a mortgage, and I don't see why you shouldn't get one ... there is equity in the house and your job is well-paid and as secure as it gets, I think you may need to talk to either a Building Society or similar that gives autonomy to the local management, or to a specialist broker. You could perhaps expect to pay £500-600 as a fee on top, but they should have sight of the whole market. One suggestion I would make it to look at the 60% LTV point, which is where you will get a better interest rate. For a broker, perhaps try asking the Scottish HHA https://www.scotlandsheritage.org.uk/partners/historic-houses-association/, or asking on a property forum (I am a member at propertytribes.com - though this is more developer / landlord they have brokers as site sponsors etc and are reputable). For a mortgage you need cooking, looing and bathing facilities, and probably heating. There are things you can perhaps do to start dry rot treatment - such as dismantling all the floors. You could also perhaps phase it if you can quarantine an area that you do not need for a few years to help with budget and do it later - but you know best about that. One possibility is if some work is not needed - is there a need to replace *all* the windows? Can some be refurbished? Aside :Can you get a reduced VAT rate for repairs to a listed building? As everyone else has, I'll give a view to try and help you reflect. When I was 10 my parents took on a listed building that had been empty for several years (5000 sqft small manor on 7 acres) at the age of 40 both, and that had some dry rot and woodworm. The difference was that dad was an architect and had the skills / knowledge to DIY most of it, and how to find people for the rest. One learning point is that projects can take a long time, and if you can find a way to live with it that can work. We had buckets to catch water during rain for three or four years, as the roof had last been maintained by the Victorians and there were no fewer than seven separate gables (one of which fell off whilst mum was sunbathing one day in 1976) - so it took time. They were still doing things three decades later. I think your choice comes down to desired lifestyle, whether this is the project to deliver it, and whether you want to pay the price in terms of time and work, or if pulling out and perhaps trying again later is a better option? One thing to consider is your assessment of what will happen to the market / value for this house after COVID. Are the SG going to clobber it to recover money spent etc? To pull out you would probably need to take it to auction, so I would at least get an evaluation so that you are well informed. The advantage of an auction is that you can give limited information and let buyers explore the dry rot issue. My guestimate is that they will tell you an expected sale price of between 80k and 140k with potential for "fall in love" value on top, based on finished price - estimated money to spend. It is important to think about sunk costs (which you will not recover) and base any decision on the future not wounds from the past. The size of any sunk costs when you are deciding is a distraction. To my eye you may get away with enough to buy another house to lick your wounds for a period, and a small mortgage. I've been listening to Kenny Rogers writing this reply. In a lot of situations he lists the options surprisingly well. I hope you'll forgive 3 minutes of corned beef. In your situation I think I would be inclined eat the loss, fold, and walkaway if an exit is available which leaves you on your feet - is the phrase "bloody but unbowed"? We occasionally have people come along who take a long look at projects then take a decision to spend their 5 years doing something else. That is a real option. in my thinking the clincher is that the options are to plough through a high risk path for a number of years to perhaps (assuming no more black holes) emerge with a breakeven value vs money spent and a 150k mortgage, or to withdraw to a less risky option with perhaps a smaller mortgage and come back later if you wish. In financial terms to me the lower risk option is *probably* to cut your losses. Do you love this house and this *potential* lifestyle to go through this and face those risks? Or not? If you decide to keep it then clearly there are options like renting out to 2 lodgers to bring in say £700 a month and so on, and different questions come into view that we can help with here. All the best. Ferdinand