Ferdinand

the bamboo mum put in in 2014 ish is starting to block the neighbours. The one in the middle. Eventually those trees will get heavily pruned.

Eg

? This is the Green Wall 2nd generation taken a few days ago. These were planted at the end of May, and each type is about 1/3 - 1/2 of a packet of seeds. I gave away about a quarter of each packet to a friend in lockdown who is quite stressed. (I did the shelves with coats of varnish, and used the ones with plastic not metal mounts) The middle one above is the first mixed salad leaves I put in in March, which has now had its 4th cut and been composted. About 10 different types of thing. The next step is to find some bulk seeds and plant more tightly. The seeds for the above cost about £8, so not quite the cheapest thing. These are Fothergills seeds, and all seem to be sprouting Ok. I have some transparent covers on order, and am wondering about lights and drip watering using the Jeremy system I have in the front garden, which works well. But I have no tap there, so will need to think a bit. At the moment it is 10 sprays per tray twice a day and water 1-2l via the tray every 2-3 days, and to spin the trays at the same time before adding the water. This is the putative veg crop when planted late May, but I think I am running a bit late. Will have to get some prepotted tomatoes and courgettes. The tea strainer is for less forceful watering. this is just now. The one sprouted is courgette. This is the overall. Had a neighbour round for lunch yesterday, and we had home made bread, charcuterie and a Mizuma and Rocket portion of microveg, which was great. And some Shiraz which was my second Laithwaites delivery of the lockdown. But the Wistery-Clematis is a bit rampant and needs a haircut. F

Interesting orignal Minivan? Or is it a Traveller?

Mine grows rather more than I might otherwise like, and I have spent some ttime (bah - keyboard is bouncing) this spring trying to recover parts of the garden I inherited from mum. I think my top tips would be to plan your shed somewhere it will be well-hidden, half an hour every day (I fail miserably) in the cool time, and make sure that you have at least some budh or hedge you allow tto grow a bitt ttaller for roosting small birds - which means 2.5m nott 1.8m. Ferdinand

Hmmm. Very compact, and I like the mid-century feel. Especially the Guy Rogers style sofa if that is the plan. Admit that I would struggle to keep such a compact layout tidy. I think a pouffe is tricky in that you are really balancing on top of it, but kids may be happy. I would not expect walking across the triangle to be a huge problem - there is a no-worse alternative route, and if it is occupied they should go round it. And you can move the sofa. In this layout I would think about putting the table at one side rather than in the middle, and perhaps a vestigial breakfast bar. Would built-in furniture on one side be an option? Lots of good ideas if you look at eg a programme such as Your House Made Perfect. I think if you are at that stage making the island a lengthways peninsula might be worth it with a breakfast bar on the corridor side, and perhaps moving the entrance up (in the pic) by 150mm or so. This video features a very space efficient house by Peter Aldington from the 1960s which could provide inspiration; one of my favourites. I posted it some time ago. It is open for visitors. Ferdinand

Sorry to hear the news.

Looks cool.

Very much dependent on your LPA, I'm afraid. I think you can find out who will be handling your planning app by phoning up and asking - they should be divvied up on an area basis (eg ward) or perhaps type of application. I am having to go back into planning on our gym because they put a time limit on our change of use that caused serious problems, and I want to do a variation on the condition and avoid having to do a full sequential test again, as the last one cost several £k. The best you can do is probably to use the skill and judgement you have built up asking all these questions, and look at previous appps, what has already been done and be ready that they may ask for some extras. Once its in keep talking to your planner and your team. And remember you can always withdraw it or have a second go. Ferdinand

These ducts for 50mm pipes are between 25mm and 100mm in diameter. (Said the person with the engineering degree.)

Welcome.

It might cover possessions in storage. Or your project insurance might.

Can you get it covered by your buildings insurance once you have bought it?

Perhaps offer £50-100 for storage and a no-damage guarantee (or pay with a CC) on the price and do a photo record at the time of inspection?

I think they may offer to store it, but tbh for that value I would probably rent some real climate controlled storage.

It may or may not meet space guidelines, depending on precise footprint.

Depends on the location, but bedsits that small are not unknown. I think one example would be the street facing side of gardens next to the river in Strand in the Green in Chiswick. Elsewhere in the area there are actually converted garages. Costs and planning require a detailed work through in a particular context.

Bonjour. Bodger in Chief... (These deed polls confuse ? ).

I think you will not want it completely open plan, even if only a narrow border to help delineate your space. So think carefully about future desired planting. In such if you choose your ground cover it mat deter or discourage cats (or shrubs to hide them), and consider not having plants they like to eat. I have a variety of ornamental grasses and at least 5 cats seem to like it for their digestion. A scrambling pyracantha might be a good option, or something low and spiky or high and spiky that drops its leaves but they last for some time. For surface, I think that they don't like to pause on loose gravel, which can be permeable and inexpensive but you will need to take care to prevent it moving to the pavement. Alternatively you could think in terms of something that is easy to clean rather than purely anti-cat. (Update: I suppose low and spiky cover every politician in the country.) F

Dog ? . Or larger cat. Personally I have a supersoaker, which helps but not always.

Just don't be called Dominic: https://universalcreditsuffer.com/2020/05/31/cummings-spare-cottage-without-planning-permission-and-pays-no-council-tax/

To me it sounds fine. If you have PP to do what you are doing, then I don’t see how that condition is still active.

What’s the point of that? You just said you were going to ban people updating their windows.

Seven no trumps. Hope he doesn’t have a statue of himself as a Garden Gnome out the front ... somebody will pull it down with binder twine and drop it in the pond. Goldfish will get a headache.

I think as ever it depends - they can fold flat or not, and you need to look at examples. One variable is whether they fold "round the corner" on a 270 degree hinge or flat against the "doorpost". For small bathrooms my preference is for doors to open outwards due to the risk of someone inside falling against the door in an accident. I think a plan of teh bathroom and adjoining spaces may help. I'm considering these for a room divider, and to close off an alcove office. Ferdinand