Ferdinand

Once the PB is up, I use surface fixings (or two surface fixings) for decorative things such as pictures, towels etc. Also all my individual coatbooks are these, except racks of hooks on the reverse of doors. There are limitations, and I use would use screw fixings for large framed pictures etc. https://www.command.com/3M/en_US/command/ (also from Wilko) For stuff such as cupboards and structural or multiple coathooks I would use a screw fixing. I guess the guideline for me would be to try the surface ones first unless I know it is heavy or breakable or the surface is not suitable, bearing in mind the weight limit and whether it might get heavily loaded. Ferdinand

We all have ivy you can come and get for free...

That's interesting - far more intensive farming is possible. There was an interview a few weeks ago with a couple doing 50k of veg and produce a year off a couple of acres near Exmoor (iirc). Part of the key was polytunnels and careful succession planting through the year. I think it was on Farming Today (might have been the weekend Farming Today this Week). Start listening to it - far better than the thin gruel of Countryfile. Only kept for 30 days, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qj8q/episodes/guide And the single business interviews every week on "On Your Farm". Kept forever, here are 374 of them: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006s571/episodes/guide?page=1 Podcast feeds available.

What happened to that Communion Table? It looks quite formidable. (Not that I'm offering). I think that Freemasons tended to be aligned with whatever was the local establishment.

Yep - I'm not fussed about the precise mechanism, but I want *something*. To be fair, I think that Scotland has a better handle on this as they have the space to run a more flexible system with building in the open countryside etc.

Well - if one is being a pendant it could either be one every x years, or at least one. ? But I don't like the 'freeze it in aspic' heritage approach. It seems to me that one of the glories of the landscape here is slow growth of communities, and we have lost that since Planning was nationalised. And I want it back. Really the only buildings that have grown slowly over centuries here are churches, and they are partly only able to continue doing it now as they have their own planning system.

I agree with that. My peculiar view is that villages should be allowed to grow by 1% per year as a matter of national policy. No idea how to regulate it, or how to avoid corruption. The way to avoid corruption may be a planning gain tax of 90%. (I linked to the farminguk article as well, but it would be pretentious to mention that.)

Probably teaching to suck eggs, however it is often necessary to do some manual untangling before cutting ivy stems as they become very well attached over time.

Someone needs a Dutchman ...

Out of interest, have you found any Masonic things anywhere? My local parish church had a garter placed on top of a roof beam.

On the definition, I think it is down to something being defensible as a "repair" not a "rebuild" (which revolves around eg there being a demonstrable amount of former fabric in existence before and afterwards - of proof of such), and proof of use, as the things to focus on. I am sure there will be a definition in Planning or Case Law somewhere, or decisions which will build a jigsaw of such a definition, but I do not know it offhand. and https://www.farminguk.com/news/derelict-farm-buildings-at-risk-of-being-considered-abandoned-_47695.html F

It's a spectrum and will depend on a number of factors, the location and the precise circumstances. May be useful background: As a family we used to live in a Listed House. There was a stable block, in use for storage, and the former site of two staff cottages, which had been demolished decades ago and all walls removed. The ground was still very hard, and something like a ground survey would find evidence. Plus we had photos of the cottages. The Council were very clear that they could not be rebuilt, but that the stables would be able to be turned into residential. OTOH there are plenty of places where restoration has been permitted. I think you need 2 things: 1 - That a building is still there are can be repaired (as opposed to rebuilt). 2 - That there is credible proof of the residential use. With those two I think you could do it. Beyond that it may be possible, but then you are more reliant of circumstances to weigh in the balance of benefit in planning terms ... eg things like supporting affordable for locals, or being from a local family and supporting a local job etc. F

I think the talk to them all idea is a good one. It may also do to check what the legal position is wrt access rights etc, to inform your actions etc, and to know who actually owns the ‘square’ and who has what rights over it. F

Ivy wood is very soft, so loppers or a decent pruning saw can achieve a lot.

If I really wanted to do it I would glue down something mildly insulating, which could be an offcut of insulation, or for something more durable perhaps plasitc fasciaboards which come in 5m lengths at about £12-15 a pop. If you are doing work you could use offcuts of windowboards or even spares, which - if you don't have any - someone on here will have.

There 4m x 25m rolls of Visqueen on Ebay for under £30, which may be suitable. That is where I have had this from in the past. Ferdinand

@canalsiderenovation do you actually mean "handleless" as in no handle, or "handless" as in nudge it with your knee? Not sure if it makes a difference. (Then you added an extra s to give "handlesss" and I started thinking of Gollum .) 1 - I think if you paint as a separate process *anywhere* can mix it now. Years ago (2012) the local Johnstone's trade paint centre mixed me a paint on the spot from a Farrow and Ball colour ("panel white") just by phoning up HQ and asking for the spec. 2 - I think you could avoid fingerprints by choice of material and perhaps colour (dark colour?) or by fitting a fingerplate of some sort (which might wreck the streamlined look, unless you went for eg glass fingerplates), otherwise it will just be a small extra cleaning job once a month or so. The wrong material (door or fingerplate) could cause problems; I'm sure I remember a few whinges over small boys' fingerprints on the stainless steel finish on De Loreans. Ferdinand

You must be the chap who’s first jump was off the top board... Welcome. Is it listed in some form? It looks weathered, but restoring render should be easier than restoring all the stonework to be pristine.

Is it better to make it level, but with a gap (150-200mm?) between the fascia and the deck, and a little bridge at the door threshold? That would require a lip to the decking, but would prevent any need to bugger about with ramps between guests etc. Will your staff - whoever they are - be able to move a ramp that size?

Now you’ve done it...

Normal reasons for round-the-edges would be as Plan B if you can’t do underfloor, or Plan Supplementary If the amount you can fit is limited. It also depends on what is under the floor. F

Test how some of your new proposal will look in the rain. Can add interest. eg These are my bigger river pebbles.

This has always been my bag for big ivy. Seems to work. As a pragmatic answer, perhaps do the section cut now, and revisit later in your build and decide whether you actually need to do the ladder-gymnastics then. For ladders, I have a Wickes 3 section "professional" one, which was made by one of the branded companies. I think it does more than yours, but still goes in a small hatchback by about an inch. F

How deep is it? Perhaps "River Pebbles" of some size or other. Or shingle. Or perhaps slate chips. Or you could use some sort of rubbed glass. I think the main thing is to be backward visually rather than forwards. So it needs to be darker or the same as the pavers. .

Thanks. it is surprising what fits, and the benefits you can get. Intensive use of space is something that self-builders can miss too easily. There is a discipline of being generous where it is needed, and not elsewhere. that *should* be one of the benefits of using an architect if you do.