Ferdinand

For one thing, it's possibly fraud. Is the phrase "fraud by false representation"?

He already has the tiles by the look of it, so there are enough for both methods (?)

Diamond would be negated imo by the diamond pattern already on the tiles. Extra work for nowt. The smaller diamond pattern makes it look like smaller tiles laid straight. I would go with the line down the middle because this has no risk of a need to cut slivers at the skirting - which would look messy. Is it feasible to offset the loo to the centre line using a flexi connection? But you will need to watch the tiler(s), or you will come back to find them playing hopscotch ?.

I like the business rates holiday. Covers gyms ? . (Allegedly) Ferdinand

Coop Bank say they are passing it through in its entirety, I hear.

If you stay there long enough for the laminate or whatever to have depreciated to zero, then you won't have to pay for it. How long did you say the self-build project was going to be ? ?

Just for you I measured mine. Upstairs 35" to the top of the sink. Downstairs 36" to the top of the sink. Both sinks about 5" depth. If you are concerned afterwards you can just take off the kitten heels. Ferdinand

PS I wonder if staircase companies can help you?

Old thread with a few names. Companies tend to do both internal and external.

For a sink the more important distance is to the bottom of the sink, as that is where your handses are? More importantly perhaps for SWMBO, who is usually shorter, and would not appreciate needing a beer crate to stand on in the new bathroom.

Looks good. You will be raided by a slimline Banana Burglar.

Welcome.

I always say that the most important thing is not to rush, but make sure you have sufficient time and headspace to avoid not-quite-obvious mistakes. In my bathroom case I had urgency as it was for my 80 year old parent to move downstairs, but still took several months to consider and talk to them. It is affected by eg how old your relative is and how quickly you need to move, but the quality of the result depends on thinking time first. And nothing is quick in property. If you are building for 20 years of occupation, then it is worth thinking for 6 months to get it right. Ferdinand

Hi Kaye Welcome. Looks like an interesting project. Personally I would want to know *why* CiL does not apply. It may just be that like ours the Council has not implemented it. I'm quite close to the National Stone Centre at Wirksworth in Derbyshire, who have a 'gallery' of different types of stone wall. I know of at least one 'house' built out of a dry stone wall... Ferdinand

Do the Quookers of this world do water at 90C rather than 100C, in order to make better coffee? A life and death issue. Ferdinand

Um. They are dead so they can't smell ... unless they have a ghost. (Gets coat and leaves)

See how far they will let you go under PD - Don't forget that you could go backwards. If your extension poked out the back, then you would get sun both sides. I think the logical way to do it is to draw a line parallel to the neighbour boundary perhaps 1.1m from the fence (or whatever to avoid triggering a Planning Application requirement), then decide how far back you want to go, then see how it feels in a 3d simulation. Removing the conservatory may be a good idea, or turning it into a room. It is a spacious plot. Otherwise you will have a cold, dreary, dead space on the North side. I would also take a SERIOUS look at whether you can do a land swap to give your neighbour a path to the back, in exchange for you getting the bottom RH triangular corner of his garden (where patio and part of shed are) to remove the "narrows" from your garden and get a rectangular rear garden. Think carefully before you talk to them - and make a vague offer initially (ie just raise the prospect) - because once you say something clearly defined it will set the basic terms. That will need talking about over time as it will take some weeks or months for both of you to reflect. But it looks like a big win - big win. Ferdinand

I'll be hoarding a full tank of fuel ... expecting a tax jump on Wednesday. With the oil price falling, and the Govt needing money, and wanting a shift to lower carbon I cannot see him leaving it alone. Personally I would put at least 4p or 5p on it - £2-2.5bn a year in cash terms. Govt revenue from fuel duty is down from £47bn to £28bn since 2000 in cash terms it seems. I think he may also reduce the subsidy for red diesel quite significantly, or signal it for the future. Hmm. Cheapest locally is £1.18. Nearest Motorway Service £1.52.

To me that looks like the best option - but parking and other things will need consideration. eg Do you need a separate entrance? Take time to think especially about the way you will live together, with appropriate degrees of separation for each party and when you will spend routine time together. For later reference, I did a series of detailed blog pieces about an accessible bathroom project. Ferdinand

Take care with your making soft corners etc. My new car is a lot bigger than the old one, and despite extreme care 18 months later I have minor scratches on 2 corners. Are you going to have an "exit in a forward gear"requirement? Ferdinand

It is also worth a note that an assessment is also needed if you rent out one room to a lodger. The HSE comments are pretty good - the word "proportionate" is your friend. https://www.hse.gov.uk/legionnaires/legionella-landlords-responsibilities.htm There was once a Greek myth about a paperless office. But it was just a myth.

There is a quip as well as a serious point there ? . A legionnaires assessment should be included in your general safety assessment, and a typical one would be like discussions on here ... 'no water storage at the offending temperatures (or just "no water storage") as it has a combi boiler so the risk does not exist'. You should be able to do it yourself and there is a bit of a scam with people demanding pro-assessments. Forms here for eg https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/documents Info here https://www.propertytribes.com/legionella-risk-assessment-t-127639686.html I cannot comment on Scotland being different or not.

Calling @pocster...

However it s not clear whether that is retrospective on the building or the tenancy, neither. So yes, take advice.

I did one, using simplifying assumptions such as the whole thing being one room per floor with just the outside walls, and it was within a point or two of the number at the end of the project. F