Ferdinand

These days, electric ones do a good imitation. Or there are those things that hang on the wall.

As it happens, things are slowly moving forward. The big electric recliners went on Sunday, the cleaner is briefed to focus on the conservatory tomorrow, and the Ikea IVAR prototype structure will be going up on Wednesday. Then I can start thinking about seed trays. I have put a couple of Guy Rogers teak 1960s chairs back in the lounge and the room seems twice as large; I will have to tell 21C people to go on a diet to fit. I am missing the day bed, which is still in the old master bedroom. F

But he is only shrinking it slightly. I think. 40% or so. ? Diet? It's very spacious. I think your suggestion makes sense because it gives you a second closed off usable room downstairs. I am not sure about the huge long bench - who will use that? Might a mix involving biggish storage or party sleeping alcoves (which are interchangeable) be a more useful mix? Or could you give another 500mm to the rooms (if there is no head height issue on the bench side of the landing). Might that second void waft all your cooking sausages smells upstairs? Depends crucially on your extractor setup. If you end up taking that out, then I think a bit of juggling may get you a 4th bedroom / hobby room. I also wonder whether the bite out of the corner of the Master for the landing could be squared off, to put that space in the master suite. Would increase utility of the space upstairs, though it may not be strictly needed for the master. Ferdinand

Welcome. Looks like an interesting project. Ferdinand

Can't you get a narrower bath, or has she specified width ? My new bath is 700mm wide overall and fine for me. Is this a dead letter now?

I would get a sucker-on-with-screw-or-lever one and put it on the shower screen. This is one that has been in a tenanted property for a couple of years so it may be @pocster-proof if he doesn't climb on it. ? eg https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01I98PWD4/ First review sounds just like our hero: Ferdinand

It may be that when we talked about this before (may have been another similar plan for someone else), I may have said for ultimate efficiency get rid of the entire entrance hall and move the front door - though it does give a spectacular route in. I think now I would just ask whether you need a porch or something to protect from the howling gales of Scotland? Ferdinand

Fine and cheers - but always better to say it just in case ? .

Agree with the idea, but I don't think 900 between units and island is enough. Others may come up with their experiences. I think you want 1000-1200. Mine is 1100mm, and personally I would prefer 1200. You may get away with 1m. Once you have a proposed layout and distances, I think I would suggest a mockup or chalk on the floor and 90 minutes role playing. Ferdinand

I wonder if you are going to be seriously short of cupboard space in the kitchen. And I don't think "we have a larder and the huge utility" is necessarily an answer. It is about having things arranged in functional groups so as you do each separate type of activity it is efficient (washing near pulley and chute and washer / dryer, cooking near crocks near food near washing near fridge near cutlery near pans). I can only count about 5-6 unencumbered under worktop units and 3 wardrobe unit spaces. That feels too few to me - though these things are very personal. Even ignoring the stuff that probably goes in the utility and larder, I have nearly double that - though I have things like my decent glasses in the kitchen, whilst others would have those in a cupboard in the lounge. I suggest a unit space by unit space exploration of where you will put everything, including all your appliances. Ferdinand

Sticks out a mile. Snooker room and beer ? .

"Auxiliary" spaces. Meaning spaces where you do not "live" - non-habitable or circulation or service spaces.

I pretty much agree with @Moonshine, but I think we may have had the "auxiliary spaces" conversation previously, and you had reasons to stick to your guns so I'll leave that alone. So: 1 - Is there enough space to walk between the breakfast bar and the living area. That all looks everso tight. Suspect you may be better stealing say 800-1000mm space from the snug and spare bed by moving the stove etc (which would poleaxe my proposal in 3), as you spend more time in the living area. 2 - Ideally make sure that either the kitchen sink or the utility sink is large enough to take the big top pieces from the range cooker, an oven shelf, and a griddle plate, flat. 3 - I think the study spare bedroom would benefit from having the ensuite smaller and a wardrobe in the spare space, then turn the big wardrobe the other side into a hideable study area ie perhaps a pair of bifold wardrobe doors and a built in desk etc. Then combining the two uses is far neater, and you can just shut the study away - locked if necessary. F

I would replace it with a simple plank pattern UPVC door in rosewood or dark brown colour, especially if there is no lobby etc. That's what I did with my cottage door. Cost around £500-600 I'm guestimating. Not sure what your sale plans are, but a new door would be knocked off the offer in all likelihood. Ferdinand

Further comments. You can certainly do it yourself - judgement call for you depending on how difficult you think it will be. A planning consultant will know local policies (if you choose the right one - look for experience of similar projects in your LA area). Any PC worth their salt should know most of the members of the Department by name, their strengths and weaknesses, and how to work on each individual. That can be a useful boost for you, but still the more you get familiar with it all the better use you can make of your consultants. I would draw up your ideas first, with a list of clear questions written down, so you can use your free first half-one hour chat well. Do not shrink from asking eg "what is your best judgement from our conversation of the chance of getting this is first time, and if we had to Appeal". Give the PC time between contact and meeting to have a decent look and think. You need to know that each App is considered on its merits (in theory), so arguments from "that one did this" can be dismissed, but sometimes you will get away with it. Unpredictable, perhaps partly dependent on if anyone objects. I do not see the "on street parking by others" having much weight, and you will need to meet the policy. You can argue things like good bus services or close to town to argue perhaps one space instead of 2. Once you have PP you could of course sell the plot. You may well be able to get better returns from different housing stock if rental is the aim. If you are over a parking increase line, you could design in a large bedroom and split it later if that helped. In these circs you could do something like a traditional shared drive. The Council will be concerned that it fits in - so be relatively conservative. Although OTOH it is traditional to put a landmark house at a corner, which this is. All the best. F

And https://www.google.com/search?q=buildhub+plant+room+site:forum.buildhub.org.uk&safe=off&sxsrf=ALeKk00AU00Y4K3Oo9E9DgXE3L4PqeZsrw:1582518559136&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi398SErennAhWVgVwKHRHHCtYQrQIoBDAAegQIBRAP&biw=785&bih=390

Try searching the forum for Plant Rooms. eg

My middle lounge, between the front room and the conservatory at the back, is rather dark. It is approx 4.2m x 4.2m, so small-medium size. At present it has a central single pendant fitting. I am casting around for a fitting with several bulbs to make the room brighter. In search of examples, does anyone have a fitting of this type that you like? I will consider a wiring modification with a project in a couple years, but for now I can only sensibly change the light fitting. Cheers Ferdinand

But he has a mullet ...

>Not sure I get this one, other than a joke ] OK. Explanation ? . You have designed your house to incorporate an essentially 10m high void, which requires to be maintained. Cleaning skylights, painting every so often etc. To do that safely you either work from the ground (no good for painting) or find a safe way to work from height, or another solution. Ladders are not considered a safe option for other than the lightest jobs. I would not do anything heavier than empty gutters from a ladder (but I am cautious). Which leaves you with hiring a pro, hiring a means of accessing height safely, a scissor lift, or a portable scaffold tower. That is leaving aside all the outside maintenance - gutters, render etc. It is also leaving aside eg doing your ceilings (esp. cathedral ceilings), plasterboarding, insulating, wiring, and all the other stuff whilst building it. Significant nos of BHers get a scaffold tower during the building process. That seems the practical solution for building and continued maintenance - including safely cleaning your skylights every year or so. A good quality portable scafffold tower would cost approx 1-1.2k new or £500-600 secondhand. Mine was £400 from a BHer for a 5.7m German made tower, and has been used in 2 years for building a car port, rendering a gable end, doing cathedral ceilings, repainting an industrial unit, and is currently doing the ceilings in a small cafe at a gym that i have a small stake in. It is about to be borrowed by my b-i-l to do work on his fascia boards and gutters on his house. To hire one will be £70-100 a week. Mine can be built by 2 people in 90 minutes and dismantles to fit in my estate car. I think it will still fit once I have an extra 2m stage, May seem surprising, but worth considering. "Partial justification" was aimed at the 9m high skylights adding another job to the 27 we can already identify. F

I went for window cleaning poles, as my windows cleaners do offer a solar panel cleaning service but it is a little prohibitive at £1.20 per panel and it would need doing regularly as quite a few of my panels are tree sheltered (plan is to move them in due course onto a South facing car port when it has been built). I have 35 panels in toto which adds up quite quickly at those rates. I have the normal window cleaning at only about £9 a month to keep the front facade tidy. I have skylight but I can reach most of those. I would guess they would need cleaning maybe once a year, and that cleaning the outside will show up the inside .. spiders and so on. A bit more of the justification for an 8m scaffold tower? Ferdinand

Are you talking about cleaning the inside or the outside? Can one specify self cleaning glass on the outside? I think you may perhaps be not quite up to date with modern window cleaners, and their poles which go up to 10-12m from the ground or more. For the outside you need a roof angle step enough such that a long pole can reach past the gutter without being Made unable to reach the skylights. Otherwise they will have to use elevation or some other method. I think a conversation here about cleaning the inside might be helpful. This is the box mine for cleaning solar panels arrived in (plugs into a hose), which is not the biggest. There are 3 sections this long. That is 8m plus 2m of me. Ferdinand There was a conversation wrt solar panels here

Apologies for the slight misapprehension. ME is unpredictable as you say - I have friends for whom it has persisted, and friends for whom it has gone into remission after a year or five. One of those was pensioned off by her school after the sick pay regime ran out, did nothing for a year or two, went back to her parents, and then 10 years on was running a lighthouse for the National Trust - including all the tours up to the light. A good story, but rough along the way. If you want sound insulation for the guest bedrooms I would recommend the Soundblock version of rockwool, which is denser and not *that* expensive. It is good to see your thinking developing - a mistake that is easy for self-builders is not to take enough time in advance for knowledge to develop and the concepts to "brew". Never be afraid of taking thinking time (which it sounds like you aren't ? ). Cheers F

Products like this from Wickes save you making the bigger hole https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Converter-Kits---White-Single-to-Double-Socket/p/710075 (Information not Recommendation] F

Where roughly in the Midlands? Someone May recommend, or have look at the Double Glazing Industry Blogger, who covers products. https://www.doubleglazingblogger.com/blog-3/ https://www.doubleglazingblogger.com/ Welcome.