Ferdinand

Best of luck with that. I'm quite keen on art'n'stuff in architecture, but it's always a question whether we want 'extra' decorations, something in the basic architecture, or something which fits in with the design but enhances it. The "one percent for the arts" seems to be a good idea - substantial without being onerous, and a chance to support local artists who can give good value and real engagement. At home I have a Gryphon on the gable, and a custom done stained glass panel in the front door - both put in by the self-builder who converted it. The only one I have done recently is a more elaborate brick garden wall than necessary with some minimal diaper brickwork in it, with the usual blue and red bricks inverted - ie whole wall blue with red lozenges. And I am a sucker for etched glass. I am sure that there are plenty of unpuffed interesting bits on bh everywhere. Ferdinand

Well done.

And I suppose, never forget that it is no longer a garage.

I think a fall away from the house door is an acceptable alternative. Make a flat section by the door so that wheelchair users have no risk of rolling away whilst opening the door.

Certainly something I have seen; one was called a half-garage. Particularly in newish houses, where built-in store cupboards are missing as they can reduce measured room size. @SteamyTea could call it a "Smart Car" Garage. You need to decide what you call it in planning / building regs, and how you handle the conversion and future potential uses - which may require PP or Regs sometimes. Or you may choose to ignore that. Obviously you need to do things like consider ufh if required, and putting your joists along the top of potential stud walls etc. Also, calling it a garage may count against your required Planning Policy parking space quota if it is large enough - think it needs to be 6m x 3m, but check. For this plan, would need to be slightly wider and be called a "garage" in its entirety. You then need to be aware is required spaces minus one will be enough for you. I think the current dimensions commit you to chucking out the passengers in the rain, and reversing in only for a RH Drive car. So, really just map out your possible future plans carefully, and do not put stuff on the plans you do not want to have known. Dirty bikes? Unconscionable :-). Wash them ?. Ferdinand

Historic Houses Association may have some guidance material.

Depending on how much work you plan to do there are kit suppliers around on ebay. Start here:

OK. Looks like a *relatively* small space, joined to another space. I would put the tall elements together to make them seem smaller in the space, including the fridge and freezer if tall. I might be tempted to go across the back because loosing 600mm from 3100 will make it look a little tight (perhaps). Also high cupboards will obsure your rooflight, which perhaps you want to light your main work area. For the oven, it is basically an extension of the hob, and imo fits in the triangle but I would consider where to put things coming into and out of the oven. Worktop next to it, or a tall shelf that has a 600x600 floortile on it immediately below. I would want to be able to place a hot dish or eg a roast on a safe surface with a swivel but no step for reduced safety risks. Do you have fixed points where sink, dishwasher etc need to go? It may be useful to list what you need - I make it that 13 600mm spaces are available. Perhaps also a peninsula breakfast bar and a mobile 'island' in the form of one of those wooden Ikea trolleys might be useful to create more space / flexibility. Just my thoughts. Ferdinand

Unfortunately the H in Scotland is not silent, according to Sean Connery.

It ‘s a travesty. Silent K is grossly overused. It should be Gnapping, as in Dennis the Menace.

off grid ==> chamberpot of some sort.

Get a flock of sheep for lawn tidy and freezer next year. Or talk to @newhome about the Racing Simulator she may still have gathering dust.

Welcome. Personally, were I doing a renovation with a new slab in the floor, I would not bury pipes or wires in the screed or slab simply for maintainability reasons, studding out the wall where necessary. It sounds, as has been remarked, that the Planning / Supervision may have been insufficient. If they are wall mounted I would not see a need to conduit the electrics, or in extremis perhaps even insulate the water pipes. I would aim to minimise plumbing runs, but elec would need to go everywhere as I fit a *lot* of sockets. Ferdinand

You may have trouble arguing that over a 20 year period. Policy changes and tightens. Though pointing out that a busy Antiques Business would generate many times more traffic might help ? .

Also why you want a shower accessible from the utility room as well as study perhaps. Muddy doggoes and children, perhaps.

If you want a longish read with lots of great ideas on robust design and fitout, try this old thread of mine on Landlordzone from 2011. "The Tenantproof House" About 200 posts but quite dense content, but forthright thoughts from lots of LLs. My favourite I think from this thread was someone who dealt with the Student Wear and Tear challenge by procuring a secondhand commercial kitchen from a restaurant made entirely of stainless steel. Obvs students would love that. https://forums.landlordzone.co.uk/forum/energy-efficiency-epc-design-repair-improve/35896-the-tenantproof-house F

This thread seems to be a duplicate.

(Seem to be 2 versions of the thread) Ouch. Make it smaller for GIA purposes. I think the first need here is thinking time, as CIL takes a bit of getting to grips with and varies by area. But the easy way is if the GIA calc is less than 100 when you correct the Council, if they accept the basis of your calculation. What is the actual GIA? Start with that. If your PP is still in process, in which case I think you can "withdraw" it then resubmit within the next 12 months without having to pay another fee. If it is not yet determined, I would check that you can do that, then withdraw and go into the regs etc. Can you make eg your logstore or your sitting area open to the outside etc. to shrink the GIA ? Walls can take up a lot of space :-); can you make some walls a bit thicker with insulation, or use other tweaks? Make it accurate, 'cos if I were the Council I would come and measure it having been subjected to that sort of claim. Ferdinand

Replied to this but my reply has evanished. Will see if it reappears then try again if not.

Ouch. Make it smaller for GIA purposes. I think the first need here is thinking time, as CIL takes a bit of getting to grips with and varies by area. The easy way is if the GIA calc is less than 100 when you correct the Council, if they accept the basis of your calculation. What is the actual GIA? Start with that. If it is GIA can you make your logstore open to the outside etc. to shrink the GIA ? Walls can take up a lot of space :-); can you make some walls a bit thicker with insulation, or use other tweaks? Make it accurate, 'cos if I were the Council I would come and measure it having been subjected to that sort of claim. If your PP is still in process, in which case I think you can "withdraw" it then resubmit within the next 12 months without having to pay another fee. If it is not yet determined, I would check that you can do that, then withdraw and go into the regs etc. Ferdinand

Don't forget to focus on risk and time as well as money. I cam commenting from a Midlands perspective, but with family in Surrey and I live in a bungalow +1 storey, which was reduced to a hole in the ground and 3 walls then rebuilt. I am not absolutely clear about whether you are happy project managing at a level of Administrating it, or the more demanding feel willing to instruct your trades / subbies on some things. iii) I think that to get an "extra storey on your roof" company to do that could easily cost nearly your entire budget for a nice new storey and a staircase. It may not, but it could. That could put you in the "all the money on 2/3 of the project - bugger what do we do now?" category. It happens. That is a risk you need to manage. ii) I can't really comment on - turns heavily on the local market and what prices you are given. i) I would suggest this one, unless you have clear ways to manage the risks you identify on the others. I would then suggest identifying a possible "Phase 2", which would be a ground floor extension in the future if you feel you need it. That could also be doable under Permitted Development. I would also say: 1 - Given the roof complexity, buy your own scaffolding. 2 - There are certain elements not in your list of costs, as you know. A full list (incl. for example fabric improvement) would be a good next step. 3 - Explore options such as reduced rate VAT as it has been empty. 4 - Do not forget the Council Tax you save by getting in early. 5 - Is there a risk of losing your 3% Stamp Duty if you take time selling the other one off? 6 - Serious consider whether you need a PM or Advisor to help you manage the technical side. Ferdinand

I mean that normal laminate will curl up like brown paper if it floods. So you need a moisture resistant one. I had been planning vinyl or vinyl tile for my bathroom to be extra safe, but got 20 packs of Quick-Step flooring at an excellent discount from B&Q so used that for the bathroom. I was pointing out that it is worth thinking about what happens in the more humid environment, and also where a flood will go. I have a personal penchant for overengineering, though. One of my thumbrules is that I like a waterproof floor in the room with the washing machine to be able to contain a washing machine full of water. Probably meaningless, but makes me feel comfortable and is probably a useful habit of thought. Ferdinand

Yep. Good point to raise. That is a crucial aspect, as Wallbarn explored with me. In my case, the main use will be mum (<50kg) in a manual wheelchair, and we do not often have visitors in the big buggies. I will be embedding the last slab into a 2" deep recess in the drive (or building a 2" concrete wedge), held in by mortar, and where the corner outside the front door is there will be a dwarf wall round both exposed sides to one to two courses above the level of the path. So horizontal movement will be difficult as the requirement will be to shunt hundreds of kg of slab along, and the 2" thickness will reduce the tendency to lift them by a force applied along the plane of the surface. The side between the path and the house will be filled with river pebbles (ie 3-5 inch size stones). There is a potential issue with the big (Type 3 8mph 200kg approx iirc) buggies if someone decides to try and attempt wheelies or the reaction to fast starts, but that will stop the slabs simply moving horizontally. And they are the mothers of all slabs at about 65kg each. So my judgement is that in my circs it is sufficient risk management for the few years it will be there. But all comments are most welcome, as in some respects this is experimental, and I am keen for debate. Ferdinand

Welcome, Angel. Will comment on the length of your piece of string on the other thread .

If the third party company will give you a guarantee on the result, then I would attach a high value to that, as getting it wrong can have a big downside. Sound insulation is pretty basic, and expensive to improve afterwards I think as it is buried deeply. So if you DIY it, then have a plan B for improvement for when the test engineer sucks his teeth and goes "sorry, Guv". Plan B might be, if permissible, to not cosmetically fit out the next one until you have sound tested the last one, so you can beef it up on the other side in Unit 2 without having to half-demolish the interior of Unit 1 to get it back to a point where you can do the work. I think you could *maybe* get some decent advice from Building Control on this, because they always want houses that work. Ferdinand