Ferdinand

I would not thInk that this could ultimately be justified in law, as planning law is more about meeting ends than documenting precise means. Where did this come from ie originating organisation, and can you post the whole thing please? it reminds me of one of the more pillocky bits of the CSFH, involving types of washer being treated as part of the build spec of the house, which would only ever achieve great piles of chucked away brand new appliances as people bought the ones they wanted. Ferdinand

Offcuts are all over EBay all the time. ; I was looking for one for the trendy sit on top whb until I decided they would be a white elephant. It is a question of knowing what you want and waiting for one local enough. Or picking somebody’s granite worktop, which would be extactly double the required depth.

I guess that other alternatives include Silestone Offcuts, repurposed snooker tables incl. small ones (surprisingly cheap on eBay sometimes) for slate etc. Ferd8nand

0r have a look at porcelain 600x600 or 300x600 floor tiles, which I use for sills and splash backs, and cost about £11 each. I am sure I have seen 900x300 too. Jus5 checked and plenty are available. My supplier https://www.tiletown.co.uk/en/smart-lux-grafito-floor You may find someone more local. F

How do you plan to support these? I just bought a pallet of 25 900x600x50mm slabs for a price £160 delivered for my wheelchair ramp. Cut a few of those lengthways, How do you plan to support, as they weigh 65-70kg each? ?.

Couldn't possibly comment, and girlf says she is too frustrated to say anthing ?. And I assert that I am below average in this respect. You could check my FB but I lied to them in the interests of preventing ID fraud.

Certainly not at our average age...

I do not see why there would be a problem her tbh. Never known of anyone getting mould. Condensation is wet air hitting a cold surface. If you have OK insulation, then the inner either behind or in front of the ply if directly attached, needs to be be warm enough not to condense air. My thinking is to make sure that the interior is adequately ventilated as humidity control, and either ventilate the gap behind the ply racking to inside, and/or potentially put a vapour membrane in front of the insulation and behind the racking. You may not need to go that far and just ventilation of the garage, which may just be natural ventilation, may be sufficient. I think I would start just by checking over what range the humidity runs at present. Suspect most people just whack up the racking and it is fine. F

The only room with too few is the kitchen.

With suitable arrangements it sounds ideal for storing inordinate quantities of wine ?? Having shelving and storage sorted thusly, where do you plan to put your tools?

You seem to have thought things through well but have not mentioned the option of funding off the back of your existing properties. (Forgive me if you have considered this option.) As I see, over 18 months (multiply up as reqd), for 140k you would be paying: For self-build mortgage at 5%: 10500 interest reduced if they charge interest only on money you have drawn down, plus arrangement and other fees etc. For living in the BTL: 5-10k per year rent lost = 7k to 14k. If you can get mortgage finance on your existing, currently you can get a 2 year fix at about 1.5% plus fees (of 500-1000) at about 80% LTV, and a BTL mortgage at perhaps about 1% more. If you can swing it you would be relatively up by at least 10k+, and not living in a cramped environment. You would be able to borrow against the BTL with relatively little trouble (subject to criteria), but the existing home may be best searched through a broker. Ferdinand

Reflecting, fan heaters might be an idea, as they would exclude incoming draughts. I think it would need a good seal - I was thinking a tarp with no holes (Which might not be a tarp) and an effective gaffer tape seal. Also depends on the power of your dehumidifier. You could stick a heater in there. If you had a scaffold tent you would need a bigger DH but the seal could be less good due to the increased volume. A fan heater in there would also really help, as DHs work better at higher temperatures - ideally 25-30C. You can also use something as simple as a hair dryer depending on the circs and the scale, perhaps in combination with someone holding a gold umbrella.

Not doubting, just musing on an unclear headline :-). Your new avatar has a convincing face. ?

Pizza Express 40% Off Interesting little 40% off offer at Pizza Express, which applies to all the food at a table. Very good for a party of 4 or 6. Applies all day Monday -> Thursday up until December 8th (has been active since Sept). It came inside a Pizza Express branded pizza from my local Tesco Express with no note on the box, which was itself 'half price'. I think they are promoting their app. Good excuse to avoid all the Trick or Treaters and go and sample some items off the PE menu. Best offer I have seen from them except for the 4x face value of Tesco points, which I think has now gone to supermarket heaven. F

Not claiming to be very knowledgeable myself, however dad ran a grp business for 25 years and I was often around - know all about getting resin off school trousers ? . I think, as you say, it is a redo from the wood. As to drying it out, have you tried a dehumidifier under a small taped tarp tent? That may speed it up but also potentially make it dryer than ambient would allow to make rework easier. Need to watch for potential fire risk, maybe. After the fact on bubbles and really for future readers, I think I might try cutting a slit and working in from the sides with the grooved roller. Potentially would leaving a small area undone and going back as if doing a repair allow moisture to escape? F

Have to admit that if it was above about 10ft I would wait for my next handyman or roofer visit, and leave it as a last hour job. Sympathy with the worry. Presumably like me, you don't bounce. F

I have recently (had) installed on our downstairs doors a set of doorstops that would prevent doors needing to be reopened from behind the swing, and hold them open when they do not need to be closed. Even oak suffers eventually from too many "Open that Door" impacts. This was needed to help make the house more accessible or an older person, who sometimes used a wheelchair. So the requirement was: Something to hold an open door, open. That would catch the door relatively gently. Such that the door could be closed again with a relatively gentle tug by an older person. This is the product I used, which is a "Rauken DS-002 Stainless Steel Soft-Catch Magnetic Door Stop in Brushed Satin Nickel, Wall Mount-2 Pack", at about £16:00 for a 2-pack. Reasonably easy to fit, well made and recommended. The magnet is strong (though a little variable across half a dozen examples). I fitted them half-way along the back of the door, but towards the edge of the front door for a stronger attachment to be less vulnerable to any draught-driven opening if both front and back doors were open at once. The only issue with fitting is registration between the two halves, if the door is not to be quite parallel to the wall. One way would be to attach one half, chalk the end, then test open the door to see where it touches the chalk. Another is to put it on with a single screw initially (out of three) and then adjust later. A third option is to have long, thin, arms and a stubby screwdriver and hope the dog does not tread on you. The main limitation is that this product requires approx 6 inches (150mm) between the back of your door and your wall. If you meet those requirements, then I can recommend. It also comes with Amazon Prime, so no delivery charges at this time. It is perhaps worth trying a smaller order first to see if they work for you, as it is on Prime. There are options which are a little cheaper, but I am currently short of pfaff-time so I went for the one with the larger number of good reviews.

Ambiguous headline: "West Kingsdown pensioner caught in flooding up to her waist" Does that mean that the flood suddenly appeared and she was waist deep, which is implicit, or that she was on a higher something and trapped in by waist deep water? Shades of Dr Foster...

Love these Typos. He means TPO. ? (The best recent one I saw recently was the turning of "sweet spot" - @epsilonGreedy referring to the best option - into "sweat spot". Covering the bases there ?.) And ... bonjour. Ferdinand

Not sure if it has been mentioned, but a common approach here is to bring the electric in to a cupboard or kiosk near the site boundary so you have a site supply from the go, then to put in on eg a zero standing charge tariff. Then your own electric superhero version of Storm (see Marvel) can do in-site work later. I do not see why that requires drawings. Ferdinand

But it drove you mad along the way...

Typo? Per year?

(refrains from posting Lolcat with piece of string) I would suggest 15%, or even 20%, if you are doing groundworks etc, but build in some variability in your plans for finishes and plan to use part of it for unexpected upgrades if you have not needed it earlier.

Welcome. My comments: Does that mean a small rental to rent out, or that you will be living in a rental? As an LL, moving into rental takes a lot of skills and experience now as the regulation changes like a kaleidoscope, and in the press you are public enemy no 5 or 6 after drug dealers and people traffickers and a few others, and you also need to have a significant team to advise you. No longer simple, and a lot of smaller LLs are getting out. The govt set out to professionalise renting, and they are well on the way. A far easier option to achieve a small extra income is to have a larger place for you and have a couple (not three - then it is an HMO) of lodgers - first 8k+ is tax free. Given correct configuration, you can largely isolate the parts if you wish. On the self-build, my comments are: 1 - You are looking at a 3-5 year project, so take enough time to think about what you want to do. In addition to the type of build, also think about how you want to build yourself - you will not do all of it, so decide whether you want to gain the experience in Planning, Project Management, Construction Skills, a Regulated Trade, Product Selection, Interior Design etc, perhaps with a view to skills you can reuse or build on later. 2 - Just be observant, and do not be afraid to talk to people if you see something interesting. Who built your house? Where did you get *that*? Talk to the type of groups who build stuff in your style - perhaps voluntary groups etc. 3 - Put yourself on the self-build list and the housing list (if appropriate) at the Council. Self-build is being promoted, and Councils sometimes have a say in who gets to do what and that is where they look. 4 - For a Grand Designs favourite of mine where the builder had to review and make their planned house less expensive, the the episode called "The Modest House". 5 - For your wooden construction, there are log cabins, but also kits, and also wooden bungalows that qualify under caravan laws. There Walter Segal system is still doable. And a couple of interesting small wooden builds in the blogs here: And somebody build an annex in their garden to live in, which might be your wooden thing ( @NSS?) Ferdinand

PS Silly questions do not exist. ?