Ferdinand

This is all a bit bloodthirsty...

Those curvy walls between rooms are quite reminiscent of some plans in successful London flats schemes from the 1960s and 1970s by better architects. The obvious lack is that there is not afaics a sufficiently spacious accessible bathroom. I am not quite sure how BR requirements relate to an upside-down house for the accessible bathroom. But a good different angle, which is what it is all about - widen the horizons then choose the best direction. F

In older houses there are always umpteen reasons for damp to be present everywhere ! A few thoughts: Did you happen to have a Structural Survey when you moved in? That would be helpful, as would getting an IR Camera and Damp Meter and min/max Humidity meter - just to get to know your property. 1 - Has it a damp proof course? 2 - When it was renovated, how did they handle moisture and ventilation? Are the approaches to teh two compatible? 3 - What is the outside ground level? 4 - Have any materials been used which contribute to potential damp - eg cement render or pointing? Ferdinand

Does this mean bargain weekends in Cornwall ? Feel genuinely sympathetic for the shopkeeper chap who ordered 500 ponchos.

I think we need more info here as to the proposal. eg are these self-contained flats or bedsits? Main homes or pied-a-terres? One beds or studios? Owned or rented? Do you plan to meet national space standards? https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Technical_housing_standards_-_nationally_described_space_standard F

That does not seem to be a heat detector ... unless I missed something.

Use a smoke detector and do not burn any toast.

Also 4 parking spaces, and turning space on plot?

Welcome to the forum. I am just doing a whole series of mini-projects to adapt my house for an increasingly frail parent. In your honour I have created a blog article which is a directory of where most of them can be found. I will add more as I remember them or they are newly written. There are now nearly 50 blogs on the site - many project-based, some more eclectic like mine (which is very eclectic). I do not think we have one explicitly related to a project of this type, so if you were able (once you have settled in) to consider something documenting your needs, thinking and decisions it would be a real benefit for other for the future - as well as letting you have a record of your journey. I think various people have considered needs for annexes, grannexes, needs of live-in sons and daugters, multi-generational sites, and for their own later years (and at least one is building a whole new bungalow for his parents). Si there is relevant material around - but you have to dig a little. Discussion threads tend to be where exploration / thinking is done, blog posts are often the recording of what happened, and blog comments are reflections. Anyway - best of luck. Ferdinand

Is it just me, or is that very nearly the plumbing arrangement for the inside of a cow?

Perhaps you need to quoin a name for it? ("Tony Tray" made it into the lingo in a small way).

> @Onoff I have found a 3d-print sculpture in honour of @onoff's avatar. Never met the man himself, so cannot comment on whether it is a selfie - but I bet he likes donuts. Quite interesting how from the front it looks aspirational, whils from the side it suddenly becomes a traffic warden. It may be the colours.I am not aware that this has been printed yet; presumably it will take some processing. The title is "My Precious". Obviously. When the machine arrives you can make one ?. Credit: https://pinshape.com/items/45627-3d-printed-chubby-gollum

You could use it for a lot more than plasterboard. Eg Cladding. F

On the roof, I think there is a difference between accessible, and intended for daily use. I mean make it such that pros who need to access the roof can put a ladder against your skylight. Rather than needing to put a 3 storey ladder or a cherry picker outside. So stuff like make it big enough to climb through, putting it over the landing not the stairs so that the ladder has somewhere to stand, and any falls are only one storey not three. Providing a base point for a safety rope sounds good, as does perhaps providing a mounting point for a winch. Perhaps also are sure that anything on the roof smaller than the aperture :-). I do not see why a secure, well designed skylight needing a ladder should require H&S interventions as if it were a roof garden. F

These projects keep rearing their heads. I need to make this entrance accessible. To me that means wheelchairable - ideally self-wheelchairable. The minimum width of path by the bays is about 700mm - I can probably widen by 200-250 if necessary. The porch is about 1100 wide by 800 deep, and I do not need to make the gravel accessible at this time.The obvious big problem is the door threshold. I have ideas, but comment would be most welcome. I am aware of the stolen "s" from accessible - will need to catch the thief later.

Good to see lots of opinions, even if they disagree with each other. Me - I dunno. It would depend I think on my opportunity to make sure it is on track and adjust as needed, plus the attitude of the contractor to deal with any problems afterwards. Dealing with any situations or problems in-process may require far more concentrated effort for you for a couple of days with Widget Ltd, whilst for Bill and Ben you may be able to have one day to think. Perhaps decide on your own personal flexibility in-crisis? Sooooooooooooo tempted to post the Bucks Fizz vid. But better not. Too traumatic, and just too pre-Ben Elton.

Also the very first Passive House on GD .. the aerial barn one in the Cotswolds.. used a compost loo.

@daiking Pulling on this thread, does not @Tennentslager have a compost-loo in his hut at Carbeth? I am sure I recall lids going on of buckets of poo and leaving them for 18 months. Just have to keep them in date order whilst evolving . There is a piccie here, and the detail must be around somewhere. PS Section in this piece towards the end

Interesting. So I have now invested a further £7.95 in one of their non-locking knives to see how different the mechanism is :-). I think it has a frog-style locking ring (with an added rivet) to stop it locking. The pruning knife is now here btw, and is capable of ‘pruning’ chives and mint very effectively. It is like a miniature sickle, of the type loved by Germaine Greer. F

So I have gone for the billhook pruning knife, thinking that it will be useful for harvesting eg courgettes and runner beans etc. And one of these, which is a stainless steel blade normal Opinel (No 6) with a nice bubinga wooden handle, which will cease to be a lock-knife when I remove the locking ring, but comes with a slip-case .which will keep it shut and safe. Probably need one of the s ones hat can be abused This has set off a memory of the first time I saw one of these, which was on an exchange in Southern France when the host family used folding knives at meals; one was one of these.

Agreed. Taking enough time to soak in your ideas is the most important step, especially when you have such tight constraints. That is partly why I am throwing out a lot of opinions. There may be ... perhaps ... something useful amongst the dross. You can do a lot even with a small space, such as constrain it with a window so that you only see the interesting bit and your mind fills in the rest, or eg put in a window that hides the top of your fence from view from say .3 to 1.5m and put a raised bed outside at .3m height so it is like having a huge windowsill full of plants, with the fence 1m or 2m away painted green. ATB

No. More like one of these, but an earlier design. https://www.wickes.co.uk/Werner-2-55m-5-in-1-Aluminium-Combination-Ladder/p/193900 (Similar from TS with pic I can link)

Your alternative is presumably a 2 or 3 sectional ladder that will fit in your vehicle. I am happy with the Wickes own brands as they seem to be rebranded Youngmans - eg for the 3 section ladder and work platform I have had for a few years. Ferdinand

This was the one I used. 1-2 years of tenants and going strong. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172603618735 Whole thing

Looking at a slightly broader picture of the house on its corner, I can see a planner being unhappy about it not being quite clear which side is the "front". I think it mainly reads as if the frontage is on the right, whilst the porch and main door face the other way. You may win by leaning on them, but OTOH a clearer appearance of facades may help you too. Suspect this is an aspect of the "looK" that got through by default on the developer plan, and the "lot fell on you" (unfortunately). Looking through StreetView the other houses have an appearance where the entrance reads in the same orientation as the house. I think it is an artefact of being too close to the RH road originally to have the porch the other way round. As to what to do, I would suggest a further conversation to explore their reasons. What were the alternatives offered? I think that changing the roof plane by 90 degrees to face the other way could do it, as could some treatment to soften it - that could be something like a window, or even a climber up the existing. I think you get a free go having been refused, and I suggest asking how you can adjust it, and perhaps putting an artists impression in this time. That is some good garden sideways expansion someone has done there. ? Ferdinand