Ferdinand

@PXR5 Your Council Officers can be gelpful in discussing process and policy; usually you can phone up and ask for the Duty Planner - though it might be called something else. Another way is to read through a few similar applications from the past. The record on the website will gave dates when the various different parts of the process were done, If you find one that eg had a short time between submitted and validated, that is an indicator of a well put together app. if you have particular qs, then we can try and help here. F

I meant how orientating spaces across the narrow dimension makes it feel a better shape ... like putting obtangular tiles across rather than along a narrow bathroom helps the perception of width. tbh I had not noticed quite how big the dimensions were. But 6m is still tight for 2 comfortable rooms, so I think the thoughts are a reasonable comment. Are some of those elements eg doors, beds, bath, drawn bigger than is the case?

Hard to comment without North and a needs statement. But it feels that everything has been crunched from top to bottom, and I think you need to reorientate some elements across it. The plan feels like a collapsed soufflé, and is too squashed imo. Try putting your two main bedrooms right across each end, and see what happens. I think you want as many of your doors as poss to be in top to bottom walls on the plan. Too much space on your tight dimension is occupied by door swing and walkthrough areas, which knocks out most of a top to bottom slice of your plan each time; you do not have the space for that 8n that dimension. Make people see the long dimension when they are moving around when possible. A crossways or dogleg or out and back staircase may also help. A plan of @ProDave‘s static caravan might help at this point. F

Can you estimate what the effect of that change might be? One of my Buildhub holiday projects is an Ebook called EPCs for Landlords, and it would be useful to be able to give a steer. I would estimate a fairly major improvement of 4-6 points based on the better pollution mix of electricity vs gas compared with what it was. Also they will want to talk up ASHPs and so may slant it a little. F

Absolutely, If it wasn’t rather vague there would be a risk that you might understand it too easily.

Supplementary question. One of my Roku Stream Stick + remote controllers (ie the handheld) needs a replacement (it is lost). Does anyone know which one I need, and if a third party thing is available. Roku say they sell them, but on their website only seem to have the whole thing available. Cheers F

For elegance I prefer something that is not pretending. So that would be a coloured upvc say dark grey, which could use wood grain as a texture, or a upvc that is like wood but needs to be convincing. Personally I think white is fine on a house where it matches. F

Probably wrapping up. So I bought one of these design-led air-redistributors from B&Q ("Evaporative Cooler"), which looks like a cross between a Triffid and something else. It even twists left and right. They call it an air conditioner, which it is not. https://www.diy.com/departments/blyss-white-45-3-speed-variable-air-conditioner/1270235_BQ.prd Comes with nice features like a sleep function which switches it randomly to prevent constant noise, and very good at keeping the place cool once it is cool. Also comes with a basic design flaw in that the water is added through a detachable door on the back at the bottom, and the only way to empty it is to run it for hours or to turn the whole caboodle upside down outside. So it is going back, and I will find one with a jug unit that can be taken out and filled under the tap, like a normal dehumidifier. Ferdinand

Bugger. Placed my Lakeland order this AM. That's what I get for not working it.

Interesting little insight into changing attitudes. I am being discouraged from getting the Lakeland Sunflower one on the basis that the £2 post and packaging cost will be saved if we wait until we next need a set of oven gloves or three and can get over the minimum £40 order in 6 months time or so, or if we wait until we next get to a Lakeland shop. As dad used to say - "in some ways we still live in the 50s". This is probably why my garage is full of bits of wood.

Could one burn it off in situ, assuming a concrete container?

Try looking for their list of "Validation" Criteria. Google search with site: parameter may be the best route.

I think you should get this, but need to be a bit judicious. 1 - Why not switch the roof on your garage by 90 degrees? 2 - In terms of visibility of in roof panels being a problem (it isn't) ask to borrow some of Jeremy's photos. He had a conservation officer come back when he had his in-roof panels in situ, and remark how good it was that they hadn't been installed after all. They are *that* visible LOL. 3 - Solar panels are Class A permitted development on a roof in a conservation area if they are less than 0.2M from the roof surface. But if you say that your PD rights may suddenly vanish ! http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/596/schedule/2/part/14/made There should be enough routes there I would say. F

You probably just made his day...

My original gutter supplier was the @#£&*()’l self builder who did the conversion before I bought it. ? TBf there have not been many problems. I think the issue is really speed of water hitting the gutter on one side, and as you say the other. Roof angle is 5x degrees iirc, and the roof length on the slope is about 6-7m. The gutter run around that conservatory is slightly complicated, and at pr3sentvtg3 corner a5 the bottom F th3 valley has debris. I think the only way to clear that one is to go up on the conservatory with a crawler whenever it happens. Separate issue. F

That is a continuing experiment. ?

it is Marley something tiles.

I have this problem both front and back. Here are a couple of piccies of the gutters overflowing. The core issue istm is that both gutters carry the runoff from about 40sqm of roof, and it comes 80% down a single valley as it is a large roof with big gables. Here is one: I would say that the answer is 1 - Deep flow gutters on the sections to catch the heavy flow. 2 - A couple of extra downpipes. Untidy. 3 - Something to slow the velocity of flow n the valley some distance up the roof. Thoughts welcome. Ferdinand

This seems a little unworthy of an activity followed by Halo-burnishing. Eradicate the food supply, then move in the spiders. A little torturous? "Good morning, Fido", said Mother Hubbard. "It is your favourite birdseed today; I removed the Pedigree Chum last night because I knew you would need breakfast. But think of your slimming campaign." F

I think you are not getting advice because no one knows. Suspecting that the way to fix this is going to be to replace the whole thing with a custom designed replacement from somewhere like Pears Stairs or Stairbox. I have no idea how to fit that in to an existing space but stairs seem to get installed late on in self builds. I think that if you can bottom the dimensions and how it fits the jigsaw, then the actual cost could be modest (Ish), as they are not hugely expensive. That is, low thousands not high hundreds. Lots of design work though, and you will need a demon checking partner, cos if it won’t fit you could be seriously banjaxed. That may be a better option than several days of Joiner, though I would explore both. Can you get hold of some docs with the original design or dimensions? Ferdinand

Do you happen to have a split air conditioning unit that you have bought, and found it doesn't fit? (Just asking for a friend)

Lordy £22. Bit pricey for what it is ! I shall look for a tabletop or hanging one.

Do you have a link for that? The laws of the universe guarantee that my kitchen and conservatory which get the problem sometimes when cooling down first or last thing are north facing !

Outside, yes. Inside .. not always. We have mint in jugs to discourage them, but it beats fly spray (which has been used once this month chez Ferdinand.). And we are of course endeavouring to avoid using air conditioning. F

Does anyone have any experience and recommendations? I am after something that will help on the occasions that we get some of the bug-gers in when the doors are open for ventilation. It seems to make sense to go for one that could either sit on a table or hang on a hook, and that uses a common type of zapper bulb, if such exists. I want something a little domestic looking, rather than suitable for the offal-hall at Pork Farms. Cheers F