Ferdinand

They call this an "integrated soap dish", which I would call "shelf in the side of the bowl to keep the wet, messy, things off the floor". The hand basin which I like turns out to be called a Mila (the current B&Q range seems to be named after a team of Balkan Gymnasts). https://www.diy.com/departments/cooke-lewis-mila-single-bowl-countertop-basin/1677739_BQ.prd I would be after the 800mm wide version for around £100.

Cheers. My go-to for the last few years has been the current half price offer inside the door at Wickes for porcelain tiles, or my local good Trade Supplier Tile Town near M1 J28.. That has been reduced slightly to 40%, but you can still get a further 20% off that from the Trade account and the payment side. Ferdinand

I am now happy that Roku and the very limited Freeview I can get meet my needs, so I will be cancelling the Virgin bb / phone / TV service from next month, and preparing to move to one of the Phone / BB twin services where there is more choice. Thanks, all.

Does this Street have a name and a postcode? Planning docs might be interesting... Update: It has a set of Lat and Long. This is on Google Maps, showing the location. I think the sharpest point for me, as ever in self-build, is the blunt amount of money that is required. Even here, with plots that seem to be a chunk less than the later ones, they are still needing to raise £400k, which means perhaps more towards £500k for later plots. And that a single retired teacher, who has a long career in an ordinary - albeit professional / public sector (ie pension not at risk) - job, could do it. I do wonder about people more my way who do not have the property value appreciation. It's the old equation in self-build with a slightly different context. Ferdinand

Good KISS.

I think the way to think about it is that you are taking on a project where getting your PP is only one phase, so you have a strategic planning stage for your whole project before you get into subprojects such as getting PP.

Do you mean the self-builders or the contractors, there?

I believe it is Thermoroof. https://thermohouse.co.uk/thermoroof/ Unlike Durisol, they managed to smuggle the brand name into the programme. "I can't wait for my Thermoroof". Eventually a list of suppliers should appear on the C4 website.

I am afraid that probably depends. They are certainly LESS invasive, but I suspect that they can return to part of their savage nature like dogs presented with a flock of geese. I would probably put in a suitable barrier anyway if a small bamboo empire was a concern. It will not be instant, though it will be quick for a hedge. I love the concept of Voyeur Trees overlooking your site ... very Tolkien ?. A complaint to the Council would be interesting on that one. F

interesting all. I find that Wickes are a little less competitive, having withdrawn a few their bulk buys eg 3 for 2 on paint rarer. Ferdinand

It can be complicated and there are more elephant traps waiting for you than in Dumbo. Potentially you could be exempt by doing them in sequence x years apart, but you would need to be bulletproof, and there are probably bigger savings to be made from Taxes and stuff rather than merely avoiding CIL and VAT on the build cost. A couple here have done it iirc, and may be able to advise. You also have to think about Tax on the other one, depending what you choose to do with it, and with the one you are living in, what vehicle eg company etc to use for the build, and how to manage the different aspects. You also need to manage the value uplift when you get PP, and whether to split the development one off before or afterwards. My feeling would be to keep the self-build as separate as possible, and consider the other one separately. Then you need to think what kind of vehicle is suitable if any, and how you will get the money out. EG if you injected the site into a Ltd you could potentially get the value of whatever you put in as a withdrawal, 320k out tax free for pensions (4 years back allowances for 2 people into a SiP if you have put nothing in for some time), and the rest at 10% tax under entrepreneur’s allowance, for example. My suggestions 1 - Work out your objectives .. the what not the how. 2 - Take seriously good advice on the how. 3 - KISS as far as possible. There are now rules in place that will catch lots of contrived ideas - playing smoke and mirrors will bite you in the bum. 4 - The cardinal sin you MUST avoid is to start before you have a complete roadmap. 5 - But once you start execute your roadmap quickly, as tax systems change with the seasons. Just my opinion... Ferdinand

I was down at B&Q this PM looking at showers and bathroom items. For example, the tiles seem noticeably more reasonable than in the past, with a fair selection in the range £10-18 per sqm. I was also quite taken with a vanity mounted wide whb, which has a recessed shelf inside the bowl outline for soap, bottles etc. I have not seen that before. Does anyone else have any views / experience? Ferdinand

This now says 37% off with WEEKEND37. And I need a bumper to get the Corsa ready for sale...

The best summary I have seen is the Oxford Mail https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/17550473.meet-the-ten-self-build-stars-of-tvs-grand-designs/ But the national media soap-opera headlines are fun: Telegraph "Grand Designs: the Street, episode 1 review: a gripping construction of neighbourly disputes, passive aggression and lunatic ambition" https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2019/04/04/grand-designs-street-episode-1-review-gripping-construction/ Mail Couple and their single neighbour who planned to help each other build their dream homes end up falling out after VERY heated rows on Grand Designs: The Street https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6885293/Warring-neighbours-fall-dream-self-build-project-branding-petty-ridiculous.html Express (SEO in advance for Episode 2) Couple blow £300K on a home made of hemp on Grand Designs: The Street https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/property/1109749/Grand-Designs-the-street-kevin-mccloud-channel-4 Standard https://www.standard.co.uk/stayingin/tvfilm/grand-designs-the-street-solidly-built-rigidly-structured-welcome-to-the-dream-home-of-diy-a4109786.html Grand Designs The Street: Solidly built, rigidly structured... welcome to the dream home of DIY entertainment And so on... Ferdinand

This post is a record of the initial Estimated Prices, and stated final cost of the 10 self-builders featured in the Grand Designs - The Street, about 10 of the first houses built at the Gravenhill Self-Build development site at Bicester. Watching the first episode, the 10 property street is starting to remind me of the Homeworld 1981 / Future Home 2000 exhibition, which is now Coleshill Place, Milton Keynes. The featured picture is of that exhibition site as it is now taken from Google Earth - looking embedded and conventional. No 1, The Street - Budget for plot + build £275,000. Out-turn quoted - £335,000. A couple in their 60s. No 2, The Street - Budget for plot + build £275,000. Out-turn quoted - £400,000 approx. A single lady in her 70s. This house had cantilevers fail and the roof split at the ridge-beam, requiring £20k + of recovery work.

Found it. The 10 Plots Street was first mooted around the start of 2015.

So how long were the timescales between the initial application for plots on McCloud Street to the point of finished homes? I assume they were all built some time ago? F

Welcome to the forum, and we will do our best with any queries about your plot etc. It will be good to hear from a bat ecologist. I sometimes make sceptical noises about some aspects of the Planning Process, and it will be good to hear a contrasting viewpoint. Ferdinand

10mm. http://www.acerecology.co.uk/mitigation-crevice-dwelling-bats/

These are 10 steps if your Electricity Bills are out of control in a house which has not yet been renovated. They are the "low hanging fruit". The aim is to get you started and seeing good results in a short period without too much long-term work. If your house is currently not insulated, and you have not optimised your electricity bill, savings of 40-50% or more may be achievable. Here with go with the first 10 steps, which can be done then left alone for some time - ignoring major investments like new windows and doors, and major or very detailed projects. 1 - Set some realistic targets and monitoring - I suggest, over 3 years: Year 1: Minus 20% on current bill. Year 2: Minus 33% on current bill. Year 3: Minus 40% on current bill. Record and monitor usage at some regularity ,whether weekly, monthly or quarterly. Perhaps a thread on BH or a blog post. For performance and encouragement. If you want to monitor your whole house supply, there are also meters where a sensor clamps around the main supply cable and transmits to a meter inside your house. These have been around for a long time, and the best known is by a brand called OWL. Suggest in addition to your meter and a couple of plug meters, one of those Owls or similar that clamps on the supply - use it to check which of your four buildings uses most. If nobody else can, I can lend you one - I think. Remember to keep looking for the big targets. 2 - Check the balance vs payment numbers. Is there a big credit on the account if you are on monthly payments. Can you get 10% off the monthly charge with a phone call just by challenging it? This will need a repeat check as your usage falls fsater than they notice. 3 - Change tariff. Savings on the first switch seem to be 20-30% for most I have seen try it. I use MSE Cheap Energy Club, and have it set to warn me when I can save >£150 per year. That prompts action, but does not annoy me every month. Consider a longer term fixed tariff from a decent big supplier of energy, rather than a bust-every-3-months minnow. 4 - Get the stuff other people will do for free. Call someone like the Energy Saving Trust, and see what is available in your area. For example: a - 250mm insulation in loft. I can still get this. b - Cavity wall insulation? I know someone who had this last year. 5 - Replace all your lightbulbs with LEDs. Payback time may be around a year. Especially any of those 300W or 500W outside floods. 6- Are there any visible holes? For example, light through gaps round outside doors, catflaps etc. Block 'em up with traditional draught remedies, and keep the cat in the shed, with a catflap there. 7 - i s your roof space well sealed from the main area of the house. For example, is your loft hatch sealed and insulated? New insulated ones are cheap. You will need this in place for a Positive Input Ventilation fan to work successfully. 8 - Do your extract fans have backdraft shutters? If not, switch them over. From about £30. 9 - If you have trickle vents, then replace them (foam them up) with proper controlled ventilation. Use a PIV in the house, and trickle /boost extract fans to keep it flowing. That is what I usually do in rentals and have now done at home. Works and gives some control for £400-£750. 10 - Use spot heaters that heat People not Rooms Can you tweak the heating in your garage or shed, by using spot radiant heaters rather than heating the whole thing? eg For our childrens play area at the gym we have one of these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eterna-Quartz-Radiant-Mounted-600watt/dp/B00F2H1WF8 . Costs <£30. Bonus 11 - Over time work on the strategic stuff as you are able - underfloor insulation, 2G, dry lining, thermal survey etc. And also the tactical stuff - replacing appliances, finding small but constant loads. Turn it all the way to 12, and beat Spinal Tap - Plan a big treat with some of the savings. This may help convince the rest of your household that it is worth persevering. Wrapping Up I hope that this brief guide will get you started on some of the more straightforward and easier things you can do to cut your bills, without having too much hard slog to achieve noticeable results quickly. If you have any questions, join Buildhub and start a thread on the main forum, or comment below.

How wide is such a gap for a bat to be able to fit through?

Absolutely. Oh ! Ooops !

Welcome to the Forum.

By making a proposal in accordance with national and local policy. I would say that falls under 11 d) ii in my quote. Thinking of your example, that is catered for in detailed guidance in National Policy. And if I comply with that the Council would have to judge the costs and benefits balance of the proposal in the light of the NPPF and local policy, under the presumption to approve. They cannot say "that's not sustainable"; they have to justify that allegation / judgement on balance in "planning terms" such that it would stand up on Appeal, and if conditions can make it acceptable in Planning Terms then they have to apply the conditions and approve. That is what I see as the difference between your original statement, and my belief. Ferdinand

You used to take your clothes off when you went to bed? Bah humbug ! In Yorkshire they used to spend half an hour on the outside loo just to get warm...