Ferdinand

This is the provision I was talking about. It appears in EW you have 3 years to sell your previous property to reclaim 2nd home Stamp Duty. https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/everything-you-need-to-know-about-stamp-duty#stamp-duty-on-second-homes Has that changed in Scotland? F

The 3% extra stamp duty does not apply to properties costing under £40k as one threshold, but that is to do with the price of the second property not liability for the second property tax. I think the solicitor is correct. I recall the overlap period being reduced, though I thought it was 18 months not 16. Others may add more. Ferdinand

I thought the principle was that ownership of a shared property was treated the same as if it was a whole smaller property ie normal rules and thresholds apply. Is the 3k the supplementary stamp duty of 3% on second properties? Ferdinand

There are records of around 30 builds in the blog area. Worth a look. I am not sure how many truly "alternative" build methods have been used by members though there may be some. I can't recall hobbit houses, or earth sheltered, or cob houses occurring too often. I think the weight of emphasis here is more on building houses to a good specification, whilst simplifying away some of the more gimmicky or specialist interventions. And I think that you may have more meat for your research in this kind of area ... eg do we really need grey water recycling, GSHP and complicated control systems? That is, straws in the wind for the practical consequences of high spec fabric first. Though there are exceptions - eg @Ed Davies is off grid in an A-frame house. IMO the valuable insights to be gained here are perhaps as much about practical things that can be rolled out more widely, rather than revolutions that will upend all the apple carts. Suspect that we are 5-15 years in advance of the norm, not 25-35. Ferdinand

ie £20-50 ish pa for a 100 sqm floor area, depending on your heating. F

Oh you mean that one not the famous football player, who must be good because he has played for both Forest and County. That sounds like a session of the Ozzie Senate. A good deal cleaner than most comedians these days. PS The crappie/chappie was Apple again.

Is this Kevin Wilson chappie someone of whom we should all have heard?

To convince yourself run some numbers including 10 years of heating bills.

Wait until you tile something, then use the offcuts.

My interest is whether cost overheads .. especially those imposed in advance .. mitigate against developement, and ar a drag on eg small development firms and small plots of land, and whether the balance is right. I also wonder whether there are extraneous reasons as to why the overhead is quite so high for self-build and small developments. We all have war stories or lack of war stories, but I am interested in finding some data. Reading campaign material eg from the CPRE there is a lot of questionable information out there. Ferdinand

Absoluely agree, but an evaluation has to start somewhere, and where a public critique can be made from all sides. It would really want two entire years for all councils in the country, peer reviewed and done to take out sample bias and other factors .. but that is then in pro-research project territory. We all have our viewpoints .. mine is significantly based on observing what seem to be questionable institutional networks of relationships which seem to involve manifest conflicts of interest. Plus anecdotal accounts from long term professionals etc. Ferdinand

Plus all the rest.

I am of the view that there seems to have been an increase in the number of consultant reports required by self-builders (and developers, but that is not the topic here) over the last 20 years. My view is that this is in part down to Councils playing safe because it is more attractive to demand a report anyway when somebody else pays the expense, rather than the scarier prospect of not insisting on one. However, that is anecdotal. My suspicion is that we are in a position where a dynamic exists where some bodies want more reports to grow their businesses, in addition to protect whatever they say they are trying to protect. But I need to begin to get a handle on some evidence. I am trying to frame an FOI request to get data from a typical authority about 2 sample periods (perhaps Sep-Oct 2018, and Sep-Oct 2006), to get a snapshot sample. I think a more-complete request would be too much expenditure to get through, and to be justifiable as a load to place on Council Staff. Question 1: Does anyone have or know of any data on this? Question 2: Where is the definitive list of statutory, and hopefully non-statutory, consultees? Any comments are most welcome. Ferdinand

Consider your post, as it will there for a long time. If it was a separate post, I would consider using a concrete post repair spur, as it comes with bolt holes already included, and the lifetime of a concrete post. eg This is the Wickes version at £18: https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Fence-Concrete-Repair-Spur---75mm-x-100mm-x-1200mm/p/542503 I usually pay more like £8-10 from a local supplier. Ferdinand

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AIUI the issue is with disturbing nests. So if the section you needs to work on does not include any active nests, then you may still be able to move ahead. The procedure I am used to is that work can start, and they have to stop if they find anything. I think that is OK, but check carefully first. I see no problem with chatting to the Council about that - even if they have a blanket "noooooooooo" policy for simplicity, you may well be complying with the law. It is not as if you are flying under the radar to remove obstacles before applying for PP. Alternatively you could create a narrower access to let you start, or a temporary one somewhere else. If that side road is level with the plot, and not classified, and there is not anybody else's land between you and the lane, and there is a chunk with no nests, you can possibly just create an entrance there. Obviously get photographs and ideally a quick look from an eco-ologist to make sure you are not disturbing anything and to cover your backside. A suitable individual (probably a certified tree-man) needs to look at it, certify in writing that there is no issue, and then you need to prove that you did the job immediately - or if they did it. It should not be too expensive, as you would perhaps only need half a day of their time, and it may be worth it to get your build going. I think that that might generate a couple of blue fits in locals or barrack room lawyers, and a visit from a Council chappie, but if you are complying with policy it may be feasible to do. If the Council are aware first, then the teeth will have been pulled from the shark before you went for a swim in the custard. I would be interested in @PeterW's comments on this, as a proper tree man. Ferdinand

Follow up on this. Vincent Timber have a factsheet about Timber Louvre options for Brise Soleils etc which I have attached. It is one from this rather extensive library of useful information. http://www.vincenttimber.co.uk/informationanddownloads/index.html Ferdinand 20190317-Vincent-Timber-Factsheet-Timber_Louvre_Options.pdf

Father Ockham would approve...

True, but if you need options. On this one you may lose your 25k vat back, but if it lets you build the house then needs must. Or you could do a smaller PP and then another later, but then you lose the VAT on the second half (or is there a VAT reclaim in self build extensions?). But then the 2nd PP might not get through. So you could go for 2 PPs, one for the first, and one for the whole - so you can completion on PP1, and do that VAT reclaim whilst knowing that you can build the rest. Or building the first half may get you a valuation that lets you extend the mortgage further. Complicated stuff, but all kinds of things are possible, and some can work. Or you could rob a bank. F

One strategy you could do is deliberately plan a project that can be in 2 parts and habitable when the second half has not been built. Eg We have one member .. @Stones ... who has built their house in 2 halves to fit in with a vernacular of long low barns. Click the name and you can find his blog. That would lend itself to that approach. There are any number of ways to do or manage that, and it might even be a way you could manage your existing PP, but it is more complicated to manage and you would probably want a year to nail down your process in detail. Ferdinand

I would say take the time to check out a few others, just to be sure. You may be able to find one which includes your wall mount track. Would your local BM price match to that extent? Ferdinand

@Onoff For a big one have you considered a commercial freezer as for a restaurant or shop? eg https://www.alexanders-direct.co.uk/refrigeration/chest-freezers just for an example. Best seller there is 476 litres for under £500. If you are really after saving money there are auction sites as sometimes quoted here for secondhand tools. They also have freezers .. we bought one for the gym for stock. F

We await the soundtracks of various fridges and freezers ? for BH think tank evaluation. I’m game...

I normally go for trade outlets on eBay for showers and baths. For a shower screen it should be more like £100 than £350 imo as they have become commodities. I think the components could be from the same source if you need spares. Others may have different views. Eg example not recommendation https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wet-Room-Glass-Screen-Panel-Walk-In-Shower-Enclosure-8mm-Easy-Clean-1900mm-High/272390674032 For me if they are available for that price I would probably not go to a local maker unless I was after half a dozen or it had to be custom. I am bathroom refurbing this year ... blog tomorrow am ... and mine is custom, so I will try and reuse it whilst turning the wet room alcove into a shower. Ferdinand

That volume may limit you in choice, perhaps? It's a big freezer. F