Ferdinand

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

Welcome to the club. I spent 6 months living in a place called Llansilin, which was small but perfectly formed, on the edge of the plain. Lovely area. I think your architect supplies nice-to-understand plans. Ferdinand

(Declares victory and retires from the fray)

Personally, being a total eccentric I checked the English FAQ! https://www.megabad.com/p/faq#faq_en It gives minimum orders - €2000 - for free delivery to several countries next door to Germany not including the UK, and offers a postage calculator as part of the checkout process, so try that and see what it says. As for O level German, I was taught the basics of propositional logic that way ... Hier is Hans. Hans is NaB ! Bist-du naB, Hans? “Naturlich! Ich stehe unter einem Wasserfall!” F

Not on houses ??

This seems to iwork as well: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/332895172548 ? F

Of those I prefer the green. The effects of tiny changes are weird, but to me the green door makes the LH corner of the RH gable much sharper / better resolved where it meets the window above the porch, and the others do not. It may be that the surroundings being set out in a tone of green make that seem better, but to me that shows how the details really matter. Can you do one with adark grey window frames and door (incl. side panels), and the door surround inside the porch in black or oxblood or dark red. That would be interesting. But I admit this is just a self-indulgence. It wants a few comments from others no imo, and then the inside. Ferdinand

I had not heard of these. The mechanism seems to be to circulate a cooling fluid, such that more heat is generated than used by the circulating pump. A relatively new addition to the solar panels market, solar dynamic panels produce hot water in all weather conditions. Attached to the roof of the home, the panels do not require a backup system of gas or oil and a single solar dynamic panel can provide 55˚C hot water sufficient for a family of five every day throughout the year. Has anyone used them, and are they still a thing? They seem to cost about as much as a big boiler. http://thegreenhome.co.uk/heating-renewables/solar-panels/solar-dynamic-panels-overview/ https://www.thegreenage.co.uk/buy-thermodynamic-panels/ Can @Onoff make one out of beer cans and an old fridge?

Congratulations on the results. Condolences on your loss. There was a Grand Design's quote from the boyfriend of the woman who designed a brilliant 50s inspired house in Falmouth, Cornwall. "The Scandinavian House", that might fit. "In some ways it feels like I am living in Kathryn's head." (paraphrase form memory - at about 41 minutes).

Ring the Council up and ask them what their policy is in general terms without identifying the site or perhaps even yourself. "Joe Bloggs here". F

Sorry - missed the update on March 7 ?. I agree with Nick. The second one is the better. The front door needs a strong frame. Details after the intermission: 1 - That facade feels at ease with itself, to me. a The roofline is progressive in profile - high, medium, low. b That incongruous mini gable has gone. c The consistent window subdivisions unify. d Skylights look good as a counterbalance point to the high RHS gable. That should be preservable even if you need to change them. 2 - The only uncomfortable elements to me are: a The 4 windows on the RHS being foursquare. Perhaps they are foursquare in 2d not 3d, and it is just parallax in the perspective. I would probably try and change that if not. b I am still in 2 minds about the different heights to the bottom edges of the cladding. You can argue that it reflects the graduated roofline, or that they should be the same. It might be good with cladding down to the near-ground on the LHS. One to think about. 3 - My further comments: a Whilst it looks balanced and comfortable, to me the visual feel us a little "flat" in this presentation, with pastel shades of cladding and a front door that does not stand out. b That is difficult to comment on in detail with the drawings we have, but I would suggest that the front door definitely needs to stand out more - that could be done by a strong colour front door say black or match the slates or dark red or blue or Wimbledon Green. It needs to be the place the eye stops when you look at the house from the front. I might be good to deliberately use a strongly contrasting material for the door surround inside the porch, so the eye first takes in the balanced whole, and is attracted in to the porch by the frame, then that material as the "mount", then the front door as the picture and subliminally wants to come inside your nice house. I am thinking of eg glazed bricks (black or grey to reflect the rook, or London Transport oxblood could work), or anything else that stands out from the facade. Or you could use a stronger cladding colour. But imo the porch / door needs to say "look at ME", or something else to say "look at THAT door, THERE". c But how that works depends on your cladding pattern and material and colour, so I need to leave that with you and the decision does not need to be made yet. But try a few colour changes to cladding and door and see what it looks like. Looking forward to seeing your interior. Ferdinand

if officialdom are concerned about appearance, there aris different finishes you could put on your EWI. I age never seen it pebbedashed, mind.. Welcome.

Who are you asking here. Mine was never built as we used a Leanto instead.

Welcome.

Welcome, Ms DIY. 1-2. I would say replace with good double glazing, which might not be that much more than secondary depending on the system. Do it gradually, according to how much a room is used or where other work is being done. No need to be messy. Choose a local supplier, carefully, and you can get a window done when you have a couple of hundred free. 3 Can be good, but relatively expensive so need a very good reason on a limited budget such a burglary area. I think these need to be electric, And built flush into the wall / window opening. 4 As pointed out, these need an outlet for the air. I have installed a number ... what I do is have a outlet trickle ventilation fan at the other end of the downstairs such as a Vent Axia Lo Carbon Tempra HR fan, or simple fan equivalent. Seems to work well, and I have been doing this for a few years. 5 Air sealing floors is good if you have proper ventilation, but lifting the floor and insulating ... even rockwool and a staple gun would be good ... is better. 6 Agree with your architect. Sun-pipes are for special situations or Grand Designs posturing. Ferdinand

I believe that we’re it in the PP, they could have had the VAT back on those as well. Were They adaptations to an existing house, I think te( access work would not be VATable. Ferdinand