Ferdinand

I do not see how Adverse Possession can possibly apply, as the previous owner has already admitted that it is owned by someone else and has acknowledged that fact in writing by making an offer; he has already shot his own fox. Adverse possession is x years of open use, as if it belonged to you, with others excluded and unchallenged. The other one ... establishing a right to use the access by long use ie a Prescriptive Easement .. May be a possibility. I think that requires 20 years of open ie not secret, documented proven use, without the owner’s permission. Ferdinand

Write down your questions before or you will miss one out. 80-20 listen-talk. Record it discreetly. Have a notepad, and use it.

I think OSB benefits from the correct type of screws, which are discussed elsewhere. I think the Reisser ones work well.

TBH if it Surrey you will Perhaps be into 6 figure uplifts on the plot just by getting Planning, so imo you need this to be watertight and to do it properly unless the quote is outrageous. Do you need to consider that against trust level. Would they turn away £200k or more when push comes to shove and they have the opportunity to keep it and only upset you? I do know people who I think would not exploit a loophole if it came up, but I also know people I trust for whom a loophole like that could be a much more secure retirement so in one sense I would not blame them as it would almost be force majeure. In one sense it needs to be tied up more tightly if they are a friend; protects the friendship. And it potentially gives a document to resolve disputed that is at least clear, so you get to blame the document or the solicitor as well as your friend. Ferdinand

Do it like posh speed cameras, and engrave the lines on your glasses, then wear a starched collar.

My quote was in answer to a quote along he lines of "if I were to create a normal but customised option agreement on the purchase of a piece of land to protect while trying for PP, what would your fee be?". This was a couple of years ago. I was asking the property specialist in a 2 or 3 branch local practice. So not small, but not regional either. My experience of well-known regionals (say 200-300 staff) is that they want to think of themselves as aspiring-London and it costs a lot of money. F

A few years ago my solicitor quoted me just under £1000 to do one, if that helps. F

Yes it does apply in Scotland.

Surface attaching picture hooks behind the TV, and thin wire or fishing line?

On Residential In terms of reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions rapidly, I think a focus on newish builds - whilst regs and EPCs are certainly a thing that needs fixing - is a bit of a red herring. It is the 10% not the 90% in carbon emissions terms, All the houses built in the last decade comprise only approximately 5% of the housing stock. Going back to 2000 only comprises a little over 10%. And those are the most efficient portion. According to *this* 2010 (ish) report "F & G banded homes in Great Britain - Research into costs of treatment" done for the Energy Saving Trust, there was 19% of our housing stock in bands F&G. That is now down to less than 5%, all of which is either in the social rented or owner occupied or an exception or being rented illegally if in the PRS. Looking at these numbers from the English Housing Survey 2017, I think I would argue for an initial +2% on Stamp Duty for Fs and Gs, and a +1% on Ds and Es, to keep the improvements happening - perhaps hypothecated to energy improvements on Hard-to-Improve properties. F

An interesting graph on Carbon Reduction I came across. This is provisional data from March 2018, so there may be an updated version around somewhere. The first is the sector mix in uk greenhouse gas emissions. I had not twigged that it was nearly half since 1990. In my head I thought perhaps a little more than a third. The main caveat is that this excludes 'outsourced emissions' eg manufacturing moving to China. There is an interesting discussion thread. The numbers in the graph are sourced from the latest Govt stats. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/provisional-uk-greenhouse-gas-emissions-national-statistics-2017 The main conclusions I draw from this is that the sectors needing to make a really significant contibution to reduction next are Transport and Housing. In Housing that imo mainly means grasping the nettle of the the older (pre-2000?) owner occupied stock (regime already in place for Private Rental must be EPC-C by 2030 so more change difficult to assess; not sure about older Council Housing but it has had money thrown at it and has better reported standard). In transport that means electric powered by renewables and in my dreams effective cycling infrastructure, and perhaps things being done with air travel and public transport. I have not seen numbers for public transport. Thoughts? Ferdinand

It could be a benefit later were you to want separate meters eg if you were to plan to rent out an annexe or sell off a garden building plot. In thse circs it could be worth several thousand as a saving. Presumably whilst they exist, one can be run on a zero-Standing-Charge tariff if not used so much eg a workshop or garden building supply.

I would now use Multipanel unless I discovered a very good reason not to do so, for reasons of longevity and ease of maintenance; I have one rental where it has been in since about 2012 and is still fine. But I would really love to about potential alternatives if you discover any that are better. Ferdinand

Why are you making "bullsh*t" signs at yourself? If anything I use a carpenter's soft pencil, and look at the far end of the line.

@recoveringacademic For some reason I spent 10 minutes this morning on Gwynneth Paltrow's Goop website, and that has iots of suggestions. (*) Quite why someone would name their website after a word defined in the dictionary as "a stupid person" is baffling; perhaps she is an auto-Kalabarian? The Goop website says that if you walk around barefoot it will cure your insomnia, and arthritis, and inflammation, and depression (yes, it does) so why not try that? "Earthing therapy rests on the intuitive assumption that connecting to the energy of the planet is healthy for our souls and bodies. And while there’s a definite, if New-Age, appeal to the concept of energetically connecting with Mother Earth, there’s also a more scientific angle to the practice, which posits that access to the abundant supply of free electrons in the (subtly negatively charged) ground can help neutralize free radicals—if only we would take off our shoes and access them. Several people in our community (including GP) swear by earthing—also called grounding—for everything from inflammation and arthritis to insomnia and depression. " If you want to involve the boss, why not try one of those walkaround on your back massage things? Ferdinand (*) Think it was a BBC interview where she was pretending that her fake 'unevidenced scientifically' claims about how XYZ has medical benefits were not actually health claims. Most of the claims still seem to be there preceded by things like "it is said that". Breakfast TV, so the interview was as soft as a half boiled egg.

These people sell refurbished 1950s English Rose kitchens, which I think are entirely aluminium and stainless steel, and should survive unless there are rocks in the flood. They are powder coated. Very stylish, but I cannot vouch for budget. http://www.source-antiques.co.uk/index.php Made by the people who made Spirtfires iirc.

Vintage?

That's another thing that sounds like Emma wotsit in Harry Potter - presumably when being lunch monitor, and declaimed whilst waving a chopstick.

Could you use a product deigned for cement repair of roof tiles? I had one done recently for a chipped tile that would have required a while row to come off the front of a dormer, and i is invisible. Unsure of the name, however. Ferdinand

Since we are doing helpful comparisons, I can provide a useful costed Howdens data point. This is an example of a a midrange (ie a couple of levels above their cheapest, with extra money also targeted at the bits you notice ie sink, tap, worktop) Howdens kitchen in the Little Brown Bungalow. We also got a custom hall unit out of it. Includes (slightly ish): 1200 base unit. 600 drawers. 600 oven unit. 1200 corner cupboard. 600 wall unit. 600x600 wall corner unit. 1200 wall unit. 600 taller, deeper unit for boiler. 1 x 4m and 1 x 3m of 38mm worktop. Decent sink (ie 0.9mm not 0.7mm thick) Decent mixer tap. Sink and tap together were probably £200 to £250. Handles, hinges and mounting kits. Shaker Doors plus 3 x normal end panels, 1 x tall end panel, plus 2 x 1m high doors for broom cupboard to make tall door. Plinths, trims, and pelmets. No appliances. Came to around £2350 inc VAT in Dec 2017, which is just Trade Discount without special favours except a 1-2% round-down on the price iirc. My chap who did this, and is doing @Hecateh's kitchen, says that DIY Kitchens are higher quality, a little more built-up, and likes building them, but do not come with similar mounting kits. Next time I will get quotes from both for identical jobs. Taking a guess I would say that DIY may be about 20-25% more for a comparable, but that may well be worth it. Ferdinand

On slide and hide, I think the relveant things to think about are: 1 - Space. Less needed in a large kitchen, but a very significant benefit in eg a terrace galley kitchen. 2 - Lifting things in and out. Much easier for heavy items, or people who are short or with poor strength at full stretch, as they can get closer. I used one because it was a very small kitchen. Ferdinand

I agree with the keep-it-all-together principle. Occam would then perhaps imply washing machine and dryer in upstairs "utility", and have a drying facility in the bathroom or an ensuite perhaps in a large shower cubicle. Ferdinand

+1

Not good within sectional doors, clearly. Might be worth a look into the Secured by Design police project as it applies to Garage Doors. It is quite an old standard and I do not know how good that is in 2018 terms. The site includes a directory of suppliers. http://www.securedbydesign.com/?post_type=product&s=garage+door I do recall that some (electric?) shop roller shutters proved Rioter-proof in London in 2011. And some people would feel right at home ?

On the Neff, the best deals I can find for A Neff Slide and Hide (Grade A Catalytic Fan Oven) are for this one. The link is at £550 to B&Q of all places: https://diy.com/departments/neff-b44m42n5gb-stainless-steel-electric-slide-hide-single-oven/1409102_BQ.prd At B&Q you can nurdle.a bit more off with cash back etc .. perhaps £25 or a bit more if the pensioner or other discount applies and if you use a cash card. May be very slightly better deals on EBay outlets. I think that is the one I installed in the Little Brown Bungalow, and the previous tenants I signed out yesterday who are about to buy their first house were very happy with the t’oven. Better deals we’re available least year ... under £400 minus nurdles, so it may worth watching for Black Friday etc. Ferdinand