Ferdinand

Not quite right. The controversial comment - whatever it was - has not been quoted. The technique is to leave it just long enough for someone to quote it, then you can delete it and still claim to be morally virtuous because you had second thoughts. ? ? ? (*) F (*) I love these new avatars. There's one for a bunny-boy now, as well as a bunny-girl, they are so PC.

I am beginning to think that this might have been easier Roman mosaic style?

Might that not be a .. er .. premature ejaculation? Soneone might have put in pinprick in the impermeable envelope.

Do you have prices for 2 identicals? The Howdens one in the vid says it has a 9kg capacity. The linked Hafele was 3kg per basket. https://www.howdens.com/kitchen-collection/kitchen-accessories/storage-solutions/standard-600mm-pull-down-shelf/ https://www.hafele.co.uk/en/product/pull-down-basket-shelves-two-tier-chrome-wire-gas-spring-operated-for-cabinet-width-500-or-600-mm/50459222/?MasterSKU=0000004d000165a300040023# Ferdinand

I believe that Howdens do them ?. But they do seem to leave a lot of space unused for the gubbins, and have fairly low weight limits. More practically, I get to use the top shelves while my mum who has now gone to under 5ft uses the others. The same even applies in the Bear-Fridge, where my frozen low carb breakfast portions get exiled to the top, whilst the cornettos are lower down. I am sure you have lots of stuff that is not of interest to the boss. Alternatively, do not forget that glass shelves can be a less expensive alternative for top cupboards for things like crockery, and your teapot library (should such exist) - as long as they can be identified from below. For base units, deep drawers are a good alternative. I learnt that from a nice Scottish lady in the Edinburgh 'burbs, who had her mugs and tins arranged on their sides in drawers below the workstop. Again a possibly money-saver, perhaps used in combination with some of the pull-up shelves. I think that pots and pans and tins and crocks (ie heavy or bulky) would be good in drawers below, whilst lighter stuff (dried ingredients, herbs, tea and coffee and so on) would work quite well on these. Cocktails and chocolate, obviously, should always be out on the worktop. Ferdinand

What a tragedy for his family and fans. I really enjoyed those of his programmes I saw. I think he may have preferred to go doing what he enjoyed, though. F

Should not be a problem, sizes notwithstanding. If any are wrong there are trims and things available from any trade UPVC place or online that can be used to cover any muttwork (eg strips of wood down the side to make it smaller) that you have to do. The main thing is to take care and take your time. If you want to boost performance, then it may be worth replacing the larger 2G units with more modern ones - performance may be better (comments, anyone?) and they are not expensive. I have used a secondhand conservatory (4m x 6m for £600 off ebay) as the core of a sunlounge, which has turned out to be fine all year for the tenant concerned, except in eg the heatwave we had this summer. That has now been up 5 years. I have also used a couple of pairs of nearly new brown / white French windows off ebay for the front and back entrances of a side leanto, which cost £250 the pair, and one was only 3 years old out of a newly sold barn conversion, where the lady was turning it white to be more "classy" (from Essex to match the stilettos?). If you buy secondhand the real bargains are the ones too big or heavy for Fred Bloggs to put on the roofrack of his estate car. Ferdinand

Hi Neil. Warranty is something of a concern though they seem to be pretty reliable, but mine also gave me a couple of spare panels and Solaredge micro-wotsits when I asked them the day before finally agreeing the order. It was a 9.98kWp install, however, and 35 panels on 3 elevations all with Solaredge. £11.7k in 2016. Warranty not materially different from yours. That £7k should be more like £4,5k-£5k unless you are on a street needing a scaffold permit etc in London, or Fort Boyard, or other special circumstances. Ferdinand

The advantage of using a solicitor is that you may (may!) get a fixed price ,which would mitigate your risk. Or you may not. I would concur to talk to the Land Registry first, and I have always found them very helpful over the phone for an initial chat about the system and to identify the information needed etc, or to explain any baffling or antoque concepts after I have done some how to research on the info-sheets on their website. If you google there has also been a good LR blog maintained by them with a lot of q&a in the comments which helps see how people did a lot of things. Then if necessary I have gone in to the local office (ask to book a parking space - outs has half a dozen free for visitors) and had a free adviser meeting at the foyer side-desk while I do the actual forms, and they check them. Ferdinand

Bumping this thread, does anyone have any experience of Nabru sofas - particularly with regard to quality and ability to withstand hard wear? https://www.nabru.co.uk/buying-guide/corner-sofas-guide This is as a potential alternative to 2 x Ikea Klippans. Ferdinand

Strikes me as one of those things where service history and treatment probably outweighs age in determining the value.

@PeterW - a cherrypicker question. If you use one of those to rmove roof tiles, are you able to get them down intact? Do you need something like a fabric slide?

Some of those on ebay from about 2-3k. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NiftyLift-120-cherry-picker-access-platform-towable/153163374709 Hmmm.

Does baby-oil work with glossy black?

That can be quite an expensive way of doing it :-).? The Planners seem to have caborundum-med the illegitimi. It is now being rebuilt, apparently with bricks made from gritted teeth. http://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/work-begins-on-rebuilding-carlton-vale-pub-brick-by-brick-1-5662297

Like it.

If doing the screenshot thing from a web browser make sure that you crop off all the dodgy bookmarks etc. Much potential for embarrassment, and amusement, when the link to the steam-engine pr0n website gets copied.

I get the impression that a good analogy for this turbine wrt to a typical one is like going for a east-south-west solar array rather than a south one - you get less peak but more width. So horses for courses. They seem to want to sell this to people in flats for the deranged urban winds of the metropolis. I would say that it would be interesting to have this made from a sheet material or spokes and fabric, rather than a plastic matrix. Could it be delivered flat as an unfolding space-frame, perhaps even made from a properly reusable material? Ferdinand

have PM’d. F

Hopefully not very tempting at all when we reflect on the potential impact on our new neighbours and their families. It bears mentioning again that exposure need only be minimal ... the only time my dad ever worked directly with asbestos that we know was supervising some maintenance of asbestos insulated ventilation for a few weeks 40 years before the mesothelioma killed him. F

Accepted - and that causes an unfortunate confusion with the regulated term "Competent Person" used for somebody qualified to do specified tasks in each trade. I think this is not quite the fully nuanced picture for rentals. And the whole thing is a festival of grey areas and weasel words. The legal reqiuirement for electricals in a rental, which I think is the underlying standard everywhere in the UK except possibly Wales where I have not checked, is that they are required to be safe and fit for purpose (or words to that effect), so in an enforcement situation there is professional judgement involved and sometimes the Council assessment staff may not be competent persons, never mind Competent Persons. The status of an EIC for a rental is that it is regarded as "best practice" to have one every 5 years, and would have significant weight when such a judgement were made. In practice it is all so complicated that it is far easier to invest in one rather than mud-wrestle the bureaucrat-monster, even if your properties are electrically safe. If a decision goes against you the consequences are draconian, and can be enforced eg in England as civil fines up to £30k by the Council on its own, which are very difficult to challenge. However (for completeness) an EIC every 5 years is mandatory in law for certain larger Houses in Multiple Occupation. In England they will be mandatory for Private Rentals before long anyway. I support that for EICs, though you can get me to be very rude indeed about some of the garbage being imposed via Goldplated LL Licensing schemes. But an EIC every 5 years is also identified as an (alleged) 'mandatory' requirement in many regulatory situations. One such is the Scottish Government Repairing Standard for Rental Property - link to electrical provisions, and enforcement can be via the First Tier Tribunal for the "duty to carry out Electrical Safety Inspections". Duty of care is a nebulous Common Law ( I think) concept. That is a bugger to disprove without an EIC, and he SG are trying to pretend that the EIC is in fact mandatory. In England, every Landlord Licensing Scheme that I have seen has such a provision, along the lines of say Nottingham's Selective Scheme for example. This is a set of words designed to impose a requirement that goes beyond the law.

If you look at someone like Hiscox, £1m public liability insurance could be down to something under £25 paid month by month or a couple of hundred a year. That is a figure for insurance for a handyman business taken out in the last 3 months. F

Good stuff. Don''t walk the mud in :-).

The impression I have is that this is a back-alley behind a row of terraces. I would talk to your Planning Dept about your concerns to see where you stand, and also possibly a free initial consultation with a local solicitor - usually they will give you a 20 or 20 minute conversation. Potentially you can do things such as getting it gated by the Council, but this feels to me like a "grin and bear it" situation. Practically I think you will be able to do little unless you have an established right to park (or something similar). Evidence required which could be Statement(s) of Truth over a (I think) 20 year continuous period, and the project impinges. Enforcement would be by the owner of the land. And if no owner is known or won't enforce, then little can be done except eg social pressure. The flip side of that is that were you (for example) to plant a concrete bollard in the back alley level with the middle of his plot, there is little that he could do (legally). In practice that would fall foul of a midnight angle-grinder, and you would have a poisoned relationship. Would it be worth putting in a bollard or big rock just outside your plot at the back in line with your corners to 'protect your fence'. May help a little. Or can you use viewblocking mitigation ideas such as a hedge or bigger fence, solar sail etc. It may be worth asking this one on http://gardenlaw.co.uk/ where they deal with boundary and access issues very often. Ferdinand

(Very good thriller, Running Blind, introduced me to Calvados.) The builder should be providing a single point of contact / redress and managing the multiple relationships on your behalf. He may be scared that is all about to go tits-up. Even more difficult to resolve once the relationship is beginning to be impaired if it that is the case. I am afraid I do not know what to advise on that except clarity, meeting your clear responsibilities and being straightforward. Ferdinand