Ferdinand

THey also have an xcellent stair designer on the site.

Can you explain why that is structural? I need to be educated :-). I understood structural glazing to be loadbearing.

A court will require that you have attempted resolution anyway, and will base its judgement partly on who acted reasonably. Perhaps talk to your architect as a first step, who should know something about these things, and have met similar before? After all, he is your architect, employed by you to work for you.

Could you just withhold 2k from the final invoice, explain why, and leave them to incur the legal costs? You may end up counter claiming in the Small Claims Court when they sue you.

You could try via the marketplace, but I expect that 1 - they are in constant use. 2 - transport would be an issue, as might insurance. 3 - diggers are perhaps easy to break expensively, especially the ones self-builders may buy. 4 - they are a relatively expensive purchase. 5 - liability issues? F

It is not that far off the difference in prices of plots.

Looks superb.

Perhaps there is woodchip underneath the paint . /optimist

Easier to clean with perhaps smoke :-).

ABsolutely. I bought a 32kg version partly for the weight, while the Wickes ones are I think 27kg. I also wanted it to feel heavy when opened. As far as I could tell the weight difference was in the fibreboard core but I am no expert. My joiner was impressed with the doors I gave him to work on, and apparently creating the holes for the latches etc was a bit of a sod ..

Nothing to add as I am around the corner from @PeterW, except to do the temporary thing to be a suitable base for whatever finish will be in your final driveway. F

If it is dry rot you are going to be removing and replacing all affected wood, then extra as a buffer, then treating the rest. If you are doing floors etc it would make sense to treat everything you can reach. And everything removed needs to be handled very carefully to prevent reinfection from the waste - hopefully others can outline the exact procedures. You may be into professional assessments even if self-treating. It will be worth spending some time learning properly about it, which I am sure you will do anyway. For one thing it can grow through walls, plaster and masonry. One link: https://www.timberwise.co.uk/2008/10/dry-rot-the-facts-from-the-dry-rot-experts/ Ferdinand

@nod We have talked about price before, but if you have all the Wickes discounts you can get their Geneva doors in this style for £61 each delivered if you have about 5 or more at present untreated. I found that a 2.5l £75 can of Polyx Oil did about 7 doors 2 coats both sides and some other shelves etc.. Another 5% may be possible if you catch a holiday or Monday offer. I paid a bit more elsewhere as I needed a 55mm trimming margin. Ferdinand

Best of luck.

Sympathy. I only ever had one really bad experience with a tenant, and the house was left like that.

I used exactly the same stuff on very similar doors. Excellent and goes a long way. But it is very odoriferous - my handyman who painted the doors had a huge migraine despite having windows open, and had to have a day off. Very much stuff to use with a good mask. Ferdinand

@Luckylad Also, buying from friends mutual clarity of communication and understanding, and equitable outcomes, is *really* *really* important; it is so easy to put a spanner in your friendship by mistake - one misunderstanding and offence that does not feel able to be mentioned and one party may just let the friendship drift.

A quick one. Are there any specific items I am required to include in a formal letter of notice to let a neighbour know I will be putting services into my easement across his future building plot? The Easement wording requirements are "reasonable" notice, comply with reasonable requirements of landowner, as little damage as possible and make good any damage etc. Thanks Ferdinand

You aren't in Sandbanks, are you .... ? !

If you were trying to buy that from me, and the boot was on my foot as the vendor, the price would be at least the extra potential net value added to my house by such an extension plus something for the potential loss of value should you extend plus something for your potential gain should you extend plus something because you clearly want it. ie could be expensive if he is well advised. Your best tactic might be to plonk a large sounding sum on the table as a way of clinching the whole deal and keeping attention slightly off the extra bit you want ... eg "we will add (eg) 15k or 25k or 50k if you include *this* and to wrap this up by next month. I think such agreements can be done, but need careful handling to be right and avoid loopholes and may well cost you extra hundreds of £££ to have drawn up by a suitably experienced solicitor. Simpler and neat and tidy and tied-up is always better if you can do it. Potentially you could try something else which will stop him building on it in future - parking space or garage on a long lease as a capital sum + peppercorn rent, but that is more complex. Good luck, however. Be glad that you aren't in Sandbanks where a tree naturally removing itself and unblocking the view can add an estimated £250k to the value.

If the building is part of the existing title and plot, then I think that that land should continue to benefit from the Right of Way it already enjoys that already exists, but you need to check properly with a relevant solicitor before you spend serious time or money. There may be separate planning or policy restrictions eg access for fire engines, width of driveway to an extra house etc. Ferdinand

No. Child enclosure :-). AKa playground.

I am still firmly with the Council on this one. Wider context in this pic. They have built their unlawful entrance virtually on the 'slip road' of a dual carriageway. That dual carriageway has a normal (85th percentile) traffic speed of 50mph+ and a 50mph limit (in Appeal report I think) and around 7-12k traffic movements per day (no count points directly nearby so need to estimate). I'm still gobsmacked that a Dr could do this. and while it is not exactly an accident blackspot, nor is it accident free and a few seem to relate to that side and that junction. Red=Serious. From crashmap.co.uk: I was chuckling about the Driving School, but it is actually a Diving School. Also an interesting round structure at the back of the estate. Sewerage aerator? F

They are likely to be getting a referral fee. Not sure whether that reduces the total amount available for insulation, or if it is a price reduction somewhere.

If you are messing .. literally .. around with plaster, or anything else, we (me plus handyman) tend to lay building polythene or similar over the floor. Just for ease of sweeping / clearing up. We use one or other of the wide versions from Wickes, sometimes even the heavy duty weed membrane. All are occasionally on 3 for 2 or cheap anyway.