Ferdinand

:-) Identify with that. I have a particular T who wants to paint grey pebbledash white. Have been saying no since 2010. The dash has been there for 120 years. In my LIttle Brown Bungalow rental, I had a small panel of traditional render done last week, and made it self-coloured by using local red sand that is redder than all the normal red sands. In the sun it looks almost Spanish. Hopefully no maintenance ever. There is much to be said by installing preparatory ducts and eg ready to plumb spare radiator connections in case it is not as airtight as expected. On the LBB I put in ducts to three likely places where media systems may go, with drawstrings in place, when I was insulating under the floor - and also a pair of double sockets at the same points. The aim is to stop Virgin and friends wrecking the fabric. All of my paths there are loose laid pavers over loose gravel with the pavers 150mm from the house wall which means that any cables can just be run in the 2-3" of gravel, and it covers the duct exits. All of my pipes and cable are run under a floating floor in channels between the insulation, which has osb over then Click fit Laminate or carpet, so it can all be accessed. The install let leckys and gassers work much more quickly and with direct runs, but the compromises in trimming doors etc may make it marginal. There are quite a few other threads on related subjects. When you buy things you always want spares ... if you ask just before saying YES then they should throw in a couple to clinch it. EG I have a couple of spare solar panels and Solaredge modules obtained that way. Also take care with products that wear down to have enough spares to replace worn out bits. I am thinking of laminate floor, but also you need a strategy in case your little darlings drive their electric pedal cars through a kitchen cupboard door, especially if you have one of those immaculately modern kitchens and design range that change every 2 years or so. On flooding do not forget that your pipes can flood. Plastic pipes are more resilient to freezing if you use the right plastic. I now always install ... going from the water meter side ... an anti-hardness device then a Surestop on the house side of the main stop tap, and it is switched off during overnights away. Ferdinand

Being a little judgemental..... I am inclined to blame *that* on a media significantly run by people with Arts Degrees, who get to write about subjects that properly should require them to be able to count to more than 5, and have some understanding of science and statistics. I am not depressed - I just evaluate on personal brands of individual writers rather than newspaper brands, and expect idiots who write for newspapers just to be like every other idiot, but with a megaphone. The continuous existential flap about "robots taking our jobs" seems to be a case in point. The arguments are really no different from when Council maintenance replaced turnpike roads, factories replaced cottage industries or renewables replace gas power stations which replaced coal; society and industry develop, and we need to look forward not backwards. The thing that does truly depress me currently is the state of leadership in our universities, and to a lesser extent in our politics. Ferdinand

Just a note that Seconds & Co seem to be well-stocked with PIR at present.

This proposal has now been formally refused on grounds of Parking and Amenity Space, despite the applicant offering a "three rooms and a study room" (!) alternative. Report attached. @jack Please would you hide this thread from teatime on 23/11. Thanks Ferdinand 201710-Planning-Proposal-report.pdf

If you buy a Mercedes E-series, you could use the "park from your smartphone" option.

I love the stylised picture of the Buildhub logo in the hall.

Thanks to a forum member, I have a local recommendation who charges £50 per door, which will be fine. Cheers all Ferdinand (Will be largely absent for the next week or three, as the Little Brown Bungalow renovation is in the final stages and we are moving a business I part own to a new unit. And it is nearly Tax Time).

@AliG @Russdl Sapele is nice - love it for windowsills or impressive shelves. I just bought a hunk of that for a threshold for a patio door. But personally I'm a sucker for Western Red Cedar. For the "under the overhang" area, you may be surprised what is suitable if it gets relatively little weather; softwood may be fine. I think you should go and look at a few under-balconies that are 20-50 years old, and see what wood they are made from. It was a popular thing to do amongst some 'modernist but human' architects from the 1950s to 1970s so there are plenty of old examples around. It is quite common to just have joists continued straight through the wall to form an overhang, and that approach may be used there. The Vincent Timber call looks good - currently they have Western Red Cedar and something called Red Louro on clearance. Ferdinand

Job posted on mybuilder.com, where there seem to be a lot of Joiners hanging doors not fitting kitchens. I will report back.

So if I can get round £50-55 that will be OK. Cheers

I have half a dozen doors to have hung. Normal things - oak veneer, trim, 3 hinges and handles / catch. What would a reasonable price be per door? My first quote says £65/door. I ws expecting a little less than that - say £40-£50. Any comments are most welcome. Ferdinand

Welcome to the forum. You are at the opposite end of the Notts/Derbys border. There are sound-proofed conventional vents available - my Planning Permission from back in 2013 has a condition to apply these.

+1 If it is a holiday but not residential rental then you could set up a let as a holiday rental, even at a nominal or peppercorn rent. Remember that the building itself, and the Use of the building, are two different things and both are subject to Planning Permission.

I think you probably take advice from Shelter. And post on Landlordzone in either this section or the general section, asking for advice as a tenant not understanding what the Council are doing, and asking for advice. There are professional Park Home landlords on there who may know. If you want to get into this, it is probably about whether the 4 Year or 10 Year Rule to establish lawful use applies in this case, and the Council are trying to prevent creation of a new dwelling. A Statement of Truth from the LL or a neighbour may be enough to prove that it was rented out in the 10th year. F

Where are you living whilst out of the house? Standard rental contract (AST) in the uk is a minimum of 6 months. You need a side agreement with a LL you trust or some other workaround, such as being Lodgers (which has less security) or one of the other forms of contract (complicated). Ferdinand

Like it. What is the angle of the staircase? It looks suitably relaxed.

One other option is to put the pedestrian gate there if you need one.

https://www.themodernhouse.com/past-sales/bessacarr/history/

Jackpot.

Let me punt 2 things at you. 1 - If the requirement is "something to put in the house I am just about to sell to bling it up and look attractive at minimal cost", then try these at Appliances Direct (who I have used for some years), which has about 15 models of double oven between £200 and £310 including Hotpoint, Indesit, Whirlpool, Candy and Beko. Delivery will be £20. Probably worth checking Currys for these brands. https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/search-results/double oven?sortOrder=1 2 - If the requirement is "something for us but given circs we need to avoid spending money but hope to get something which is at least nice-ish to cook on", then have a little look at *this* AEG Catalytic one in Currys which can be nurdled down to £370 as described above. Delivery will be free. There is also £100 cashback if you switch your energy supplier at the same time. https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/household-appliances/cooking/ovens/aeg-surroundcook-dcb331010m-electric-double-oven-stainless-steel-10166582-pdt.html 1 and 2 include options that will fit as near as dammit in your hole. Also worth a note that AEG have a cashback promotion with certain retailers worth up to £150 depending on value. Does not look to me as if it will get one below that Curry's price, however. https://www.aegpromotions.co.uk/promotions Ferdinand

5% Topcashback on ovens over 250 at Currys until tomorrow. https://www.topcashback.co.uk/currys/ Seems to be the same today at Quidco. Plus 10% off on website with BUILTIN10 on the website. They are also offering 50 on certain models for trade in of existing, and free delivery. It probably nearly all stacks, but may require homework. Ferdinand

Cheers. Plan C should probably incorporate the possibility of reversing the plank to use the current underneath in a decade or three. I see that Screwfox now do a No Nonsense Yacht varnish in their Trade range, which is presumably used for more than boats. https://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-yacht-varnish-gloss-clear-750ml/23164#product_additional_details_container I see that they cannot deliver it to any offshore location . F

At the Little Brown Bungalow I have installed a pair of French Doors to the outside, and I am using a plank of hardwood (sapele) in the inside reveal to give an attractive threshold and a tidy edge to the carpet. The installation method is not complex: Stick to Sub-Floor. The question is what to use as a finish for the sapele. Plan A is Polyx Oil, which may not be water fast if eg it gets rain blowing on while the door is open. I am wondering whether a slightly more extreme Plan B finish, such as marine or exterior varnish, would give me a longer life-without-maintenance. Comments would be welcome. Ferdinand

Difficult to judge for me, as I have not done it. From here it looks like a not unreasonable quote, subject to bits around the edges. One benefit you have with a fixed (=ish) price is that the risk balance may be less tilted towards you. Add up the packages you have had .... PP and now Building Regs .. and see how it compares with others figures as quoted in various places here for the total. One comparison is that at a rate of say £400 a day (picking a number out of the air to allow for junior staff on some of it) that is 11-12 days of work, which is probably not unreasonable. You have a dozen different work items in there, though some are those that some here have I think done themselves (eg demolition spec?) even when using an architect. Where is the architect based - are site visits going to involve chargeable travel time each way? I think I would ask for an estimated cost per site visit as one query. If it will be reasonable and he is based in Dorking that should be OK; if he is based in Lancaster or St Peter Port then that could hurt. How clearly specified is the end point of the work package - eg what happens if there are extra complications that need extra architect time? I think I would ask for the right to use the drawings you will be paying for without limitation for this project, and an electronic copy / model copy to be included or at a nominal price. Given that there is potential overlap with MBC. I think I might ask for clarification on who's insurance covers what risks - I might frame that q along the lines of "your insurance does cover *these* items, doesn't it?" So, I think the basic thing looks OK, but that there may be an opportunity for some nurdling around the edges. I have just obtained a PP in a business setup, where we had excellent service from a Planning Consultant, but the extra "talking to the Council" bill added a chunk and took my co-owners by surprise. Ferdinand