Ferdinand

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

Knock a small piece of the existing out and take that with you. Or take a printout of a photo with you, and see if the BM chappie recognises it. Check the printout against the fireplace itself in daylight. Colour matching printing is a black art. Make the BM look at the printout in daylight. Or repoint the whole fireplace. Or take it out completely ;-) . Ferdinand

Do a Tom Sawyer. "Yes I have got one and it is so precious it is in the safe, so unfortunately you can't see it." Then charge a pint per view. Paid beforehand.

@MikeGrahamT21 I think that is the difficult solution. Get the neighbour to turn the sensor down, or repoint it lower. They should comply (send @Onoff in in a Borg costume if necessary), since technically it could a nuisance and reported to the Council. I just redirected one at the Little Brown Bungalow that was being triggered by cars driving past. Or go downstairs naked at 2am, then complain about the Voyeurs Next Door . F

Still in print, I think. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pattern-Language-Buildings-Construction-Environmental/dp/0195019199/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

@Hecateh I put the postcode into Google. The thing about preserving the *opportunity* for further access to potential plots is to keep options open, which is often easy, and that it actually uses far less space than most people imagine - I have a modern (less than 20 yeas old) development nearby where the access cul de sac is less than 5m wide for about 5 houses. If allowed, I think the minimum width for emergency services access is around 3.5m at a narrow point for up to 5 houses (varies by County Authority - it is I think a building regs matter not planning). Looking briefly at your PP before I forget where it is I think you have room for such an access through the new front parking space, but I would take perhaps 1-1.2m extra off the back garden of the existing house in that corridor when you sell it compared to the plans just to be sure. Boundaries are not a Material Planning Consideration, so the Planning Authority are very unlikely to do a thing about it and once in place it will not be expedient to do so. You will lose nothing, and will have kept the option open for the future. IMO in 15 or 25 years that site (ie next doors' gardens) will be crying out for a small retirement development of 3 or 4 bungalows walkable to town. Personally I think that - given the lack of housing land and ageing population we have - access to future potential plots inside community boundaries should be a material planning consideration, but currently it is not the case. Ferdinand

I have found the books illuminating, having inherited them from my dad who was leant them by a lady who had spent her life doing interesting things in Africa which included building her own huts, but died before her zero-cost windmill conversion project came off. This is quite a good, but slightly lengthy, summary, from the Wiki piece. The best observation is that the 'patterns' are experience-based hypotheses - good servant, poor master, definitely not a pattern-book in the Georgian/Victorian sense, but can help your designs be more 'human'. The book uses words to describe patterns, supported by drawings, photographs and charts. It describes exact methods for constructing practical, safe, and attractive designs at every scale, from entire regions, through cities, neighborhoods, gardens, buildings, rooms, built-in furniture, and fixtures down to the level of doorknobs. The patterns are regarded by the authors not as infallible, but as hypotheses: Some patterns focus on materials, noting that some ancient systems, such as concrete, when adapted by modern technology, may become one of the best future materials: Other patterns focus on life experiences such as the Street Cafe (Pattern 88): When these patterns are taken together, the authors say, they begin to form a kind of language, each pattern forming a word or thought of a true language rather than being a prescriptive way to design or solve a problem." F

Will remember that for when I need some. I am sure there is a "Robin Hood in the Fens" legend . Or perhaps not.

I would think that choosing planks of something which lasts 60 years as shingles or cladding would be in the ballpark. Or what about whatever it is that wooden windowsills are made from? You may need your deal making skills, however, to make it affordable !

Is there not a local supplier who will sell you just one piece as a test? Freefoam are everywhere. If necessary cut it up in the car park?

What is the look of your finished building? Can you use a resinous hardwood to make the reveals plus span the cavity, and leave them little treated or untreated? I am not able to recommend a particular wood, though. I am myself reflecting on what Timbers could support a canopy untreated. I even own a jousts-through-wall cantilevered canopy that has been there since 1970 and I do not know the timber type. Alternatively can can you use one of the no maintenance cladding products such as Cedral or Thermowood? Sorry .. missed the white plastic windows. Will leave post here. Ferdinand

Have you bought your wooden floor yet? Sometimes they will throw underlay in free to clinch the deal or at their input price. F