Ferdinand

I have one block he gave me ,so I can try a small garden wall :-). F

Is Durisol suitable for a garden wall - say a 2m high wall enclosing a back garden, either on the boundary or as a divider? In the past all sorts of materials have been used for garden walls which are then rendered over and capped at the top. I am wondering if Durisol could be used for such a purpose, as it is inexpensive, fast, easily incorporates reinforcement, and is suitable for render. The full above ground sections can probably be done as a single pour after an earlier pour for the foundations, and perhaps the copings can be plonked straight on top of *that*. Compared with the cost of a traditional brick or stone wall, that looks attractive. Does anyone have any thoughts? Ferdinand

Thanks for the comments on this thread, @A_L, @Hecateh, @JSHarris, @PeterStarck, @Temp, @ProDave I agree with most comments. 2m in 3 years is doubtless demanding, though something a little ambitious - say 1.4-1.6m in 4 years - may be achievable. As to how I would do such a boundary, I think I might adapt the traditonal field hedge principle of "dig a ditch, build a bank, plant the hedge on the bank" but with a definite boundary feature as the location of the boundary on the traditional hedge-bank-ditch layout is less recognised than it used to be, like the "your fence is on the left (or is it right?)" rule of thumb. So I would probably do something like this, which should add to the height of the hedge and give it a boost. Would require a minidigger and perhaps a post-hole borer for any long length of boundary, but to me it does not look particularly difficult to do. I would go for the concrete + postcrete + strainer wires + chainlink type boundary fence here because I cannot guarantee a post + rail horse type fence to last more than about 12-15 years once it is inside a hedge. 1 - Put in boundary feature - I am suggesting something like one of those 1950s concrete post + chainlink fences that are still in many of the hedges on our council estates. Cheap and last a long time. 2 - Dig a ditch / French drain inside the boundary to allow for hedge maintenance / growth. Elsewhere on the forum we know the potential value of a French drain round the boundary. 3 - Plant hedge on bank made from contents of ditch - may need top / sub soil managing, compost and careful choice of hedge species. Would very much help on some soils. Ferdinand

Cheers

I have an easement through a neighbour's plot which I am planning to open up in order to insert pipes and ducts for future services. It is 2m+ wide with a wording allowing the insertion of new service media incl. eg for the supply and removal of energy, telecomms, data, water, sewerage etc and "all structures, machinery and equipment ancillary to those media". I am planning to insert a soil pipe run, a water pipe run, and 3 or 4 runs of normal 2" duct. I can terminate the runs in my plot alright, but will need a "something" at the other end just short of the pavement in my neighbour's plot such as a chamber or similar. At the moment the neighbour is just a plot with nothing built on it, hence the desire to put things in now before it would cause significant disturbance. 1 - Can anyone tell me how I should do the terminations at the other end, to keep them protected and tidy until they are used in the future? 2 - It is quite a wide easement at 2m+ and I want to put an indicator bollard or similar just to remind them where the far edge is to stop them digging it up. Can anybody suggest a suitable item to concrete in for this purpose? 3 - Are there regulations as to depths and so on for trenches and hazard tape etc. Can anyone point me to a list? Cheers Ferdinand

Aha. That is the name for "the flap" . Now I know. Cheers F

Will be interesting to compare photos with the LBB bathroom. My wall is about the same length, and i put in a 1600 bath with the gap at the tap end boxed out slightly in MultiPanel to conceal shower plumbing, with a narrow piece siliconed on at the end to be removable with a Stanley knife to give access. The Lo Carbon Tempra has a summer bypass setting, does it? Is that inside the box? It should be possible to set it to turn off when the light is on to save your tenants cold-flushes :-o . btw, which drawing package did you use? I pointed my man at the bathroom, and after an initial conversation over a tape measure, went and bought the stuff and more or less said "bathroom" "suite and taps" "please fit", with a few tactical adjustments along the way. Square the room was not. This is the bathroom fan I am currently fitting: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CJ8L8ZM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Ferdinand

If it is a rental then have you considered installing a trickle mode + boost fan eg dMEV? For a rental the constant slow ventilation is very good background insurance against eg the T forgetting to switch the other one on, or the recirculating hood being less good than an extraction hood. I know you considered this in your bathroom, but what about the kitchen? On the T switching it off, I would play as loose with the regs as possible to make it more difficult to switch off - eg install a non-switched FCU or put it somewhere awkward. In my view humidity controlled ones are not worth the pfaff and complexity - the money is better spent on one that is nearly silent and won't annoy the T, plus some firm tenant condensation education at the start. Have you addressed the other end of making it easy to do things like dry washing in a way that won't cause condensation? eg 1 - Put tight shelves over or fixed covers across radiators to prevent washing being dried thereupon. 2 - Provide an outside washing line if you have the space. 3 - Provide an effective indoor drying facility that is easier to use than the rads and harmless - eg pulley in the bathroom and / or clothes horse if renting furnished. 4 - Clause in the agreement for condenser dryers only. Where I have externally venting tumble dryers, I tend to offer to get my handyman to do the fitting just to be sure. My own policy is to install a Nuaire loft fan in all refurbs and a Vent-Axia Lo-Carbon Tempra with Remote Monitor potential so that I can guarantee (subject to T switch-off) a continuous flow of air through the house from top to bottom. The retrofits have been a bit painful bank-balance wise since it is about £450 plus fitting for the two each time, but it is an investment I think justified. The mistake I made once was to put the Heat Recovery Fan in a small bathroom, which while it does recover 75% of the heat also guarantees that the incoming is slightly cooler on the skin, and the T complained about feeling a cold draft after climbing out of the shower in the nud - which was a fair comment. Now I put them in kitchens or utilities away from the cooker. Ferdinand

HAve you got a bit of left over building board you have used elsewhere such as cement board or fermacell?

I admit I am not especially keen on pockets - recessed niches seems like a lot of extra work to create a lot of dust traps, though I do like lobbies and loos off hallways with diagonal doors as ways of creating usable space.

Thanks for the detailed comment, Jeremy.

That was the 'Harrogate is in the South' case, m'lud.

Ah. That is where it went. Wrong thread - sorry. The plastering looks very accomplished, and I love the number of electric sockets.

@TheLordJohn PS You also need to ask yourself about potential heritage works in a few years or a couple of decades. If you land yourself with a serious stained glass renovation project in 15 years, you will know that you are paying for it. Local congregations regularly raise between a couple of thou and tens of thou for such. Also, has it got any lead roofs? If those get stolen it will be pricey, and I do not see local council COs being as well informed or flexible as Church authorities. Church of England churches corporately spend about £160m a year on maintenance and new buildings, not including cathedrals. 100m plus of that is maintenance. That is an average of 6-10k per church building give or take. You need to make sure that you are at the right end of the spectrum. Ferdinand

I rest my case, m'lud. (Declares victory and cilmbs into bath).

But Harrogate is a part of the South that happens to be in Yorkshire...

There are different views about Planning Consultants, and whether they should be used. This is a short example of a Planning Consultant offering superb advice, that most of us self-builders would perhaps not think about. The Problem I have just received a Planning Permission, after 3 months of engagement with the Council. It is a commercial Change of Use but the lesson applies to self-builder permssions. We received our permission, but on the last morning the Planning Department applied an unacceptable Planning Condition which threatened the whole project. The Planning Condition clearly violates several of the basic tests. This condition had not been mentioned in the previous months of consultation, and I did not see it until it appeared on the Decision Notice. At this point the Planning Application has been "determined" (ie decided and frozen), so the Condition cannot be modified without a further Planning Application or an Appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. The problem is that a Full Appeal gives the Inspector the opportunity to reopen the basic Planning Application, and modify it - which I do not want. The Solution The recommendation from our Planning Consultant was: 1 - To apply for a Variation of the unacceptable condition, which might be accepted, then... 2 - To Appeal the Refusal of the application for the Variation if we need. The advantage is that we then if needed we can get a Determination by the Planning Inspectorate on the narrow point, while keeping all the other acceptable aspects of our Planning Permission out of their scope. The Learning Point As self-builders, we think about discharging Planning Conditions at the end of the build process. The same process can be used to vary them before we start building. It takes extra time and a fee, which is smaller than a Full Planning Application fee for a new dwelling, but does not run the risk of reopening the entire Permission to change. More information The appropriate form on the Planning Portal. Explanation of Planning Condition Variations on the Government Website.

Black Friday is 24 November.

@Visti Could you give us a quick summary on the main savings you have kept. Some of those have gone back up again - eg you have got your posh kitchen back . F

Perfect for a fish smoker.

Whatever you build it will look like the house of your dreams...

Fair enough. Thanks for the quick reply.

Probably, but it is also in stripes which suggests that there are particular causes.

@Cpd Colin. Sorry to be persnickety as it looks like an interesting comment. Any chance of separating it into paragraphs for readibility?

Not sure if I am supposed to say this as I am not on the Forum Management Group, but it is a user-financed forum and the Tip Jar appears here from time to time if you wish to contribute in due course. This is totally voluntary. No idea what others do, but I think a donation of £10-30 a year is probably OK towards the costs of keeping the place running and building up reserves.