Ferdinand

Welcome to the forum.

@gravelld How much land have you got? Given the openness of the aspect, a traditional or informal "shelter belt" of trees might break it up - even a small number. Perhaps a mix of evergeens and deciduous - say including things like Scots' Pine to go tall, and Whitebeam, Hazel, Birch and so on for a rapid effect in a few years. Also, does it perhaps need something like that for more privacy? You could also use different colours of paint to break up the slab-effect outline.I am reminded of that Grand Designs villa near Malaga which was conceived like a small hilltop village, and used local earthy colours, sky blue, and white. Totally different but shows what colours can do. My feel is that a vertical emphasis could be appropriate. I think that making the gables a rustic colour without softening the 1st floor bright white may give a stacked impression which would not work. But the piccie you have posted is ideal for us to experiment with colours on. (Credit: Livin Spaces: https://www.livinspaces.net/) Ferdinand

@MikeSharp01, @Incipiens Mox: Unfortunately, Halifax only deal with Brokers and Financial profesionals for self-build mortgages according to their website. https://www.halifax.co.uk/mortgages/mortgage-information/property-types/ They use a company called "Halifax Intermediaries". https://www.halifax-intermediaries.co.uk/default.aspx 2 year fix. 5.64% interest rate for all customers. £1500 product fee. 75% LTV limited to 75% of the value of each stage. Ouch. (Note: take care to not to let us confuse your status as a "freelance Contractor" with "Contractor" who around here is often a company who develops or is employed to build houses. A small number of people here have built their houses or another if building two as a Contractor using a company set up for the purpose.) I think the way to expedite it may just be to get a different broker; I can see no reason for such a delay. Or alternatively perhaps a phone call to the Halifax side just to progress chase, tough they may refuse point blank to talk to the customer. On "reasonable", I do not see how Halifax would be persuaded to do something different to their normal procedure and terms. They decide what their market offer will be.I assume you have found the quite detailed information online. It may be worth a direct phone call to some of the other providers. If you are committed to a Passive House try Ecology. Buildstore(?) There are Top Ten lists for self-builders on the internet in newspapers etc.. Nottingham BS have told me that they try to be flexible - and they have seem to work from a quite local level. I think that alternative forms of finance (bridging loans etc) are unlikely to get close to the Halifax 5.64%. Business peer-to-peer type lending or normal peer-to-peer could be an option, but that is unlikely to get near the Halifax rate. This article discusses options, but does not address freelancers directly: https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/financing-renovation-extension/ Ferdinand

You could go the other way and go for carefully coiffeured planting to emphasise the sharpness eg box pyramids and so on, and formal larger trees over time eg monkey puzzle or yew etc. Depending on the climber maintenance might be every few years. F

Freestanding but alongside pergola or walkway or even a carport?

@CrofterI think it does let you do that. When you do a search on the results screen there is a "Click and Collect" filter on the LHS which may be that And there is a "Collection in Person" checkbox on the Advanced Search screen. You can also set up a saved search, which may have the same options (have not checked). The best ones are the ones who say Collect Only when they are in the middle of nowhere, and scare 90% away, but then turn out to be willing to Courier or have a Courier collect . And the misspellings eg "French Widows". F

I looked as well. I need a bigger shed for stock. They are as good value as the conservatories. Or the two sets of nearly new French doors I bought recently for £130 and £150.

There must be a quarry somewhere that has moved down the supply chain, surely? I once saw someone recommended on Lanndlordzone in about 2011, but lost the details :-(. However this place in Matlock look promising "Affordable Granite and Marble". http://www.agandm.co.uk/

Sussex: Heavy Duty Ebac Dehumidifier on Ebay - £100 There is a low end industrial dehumidifier on auction at a price of £100 and no bids, which looks good. This one:. New price is around £300+ I think, and it looks to be in good condition. This is the link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ebac-Heavy-Duty-Dehumidifier-25-litre-per-day-/152689593545?hash=item238d024cc9:g:XZ4AAOSwr6xZosFF Possibly of interest to anyone in Sussex - the thing is Local Collect Only in the back of beyond (Steyning near Worthing). Ends in 2 hours and no bids so far - so may be open to offers afterwards. Ferdinand

Scrub that - it is in Worthing and he won't accept a courier. Will cross-post to Offers thread since this is a £350 item and is on at £100.

Is this one a dehumidifier of which anyone has experience? It is an Ebac which used to be the top of the range one in a couple of DIY sheds. I want it as more heavy duty than a domestic (which I have) but which fits in the back of a car and can be moved without provoking injury. There is a secondhand one I can get at a decent price. New price is about £335-350. Cheers Ferdinand

I am currently having the Little Brown Bungalow done - minimal surface prep if any + a skim. Existing walls being skimmed, not boarded except in a couple of places (acoustics on party wall) and that is in place already. We made sure the place was cleared for access. Walls + ceiling minus parts of bathroom and kitchen, which I make just around 250sqm. The chap is working on his own for this job. From memory, labour is a little under £150 a day for 8 days. Quality is great. So ~£4 per sqm for labour. I am supplying materials = 32 bags multifill and 3 bags bonding (Thistle from Wickes = £165 toto) if that helps show the size of the job. This is also the second decent sized job from this plasterer for me so that may also help. One important note is that having a very local supplier and horses for courses (one man band vs several men and their own scaffold towers etc) could make a large difference. My job is a small bungalow - the simplest case, which at most involves hop-up steps not scaffolding towers, and the plasterer is about 5 minutes away. Travelling eg 25 miles could add 10% to the day rate in mileage and another 10% of time. Ferdinand

@pocster I think you could be jumping the gun here - apols if I am wrong. 1. The regulatory authority for HMOs is the Council, and that is ultimately the party with whom you need to have the conversation about particular requirements. Either the EHOs or perhaps Building Standards. Watch out for EHOs calling their personal opinions / interpretations a legal requirement. 2 - If you are committed to being on the right side, then show them your report (which to me sounds questionable even on what you have said). They have much leeway and intepretation etc, but will tell you what they want and which regulations they will enforce. Licensing Schemes are widely abused by Councils to try and enforce all kinds of gold-plating and extra-legal requirements and things the Govt has not required, where over-enthusiastic or prejudiced politicians or not-fully-knowledgeable officers have a personal opinion or a brainstorm, so there may be contradictory requirements. 3. We do not have enough info to give answers - we do not even know, for example, what type of HMO it is - small, subject to Mandatory or Additional license under the 2004 Housing Act, a conversion, falls within pre-1991 regulations and so on, or therefore what grade of fire alarm is required. 4. Suggest that the HMO or HHSRS Forum of Landlordzone might be a better or extra place to ask. Post full details of the HMO, Council Name and the points from the Report. 5 - To me it seems you may be getting some personal opinions or interpretations in your report - validity needs checking (see point 1). I believe the EM requirements are set by BS5266.1:2016 and guidelines built thereupon. I have never met a 12v requirement, and since they are designed to ensure safety and 240v is safe if it is correctly wired, the claimed requirement seems to be gibberish. £3K sounds about right to me for a professionally fitted alarm system in a 6 bed Mandatory License HMO. There are various summaries around by people such as Fire Officers, TLC etc. 6 - What quantifiable loss have you suffered in order to be able to pursue a legal case? The Council and tenants will be more interested that it is safe *now*, although where HMO landlords are concerned some Councils love going scalp-hunting. HTH Ferdinand

I like the look of those. Good choice and good value. [Bonus comment: I guess my only question is whether they provide enough directed light for people to walk to or from the house in the dark.]

@JSHarris if you wanted to get rid and go to the table saw the Erbauers are quite rare and do OK on ebay - looks like a reliable £50 secondhand. https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=ERB596CWS&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rt=nc&_trksid=p2045573.m1684 Ferdinand

I need to choose the type of flashing to use from the roof of a polycarbonate car port to a normal masonry house wall. There will be a little expansion movement in the heat by the polycarbonate. The situation is exposed, but the prevailing wind comes round the corner and down/across the (very shallow) slope of the roof. Can anyone advise? I usually avoid flashband due to it short life, and last time I used Ubiflex for a corrugated sheet roof. Now Ubiflex has a far wider range of products (B2/B3/Extreme), and I am not sure what to choose. Any comments or alternative suggestions will be welcome. Thanks Ferdinand

I am hoping (clutching at straws?) that this might not be as bad as you think. I think yours is 4 miles away. One for @SteamyTea, probably, but how many weather stations are there in the UK? When I was looking at temperature data in a conversation about skirt insulation, my closest was within 6 miles. Even data from an amateur may be relevant. Here is a map of dozens of Official Weather stations. And here is a list of around 150 'Independent' ie hobbyist ones. But they seem to be Automatic Weather Stations (aws in the url). While those may not all be "expert witness" quality, they could perhaps sway an insurance claim. ISTM that data from both may be relevant. The larger (and more expensive) challenge may be the expert interpretation. F

Incidentally, do you think Durisol have handled this in a reasonable manner? I haven't followed in total detail, but coming out to your site etc and accepting the claim seems to be perhaps drawing a positive from a negative(?). F

What is the appropriate comment? Yabba-dabba-doo! Bonus Lollipop. Just found the complete song.

I think you need the coupling then the end plug.

Cheers. I have memories of taking half a day to remove about 3sqm of it. In kids' bedrooms I love cork on a whole wall for art, though.

Thanks Peter. That might not be best fr me, as I pay VAT (not self-building). For me that is £9.50 ex VAT or £11.40 inc VAT (I am not self-building) for 1000 qty with a £11.99 delivery charge. For a small quantity I think I have found a better one at FFX, who do free delivery and £10.13 a box inc VAT. https://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/Senco-39A35Mp-8715274010502-Duraspin-35Mm-Drywall-To-Wood-Collated-Screws?gclid=Cj0KCQjwub7NBRDJARIsAP7wlT8BUPUOoitfBiuXMSa3kj_jNENB7DzB58lWA0wNqzbXHm41EO--hysaAjLvEALw_wcB Cheers Ferdinand

Steven Brown has a sale on at the moment for Timber Prints - 37.5% off, and you do not even have to do a 5-for-8 deal. £25 not £40 for a 16" x 12". https://www.stevenbrownart.co.uk/collections/timber-prints I like the giraffe: Ferdinand

@Vijay Perhaps a small evergreen bush and a clump of something perennially ornamental in the summer needs to be applied in front, with space behind for access for the Meter Man? Or some other suitable structure such as a garden bench? If that plan is N-to-top the meter location could be an amazing little sun trap. Or grow a vine or some wall-fruit?

I would argue against cork, on the basis that - unless there is some new miraculous variety around - it will look the worse or wear after around 8-10 years, and then if it has been stuck down properly it is an absolute b*gger to take up if not sodden. So you have to go over the top or apply yourself with a scraper and hammer to take it up in postcard-sized pieces. I hope others had a better experience(?). If @JessieAndRoss are putting something down which is difficult to take up, imo make sure that: 1 - It will last long enough so that you will never need to do so. 2 - You can go over the top with the next layer (think doors to be trimmed, skirtings etc). 3 - Or SEP applies (c) Hitchhikers' Guide. You will be moving on so it is Somebody Else's Problem and you will not have a twinge of conscience. I would hate to be the person who takes up @JSHarris's bamboo floor in 30 years time :-). I bet it is stuck down a little firmly. I grew up with a cork kitchen floor, and parents also used cork in the following house and put Flotex Tiles pver the top after about 10 years. The Flotex was still fine 20 years laterm and I used commercial quality pre-sealed then post-sealed by me cork in my own house which became a rental. I agree it is comfortable Wood or engineered wood floor can be sanded and repaired, and can be supplemented with rugs. The other option I am starting to like for bedrooms is a full room-sized rug over whatever, because the not-too-expensive Ikea Persian-style rugs we have from years ago (perhaps £12-13 per sqm in about 2000) are still going strong, to the extent that the 2 spares spare are still wrapped up in its original packaging. That is in a lounge and hallway not a bedroom. But I perhaps have extreme views on long-term durability and maintainability .. Ferdinand