Ferdinand

I will be OK then, as there is a leaded design in the window. Big Planner said it had to be obscured glazing ;-). Going to enjoy today ... we are the cool bit of the country.

I want them to have a drawbridge.

I am planning to try one of these reflective films, as discussed recently, om a couple of roof windows. This is my Velux window type. Questions are: 1 - This looks to me as if the beads cannot be snapped off. Correct? 2 - Is there anything else I need to think about? Cheers

TBH I do not know how good that is. Perhaps I'm flying in the dark here, but I had decades of my dad pointing out water staining on every modern building built with flat faces, His point was that if you do not channel it water will stain where it happens to go according to nature. He advocated details where the water would run (ie vertical something of some sort), or channelling it where you want it. Looking back, @Trw144's roof seems to have a detail all the way round all the edges, and it may even have a small upstand (perhaps only 25mm) between the edge and the flat surface of the roof (?). And I think it may rely on a mini-fall on the roof going to wherever he wants the water to go to avoid any runoff. Perhaps the fall alone will do it. Is there a hidden drainpipe somewhere? How are you doing that? But if it is able to runoff anywhere visible, it *will* show stains. Just been out looking at my dormers and my neighbour's dormers with binoculars. Both are trad tiled tops with a normal roof fall, and both take the water to the back, then eject it onto the roof at the back corners. Mine has a slightly Heath-Robinson flashing arrangement; his has valley type tiles. I think for a flat dormer I might do a lip (eg 25x25 tanalised batten fibreglassed over) round the edge, and slope the fall towards the back corners, with perhaps something as simple as a 100mm gap in the lip to let it onto the roof. Then any staining will be along the dormer / roof joint rather than down the vertical sides or front. If it slopes the other way another option might be to have a shallow-u profile channel/tray mounted vertically behind (200-300 x 12mm?) and a gap or an overlap in your cladding just round the side from the front corners. That would let the routine runoff run down behind the cladding but in front of your waterproof liner (guessing there is one). Visually.you would just get an accent line near your vertical corners. Then take it onto the roof at the bottom. I suppose a couple of vertical battens mounted behind the cladding 200mm apart with the channel lined in grp would do it as well. That is me pants-flying, so others may want to help by critiquing. Ferdinand

I shall assume I did reasonably OK, then.

I think it depends on the robustness of the vertical face. How good is it?

8>< snip

Perhaps he needs to explore the dimensions for a gallows ...

I have a Tesco Metro on the way to the current site. They have a special price-engineered £1 Cornetto, which are popular.

Key feature: guess who is going to be expected to mend it when it breaks !

How strong are those skates? I have 20x 62kg and 30x40kg pavers arriving today :-)

Here: https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/Information-4261.htm Not sure what happens if you have used the Generator though. May be OK if minimal testing, as LiDL will probably just take it back and the supplier will take responsibility. When I bought Aldi cycling kit, I had no idea how I related to the stick-insect chic which prevails, so I bought one of everything in all the sizes over M to try. Turns out that little me is a cycling XXL. Aldi were fine. F

Do Lidl give you a 28 day no quibble return policy, like Aldi?

Are you buying one or four? Is a trad metal farm gate with a hinge side opener kit a possibility? I say because a gate plus two metal posts should cost not more than perhaps £150 approx. That sounds like your gate selection anyway ... I think. Not sure on the costs of hinge kits. I have one of those farm gates and the posts have survived everything up to gravel lorries hitting them gently. In since 1993. Even @Onoff's kits are £500 each for the midrange one and I think you need extra gubbins on top. Can you home brew the gate itself from girders? Serious thought if it needs to be seriously robust. Do you have a duty cycle requirement and backup plan? The gate linked has a reserve kit which gives 10 openings ... sounds a small number for a hurting plot and may require reserve mobile batteries or a failsafe open setting, or manual option. Ferdinand

What do we pay for these, by which I mean 50mm thick by 600mm by 600mm or 900mm? I find that I can get recycled ones locally for free sometimes in small quantities, but because they weigh from 45-70kg each it is not worth going more than a very short distance. Off Ebay recycled ones are about £2.50 to £4.00 each to collect, or £5.00-£6.00 delivered. I was looking for about 30 of each size today, and the best price I was able to get for new ones delivered was: Marshalls concrete flag 900x600x50mm: 6:20 inc VAT. Marshalls concrete flag 600x600x50mm: 5:00 inc VAT. Is that a good price? I feel I want to be at 5.00 and 4.00 respectively. Cheers Ferdinand

Couple more places with ideas or adaptable layouts: http://vitainterface.com/30-small-bathroom-floor-plans-ideas/6-option-dimension-small-bathroom-floor-plans-layout-great-for-effective-space/ https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/334814553525418097/ https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/453385887471535147/

It can go wherever you need it to go Steep yourself in some bathroom design sites.

Here is one idea for something more towards the triangular - the corner could be chopped off more eg if you used a corner whb and a corner wc. I could see this gong down to say 1.7x1.7m. That is a big shower. I do not see the this shower meeting the "big enough for 3 people" test, however. Revolves around a quadrant shower. It comes beyond the french window line, but leaves a useful space in front If you google on things like "small ensuite designs" there are oodles of everything.

How thick is that stud dividing wall? Remember the conversation about walk-in-wardrobes some time ago, when we talked about how thin a stud wall can be made. Around 65mm should be possible. That will give a little extra. http://www.ebuild.co.uk/topic/14367-building-a-thin-partition-wall-how-thin-can-i-go/ Another possibility is a triangular ensuite across the corner. Or to treat it like a kitchenette and have wardrobe type doors which are open to the bedroom when in use - so you borrow the floor space from the bedroom. The problem there is how to fit in the depth of a shower cubicle. Also your "step" could be a sweeping curve. Didn't someone here do one? Or you *could* turn it into his n hers posh WHBs on the bedroom side of the bathroom wall, and create a direct door into the bathroom for loo and shower. Ferdinand

Cannot get my head around the ensuite yet - what are the internal dimensions please (1060 x 2090 ish?), but you do *not* imo want a loo cistern used by other people on the back of your bedroom wall. Move the bath by 90 degrees and put it on the outside wall? Backing onto the ensuite may be OK. Flushing noises at 3am or on a lazy Saturday morning while having B-in-B if people are visiting or if you have kids? For a small ensuire, if I have the dimensions right, that does not seem really tight. I thought anything from about 1x1.5m was doable. It looks like a feature bedroom so have you considered eg a freestanding roll top bath facing the windows?

@Crofter I have been playing with another way for self-employed people to save another 10% at Wickes. Haven't written it up for the savings thread yet, so I will do it here first. We know about Employee Benefit Programmes which give 10% off, but I have discovered that my Health Cash Plan, Westfield, have their own Westfield Rewards programme which also gives 10% off. A Health Cash Plan is one where you pay a regular (say "£25 a month) subscription, and receive cash grants for glasses, or the dentist, or the chiropodist, or the chiropracter, or a small amount (say £20) for each day as an in patient - all depending on your level of membership. These are mainly relics from before the NHS when they were used as a form of social insurance. However, usually just a couple of grants - say teeth and eyes - will add up to 100% of the subscription if you use them every year. Westfield Rewards have a website here, and it also gives 10% off at B&Q and loads of other retailers. Wickes discounts are only in store via a reloadable (online) gift card. I am sure that there are other "non-employee" benefits out there; I have just not found any, Wickes at present also have a JUNE2017 discount code which saves 10% online. Here is the Bamboo Flooring closest to Jeremy's:14mm stranded bamboo woven, but 96mm wide boards. http://www.wickes.co.uk/Westco-Stranded-Bamboo-Solid-Wood-Flooring/p/215564 Cost is 29.99 per sqm. The best I can do with that is £23.99 per sqm via - 10% Trade Discount plus 10% via the Westfield Rewards programme. That is 19% when stacked plus I get 1% more by topping up the gift card using a debit card that gives me a reward. So 20% off. or slightly cheaper at around £23.70 per sqm via - 10% off using JUNE2017 voucher code stacked with a 10% Trade Discount when purchasing online via the App (=19% assuming it stacks). Then another 1-2% by using a cashback or reward Amex Card to order. So 21% off. The staff discount for TP Employees at Wickes is 20%, so I do not think we will be able to do much better unless sales or 3 for 2s etc kick in. The price I am offered at TP (cash account) for the 15mm thick version is coming in at about £22.70 per sqm inc VAT with whatever my account is, minus perhaps 1% more for my reward Credit / Amex card = £22.40 or so per sqm. If that is your price, it is OK imo if you want the bamboo. Ferdinand

Ours - OK but not passive and 2G - has been tricky to cool down overnight. Yesterday the house was at 26C for the afternoon (I dislike above 23C and ideally to be at 20C), and I couldn't get it below 24.5C overnight with windows open. At present the air is still and balmy. Last week it was coping as it was windier. As we are gas / ufh and no ASHP/MVHR I am stuck as to what to do. One thing I did notice was that out landing rooflights. when exposed to the morning sun, were like radiators. Perhaps need to look into external roof films, and evaluate just how robust they are. And we have an unprotected Southern Facade, so I may need to look at a veranda. Ferdinand

I think you have achieved something that doesn't look like a "max space in a box" self-build, which is excellent. F

i have usually used Leyland Trade, which has been satisfactory - from a local Johnstones Centre where they were willing to give an account from cold despite a smallish purchase (-15% iirc). But I think there were other places more compettive, but they were good in matching colours. I think the white was available at a lower price elsewhere. One question - if the current paint is too easily ruboffable, will that have much impact on the top coat, or should I be OK? I will have to try the Valspar one. Cheers Ferdinand

And a permanently on fridge light.