Ferdinand

Removed .. inaccurate answer.

In Buildbase this afternoon in search of a brick, I noticed that they have a 'trade' account for self-builders. https://www.buildbase.co.uk/application Does anyone have experience? (Below is an image with details not a link ). Ferdinand

This one is now decided. After conversations with the guys, I have bought 4x 5l cans of Cuprinol 5 Star Complete Wood Treatment via Amazon for £13 each. A very low price but they seem to check out. WIll confirm in a couple of days. F

Fair comments - that was just a quick net search.

I thought it was more finish than weight. Sound reducing paints are like this one: https://www.acousticalsurfaces.com/coat-of-silence/coat-of-silence.html Material wallpapers (flock, hessian), tapestries or cork tiles on the wall may be an alternative. It may also be that small panels would help significantly - canvases not framed pictures, or a different finish in the window reveals. Ferdinand

Since I am taking up all the floors at the Little Brown Bungalow, I want to do all the joists etc with wood protector (wet rot, dry fot, insect), just in case. I think last time i used Cuprinol 5 Star treatment from Screwfix. I see this morning Wickes have a Ronseal product at an eyewatering £35 for 5 litres, though 3 for 2 and discount brings it down to about £21. Does anyone know a good product and source for this? Very roughly how much I would need for the structure for a floor area of 60 sqm eg 10 litres or 30 litres? Cheers Ferdinand

Aside: Is this implying that this needs to be considered at design / specification stage?

They have never (in my experience) liked people taking photos, for 'copyright' or 'date protection' reasons. Though all things are possible with iPhones etc. In my LA for some time they have been showing the public things on screen when you roll up to examine the file, or telling you to FOI the documents, then redacting them before sending them through. Round here redaction-mania ("Data Protection Reasons") seems to be receding in one or two areas, so I assume someone in local-authority advice central (LGA?) had a fit a few years ago from which they are now recovering. Ferdinand

I have a bit more information, having talked to our planners. In our LPA everything from 2000 should be online, and if something is missing they will put it online at no charge (they say). The charges are for where they are required to do work involving officer time - examples are planning docs from pre-2000 and things which are not normally published, such as BC notices etc. I am still not convinced, and it seems to be an ill thought out set of charges, since it can all probably be FOI'd or "Subject Access Request"-ed for personal information. When I have had any planning files over the last several years from my LA, their suggestion was to FOI it and it came as a huge PDF document in the email. A3 printers and 27" minotors are useful in these circs. I always assumed that was so Planning could charge the work to the FOI budget, or that they would be supplying an internally-chargeable service to the other team. For our LA, Planning Files are still listed in the Publication Scheme (which defines information which can be FOI'd), and can therefore be obtained by the other route. I am not sure how this will develop.

There has also been some sort of promotion running - 2nd unit for half price if you need two, perhaps? People here who bought them would know. Ferdinand

Welcome to the cut and thrust.

Interesting. My Little Brown Bungalow has mainly tilt and turn windows from decades ago. Options, which probably does not help much. All look like compromises to me, except for the ones that need to be done first. I would not want to be drilling holes in my new window frames. 1 - Do it on the face of the wall. 2 - Do it on the outside (assuming inwards opening) eg electric security roller blinds. 3 - Have the curtain (or whatever) going from the *hinge* side (and have space for the track above the opening - thick frame?). And accept the compromise on opening. I guess one could have a shallow blind in the reveal which fits in the line of the top frame. 4 - Attach it to the window itself - blind inside the window or attached to the frame, opening with it. 5 - Privacy film on the glass, or one of those LCD windows which goes dark at the touch of a switch. (*) Wildcard: is there perhaps a possibility of attaching something light to the frame using surface mount glue-free hooks or fittings? I think I would be doing it on the face of the wall. Ferdinand (*) Is there something to be said for attaching these to solar panels so they go dark with the lack of light.

In that case I would suggest the key there is finding a way to get what you want which: a - Leaves your neighbour with what she wants. b - Doesn't involve her in work or organising. c - Doesn't cost her too much money. d - Leaves her garden looking acceptable or better. e - Probably doesn't put her gardener's nose out of joint. (Is he the best one to do the persuasion once you convince him?) You are best placed to decide how to achieve those conditions :-D ! (Added: Check carefully before taking the High Hedge Complaint route. Most Councils charge fees of hundreds just for making the application. It may be better to spend that cash on tree work or buttering up your neighbour.) F

Is it not the case that Architects and others in Scotland can certify their own building design by being on the Register of Approved Certifiers for Building Structures? see http://www.certificationregister.co.uk/ApprovedBody?SchemeTypeId=1&SchemeId=SC001&LocalAuthorityId=5&Postcode=&SearchButton=Search&test= I do do not understand the scope and overlaps but it seems to be a Competent Persons type self-approval scheme applied to Design. That seems to me to be a subset of the English BCO approval setup, and a partial choice.

Ask that one on the Gardenlaw forum. We need to know how high they are, but exploring reducing them to a reasonable height (maybe 2-4m if they are currently 5-10m) and you offering to organise it and perhaps contribute would be one way.

If it is a normal unprotected tree you can cut it back to the boundary, but that may have implications for neighbour relations. It is always best to talk to neighbours in the *vast* majority of cases; life is too short for disputes. If it is a TPO tree you will need a form of Planning Permission to do work, and a report from a Tree Man to justify it. If it is your tree in a Conservation Area, you do not need Permission to do the work, but you have to inform the Council officially on a form, and wait for a time period, then you can go ahead if they are silent. In your case I would get an opinion from a tree man (who may do a 5 minute look for nothing, or who may charge a nominal fee) on the trees you are concerned about, and see where you need to go from there - if anywhere. Given that you have good relations, then I would consider talking to neighbours or getting a formal report to support a course of action or making an executive pruning decision. It all depends on the specific circumstances. I would do the above before applying for PP or breaking cover with the Council, in case a Tree Officer appears out of a manhole desirous of making an instant TPO. F

There is also a lot you can do tactically to stop planners gold-plating their requirements (or getting the gold-plating removed) - but that is quite tactical and situation specific, and by buying and selling (eg digger, security fencing, perhaps scaffolding) rather than hiring. Lots of other aspects too, such as putting a permanent power-cabinet in once rather than having a site supply then the supplier paid again to put one into your house itself. But that is wandering off topic, so I will juts hint at that and leave it. Ferdinand

3 Buy well. There are quite a few threads on how to reduce costs, including this one about buying well, with dozens of suggestions of how to shave 5-10% off the *payment* side. But my top tip would be to know what you will definitely need, then get a dry, secure storage facility (eg container or double garage), and buy things in advance when you see them reduced. That way you will be able to get a lot of your basics for 40-60% of their retail price. To buy months in advance I would want at least 30-40% off, which is achievable for many items. eg I have just bought a pallet of 50mm celotex at £10 per 8x4 sheet delivered (Wickes - about £25). Someone here pointed out foil faced 125mm celotex at £25 a sheet a couple of weeks ago (normally £40-50 even at cheap online orders). Ditto I just bought 25 sheets of OSB3 at £13 per sheet delivered - OK but others will have done better on that. Equally I am currently looking at doors, and it is possible to source Oak Veneered heavy doors with posh door furniture for approx £80 each, which is the cost of a mid-range pine at a DIY shed. If you do that with as much as possible, and are not too persnickety about *precisely* what you want, that could save 10s of k. I'll leave the ufh for the other thread then; the point is to design things out you do not need exactly by going for a high spec. Ferdinand

Pretty much none. Or possibly a couple of electric radiators for use a few weeks a year. (Other people on here will give you more precise answers specifically related to u values etc.

@Crofter Specifics. 1 - For a 2.5 seat sofa I recommend an Ikea Klippan. These are REALLY REALLY REALLY robust and last 5 years or more even in big student houses, cost £150, come flatpack, and there are a number of different replacement covers in patterns and colours. You can order online. Or get a decent secondhand one locally for £50 and buy a new cover. The trick is to have one spare cover in stock. http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/sofas-armchairs/fabric-sofas/klippan-compact-2-seat-sofa-frame-flackarp-grey-art-70379343/ Covers are from about £30 to about £70 depending eg http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/textiles-rugs/covers/klippan-cover-two-seat-sofa-flackarp-green-art-00278861/ Or .. as mentioned .. go with leather. 2 - If your guests are to be partly South Asian, what about installing a 'toilet shower' for people from cultures where toiler paper alone is seen as unhygienic? A small point, but perhaps an inexpensive ~£50 differentiator if you have it mentioned in your ad in the correct terms? eg: http://www.britishbathroomcompany.co.uk/showers/muslim-showers https://www.bidet.org/pages/how-to-use-a-hand-held-bidet (I am sure that Muslim Shower is *not* the correct term) F

Presumably that is why the dog looks surprised . Seriously, that particular typo was inevitable once I started using an iPAD. (Avoids linking parody of Apple advert for reasons of good taste). F

At Sandbanks they have installed a pubic dog-washing machine to keep sand out of the Bentleys. http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/14385922.Dog_owners__joy_at_new_dog_washing_machine_in_Sandbanks/ What about one of those :-)

Imo probably a safe assumption usually for 2-3 days; not for 5-7 days. Have you checked with a personage of the female, gay, southern, bicyclist, horseriding, retired, American, or parental genders? Yes, stereotypes, but they always have a grain of truth in them. Ask me and I need storage for a comb, a toothbrush, a cocktail shaker, and a coffee machine; ask my sister ... I think secure equipment storage matters - climbers or surfers or bikers or hikers or fishermen sometimes come with a lot of junk. eg Where can they store a tandem? Strange requirement but 4 couples on tandems once a year is a month of business. Fold up "X" section suitcase racks are very good. Is there an argument for having eg some child stuff that you put in when they are parents? eg board games, toys, playpen, Wendy House, Shaun the Sheep, leg-irons, crocodiles etc. Depends on how your market pans out or when regulars start having kids. I think you are likely to want to review after a year or two as you identify your market and have caught your regular guests. That could the time to consider eg the child kit. It will also depend on your chosen routes to promotion ... if you list in something like Cyclists Welcome with the CTC (now British Cycling) then particular facilities will help (secure bike storage, but also a mass USB battery recharging facility). On washing and drying, one way is a sealable shower with an extractor fan, which also lets them wash wetsuits 'n' spraydecks etc. Or an outside tap plus a shower head. My landlord used to take a nud shower in the yard everyday after he had been for a swim in the Hampstead Heath Bathing Pond and a jog back; there is a lot to be said for it (the outside shower head). And do you know an experienced Holiday Accommodation owner who could spend half an hour looking at it and advising you? Or do the Highland Tourist people offer advice or guidance docs? They do in Derbyshire. I am sure it will be great. Ferdinand

Are you sure that isn't a new harbour? (Or, as my niece put it when she was about 6: "We're 'avin' an 'arbour in the back garden." (*)) F (* In 'ucknall, Annesley and 'arby 'aitches 'ardly 'ever 'appen.)

You could view it on your phone or iPAD and Google Chrome to the TV using the Google Dongle. Worra Lorra Options. F