Ferdinand

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

My Council has just introduced a policy of "discretionary charges" (*) for obtaining copies of Planning and Building Control Documents. Does anyone have any comparative examples, or any other comments as to legality etc? I need to try one or two methods that have been free previously, and see what happens with all the records available by online searches - since my Council has added oodles of historic and building control information docs, as I have posted previously. I can now eg do most of the Local Searches on the website. I've slugged this post in Google for now to avoid too many casual inquisitive eyes. That looks rather expensive if you need a lot of stuff. (*) Discretion presumably means they have the discretion to charge me (under the General Power of Competence?), and there is nothing I can do about it . Rather after "eligible" in "you are eligible to pay this fee / receive this Parking Ticket" etc.

Take care that it can view the feed you want to see. I have a Smart TV and it is quite limited e.g. I cannot view internet video on the TV. And typing in addresses is a little awkward. Ferdinand

For properties bought to renovate, it is sometimes full cover for 2 months which then drops back to fir / theft until a tenant is in occupation, as another example. Ferdinand

I normally put double or commercial quality underlay when I *have* done laminate, going back. Back in 2000 my dad did about 750 sqft in a bungalow a bought a huge roll of hundreds of metres of the underlay that lasted years and years. Getting into say £20 + underlay per sqm activates a Landlord Dilemma, in that it then becomes equivalent to a decent underlay and about 3 lots of reasonable carpet :-) . Because of depreciation rules under Deposit Schemes, the value of carpets and perhaps floating floors depreciates to zero quite quickly ==> not going for top quality items as damage cannot be reclaimed. Food for thought. Cheers all. Ferdinand

Glad it worked for you. I would think @Onoff may have drink taken trying to generate enough empty cans for his solar system . That would be wind as in Three Sheets To The...

Can you link me a good click fit one, which is what I really need? The alternative is that I buy enough spare so that I can lift and replace a portion if necessary .. over a water leak for example. Cheers F

Asking around, the thing most people regret with laminate and similar flooring is not buying the expensive enough product. There seem eek to be the good ones then the rest, and it us more divided into two tiers on the click-fit submarket, and the division is whether it can relifted and relaid practically. Which is why I need a good one at about 65% off normal retail price, but can be quite flexible on colour etc.

Suspect that there is a difference between the £7.99 per Sqm and £47.99 per San ptoduct, even for a shed own brand. Or was it the posh stuff?

Could you give some steers, please, @PeterW ? I am somewhat at sea in this area; I have only done this twice recently - once Uniclic laminate came free with a nearly new castoff Jessop's kitchen, and the other time the T did the final decor. So I never actually had to buy any ! And the advertising is worse than secondhand cars. Ferdinand

Hmmm. Beginning to think that branded is the way to go here, even with the extra outlay. Probably QuickStep or Pergo for me, since both use the Uniclic system. There is a lot of online squatter advertisers using QuickStep as a keyword for their different systems. So, it is AC4 or AC5 grade, with Uniclic.

It is a bungalow, and I could probably put the boiler within a few feet of the meter box (kitchen cupboard perhaps, or in the hallway). Thanks for the comment. Until I have the gas man in for a quote, I am not sure about the compromise which will be imposed on a small kitchen by modern boiler access space requirements.