Ferdinand

Suggest starting a thread about lifts on the forum. We do not have one. Someone will have done a lift or thought about it. Though I do know about putting holes in ceilings. We last talked about that on BH wrt to putting snooker tables above garages :-). The question is what size you want in the lift and the footprint. 1.2m x 1.1m seems to be doable for a standard wheelchair lift. This one has no roof or underground structure, being self-supporting. https://www.stiltz.co.uk/trio-home-lift-overview/ But it may need things around it to look attractive and part of the design, and then you have 3 storeys. I think you could perhaps fit provision for one in your entrance, perhaps with minor adjustments.

More to say on Planning Matters including your deadline, but will do that on the later article thread or separate comment. >Placement of read window - good spot, and you're right that the avatar on the drawing is misleading. Here's the section from a later drawing: I think the basic point here is that you are the Client, and he is the Architect. What do you want when you are leaning on the banister in your pyjamas or walking downstairs? It is your building and you will be living in it for 20 years. IMO one of the benefits of the dentist and teeth like process you are documenting has been that you have learnt (and are demonstrating) how to get such decisions right balancing many different factors. Have the courage of your convictions, in context, whichever way you decide. >I wanted full height glass here (the original design had this), but our architect was adamant it would cause overheating and he liked the drama of the window placement with the landing - I'm still not convinced. There's not a view as such out the north elevation (occasional train and school playing field) but if we're going to change something (and we'd have to go back to planning) this would be near the top of the list. Heh. Perhaps you need to have the architect explain how a North facing window (ie no sun) in a house built North of Edinburgh (= cool climate) on the Scottish East Coast (= cool air) with a largely glass South facing facade (= maximum cause of overheating if there is any) is going to cause a material increase in 'overheating'. With calculations and/or models. Peraonally I would be a little skeptical. If you need to manage the excess sun on your North facing window (or even the South facing ones) there are things like effective transparent solar film available. Have discussed recently on here. >Kitchen doors - the original plans had exactly what you've suggested, with the sink on the north wall in front of a window and a side door leading around to the garden, but we made a conscious effort to change that as we like to BBQ and wanted direct access to the back garden. We also very rarely stand in front of the sink for anything other than a minute or so. I actually meant replace you 5m bifold with one set of patio doors or french Widows (so to keep outside access) and then extend the kitchen units slightly round the corner, but you have thought about this. On BF there is some skepticism about the long term (say 10 year) airtightness of bifolds and people are tending to go for Lift and Slide instead. Switcthing to ome set of French Doors would save several thousand, however. >Rear garden access - this is a bit of a concern of mine - not so much for smaller items, but for during the build, particularly due to the slope. Re. Wheelchairs, we've been advised by our architect that we're passing accessibility regs (we'll see) but i accept its not easy to get someone in a wheelchair up to the living level. We did briefly talk about incorporating a lift (as per a previous comment) but the cost. A couple of comments. To my mind the wheelchair etc issue is not really about tickbox regs, but about your lifestyle and the possibility of your friends who are eg in wheelchairs and yourselves being embarrassed in that situation. Or what happens if you or your partner breaks your back and ends up disabled? In that situation you would not want to be forced to move house. On the lift, I would argue for the *possibility* of incorportating one in future rather than adding 25k to the budget now. That is things like designing your structure so structural beams are not where the hole in the floor would go, putting a more robust element in for the anchor at the top etc, leaving a suitable space on each floor etc. That may not be prohibitive. On the garden access, mitigation is straightforward, but full access is slightly more tricky. 1 - Incorporate a wheelbarrow / bicycle ramp into your side-path stair design. Something like this, which could be sunken as well as proud: (Credit: https://www.yelp.com/biz/vindels-construction-san-diego or this or this (Credit: http://wallswithoutcement.blogspot.co.uk/2006/12/steps-and-wheelbarrow-ramp.html) How you do it depends on your materials and path width and step design, and should cost not too much extra. At its simplest you just mortar in an angled brick upside down to each step, or put a groove in your mini wall at the side. IMO the ramp really wants to be wide enough for a sack trolley, and you want an anchor point for a portable winch at the top. In your setting I might be tempted to finish white concrete mini-side walls in embedded beach pebbles on top so I have a low friction surface for an inclined plane which would just need a board, a cable, and the aforementioned winch. Or put grooves in the top for rails. At its simplest you could incorporate a small depression at the bottom where you wedge a 5m piece of gutter cut to length when you want to use a wheelbarrowm with a couple of stabilising pegs somewhere - which could be a batten to wedge in the path and 2 six inch nails. I would say make the steps as shallow as possible to make barrows easier for smaller people (or it will be delegated to you), and make half landings long enough to fit a bike/barrow and a person who want a rest - say 1.5m. 2 - Make a straightforward path through the house wide enough for whatever - always a good idea when difficult access. Suggest 900mm which is sized for a Type III Mobility Scooter or 800mm which would take a "doorway" sized digger. That depends on your lift to work, and appropriate floor finishes and kitchen layout, but there's no point making it impossible when you do not have to. :-). (You now probably think I am completely mad)

Your reasoning seems good. That is the spitting image of Bernard Cribbin's "Hole in the Ground". Can we hope to see a photograph with an appropriate type of hat on the filled in hole? F

One thing I noted in the detailed wording of the CoP linked above is that it talked about iirc "Access Point" to the plot, which could be interpreted as 'nearest point as the crow flies' (ie access for the woodlarks) or perhaps 'plot access point', which is an ambiguity which may be useable creatively if there is a dispute over inches.

I guess to save money you could go box section corrugated, but I would not be totally sure of that by the sea. Personally I am a sucker for copper.

I think copper or zinc would be really fitting and cool for the roof :-) . Or there are tiles that will work at 20 degrees. Not sure about slate-like tiles. Ferdinand

Presumably "as approved" refers to "this one with changes in the next article"? And presumably "cannot add" means without another Planning App? Is the one that the builder had approved before still live? If so, anything approved on that would be difficult to refuse :-).

Will return to this after errands, but does that PC mean that you have lost all those windows on the West Elevation? Especially the one in the 1st Floor Living space.

Would that be illegal in countries where sockets are allowed in bathrooms?

That one is better because the door is at the front, and electrics are not reachable from inside the shower. There used to be small flats in London with the bath under the worktop in the kitchen iirc. I saw one once on a renovation TV programme. It would probably havave been London County or Peabody or similar. Ferdinand

Much improved :-). My comments on *this* iteration, if I may, to encourage continuation of the novel. Where does the person in 1st Floor back bedroom take their shower ? :-) I stand by my off list argument on those rooms. I bet this is coming in chapter 7, but it doesn't seem to make full use of EW elevations, light and sea views for some rooms. The front entrance is much better resolved, but is that enough dustbin space? We are about to get dustbin number 4. LIke the full length windows, but I would sweat some blood on the precise arrangement. I am not sure about the levels on that stair window. It seems to be that there is more window on the basement stairs than the 1st Floor Stairs, and the floor level vs window relationship on the stairs may be odd ... would need to see a cross section. Or make the stair wall entirely glass. I would say perhaps put a window at 1st floor stair half landing level with a window seat. Nice views from landing, and sparrows and trains. And I am not sure about 2 sets of N facing patio doors from the kitchen. Might be inclined to lose one of those and have a sink facing the back garden through a window rather than the indicated Rudyard Kipling sink ("Watch the Wall My Darling"). How will you get heavy stuff e.g. ton of manure, and friends in wheelchairs, into the back garden and house ?

Now this does look illegal. Sockets too close to shower? Basically it is a badly designed small studio room imo. Interesting that the Standard do not link to the ad.

Think that is easy to fix by a roofer inserting a something something membrane under the bottom 2ft or so. Just had that done on a 40 year old roof. F

Special Protection Area related to the EU Birds Directive. As ever the implementation here seems extremely gold-plated. The theory is that if you build within X kilometres of a sufficiently important population of certain bird species, your new development will prevent them feeding in the area (especially if they are shy birds such as woodlarks). Close to the SPA there is a presumption against development, and further away you are required to buy them alternative feeding grounds. Typically things are not built within 400m of the SPA, and anything proposed within 4 miles or so is difficult and needs to argue and mitigate. It is easier for smaller developments. In the area of this Planning App the mitigation cost is approx £7-8k in the form of a planning payment if you build a 3 bedroom house. The doc for the area of this thread is here: https://www.hart.gov.uk/sites/default/files/4_The_Council/Policies_and_published_documents/Planning_policy/Interim_Avoidance_Strategy_for_TBHSPA - November_2010.pdf If you are potentially affected, you have to have a statement in your Planning App saying that you have thought about it. It can be another tool in the NIMBY toolbox. Ferdinand

IMO you need advice from an experienced local who knows the Council policies better than the Council do. My usual suggestion is either the most experienced qualified person at an independent Estate Agency or planning consultancy (10 years local experience) or someone who has won several similar PPs locally. You can do things ranging from an informal conversation for 10 minutes in the shop to half a day or a day of their time with a short report. Key things are that you have a one page brief outlining your questions and requirements for their work. My suggestion is to pay as you will then engage formal professional confidentiality etc. You will be into a quality specific design (depending on what "local listing" means and what their criteria are), potentially several expert reports (eg prove it is not in the SPA belt, archie the -ologost for graves and history, traffic etc). Could easily be 5k-10k or perhaps a lot more before you get (or are refused) PP. I would also want funding in place for an Appeal, as you could be affected by local politics. You need to be able to afford to lose this sum. "Curtiledge of a listed dwelling" is - I suspect rather naughty / misleading if it is only a 'noted' building in the Council records not the EH listing database. That looks like a locally wished limitation, which will be less authoritative. Check it. I would say consider bungalows as a possibility too, and remember that you need to preserve the amenity of the church. On finance, you may be able to fund against the plot once you have PP, or reach a deal with a developer/builder to build both / you keep one. Alternatively, given probable price increases over 5 years, equity release and a bigger mortgage on your existing property might be the way to fund it (5 year fix?). I spent a couple of hours reading about the Thames SPA once, and the extra (3k?) charges to be visited on eg PPs in a chunk of Farnham. The fascinatingly awful thing was that it seems to take far less evidence to create an SPA than would justify the extra imposed costs to build a house there afterwards. I seem to recall a tiny population of woodlarks that had not actually been counted for quite a few years yet a huge piece of territory was blighted on that basis. I would love to have an update. Ferdinand

Alexander Pope: My thoughts (not advice): 1 - 6k is not really a lot if you get into consultants and process. eg a QC is perhaps 3-5k for a start if they are representing you. The best way to get a cheap QC or legal bod who can go toe to toe on this is probably to marry one, or be very closely connected in the profession. 2 - There *may* be an arguable case, but it is possible you are the wrong side of the deadline.Or on what may currently be the wrong side of one of several different dates. But I think you are in the position of asking your former wife to return part of a divorce settlement because you think the law says you overpaid. As a Council I would respond with a polite version of "prove it, buster". 3. Bit more background: http://www.selfbuildportal.org.uk/sources-of-finance/7-information/301-cil-s106-exemptions https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/what-is-section-106/ 4. Were I to try and tackle this, the only way I would consider economic to attempt for 6k would be: a - A carefully argued letter to the Council, perhaps from a solicitor, arguing that the S106 was not applicable because Appeal Judgement etc. I might try and argue that since the money was obtained unlawfully (according to me), it is unlawful for the Council to spend it. b - Appeal, which is free. Deadline gone. c - A reapplication for planning would cost a chunk of the 6k and swallow time and elapsed time, though could potentially be done with the same documents. Could be elephant traps if you have started building. In conclusion, it may perhaps be worth a run around the houses to see where you are. Perhaps ask the free RICS Planning Advice service or ask a Planning Law blogger (Martin Goodall?) to do an article on the issue. IMO it will be an academic exercise, but perhaps you want to satisfy your curiosity. My opinion: In the absence of a clear legal justification and validity (which requires some homework), and a cheap way of enforcing it, this is probably not worth the candle .. short of a couple of long shots I have suggested. Take a punt if you wish, but remember to put your main effort into your house and life. But personally I think 5-6k or say a few % of build cost is quite reasonable to ask of self-builders as a community contribution. I will wish metallic-sodium-in-the-bath on Councils attempting to take the pee (hello Shropshire a couple of years ago) at say 10-25% of project value, but I do not think we should have a complete opt-out. Ferdinand

I was sure I put something about surprised looking cats and pencil sharpeners on this thread. Perhaps I didn't or didn't push the button or it evanished. Anyhoo. It does exist. *Edited* I think in the interests of forum decorum I may remove this later. Just in case someone is self-building a cat sanctuary. * Apparently the diamond brand is Twinkle Tush.

If it was only 5-10 ukp extra each, I might be inclined to stump up. That is only hundreds extra for the house and that is not a lot for items we see all the time. Compare that with cost of slightly posher windows or a steam oven because we have a thing about mitres on the corners or cooking equipment. Ferdinand

Just to illustrate, in slightly different circumstances talking to people may kill your proposal stone dead. An example is trees. If a neighbour wishes to stop your development he can ask the Tree Officer to put a Preservation Order on a Tree under the guise of protecting a community asset, and the TO may or may not do it. If they do, then you have restrictions, and conditions as to what you can do. May be OK; may not be OK. It may not stop you, but it may add thousands. Equally if you have considered in advance you may have decided which trees you wish to retain, and removed the others. IN that case they are not 'Materiql Planning Matters'. But even removing them will be a cost, and you may still not get permission. You are in those circs dependent on the goodwill of your neighbours, and who the particular TO may be, and possibly whether they have just been bawled out by a Councillor in the local paper for not protecting enough trees in the last month. There is a derelict house with about 7 TPOs on the half acre garden near here, which has been empty since the mid 1980s, and cannot be realistically developed while the trees are still there. It should have had 5 houses on it 15 years ago. They have now at last been removed under Dead Decaying Dangerous provisions aiui and it can move ahead. So it is in some measure a cross between poker and a lottery. You can mitigate, and derisk, and find advisers, and learn some tactics and techniques to help decisions go the way you want, and know what your local policies are on matters like technicalities and locals Housing mix required and go out of your way to meet all the policies so making reasons for refusal more difficult to find. But it is not certain, and otoh you may have no problems at all. Question to others: is there a good chapter on this in the House Builders' Bible we can recommend? I struggle with the book because my copy is like reading a Microdot, and I cannot find a Kindle version. Ferdinand

I cannot comment on Le Grand and standard boxes, but they are big so probably are compliant.

Unfortunately there are far too many approaches, tips, tricks and wrinkles to relist here , and I do not think we have them in one place codified. And they vary by Council. So you will need to dig into the forum for the detail. One thing I can recommend is the support files on the Planning Portsl website, and the Planning Advice service run by RICS. I have comments on scores of threads, but to codify them would literally write a book. Ferdinand

Oops.

@gimp you just cannot tell how long it will take for definite. Best estimate is probably found by reading similar apps from your own LPA but things can change e.g. You may hit the hurt-spot of a Councillor or their buddy who then calls it in to committee.

Try Le Grand. When we did a sharp modern renovation on a Studio Bungalow in approx 2011-12 the architect specified them on the basis that they covered everything. Stylish and have innovative options. A huge range so you will need to take time. https://www.legrand.co.uk/projects/residential/ https://www.legrand.co.uk/products/wiring-devices/wiring-accessories/ http://blog.yaleappliance.com/bid/88824/The-10-Best-Legrand-Adorne-Wall-Switches-Dimmers-Prices-Reviews Ferdinand

Checked and none in Scotland, while there are in E & W. There was a consultation in 2011: http://www.checkmate.uk.com/resources_pressreleases_scotland_retains_local_authorities_as_only_verifiers303.asp