Ferdinand

Heave: Ground heave is the upward movement of the ground usually associated with the expansion of clay soils which swell when wet. As the soil generally cannot expand downwards or sideways, the result is that the exposed upper surface of the soil rises up. .. The most common cause of ground heave is associated with trees which have died or been removed. As the root network no longer draws water from the subsoil, water accumulates in the ground, resulting in swelling that can move building structures upwards. https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Ground_heave

Ouch. 1.3m is seriously close, I am afraid.

Scenario: if I construct a 1.5 storey house with a galleried living / dining space, which construction method makes it most straightforward to insert an extra studio or bedroom when I want to sell, and what is involved? I can say more, but I would like to have a range of answers on likely problems on this one, as I am just musing. Ferdinand

Of course by the time it is through planning and got around to starting on site those 2 years may well have elapsed. F

Surely size of tree is also relevant. eg a 5m tree taken out now has fewer heave implications vs provisioning for the 30m tree it may turn into in 50 years? I also see - spelunking the 2010 regulations - that the foundation depth can be 50mm shallower each 50 miles North or West of London. Surprised ! Ferdinand

You can but ask ... perhaps they want it removed, and if you gave them a specimen somewhere else...

I wonder if @Sensus can help here? I hope there could be other ways round that, perhaps based on the type of tree and root spread / thirstiness etc. eg What happens if you put in a root barrier or bribe your neighbour to remove the tree? Ferdinand

I'd say that they are either occupied by better off tenants, use something like ASHP, or are good enough energy wise to be acceptable. But I do not think that Councils are guaranteed to be competent enough to check that before coming for you :-) . F

My "But" is that horizontal ducting looks easier than vertical in that setup because the concrete is built up in layers like a tiramisu, and therefore would need more effort for something going up through 6ft say than along for 6 feet. You would perhaps also need to drill all the new holes in the walls before the next layer, as I think they only build the wall a little ahead of the concrete (do they ?). And don't they have to do extensive poking around after the pour to make sure it has all settled? Ducting everywhere would make that difficult. Ferdinand

It may be worth a check with your Council on their attitude to electric panel heaters vs eg storage heaters vs gas. There have been cases where EH have enforced on the basis that "efficient heating" and "controllable heating" must be provided. Tenants views on No Bath depend on the market. eg Older people love showers, especially if it is large enough to shower with a friend and have a chair and drying area in the cubicle. But they don't like disabled or elderly adapted showers (grabrails etc) until they actually need the accessories. And "fuel poverty" is very much a current issue, even though the campaigners' figures tend to be highly manipulated. Ferdinand

Cheers. So what happens if I sell it to another company I own? (I expect that the first company gets the VAT back).

There are exceptions for properties which cannot be realistically upgraded if payback is (iirc) more than 15 years. I don't know what the regulators will do, but I can see certain councils putting actions in place post-April 2018. I would think it will be an easy hit when there are complaints and they will not have to do a full HHSRS assessment / enforcement. Tell landlord to meet x level, and the checking will be by a third party. Many places can get a C with external insulation, but the prop. I have just upgraded had a quote for 14k to do that :-), which would not be feasible without a big grant. Personally i wouldn't buy anything with rooms in the roof unless they had been upgraded or there was money off the price to do the work. I backed out of one before Christmas that had a nice renovation finish but it was still an E. Far better options are places that have already had EWI or ones that are basically sound but need a top to bottom redo. I expect an overhang of hard to upgrade rentals coming onto the market in 2023-5 and 2028-30. I would say that the slum sector will transfer to none upgradeable owner occupied properties where the owners cannot afford to do things ... assuming that Councils go for landlords who are not compliant. It would be a similar process one stage further to the one by which some Councils sold off many of their poorer rental properties in the 90s and 2000s when these could not be economically improved. At some stage energy bills will become important in the market, and at that point price differentials will come in - just as now it is hard to rent single glazed property (unless it is twee and they are hipsters). At present lack of supply is perhaps a bigger factor. Ferdinand

@pocster Just to be clear, the limits will also apply to existing properties aiui .

Perhaps someone has complained?

Just a heads up for people looking to invest money. Kevin McCloud's company HAB have a 5 year investment bond open at 8% AER at present. Usual caveats ... capital at risk, not covered by protections cheme etc. Here: https://www.habhousing.co.uk/news/initial-crowd-fund-target-smashed-in-4-days Ferdinand

Remember that you have to have an EPC E by next year, D by 2025 and C by 2030 to rent it out legally. For a new conversion you should be OK. You should care about tenant bills ... if seriously high they will move and it may be expensive to get a new tenant plus all the paperwork. You already have to give an EPC to the tenant - suspect soon that may be regulated more carefully, because the landlord spankers are always after more canes. I am just waiting for an EPC on a house i have just had some work done for a tenant, and I am hopeful of taking the EPC from an E to nearly a C. It will get a C once I have a new boiler but I am waiting until it is necessary. Plus play your cards right by demonistarting a £1000 pa energy saving and you can ask for £500 on the rent. Ferdinand

Suspect that you are overthinking the sound insulation if you have 300mm of cellulose. Perhaps go and visit someone's house with that insulation, taking your better half, a trombone and something to make low pitched thuds. Ferdinand

That avatar ! And I thought mine was dodgy ... being an extract from Pompeian Pornography.

http://www.ebuild.co.uk/topic/13949-many-many-showers/ Ferdinand

I remember the pugwash icon from ebuild. Welcome. How did your HMO go ? Ferdinand

MY comment s based on penetration of and holes in membranes being a major problem with membranes hidden inside walls. So an exposed membrane in a loft is more vulnerable imo. What happens if they need to mend the roof from the inside? Perhaps others know better. F

In my view the problem with recessed spots is that they get installed in the first place. You wouldn't consider getting rid? The other issue I can see is protecting the membrane once installed. Ferdinand

It is worth a note that some btl loan providers deal direct such as National Counties, Aldermore and Kent Reliance. That would save about £500 a time and let you donate a pauper's funeral to your now destitute broker...

I need to drill a 100mm hole for a fan duct in a 225mm brick wall. Can anyone recommend a suitable product? I expect to use it occasionally for a number of years - say half a dozen times a year. If I can just pick it up from Wickes or Screwfix that would be a bonus but is not essential. Thanks Ferdinand

Wickes: A specific and a general. One of my local Wickes's (Sutton-in-Ashfield) has 15% extra off from now until the end of March. This is because they are refurbishing and finding things has gone mad temporarily - cannot be stacked on a Trade Discount and requires a min purchase of £10. The vouchers are distributed at the counter. So anyone planning a big purchase may have reason for a trip. Or two trips :-). Or one trip to buy a sample tile for £2 then a return after leaving to the car park for the £6k kitchen (or they might give you one anyway). Is this Wickes "refurbishment discount" something that occurs regularly? Surely there must always be a branch being refurbished within a hour or so nearly everywhere (except isolated bits of Scotland?). Ferdinand