Ferdinand

Further reflections, having watched two of the episodes while working this morning. Internal chimneys are a bit of a theme. That is, using heat moving up staircases by natural means. That was done with the Modern Mews, with the fire under the stairs in the basement. And also in the winner, where "A computerised internal air circulation system takes warm air from the top of the house to the basement via a gravel rock store to produce a delayed heat source for evening use." There was at least one other - the one in the old town in the Lakes? - which used a preheated air intake by taking the air inlet pipe underground for a distance first. Presumably we can all do that as part of our earthworks. They also are nearly all infill/replacement. I tracked down the "Covert House" in "Old Town Clapham" to the garden of The Farmhouse, Broadhinton Road. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4663272,-0.1449109,270m/data=!3m1!1e3 They got the plot by buying a backlands detached house and reselling without the garden. Good strategy. But I reckon the house purchase was a cool million or so. You need to be moneyed somehow. Ferdinand

Re: banisters Agree with @ProDave. I think regs are that the first 2 steps can be sans banisters, so I would say it is an element of retrofit. Looking at the regs, I can't see exceptions - unless perhaps this was a second staircase (unlikely). We had a pigeon-toe stair to several rooms because there was a main staircase elsewhere. But banisters are a universal safety reg, so would not be suspended. Or perhaps they just didn't ask. Re: Winner The facade reminds me of the Sainsbury Wing of the Tate Gallery, in the way that the facade apes different styles at each end. As somebody put it, Post-Modern is back. Re: Curmudgeon It is interesting that the T&C prevent non-architect designed projects from being entered. Not very good, that. Channel4 should read the riot act and point it out. https://awards.architecture.com/Content/pdfs/RIBA Awards 2017_Entry guidelines.pdf Ferdinand

Can I have one for my local park? The climbing frame is very cold . I assume that this is England and Wales.

Guessing - the banister requirement might not apply below x mm from the ground or steps, which may be why the two halves are separate. Ferdinand

I really enjoyed the finals, and have commented on the winner on the other thread. I liked the cladding on the "huts house" in London, and the arch for entry is very Lutyens. 0.6mm mild steel cladding that is cut with snips and rolled on site and weathers like COR-TEN looks truly excellent. But was there a single house that was built for under about £300k? Ferdinand

I enjoyed the Richard Murphy winning house (didn't know he lived in Edinburgh)m especially the use of a 6m x 11m site. Like the Heath Robinson tracks on the curtain style garage door. It looked eyewateringly expensive to build, though, and not practical when he is 80 not 60. And some intriguing contrasts and comparisons to the Art Museum "Narrow House". There is a full article, including plans, on Arch Daily here: http://www.archdaily.com/777841/murphy-house-richard-murphy-architects This is what it says about the enviro aspects: As a way of sucking in heat impressed with the mechanical insulated shutters idea. Is Edinburgh less prone to passive overheating? 150m deep boreholes for GSHP? Ye Gods the bloke has money... Not sure if insulated shutters add a lot to 3G. Air circulation to a gravel heat store? Simpler than water pipes in a heat store. Super idea if it works. Like the use of water features ending up in grey water. But using it for sprinklers? Sounds like a recipe for full room replacement for a tiny fire due to the mucky water. Ferdinand

How did my USB recommendation turn into THIS ??? !!! However in this case just buy the Mazda.

Or £40 at 10p/hWh.

On the ebay advert it doesn't have the weight either. I am not looking at present but I may be in the future. I would not know how to handle these for transport, people etc so it seems quite scary. IF one were able to create a matching set over a couple of years windows are so pricey that a self-builder could work round them with the design, or have a very posh garden office with only a few. I am guessing that they weight 100-120kg each which means 3-4 people to handle them or something mechanical. Transport anywhere will be hundreds if the kit is not available. Nor without some research would I know where I can put a non-Fire-rated door. I have had considerable success with pre-owned kitchen plus conservatory in the past, but I looked at lots of frogs before kissing one. Best of luck. Ferdinand

I think exposed telegraph poles wee a different matter to wooden fence posts wince they were deliberately long lasting wood treated with all klnds of luvvly stuff such involving arsenic and tar, which has now been banned. I am not sure what under-shed shelter will do for posts, but they usually go just above ground as we all know. I suspect some water will seep in somehow. I either now bash them in sans concrete for 5-10 years, or use concrete posts for 25-50 years. Or metal ones for gates than will defeat anything up to a tipper lorry :-). Ferdinand

Won't those posts be rather short life if direct in PostCrete, even if tanalised? 12-15 years? How long do posts last in Scotland :-). Can you make a provision to add more in between later ie leave places to attach to the superstructure of your shed. Otherwise you could end up doing repairs over a big distance sideways - looking at the big size of your concrete blobs. That makes me wonder whether concrete 1200mm repair spurs may be an alternative for me in the future for supporting shed bases on sloping ground.

Savisto Box has arrived. Well built and solid, with a nice magnetic strip to keep the lid closed. However, orientation is slightly landscape not portrait. It will take an A4 mag in an envelope vertically but it is a little close to the top. Verdict: OK but I prefer the Brabantia. Sticking with this one now it is here for at least one house, though. Ferdinand

That was 13 sockets not doubles :-). One is on the cooker switch. T uses plug in air fresheners, which doesn't help. Adding up the current kitchen diner in my house, which was done by the previous owner, we have 7 doubles and a single, plus 5 more sockets and 2 cooker points inside cupboards for appliances, plus 4 doubles and one in a cupboard in the utility (one of which I had added). It still feels sparse, but it is a large 19x15 kitchen-diner (give or take), F

Final note. I bought *this* warning sign from Amazon because it is designed to be screwed on rather than use adhesive. At £1.74. If it turns out to be dreadful quality I will add a note. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01AGK064S/ref=pe_385721_37038051_TE_3p_dp_1 Ferdinand

Quidco and TopCashBack have services where their cashback is applied to instore purchases without us needing to show a card or anything at the till. Is using this facility? The process is to register your payment card to QUidco or TCB, and then when you use it in a store they detect the transaction and cashback gets paid. The Topcashback service is called Oncard: https://www.topcashback.co.uk/OnCard/ The Quidco one is called HighStreet: https://www.quidco.com/quidco-high-street/how-it-works/ Given that it is easy to get a *lot* (I get several hundred a year) back with cashback sites, is anyone using these services? While eg Screwfix or B&Q might only give 1-3%, someone like Argos may give up to 10%. There is the handing over of data etc, but this seems to me to be quite attractive. Ferdinand

Are you sure this won't be like St Paul's and completed by his children?

IMO double sockets are now cheap as chips. I did a 12' x 8' kitchen in the early 90s and installed 13 sockets in toto. The tenant has managed to run out. Ferdinand

Cheers all. I looked extensively into this, and recommended brands are Coo Var (or Coov Ar like a pirate depending on how good your supplier's spelling happens to be) or Blackfriar based on reading a lot of online reviews. The B&Q supplied brand Fortress seems or be deprecated. And there is a brand NVP which I cannot find reviews about. Prices are HUGELY variable. Like 400% variable. Red, Grey, Green and Black are common colours, especially from Coo Var. Getting coloured paints in smaller sizes is difficult and inconsistent. Ideally I wanted Grey in 1L or 2L - cannot get it easily. Wickes do supply coloured anti slip, at about £50 for 4L, which is an OK price, esp. if you have a Trade or Discount card. Good prices are not especially available via Amazon even with free delivery, but you may be lucky. I ended up with 1L Blackfriar black from Screwfix for £12.99. In stock but they would not deliver. Unfortunately @TerryE Pyracanthas would not be something we would want up this house ... there is a path round our bay windows, and it would take 5-7 years. Cheers Ferdinand

I think you would need ones with two power-whatevers in it. Or an adaptor for the 3 pin. Or use one at once. Or get a different phone. I have them just for convenience and easy upgrade and as a part solution to kitchens designed by other people with <10 double sockets in them. F

Screwfix have Double Sockets with Integral USB Chargers on offer at £10 for 2. I try and put at least one in every kitchen, and I have been paying about £10. Brand is British General, who I have down as "OK but not MK". http://www.screwfix.com/p/bg-13a-2-gang-sp-switched-socket-usb-charger-outboard-rocker-white/8534f?cm_sp=homepage-_-home-_-8534f Online orders (should incl. click and collect) until 8/1/17. Ferdinand

Hmm. What would my sign obligations be using it just on the flat top of two bay windows? I don't see where I would put signs. Interesting failure of the police men to go all the way to a prosecution - householder refused a police caution and they backed down Perhaps the failed court case Ratcliff vs McConnell had some effect (climbed over locked gate and dived into half empty swimming pool). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2913930/Pensioner-life-hell-local-children-charged-anti-vandal-paint-ruined-yobs-clothes.html Ferdinand

I am looking for a brand of non-setting anti-climb paint. We have had a spate of lead thefts, including my neighbour's bay window tops (the house is empty for sale). I plan to paint the tops of my bay windows with anti-climb paint to make the lead unpleasant to steal. Can any one recommend? Thanks Ferdinand

The other way to rapidly fill your hole would be to dig it, line it eg with tarpaulin, fill it, then remove the tarpaulin (probably need a winch or tow it away with a car). Can't see how that would work 3 times on the same hole though :-) . Probably 3 IBCs prepared with 3" bungs would be better. Rather like one rapid way to unload a lorry is lots of people or a crane, and the other is to tie the load to a tree and drive away. It all depends on the nature of your load - my dad did the latter with the 2" thick marble top from a butcher's counter mother managed to snag while passing in our small van one day. Ferdinand

I think that when CiL came in S106 was restricted in scope to more local matters more directly related to the site than it was before. That restriction may still apply even if your Council have not implemented CiL (mine haven't either) - @Sensus would perhaps know - so you may be able to question peripheral things if you *really* want to, but it may not be worth it. eg My (housing estate site) PP had a sum in the unilateral decaration (which is like a S106 but does not require council signature) for improving the market place in the local town, which would perhaps be questionable now were it in a S106. We used a Unilateral purely to get an Application in quickly and did it exactly in line with the local Council's policy to avoid objection on that ground. Ferdinand

That needs somebody else who has direct experience such as perhaps @MikeSharp01 or @Temp, but the issue was mentioned on this thread: I think I have seen mention somewhere of issues about this on occasions. Also see this article: http://www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1389099/inspector-dismisses-request-self-build-cil-exemption ie Make sure you have your exemption letter. Ferdinand