Ferdinand

I think it is a movable feast, but you could get away with quite a lot. I don't see how a bit of pruning and tidying ;-) on your land cold be development. The one thing to watch iirc is that you have your exemption from CiL: irreversibly locked in, as I believe some have had problems. Ferdinand

yes.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a wall mounted postbox for a street facing house wall for a T where I might be about to replace the front door (quiet street, shallow front garden approx 2m deep)? Obviously it needs to take an overlarge A4 envelope etc, and I do not want any of those silly in this application "here is some post to steal, Mr Burglar" windows. At home I have a Brabantia, which has lasted 3 years without a spot, but cost £60. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brabantia-665400-Postbox-Black/dp/B000IU3VO4/ I was wondering about this Savisto one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Savisto-Slim-Line-Mounted-Lockable-Waterproof/dp/B00ZP7C01K/ Amazon links as I cannot make the Brabantia website talk to me. Aside: In Melbourne I saw some "hole in the wall" type letterboxes where there was an extra round hole through the wall below the slot where Snoopy could leave the Newspaper. Wonderful artefacts of an historical culture. Great fun. Ferdinand

Interesting. I just used them on a boarding out project I have been wittering on about on GBF, but in that case time was of the essence and the radiator outmove was about 80mm. I really did not want to be pfaffing or lifting all the carpets and floors. Actually suggested by T who fits kitchens and bathrooms for a living. Rad covers, for which I have plenty of perforated mdf in stock, could be a plan B :-D. Ferdinand

Is the Bosch quick change different from a keyless chuck? Ie is it a hex type base where drills just slot in? Thanks F

One way is to replace the last few inches of your copper pipe with a flexible 300mm connector which has a push fit on one end and a connector to fit your rad on the other. I have done this, but have seen recommendations against due to them not being designed for constant hot water flow. But otoh most people on here run their CH at a low temperature and do not use it very often. @Nickfromwales? Ferdinand

I thought the most important reason for an outward opening door for a putatively disabled suitable loo was so that rescue was possible if someone inside collapsed against it. The same applies to showers if we are being sensible.

Nice to see another blog moving in, especially with the correct dates :-).

We had a cocked-up title on the Council website for something. To me sounds like an error adding a descriptive title to the record when entered. Or perhaps a Spreadsheet line shift error and there are dozens of them created when importing . If it has the correct number and address on that should be fine imo. It may just need the number in fact. I assume you are keeping stumm and taking it as a yes. Ferdinand

NIce card with little downside if it is the one I think. YOu should get £100 back in the first 3 months on £2k of spend plus £70 a year if you spend 10k on it, plus special offers through their website and promotions. No charge. IF you cancel wait until after the year end when they send the cash back. Review here: http://www.headforpoints.com/2016/08/10/american-express-platinum-cashback-card-rewards-cut/ I have the old version of the other Platinum Cashback one, which gives me 2.5% cash back in the anniversary month if I have spent 10k on it during the year. Guess when I will be buying big items (other discounts not adding an extra 2.5% etc)? A nice one to have is the Hilton Hotels Platinum Visa, which gives you a free night at any Hilton Property in the world just for spending iirc £2500 on the card, and no charges. I used mine on the 32nd Floor of the Sydney Hilton this autumn. Superb. But I am not recommending as that would require me to b regulated, F

I think the thing to look for with DeWalt would be brushless motors. The other brand I like is Metabo, which are very well made, but I think they are more expensive. Ferdinand

MOre or less :-) It has been Euro-regulated recently limiting merchant fees to iirc 0.4%. But that does not apply to self-issued Amex cards, only ones where third parties use their brand. VIsa and MasterCard seem to be pulling their horns in a little after regulation reduced the fees (imo the 0.4% ceiling was an EU wheeze to transfer profit from the American Visa and MasterCard to European retailers). You can pay your taxes with Amex cards at 0.4% ish and get your cashback or air miles or Amex points. I will be paying my stamp duty for the current house purchase direct and seeing if that works. It can get humongously complicated, but that is part of the fun and I only dabble. It is paid from the merchant fees, but the same goes for low interest rates etc. THe trick is to use the right benefit in the right place. If you are using benefits cards then the golden rule is to pay off in full always as the interest rates or fees are high to pay for the benefit package.

AIUI Dewalt have separated pro and consumer ranges, and the latter are not as robust as Dewalts from several years ago. Open to correction.

Keen people have supplementary cards for all their family members and get perhaps £50 of Amex point for each one they take out. If you have eg an Amex Platignum one person gets all the benefits etc, which are worth hundreds. See my added PS, Ferdinand

This is American Express Shop Small week. What that means is that if you have an Amex Card (except TSB), and register the card on the Amex website with the offer, you will get £5 back for every £10 you spend at participating shops. There are a lot of participating shops. There are more details over at Head for Points: http://www.headforpoints.com/2016/12/03/amex-shop-small-starts-today-get-5-back-on-every-10-purchase/ This *can* be really sweated if you make a small purchase on each of your umpteen Amex cards at each shop, but that is probably for rabid points collectors (*) rather than most of us. Personally I have only 3 Amex cards, so I will just put a bit of effort in for the fun of it. Ferdinand (*) eg " I just used 10 cards to pay the bill in an Italian restaurant. The patrone was a bit dubious, but ended up using two machines simultaneously. I have arranged to use all 16 at the wine shop tomorrow before going home. " (Wine shops sound like a good option).

If you buy the right box of hex headed fencing screws from Wickes you get one in the box.

I would say Makita not Dewalt of those two and go for one of their more recent battery systems. If you are looking for a range of tools over a period from scratch, then the "packages" and "kits" are worth a look, for example: http://www.screwfix.com/c/tools/kits-twinpacks/cat830712 But look at each tool for gotchas, such as a multitool which needs a spanner to change blades etc. For cordless drills, having two .. or a drill and a driver .. makes a real difference to productivity - one to drill, one to screw. It looks a little challenging, but add up the individual costs and you will have a couple of free tools. Others may have done this. If the upfront cash is an issue then there are any number of 2-3 year interest free credit cards available at present. The way is to take one out, and money you spend in the first couple of months or balance transfers may be interest free for a period of 24 to 48 months. Then you set up a payment which will clear the balance for when it is needed as a standing order, and put the card in a drawer or cut it up. Moneysavingexpert has the details. Alternatively Wickes currently have a BLACK20 £20 for £100+ orders discount code until 6/12. But don't rush on that as there will be other offers. My handyman got a midrange SDS drill 55% off last week ay B&Q, for example. It is a buyers market. Ferdinand

You may have a couple of options @ProDave if you have your wits about you. 1 - Can you use 11mm OSB2 instead? B&Q: OSB 2 Board (Th)11mm (W)1220mm (L)2440mm at £10.50 if you buy 5. http://www.diy.com/departments/osb-2-board-th11mm-w1220mm-l2440mm/27592_BQ.prd and Wickes has WICKES GENERAL PURPOSE OSB2 BOARD 11 X 1220 X 2440MM @ £11.55 if you buy 3. http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-General-Purpose-OSB2-Board-11-x-1220-x-2440mm/p/110024 You will get another 10% off the Wickes with a Trade Card; B&Q will be unlikely to discount further. If you do it tomorrow you can do multiple orders (I think) at just over £100 and get £20 off each one using the WIckes BLACK20 code linked above as well. Do it in store and it may take your Trade Card too if you have one. You may lose free delivery. 2 - Or you can apply the BLACK20 code to the £14.99 price for the 9mm OSB3. The website just offered to sell me seven for £84. In the shop I would get another £8.40 off that for Trade (if I have their offer stacking order right) = £10.50 ish each. 11mm OSB2 from Wickes might pan out at £8 per sheet with BLACK20. Just make sure you do it tomorrow and check their maths. I would phone up first if it is any distance. If they like you they may make it one order for free delivery purposes. If you end up buying online at Wickes you won't be able to use your Trade card but you would be able to use TopashBack or Quidco for a couple of percent. Not a lot but you could get a bottle of whisky for Hogmanay. Ferdinand

WICKES GENERAL PURPOSE OSB3 BOARD 18 X 1220 X 2440MM Wickes are offering 18mm 8x4 (General Purpose OSB3 at £15.00 a sheet if you buy 3. = £13.50 with trade discount. Nomal price £20 per sheet. We all use a lot of that, so a good chance to stock up? http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-General-Purpose-OSB3-Board-18-x-1220-x-2440mm/p/110517 Also their Black Friday 10 and 20% off offers run until 6 December. http://www.wickes.co.uk/black-friday B&Q have a slightly more expensive offer on the same sheet at £16.18 if you buy 5, and they will cut it up for you for free. http://www.diy.com/departments/osb-3-board-th18mm-w1220mm-l2440mm/27593_BQ.prd Free delivery on both is at about £250 to £300 order. F

^^^ This.

You have incorporated the SEF (Stool Examination Facility) just in case you have Germanic visitors, haven't you? "Further research has revealed that the German toilet is in fact designed to facilitate stool examination. This is a wise, healthy practice, argue Germans, a person's best defence against intestinal disease, water-borne parasites or worm-riddled, undercooked pork sausage. " Y http://asecular.com/~scott/misc/toilet.htm Once we have Brexited that could become a European standard. And you will need to instrument the digestive process by supplying a sweetcorn dispenser, so that transit time can be measured. Will you be enforcing Sitzpinken? I say install a urinal and issue SheWees, at least for your mancave loo. (At this point Nick's skin starts crawling.) Ferdinand (Update: should be Sitzpinkeln - that is a noun not a verb. Thought it looked suspicious)

I'll have those eyes for my next avatar. F

When I did mine I ran a bead of silicon along the understand of the overhang at the bottom a couple of inches back to make sure that any water trying to run back up there dripped off. Fedinand

God's Blood forsooth - BDSM on an eyebrow window! Is one of you called Max? Do not buy a house with an old one. They are sods to insulate later.

It is conditioned to be built "in accordance with (identified plan)". It would be an interesting enforcement case, because beyond the fence that now blocks off the "parking spaces" it is questionable whether they have any legal right to access the spaces with a car; it looks like the access *may* be by dint of long use. That of course is not a relevant consideration where PP is concerned , though that is not the sort of thing i would expect District Council to pick up every time. Potentially a veritable Knot of Gordion style tangle should someone complain to enforcement . Ferdinand