Ferdinand

You could probably do it more simply than that if you need, by e.g. Stating that you will install a secure cycle locker such as http://www.johnlewis.com/rowlinson-wall-bike-store-willow-cream/p1872079?sku=234269307&s_kwcid=2dx92700013375172350&tmad=c&tmcampid=2&gclid=CPiNvqatmdACFawW0wodkI0ENg&gclsrc=aw.ds IF you wanted that could become a garden storage unit. So there may be no need to vary the condition - you could comply with it instead. You may even get away with a couple of wheelbender racks installed inside the garage as 6m x 6m may be rather larger than the absolute minimum and could claim that an appropriate slice is bike storage. LPAS tend to be different on this, but a 40-50cm slice across inside the door may be enough. IF you can move your door even 20cm outward that may help. Phone up your planner and ask. Ferdinand

Think I just spotted a place for a gathering :-) .

I would have thought any of the founders / mods would be very good, especially as doing a fluent podcast interview is usually roughly just reading a briefing email, thinking while doing other things for a day, perhaps jotting down a few notes, imbibing a double tot of alcohol or tea, then receiving a 45-60 minute phone call. Most of the work (and imo there is not really much of that unless the podcaster is are a perfectionist - good interviewers will do it in one take and just need to top and tail then filter and encode) is post-processing. I would go for someone who is a) self-building and b) can express a good grasp of the overall purpose of Buildhub and c) has a clear, well-articulated voice. It is quite enjoyable to be interviewed in that way, since it is just talking to one interested person. Ferdinand

Presumably you have to create a blister in the superinsulation over the water tank so that you then leave the trad hole underneath but have a 'hat' over the top. How you create that is an opportunity to be innovative. Interlocking box made out of 150mm kingspan sheets with no bottom? One side easy to remove? Bell shaped frame filled with polybeads, and a winch to lift it like a cloche over a dinner? A Waterbombe Surprise, so to speak, Mr Wint. Or an insulated attic closet with a minimal floor.

On the ridge if you have one, if you make your pitch 45 degrees each side you can use the same L-shaped barge boards for the ridge. Suspect that if you are say 35, 40 or 42 degrees pitch they will just flex elegantly when you screw them down. Simples. Ferdinand

The layout sounds as if you could move the outside door to be from the new kitchen diner to the back, rather than via the ss extension. That is, in the position where Kirsty from Homes Under the Hammer is always gagging to put patio doors. Plus room for a small canopy or porch? Ferdinand

I see that Wickes have shower cubicles and bathrooms etc reduced by 50% until November 22nd. It seems to apply to the instore display models, but not the cheap "suites" eg the P-baths / loos / whb packages normally displayed in the entrance. One I noticed was a "Linear washroom kit" reduced from £2500 to £1250, which includes everything except tiles incl a nice dual rainstorm plus shower head shower. In my Wickes, they are also disposing of ex-display units. There was one where somebody had paid 30% more for the ex-display unit than the current discount on the new version . They also have "kitchen units" down by half, but I can get similar quality units for well under that anyway. Imo the bathrooms are mid-range quality and perhaps worth a look at those prices. Ferdinand

OK. May have some gold dust for you, Stones - if you are imminently going past a Wickes or know a bod who is. Wandering around my Wickes today, they seem to be clearing out their kitchen and bathroom displays, and my Wickes had a Franke approx 500mm wide sink, which was a sink plus a small side sink, for under £140. With an appropriate basket or cover either sink could become a drainer. Does Inverness have one? The staff seemed to think the clearout was not a local thing. I will attach piccies below in a few minutes. (They also have a half price bathroom sale with some decent showers and wetrooms at half price until Nov 22nd, but I'll do that separately). They also have *this* nice looking Astracast 500mm wide sink with lifetiem guarantee, deep drainer, shallow drainer, and ice bucket (!), for £200. http://www.wickes.co.uk/Astracast-Single-Bowl-Stainless-Steel-Compact-Sink/p/148595 Personally I would go with the Astracast as it has all the gubbins, if the quality is OK. Ferdinand

Cut your losses. Hey diddle diddle, they are taking the piddle...

TO pick up one other ... Inhave had no issues with overlapping one box or two boxes. And my roof has minimal fall ... about 5-6 degrees iirc. Ferdinand

I can see 2 other option - one would be a sit on top sink and drainer to cover the whole unit (which I expect you have considered - that would be my choice), the other a bigger sink taking up the whole thing with a sit on top removable drainer. I think the latter would be a great solution for a utility - space for large buckets etc. Franke do these drainers (we have one fits inside the sink profile), but I have not seen their sinks and mini drainers, and a cute chopping board on wheels. Ferdinand

Yes - Lazy Susan is a turntable for the table. The pulley is called a Lyons Maid ;-o ! Ferdinand

Not clear how "compact" you mean. Dimension? For our kitchen sink we paid £400 for a nice Franke, and it was worth it. I also picked up a Franke for a utility for £100 a couple of years ago. Currently Screwfix have *these* Franke utility sinks at £99 incl waste and fittings, but they are inset: http://www.screwfix.com/p/franke-ascona-inset-sink-s-steel-1-bowl-860-x-510mm/79251 Our SF does free delivery if the order is over £50, but I am not clear if that applies to Mongolia and Outer Scotland. 860mm wide. Good reviews. Ferdinand

I think either would be OK if you have MVHR. Perhaps choose a condenser drier that you plumb plumb in to avoid having to empty it by hand?

I used Coverworld for my conservatory replacement roof. This is Chesterfield. http://www.coverworld.co.uk/ The roof has been robust for several years, but I felt gouged on £50 delivery for around 6 miles on a £400 order. Otherwise they were great to deal with. Very happy to take smallish orders. My comment would be choose widths narrow enough to go on your trailer and collect it yourself. Say 2.4m wide x2 would also be easier to handle on site.I have had no problems with wicking through joints between sheets. A family member did their terraced read add-on with the insulation-attached stuff and found it an expensive pain to work with eg cutting. Ferdinand

Wickes seem to have 4 for 3 on most rock wool insulation - 100mm, 170mm, 200mm, and 200mm wrapped - until nearly Christmas. Also recently on 50mm celotex. A Trade Account and a relevant cash back Amex or Credit card might bring that up to nearly 40% off. There is also about 3% via QuidCo etc, but I can't work out how to combine that with the Trade Discount. Any ideas?

Locally for me Travis are better for small delivered orders as they charge a fiver, whereas Wickes charge 25 unless it is over 300 ukp. I have accounts with Wickes (10% off at the till and regular emails) Travis and B&Q and some trade only. I like dealing with Wickes or sometimes Screwfix as they often have all sorts of other offers and nice familiar staff. Incidentally Wickes seem to have 4 for 3 on most rock wool insulation - 100mm, 170mm, 200mm, and 200mm wrapped - until Christmas. Also recently on 50mm celotex, but they managed to lose my discount on 4 sheets of that. Wickes aren't quite at the stage where I can expect 30% off my bill if I just wait a few weeks like Halfords, but they may get there.

@Bitpipe Thanks. I think that illustrates that we all will be driven primarily by the concrete and financial consequences of any rules. I predict that the values of trad small terraced houses will take a major hit some time before 2030 (say 10k or 10-15%) relative to a fully done-up one, as these can get to a D reasonably easily (I normally do that and it does not need exceptional changes), but will require something like EWI to reach a C. Unless the exceptions to the requirement are generous. Cheers. F

Is there any good guide to "evidencing" and "assuming" around? I can see this being a problem in the future. eg I have just had an end wall in a rental boarded out inside while a T was redecorating with 50mm Kingspan (small room :-o ) in addition to the 25mm PUR that was already there. But of course I cannot prove it, and in a few years time rentals will have to be E (2018) then D (2025) then C (2030) on pain of prosecution iirc. I wonder if they will be equipped with thermal cameras and checking 20 year old invoices and contemporaneous photographs which will have to be notarised ? ! What will happen is that the process will be driven only by things that can be proven on the spot, which will read through to what people actually do. My own scores 77 but there is no reason to repeat the cert to demonstrate improvements, though the 77 assumes on some walls and excludes the underfloor insulation - while accepting that there is UFH, unless the contribution of solar will be devalued and I want the max EPC boost from my PV array. Ferdinand

I don't see why not if you are the owner. Yes I mean the Land Registry. There any be a sticky post over on Gardenlaw in one of the forums covering Land Registry maps and meanings etc by a poster called Conveyancer that may be a useful read. Ferdinand

@jack I think that any words present are definitive in the interpretation of the plan. The registry will check it carefully and may either com back to the submitter or put the application in a pending tray. I have experienced both while negotiating the sale of our site. Even within the last 6 weeks the purchaser came back to me to sign another copy of a map on a sale where we received the permethrin months ago ... presumably someone is being persnickety. You need to reach a decision, but it is equally important to follow up at appropriate points with the horse's mouth for the current stage to make sure that it is progressing and any issues get spotted then sorted. Ferdinand

Here our huge B&Q has been half converted into a large Aldi as part of the general retrenchment, and they have closed 3 or 4 smaller ones within a few miles. Wonder how well B&Q will be doing with their tool sales :-). Ferdinand

I would say find your stockist to collect then put an ad on eg anyvan. F

I question whether sensible downsizers would go for a terraced house, unless younger elderly or financially constrained. I think it needs a shower or bath upstairs and a shower downstairs if you are after downsizers. Ferdinand

Welcome. Nice to have a BCO around.