Ferdinand

Round here they use chickenwire on plank bridges.. Another option would be aluminium tread plate, which looks cool. You need the tools to cut 3mm metaul, but I guess most of us have that. Cost is about £75 per sqm. Ferdinand

Our local drive-round-with-a-truck man is called "Sh*t Shifters". We get him past our gate about once a week, but a washing machine left outside would be gone in a couple of hours. Ferdinand

Could you just use wire mesh as they do on rural plank bridges? Ferdinand

I say get a plunge saw and make the treads into fretwork.

I think you want an electric plane, as used for taking extra bits off the side of doors etc. Less cumbersome than a belt sander. Get a template to draw the line on each, then radius it from the outside going round with many passes. Ferdinand

The Grand Design with the Geodesic Roof Structure in Whitehaven (?) or Cumbria did that if I recall. Ferdinand

I think that is exceptional for 10k or thereabouts. Love the 3 or 4 frying pans.

The crocodiles that will eat you are the ones you don't know about or haven't looked for :-) F

Without giving a specific opinion (sorry) ... I think anybody needs to be aware of possible changes and how it may affect your particular project. While that may not mean rechecking things every day or every week, it is perhaps a good thing to do it at significant milestones in your project. Certainly over a several month timespan there have been significant changes, and there is a possibility of an interest rate change soon - which may impact on mortgage products etc, but then the selling process takes 4-8 weeks or more anyway. Were I currently looking at a new project, I would be having a bigger contingency and working through implications of bigger changes than would have been the case 3 months ago. I might also be inclined to reduce as far as possible the time between making a decision and implementing the decision, so that there is less chance for any sudden changes to undermine my careful workings-out. Here are a couple of articles looking at post-Brexit mortgages and property. I think it is all more volatile, which can work for or against, so in my opinion an emphasis needs to be on resilience and nimbleness. It is perhaps not a time for taking balls-out risks with projects, so eg do a smaller self-build now with space on site for an extension rather than going up to the neck in mortgage finance. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/buy/carney-advises-mortgage-prudency-what-should-prospective-buyers/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36641090 http://uk.businessinsider.com/britains-property-price-analysis-post-brexit-2016-7 Ferdinand

Yay. 1st in topic. Given that the mortgage and house market has changed rapidly recently, and may change some more, I think we perhaps need a thread mainly about different ways of financing self-build. I'll do a separate thread about tips and tricks to cope with the volatile environment at present. This post is a combination of what I know, and questions where I don't really know. Note that this area may change rapidly, and for each category all kinds of limitations apply and homework is critical. It would be useful if others could add more specific comments for each category, perhaps particularly about specific Buillding Societies and other gaps. This post is a list of thoughts - not financial advice. Savings The most traditional route. Perhaps pension draw-down (you can currently have 25% of your pension pot tax free at age 55) comes into this category. Normal Mortgage Take out a normal mortgage on your existing home. Self-build Mortgage. The best known providers are probably Buildstore (who are a broker (?) working with financial institutions) and the Ecology Building Society. Differences are that some providers will insist you start the build yourself before financing, which reduces your savings and your flexibility. Some providers may let you borrow against the value of your plot, eg when Outline Planning has been achieved. Local and regional building societies may have offerings for their area. Buy to Let Mortgage If you make your project (or your current house while living in a caravan) a rental, Buy to Let mortgages can be available. In the current market interest rates from around 3 per cent are availalble, with a brokers fee of perhaps £500, which (from where I am sitting) seems cheaper than self-build mortgages. You will need to talk to a broker. Build to Let Mortgage This is a possible future market segment. Make your project a rental, and then pay off the mortgage with a normal one once it is built. You will need to talk to a broker. Worthy of note for some expenses: In a low interest rate envirnoment there are other options for some expenditure: Personal Loan. Currently available at around 3-3.5%. At present packages are sometimes done for loyal customers - move your account some time before, or take out another one? Credit Card Balance Transfer or Interest Free introductory purchases. These are available for up to around 2 years at present for as little as a 0% fee, or for longer periods as a eg 2% fee. Ali-Shuffle: Buy something else at as % interest rate, eg car or nearly new car, to free up the cash for your build. It goes without saying that the more solid a credit rating you have, the better. Ferdinand

Indeed, and thanks for the reply. Our main cooker is a range (ironically you can see it reflected in the built-in oven door), and we do not use the microwave for anything more than say 10-15 minutes. And the previous one was also a standalone in the cavity :-). Just measured, and the unit has 60-80mm of space each side, and 100mm top and bottom, around the Microwave. The limitation may be on adequate vent-space at the front. The previous one was there for 8 years, though. But at this price it is almost a disposable. To be clear - the Baumatic is the warming drawer, and a separate unit. Ferdinand

Lycra, or am I stirring? BTW How often do you have to monitor, and is this by yourself or an expensive ologist ? Ferdinand

SO, bubba. Where will you keep the digger in the absence of a shed?

Snipped

What is the solar setup? Are these really battery hens?

I think you would be best to ring your council, or perhaps another council, and ask for the complaints team. Check that it is a national rule. Or perhaps citizens advice. I would refuse to identify myself if sounding out the rules, or use a pseudonym if another council. They will try hard to be fair and straightforward, and usually succeed, but I would not risk it myself .. just in case. There may also be something in a Council "Complaints Procedure" if you look. Ferdinand

Pickled Newt Designed to soothe amphibian or watery planning stresses. I haven't tried this one yet. https://makemeacocktail.com/cocktail/3909/pickled-newt/ To me that looks quite lightweight to me, so not particularly headache inducing the next day. Not at all capable of pickling a newt. Ferdinand

Thanks.

That looks like seriously more hard work than is actually necessary. Shovelling tons of soil a metre in the air? Sheesh. Needs a ramp and a wheelbarrow, maybe, combined with an inclined drum.

If going the finish-then-complain route. you need to bear in mind time limits for maladministration etc claims. I don't know what the limit is with Councils. Side note: Jeremy, how did your complaint re: the bods who damaged your verge turn out? I remember your JP contract slapped a stop notice on it, but I don't know what happened. Ferdinand

There's an older (2014?) version of SPONS on the Ebuild site somewhere as a PDF. Ferdinand

What, if any, will be the impact of the legal doctrine that Planning Decisions do not form precedents?

TPO Tranquiliser If you are having trouble with TPOs (and I have had a lot of trouble with TPOs), this is a recommendation from Arsie on the Gardenlaw forum: Tried it last night - recommended and not *that* strong if sharing. I make it 4 units of alcohol each. I used an orange/mango smoothie for part of the juice, and added a splash of Cointreau to take the sharpness off slightly, and garnished with rubbed mint leaves. A squeeze of lime juice just before drinking might also be good. I also used crushed ice in the glass (half the volume) rather than a shaker, and a drinking straw. tasty, but I'll take a White Russian in preference for the winter. Ferdinand

This is a thread for cocktails recommended for dealing with / recovering from / mitigating the stresses associated with project management.