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Ferdinand

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Everything posted by Ferdinand

  1. Ferdinand
    What's a "pavier layer", please? Is pavier a noun or adjective? Thanks Ferdinand
  2. Ferdinand
    Two other comments on Ireland were that the road system was like UK pre-Motorways, and that rural Ireland was bl**dy dangerous for cyclists. I introduced her to the concept of "Scottish Miles", and we agreed that "Irish Miles" also exist. Interesting that Irish road deaths are also far higher on all measures, despite a population density of a third of that of the UK. Motorways = good for road safety. Ferdinand
  3. Ferdinand
    The problem with strict Govt or LA imposition is that eventually people who don't know "good design" or who have hobby horses or axes to grind get control of the process and *everything* gets poisoned - centralised structures are not resilient to centralised cockups or centralised corruption. You could consider after the war - there was a lot of high quality design around which turned into crud when it became quantity driven programmes. Consider say the difference between the excellent-for-the-time Alton Estate (Roehampton) in the early-mid 1950s (which looked back to earlier 'cottage estates' as well as Le Corbusier), and the Towerblocks of Hackney or low rise Blackbird Leys from 20 years later. Many of those tower blocks had to be demolished before they were paid for. Up here I have heard accounts from the 1970s of non-coal heating being rejected because a) There were miner-types on the Planning Committee and b) Because so many people received free-coal (compare with subsidised solar panels). My view is that only people with a political hatred for big government should be allowed to operate it. Everyone else gets power-drunk and turns into Stalinists (especially the Green Party who already have an inner-Stalinist where everyone else has an inner-child). There are things that can be done to mitigate, but it is very difficult. Ferdinand
  4. Ferdinand
    Be creative about the obscuring - either forget about it until someone notices or take the opportunity to do a stained or etched gass objet-d'art with a local artist. And have some champers. Ferdinand
  5. Ferdinand
    I had quite an interesting conversation with a friend who is now (at the age of 60 or so - quite a story involving radio hams and a lighthouse) affianced to an Irish coal and oil dealer in the middle of the remote South. Down there there is little concept of village centre, and the countryside is still in "townships", which are groups of what are effectively smallholdings, in a landscape which has never undergone the process of enclosure. It sounds not unlike a crofting community in some aspects. Interestingly, she says that there is no concept of the "public footpath" as there is in all parts of Britain, so if you want to walk somewhere, you go on the roads and wear hi-viz. It shows the need for Planning Process to be highly contextual. Ferdinand
  6. Ferdinand
    I think good design *does* have to take more time, because there is a research and interative process to go through. Perhaps "adequate" design does not; but there are very few people who hit the gold first time, every time. Ferdinand
  7. Ferdinand
    Did you know my friend The Fochabers Framer before he retired?
  8. Ferdinand
    Buy a refrigerated container or a secondhand Portakabin, then you don't need to Line it as it is already insulated, and in the case of the site office will already have electric wiring and other facilities. Ferdinand
  9. Ferdinand
    I think I need to go and do some work :-) https://secure.tesco.com/clubcard/boost/diggerland/UK-000852.prd Diggerland Diggerland 1 day entry token £5.50 in Clubcard vouchers Product Code: UK-000852 Multiple Locations
  10. Ferdinand
    (Removed for reasons of good taste.)
  11. Ferdinand
    Yes, I believe it changed since then. F
  12. Ferdinand
    In general you can get for non-branded Gift Cards. Again, these discounts should stack. Tesco 4% back in Air Miles for Gift Cards bought at Tesco, since they give you 150 clubcard points when you spend £50 (which is the minimum amount, and should bne the multiple), which translate to approx 360 Avios or Virgin Air Miles, worth around £3.60. Plus 0.5-5% on cashback or rewards via the card you use to buy the Gift Voucher. Sometimes they have offers, or you can leverage Clubcard Vouchers more using the Tesco "Boost" programme at eg Pizza Express. Morrisons Up to 10% back in discounts on Petrol / Diesel via Morrisons Petrolsaver via vouchers printed at the till. The scheme is 1p per litre reduction on a purchase of up to 100l of petrol or diesel for each £10 spend on Gift Vouchers and they stack, so £1000 of Gift Card spending will get you 100p/litre off, which is basically a free tank of up to 100 litres (which can include I believe however many approved fuel containers as they allow, which is I think 10l). Plus 0.5-5% on cashback or rewards via the card you use to buy the Gift Voucher. Plus Morrisons More points, which are worth about 1% off the bill. I find Morrisons more useful, as they are close, and do Currys, Halfords, Amazon, Evans Cycles, and B&Q Gift Cards. I did a worked example over at the other place, which I will copy across later. Ferdinand
  13. Ferdinand
    I think that is not quite right, as UK law requires credit card companies to apply payments to the type of balance with the highest rate of interest first. http://www.theukcardsassociation.org.uk/wm_documents/Good news for credit card.pdf For the record, there is also TopCashBack which is similar. They have different deals for different retailers. Ferdinand
  14. Ferdinand
    Heh. Remember that my project is a several acre housing site. In our case we have a general policy requirement from I think the LPA that the runoff from any housing estate must be the same as or less than the open field that exists now. We have established agricultural drainage ditches, and our proposed SUDS was designed by no less than Mott McDonald. Some of the lessons may be applicable. I have no idea what happens to a balancing pond regulations-wise when the "newts in suits" move in. There are also things such as mega-underdrive-storage-areas a la Jeremy, or large diameter drainage pipes (e.g. 600mm) that can store water. Or you can include discharge to a drain as part of your PP as a final resort. Ferdinand
  15. Ferdinand
    Wickes 10% "Trade" Discount Programme Wickes have a "10% off all purchases over £10" programme, which may be able to be accessed by self-builders. You don't get a trade card, but you do get regular email updates, and an ID Number, which you need to quote when buying. In my local store they have a ring-binder of people in the scheme, for the 90% of occasions when I forget my number. You register in your local store, and take it from there. My suggestion would be to register when making a significant trade-like purchase - for example a bathroom suite or two dozen bags of Postcrete (for which Wickes are about the cheapest source with their "5 for 4" standard offer). And don't talk like a retail customer. If you have already identified Wickes as your best source for product X, it is a nice bonus. Ferdinand
  16. Ferdinand
    A powerful point here can be if your plot has an established right to drain off site, which could take many forms. e.g. If there is an existing ditch, you may be able to use it if you can demonstrate that there will be no increased flow from your new house. On a larger scale that might be via a balancing pond and a controlled outlet. Ferdinand
  17. Ferdinand
    Travelex Supercard - No Foreign Exchange charges when buying goods abroad. The card presents as a Debit Card, which you can use to charge through to any Visa or Mastercard Credit Card using an App on your phone. Exchange rates are the standard Mastercard rate. There is no credit check on applying, just an identity check, as it is not a credit product. * The advantages are: 1 - There are no FX charges while abroad, either for purchases or for ATMs, while many cards charge 1-3%. 2 - You can backend the purchase onto your Visa / Mastercard Credit Card, so you get the credit period, and any benefits that come with the card for purchases, or any cashback etc. 3 - It can be used anywhere a Mastercard is accepted. 4 - You can avoid any fee charged for using a Credit Card. * The disadvantages are: 1 - There are charges for use in the UK - £1 plus 1% of the value of the purchase. If your "reward" on the linked card is more than 1% it may be worthwhile still. 2 - I believe you do not get the purchase protection that comes with using a Credit Card directly (ie CC provider is not equally liable), but for eg small purchases and some things which will need no comeback (eg meals in a restaurant, tickets) this should be no issue. * Best use: Abroad for purchases. * Notes I am not clear whether purchases made on a foreign website from the UK will result in a charge or not, but 1% is still less than most cards. Update: I am told charges are *not* applied. There will be an article in the Moneysaving Expert email newsletter today (10m readers), so it would be good to get your application in early if you are going to apply, as they may have capacity problems. My information via Headforpoints, here: http://www.headforpoints.com/2016/06/15/travelex-supercard-relaunches-and-its-still-free-should-you-get-one/ Ferdinand
  18. Ferdinand
    I am attempting a thread where we can identify ways of buying effectively using long-term offers and discounts. I am thinking about reward/cashback, discount or trade accounts etc. I'm not quite sure how this will work, but thought it worth a try. The aim is to create a laundry list of possibilities that self-builders can use to get benefits or knock a few percentage points off their costs. Note that, even though I think that short term or "flash" offers should be posted elsewhere, this list may still go out of date and offer terms may change, so readers should check the details personally at source and make no assumptions. This thread does not contain financial advice, obviously, and is merely to flag up potentially beneficial offers. Ferdinand
  19. Ferdinand
    In my view avoid white render around trees like the plague. Or you may: 1 - Spend your lives cleaning it. 2 - Become "the people with the dirty house". A house near here have managed to remove / pollard 10 large TPO Trees around their house after a decade of trying (mainly removed as a risk to the public), and it is now clear how encrusted their drainpipes and windowframes have become; many currently remark that it looks uncared for. This one will be cleaned OK, but I would suggest a darker shade, bearing in mind your type of trees and what they will drop on your house. Others may disagree or have ideas of dirt-resistant renders. Ferdinand
  20. Ferdinand
    For simplicity I would use the numbers from the EPC figure (questionable though they be). Then I would talk about cost of insulation. Then I would do a sum involving 5 and 10 years of bills, possibly illustrating the difference with holidays in Australia. Ferdinand
  21. Ferdinand
    If we vote for Brexit some people are alleging that Sterling will be taking a 20-25% tumble on June 24th, so you may want to buy currency forward. If you have a big order going through after the Referendum, consider your options. I guess that the risk of a Remain rise may be less than that of a Brexit tumble so buying forward may be the better of the 2 options. There will probably be a bounce in few days or weeks later, so you may be OK if you can wait. Up until yesterday you could place a cancellable without charge advance order with Moneycorp, which provided protection, but it was mentioned on HeadforPoints and then vanished as there was a spike in orders :-). I have yet to find anything similar, though you could possibly play games with ordering and cancelling and reordering, or using online purchase refund rights under the Distance Selling Regulations. Ferdinand
  22. Ferdinand
    I think it is a distinctive hairdo, and you are most welcome to the camp fire.
  23. Ferdinand
    Danish Kroner movement was similar to the Euro. But I think the shop-around point is valid, so it is not worth a debate on a minor aspect.
  24. Ferdinand
    In the last 8 months there has been a 15% variation (fall of GBP) in exchange rate GBP vs Euro, which could account for a good deal of that difference, depending on timings. Perhaps the delivery charge to the UK supplier from the Danish manufacturer is higher than Danish to Danish? Or do Genvex have a UK branch warehouse? (Now I want a pastry) Ferdinand
  25. Ferdinand
    Have you had the one about Backlands development?
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