Ferdinand

The extra strip of land looks to me like Highways Land designated for the expansion of the junction / traffic island in the future. Perhaps tickle Highways and see if they will make representations. They will be in your County or Unitary or similar authority. I think I would argue that he second drive to serve an unlawful development is unnecessary as they already have a drive capable of holding 7 or 8 vehicles at the front with an entrance a safe distance from the roundabout. Also the local school and traffic may be useful if the road is busy around that period. While that drive i closer I am not sure it is close enough to be a problem - needs a check. And I would be writing a careful objection based on the list of Relevant Planning Considerations (anything else will be ignored, but you can relate a lot to Residential Amenity). Is it worth requesting that the site has its PD rights removed? I am not sure if that can be done in these circs, but Council's do it to retain control. The shout to check the status of the Gazebo is a good one, as the house has two 'principal elevations'. F

"Bilbo meets a creature named Gollum who lives on an island in a dark, hidden lake at the heart of the Misty Mountains. He is about the size of a hobbit, but nearly hairless, and slimy-skinned from living in and near the water for so long. He also has huge bulbous eyes, similar to other naturally-occurring water creatures who live in the dark depths. "

It's a hat ....

Indeed - perhaps best described as a "relative subsidy". I would apply the same label to eg FTB incentives, key worker schemes, main dwelling CGT exemption, reduced VAT for listed building repairs, reduced VAT on restoration of empty homes, and all the rest.

Thanks. Are you willing to give that as a rough % of overall project cost? (I may be having a conversation elsewhere about how much self-build is/should be supported by public funds - so I'm just ying to get a guestimate as to current support).

I would suggest that the Service Layby is so that people can stop for your plot without pulling up on or impeding the road. One alternative may be to set your gate back from the road, such that you can pull into the first say 6m of your drive when you get home. Phone the person up who gave the feedback and ask what it would be for. To me the above reads that you do not have the formal requirement to provide a layby, and you may be able to make that stick because "that is what it says". But I think it may be expedient for you to provide it for your own good and to make it safe, unless you are absolutely sure this is not a problem. To my eye this would not be a wise hill to choose to die on, unless you are absolutely sure it is a non-issue.

@iSelfBuild Have PM'd you.

Just trying to get a handle on the actual savings in the real world through self-build CIL exemption and zero rated VAT. What % of your overall budget was saved through the VAT recovery and exemption from CiL? I'm not after a number - jus an approx %. My guestimate something of the order of 2-5% on a normal project. Cheers Ferdinand

Staff ! Love it. Self-build Wentworth Woodhouse coming along real soon now !

There used to be Council mortgages. IMO we need to start with removing market distortions.

If it is you who built the garage, turn it into a workshop or a snooker room. And don't be so silly next time.

Object on the basis you have described, including road safety etc, and make sure that you specifically draw the attention of your Highways Authority (who may not be the LPA) to the same issue on the same basis. If PP has not yet been requested, put in a complaint and request enforcement on the same basis. Contact your local councillor, and write to all members of the Planning Committee. If you behave like a doormat on this, you will be treated like one. F

Not thorough enough. They left a gap in the middle ?.

There are trade associations for one. My arrangement is with a particular tradesman I have used for a couple of decades, and my dad used for a decade before that. He has always had an "in" at one particular place. There are various useful comparator threads on the forum which may help you judge. As ever the aim is to get the reasonable price on the quality of product you select. Focus on that. You do not save by browbeating, which makes them cut corners and hate you, but by optimising in a way that works with their grain. That might be finding ways to save their costs and make their job easier, but it is also climbing as far up the supply chain as you can manage. I'm saving more than half of the cost of fencing pales tomorrow by getiting it direct from a rural sawmill and cutting 3.6m lengths in the car park, compared to my local (famously cheap) timber merchant.

You need to consider preservation of your joists, too. They need to be ventilated or guaranteed dry, which can be done by making sure that they are sealed from outside and sufficiently warm. The last one I did I used 100mm rockwool between joists (staplegun), with bottoms exposed to he void, with 50mm PIR above the floor (doors !), and a floating floor on top. I did that because it was simple, and I had just taken 100mm of rockwool out of the loft so it was empty enough to get me free loft insulation to 250mm.

Try looking at direct purchase from local manufacturers.

A housing developer near me has not quite completed their paling fence along my boundary on a house. I'm inclined to JFDI the poject. Does anyone have a decent indicative price for fencing pales - ie 100 x 22 (nom 4"x1") treated boards? The best I currently have is £3.65 + VAT for a 3.6m length I will need to cut in half ie about £1.90 + VAT. (As an aside, my normal fencing place has put their price for a normal 70-75mm 1.6m basic round post up to £2.30 +VAT from about £1.75 when I last had come a year or two ago). Ferdinand

Important point: apply the pressure at a time where they can still resolve it quickly.

On wheels?

I thought the general principle was that runoff could not be increased? It certainly is for housing estates. Could you try and get it rewritten as that, instead? I would need to do some research to know how I would argue that, if it were feasible. And I am not sure there is a suitable a to b to c planning strategy that can help. I might go for one of those wotsit-drains where the gates are, and a soakaway / pond / bog-garden inside the gate. And... Remember that there is a process to vary a condition.

And the bods were tired by he time they reached it so there are more listed-looking non-listed buildings.

If your plot is not large, why not consider going back to the farmer on he land anyway. Perhaps either 30k for a larger area, or less for the half-acre. He won' expect to get his asking price. You never know when it could be useful.

Updating this. What my tile roof look likes 2 years after treatment with copper sulphate solution and a Super Soaker. I'm surprised at the extent of contrast, but it certainly seems to have worked to keep the moss down. EIther it is strong enough to have bleached the tiles a little, or killed small bio-wotsits that darken the roof a little, or similar. I think I need to try with a weaker solution or a more precise instrument if I am to do it again, particularly if I try the front which is seen from the lane.

Nice to see Tony being (I think) consistent over 15 years, and how it has changed. You get to be one of the Best People. (That thread is worth a read btw for how they used to be thought about.) ? F http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=527&page=1