Ferdinand

Yes - agree on an estate-level scheme. I think this one is already owned, and so I have said do the fabric first to a C or a B of course. Think of say a modest terrace in Chiswick. It's somebody who has already done a barn conversion in the Lake, so knows at least a reasonable amount of stuff. We were all debating the piece in the Sun today about fines for people who persist in wanting gas boilers. The story is mainly wrong, but an interesting debate in a political space.

The request was for any ideas. So speculating. Personally I might be tempted to storage heaters plus a boost, if ASHP was not suitable.

Hmmm. So potentially 1 or 2 of these Sunamps, depending on efficiency of the house. 12kWh storage each at £3k per piece. Not quite there except at the margins. https://midsummerwholesale.co.uk/buy/sunamp-heat-batteries/sunamp-ehw-ipv-12

I was wondering about a (say) 4" concrete drive. Potentially you could have it either trad plank-textured, or imprinted. I bet they are happy with you weedkilling it several times ?

Are we yet at the stage where a Sunamp can be heated up overnight, and then used to run radiators during the day?

One of the types of trim. Also there's scotia, which is concave, and various others. Your Wicked has them on the end of an alley.

Good thuoght.

I'm getting lots of queries in another place today. What would you fill this gap with? I think it is a newish house drying out. So my comment would be Decorators' Caulk, or perhaps silicon if it is still moving. I have fired off a couple of further questions. Update: Answers "The home is coming up to 3 years' old. I believe it's just a result of the house drying out/settling. The 'crack' hasn't changed much, if at all, in the past year or so.Unfortunately Bellway refused to fix it because the crack wasn't big enough." Cheers Ferdinand

In conversation in another place about heat pumps this has been asked: Thoughts? I would say insulate to approx current newbuild building regs probably with internal Wall Insulation, floor and loft, work out heat demand, and then look around. But I can't see many viable alternative to ASHP, unless something like Sunamp and off-peak electricity is now realistic (ie used as a storage heater).

Talk to your home builings 'insurance company too. Damage to your driveway may be covered by the policy, and in this case the cause is encroachment by an invasive plant. That sounds enough like a neighbour's tree dropping branches on your roof (for which they are liable if aware of the hazard) as to be worth a conversation. As to dealing with it - potentially a helluva job. Weedkiller may be multiple applications of full strength whatever. There's no point relaying a drive if you haven't got rid of it. It will probably come down to weedkilling until it is dead. So I would go for 3 and 50% refund, and try your insurance company. I would want to see if repeated weedkillings (ay 3 times a year) is a management strategy. Ferdinand

i suspect it is an officer by officer thing. We found highways helpful, yet we also had a need to deal with a drainage outflow at the demand of the LA, to where water already drained (but we were concentrating to one place) and the County Officer who had that one (because it was a nature reserve the other side) was a notorious "do it on the last day" merchant who sat on his bottom rather than talking in advance. That made the PP difficult because the District was demanding an agreement before PP. And at second hand there is no SLA that could be insisted on, so he was entitled to sit on his arse scratching his bits until the last minute.. My Planning Consultant handled the conversations. Ferdinand

I would phone up highways and ask them for an idea of what would be acceptable. They should have been consulted, and there may either be a name on the response or you can phone up the department and ask for the Highways bod dealing with your Planning App no. Be ready with your necessary questions and a conversation plan. You may offer to send a detailed email, or a summary (which you have ready) 'while I am talking to you', and they may find 15 minutes on the spot to get rid of you rather than have to process your followup. You need a sufficient steer not an outright answer. Which you then confirm by email to help the bod remember when the Council asks again next time, at which point you email them again briefly to remind them that they are the person to deal with it and what their answer is going to be when the Council asks. All wrapped up in suitable words so that they know they are being helpful not manipulated. The best person to teach you the conversational skills to do this process *may* be Lord Mandelbrot ?. .

Or an acceptable alternative, such as sprinklers or a dedicated water lake for the Firemen.

As an example when I weighed in the copper plumbing from a house including a water tank, and a few other bits, a couple of years ago, I received a couple of hundred or so.

Shouldn't that be worth *less* without removing the insulation?

In our area of the two I used, one turned out to supply it to the bigger one, so you use the one at the top of the chain. What matters is contamination that is work to remove, I think.

3.7m is I think a general guideline, from which there may be limited derogation depending what needs to be accessed down it. For a single house a narrower width down to perhaps 2.75m may be acceptable.

Thanks for a clear set of questions :=) . I love the "grandiose" - there are certain words that only Planning Officers, Hyacinth Bucket & friends of Penelope Keith use. "Cramped" is another. It is good that you have precise reasons for refusal, and there are lots of things you can do to address them. On the entrance, the suggestion to just get the PP for the house and a gravel track now is a good one. Another way is to get Highways to say that a 12m setback is needed or beneficial. They could be contacted via County probably and a few phone calls. Or just put a trad farm gate in at 6m, and another set of posts at 12m, and unilaterally move it a few months after completion. I think supplying a sketch of the entrance would be useful. But i think in general you may have given them too much information - eg the cobbles I would just have used. For the fence, you could try switching fence type to paddock fencing (round posts and half round rails) or Estate fencing as below. Or put a field hedge between the track and the fence. Or try and prove that the visual intrusion is minimal as no one can see it (might upset planner). I'm assuming that you need the fences there for your various Dobbinses - 2 alternating paddocks each side?. Estate Fencing can be surprisingly reasonable in price - eg from around £22 per metre, which is less than suburban panels though more than post and rail. (https://www.thetraditionalco.co.uk/estate-fencing/) For a really grandiose entrance: Ferdinand

In your reflections do not forget the cost difference between woolly insulation and PIR, which at 210mm would be £30+ per sqm. Where did the extra money go, if any?

That's a good start. Also try and identify things that you could cost-control to make it a longer term project if you have real problems. eg can new glazing, outbuilding, or new kitchen be treated as a later project or the kitchen done as a lower-end to be replaced after a few more years.

Is there a generic name for this type of ultra-wide sliding patio window idea? What are they called? Ferdinand

Looking really excellent.

What an excellent thread. So one of the lessons from this is (as we may feel in our waters) to tend to be slightly conservative in design if possible, and it does not prevent a really central "wow" feature.

Is there an argument for a door from ensuite to landing so that people can access if necessary, and to take things through to the dressing room without the bedroom hike?

Remember that you need to consider ventilation as well as insulation,