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  1. AlexaCollinsDesign

    marble or slate

    Have a look at Diapol. I haven't used them for a while, but I've found them very good in the past and their price was unbeatable. And the service was pretty fast considering the stuff comes from Estonia.
  2. AlexaCollinsDesign

    B & Q - Trade point

    I've had some really good savings on radiators. You have to watch out for when they have offers on. I'm not entirely sure how I signed up for it, but they seem to text me when they have deals on. The offers seem to be short lived, ie 20/30% extra off on power tools or whatever, but for 1...
  3. AlexaCollinsDesign

    Garage Conversion Floor Level

    Depends on how good the floor is, whether you have to get plumbing in there for rads, how you're going to support the front wall (if there's no footing), if you have services in there that need to move etc. If you have to dig chunks into it all over the place anyway and you don't want that step...
  4. AlexaCollinsDesign

    Checks after Planning Permission Granted

    You can call your local compliance team about something like that and they'll go and check it out.
  5. AlexaCollinsDesign

    Is a Vaccum cleaner tax deductable?

    Henry/Hettie every time. Or, in reality, not very often as they soldier on for ages.
  6. AlexaCollinsDesign

    Mid-Terraced House - damp in bay window area & dining rm

    Sounds like you're doing the right things, but I wouldn't rush to do the front wall until you're certain you've established the cause of the damp. A local damp/rot man could probably come and advise you and be worth spending the money. I've done quite a few Victorian houses and the front bay...
  7. AlexaCollinsDesign

    Bathroom project advice

    Quantum baths from Carron make a good variety of shapes and sizes. There's a really good one where the shower bit is square and works like a decent shower enclosure but isn't overwhelming on the bath bit. I've also fitted that into an alcove without fitting the glass screen and just tiled...
  8. AlexaCollinsDesign

    Garage Conversion Floor Level

    Typically your garage floor will run out from the house towards the garage door. ie it will slope away, so you'll find the depth of difference will be much bigger at the garage door end than it is at the house end. Usually you'll have to put in a fair amount of work to check those levels...
  9. AlexaCollinsDesign

    Best place to buy doors/fire doors Manchester

    You could try JB Kind or Jeld-Wen. They might not be in Manchester, but they should have a local stockist or supplier nearby.
  10. AlexaCollinsDesign

    To Lay Oak flooring on existing floorboards or not??

    But if you have solid joists below and (I'm assuming) a solid oak product above, surely this is a spacing and fixing issue rather than a quality issue? If you’re talking about laying directly on the joists leaving too much of a gap, what about applying a baton to the joists of exactly the...
  11. AlexaCollinsDesign

    Length of time to validate an application

    I wouldn't be so certain things have moved on... I know that one of my local councils print out the documents received in pdf, stamp them with their special stamp and then scan them back in. Technology eh? :D
  12. AlexaCollinsDesign

    To Lay Oak flooring on existing floorboards or not??

    You're right, if you drop the floor, you'll have big gaps at the bottom of your door frames, but also under your doors. Which will be very drafty, especially if any of the doors were previously trimmed to allow for carpet. And if you raise the floor, you'll have an issue everywhere the floor...
  13. AlexaCollinsDesign

    Builing regulations - spacing of bath, toilet, shower etc.

    I’m not sure there are any minimums specified as part of regs, it’s really a question of making sure it all works and looks right too. The minimum I would allow for a loo is about 750mm and that’s pretty tight, but it really all depends on the design of the room and what sanitary-ware you’re...
  14. AlexaCollinsDesign

    ADVICE PLEASE - flooring guy disappeared with £1500

    I ask my clients for 50% of goods on placing my order with the supplier and then balance is payable prior to delivery. That way, once the goods are on site, they’re theirs regardless of whether or not they’re fitted to the wall. And labour is charged afterwards. If it’s fixed price, then...
  15. AlexaCollinsDesign

    2 bedroom semi costs for modernising

    That really is 'How long is a piece of string?' But as a rough guide, take whatever you've got as being what you want to spend... and then know, that it's going to cost at least double that...
  16. AlexaCollinsDesign

    Work top repair or Hob edging

    What about using a flat stainless steel tile edge? But you'd have to be careful with the corners or they'd be sharp...
  17. AlexaCollinsDesign

    Party Wall Act - what benefits after work done?

    I’ve done jobs where nice neighbours just agree a simple Party Wall Notice and others where the whole PWA, second surveyor, dispute, agreed surveyor thing all has come into play… costs a fortune. It always strikes me as daft as the most important thing is to have good structural advice...
  18. AlexaCollinsDesign

    Copying a design or plans

    That's really annoying. I suppose the difficulty will be whether or not you can prove that it's your design and how much money you want to spend in legal costs proving that the architect didn't come up with the same idea as you, independently. Having been slightly burned on one job, these...
  19. AlexaCollinsDesign

    Party Wall Act - what benefits after work done?

    Looking at your original question, I’m never sure that there’s much benefit from a full Party Wall Award to the home owner that’s doing the work. It always appears to me to benefit the other party. The agreement is there to protect the wall, not either party. As part of it, you can agree...
  20. AlexaCollinsDesign

    Cap off gas mains whilst building in progress...?

    And this is also my first post :-) If the second property you plan to build is truly going to be a second property, registered and conveyed as something completely separate, I think it’s highly unlikely that the gas company will tee off an existing supply (although this is common in older...
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