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Just a heads up. British Gas (and I assume others) are applying 20% VAT to new Gas supply connections to existing houses from January 1st, according to a quote received today. Given that they cost £700 or so it is an extra £150 ish. Clearly they need to pay for Eric Pickles' lunch. They...

PS Something like this - a screw extractor? http://www.screwfix.com/p/screw-extractor-set/18643 F

Four thoughts: 1 - Best solution. Hire a pro, and take the appropriate proportion of it out of the Ts deposit. It is certainly chargeable damage to be made good if it was in good condition at the start of the tenancy. 2 - Can you force a bolt / screw of slightly larger diameter than the...

Could you board it up, as you would after a burglary? F

stripes

Interesting. A quick conversation with one or two suppliers suggests that lifespan of double glazed units will be the problem, and high costs of having them fitted, rather than purchase cost. I can't find any double glazed units with a suggested reliable 'normal' lifespan of even 20 years...

I'm taking a canter around the feasibility of some work on a Grade II listed house, and I'm trying to get a handle on making Georgian sash windows liveable. What ways are available to do it? I'm aware of thin-void double glazed units, which would replace panes inside the old glazing bars...

Moved to correct forum here: http://www.diynot.com/forums/windows-doors/georgian-windows-secondary-glazing-or-alternatives.300763/

Thanks for that. So it looks like "fit and forget". In this case "redevelopment" means "turns into an access road". My insurance company refuses to call a floating (ie not nailed down) laminate floor a fixture. F

I have a question about what type of laminate/wood floor to use. I'm renting out a property for a few more years while working out how to develop the site - I'm expecting that the lifetime will be 3-5 years, with potential that it might get through more quickly or take longer. I need to...

You could consider doing it in such a way that it could be reversed before you sell the house at minimal cost. eg block up not remove doors, use standalone sink units (eg Ikea Varde), potentially put a stud wall back in the arch you create etc. Perhaps consider a plumbed in dehumidifier...

Just checked what my builder used and it was Ubiflex. It didn't quite fit the bill so we have several roles waiting for a use in 5 years time. Though it should be called Ubi-won't-flex because I seem to remember them doing quite big pieces several feet long by shaping it holding one end and...

Thanks. I'm trying a thought experiment as to what happens at the BC office when I build stage 1 (1 storey), put a temporary but very insulating and reasonable looking roof on it that isn't strictly in the design, fit out the inside with heating and wiring, get the electrics certified, create...

That's an interesting idea, though as I read it councils kick up a fuss about completion certificates 10 years on, though they can't deny one in the end. What happens to building regs approval on the bottom half of a 2 storey extension in use before the second storey is built? Perhaps it...

You don't say whether your extn is single or double storey. "A few cm" of gap is just the right amount for cats to get wedged when they fall off. Not a good prospect. Perhaps I'm being melodramatic. I hold no brief for cats, but I wouldn't like to have caused one to get stuck. On the...

Garage door at the front so that you get more flexibility and a future owner could put a vehicle in there? 3m width would be enough. Ferdinand

I need to decide between a single storey extension and a conservatory, and I'd welcome any comments. It is a 2 bed old cottage which is rented out, which I plan to sell at some point in the future, but need to keep for some years. In the long term (10 years) I will build a big (25-30 sqm x...

Moving on from the debates about whether it does, or doesn't kill you, and how many bits of what it takes... Lost my dad last year to mesothelioma last year, and the cause has been put down to exposure to asbestos while stand-in supervisor for a job as a Borough Architect in 1970-71 for a...