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Over the last couple of years our garden has been boxed in by large (permitted) extensions built by our neighbours, who have proved difficult to deal with. As their external walls are unsightly and now form the boundary we'd like to grow plants against them. I've been told we can fix trellis...

I don't think we have any objections to getting a buildings inspector to agree to what we're doing. We just can't justify trebling the expense by making it a "habitable space" considering we just want a dry, tidy storage space and don't want to get in trouble with the council. It is not going...

All very interesting. Thanks. If we insulate between the roof timbers, reinforced and boarded the floor, add a velux, but don't put any heating in (and don't change the roof structure other than tying it in better to stop the roof creep getting worse) would that be likely to be enough to...

Pedantician, in your opinion, where would the line be drawn in terms of floor, ceiling, electrics and a window? What would keep us on the right side of regulations? Structurally we have raked queen struts, which a builder has suggested replacing with supporting stud walls and doubling up the...

(Treading on thin joists - ha ha - very funny.) I understand our joists would need reinforcing, but have been told by a builder / carpenter that this can be done relatively simply. Is there any point at which, providing the space isn't obviously being used as something like a bedroom...

Not planning on anything more than a loft ladder, though possibly a slightly larger hatch than the one we have just now. I get the impression that if we board the whole floor area, or put anything more than a single light bulb up there or any sort of heating, we're treading on thin ground.

We need to re-tile our roof, sort some roof creep, and re-insulate, and while we're at it would like to make the internal roof space a bit tidier. We don't particularly want to use it as anything more than a big cupboard for storing stuff we only use occasionally, just as we do already, but...

It's a secret. But a fairly useful one. ;-)

I wondered about that, but the only ones I could find that were a useable diameter were bulky cast items, or expensive polished/chromed ones. Any ideas where I could find pre formed elbows made from roughly the same tube?

A frame exists to do exactly what I want. I can source (or already have) all the materials for £35, or buy a frame for £90. The one hurdle is bending the tubes. There may be other options, but I'm just trying to find them.

Thanks for the input. £50-£60 to hire a pipe bender means the project isn't financially viable.

Having looked around I'm considering scaling down the tubes that need to be bent to 3/8" 18sg, or possibly 20swg. (That said I have no idea of their respective strengths. Could you distort / damage a 12" length of 3/8" 20swg mild steel round tube without tools?) I did find this brake pipe...

I'm planning to make a frame out of steel tube. The lightest steel I can find is 12mm OD, 18swg / 1.2mm wall thickness. For corners I am hoping to bend the pipe into right angles, without collapsing the tube. Is this likely to be possible with a spring type pipe bender with this sort of...

Our bathroom ceiling paint keeps cracking. The plaster is about 3yrs old. The plaster has cracked in the past, but I've sanded back the paint and feathered the edges, widened the cracks, filled them, sanded back, and then repainted a couple of coats with "waterproof paint". The paint has...

It is a cheap jigsaw. I can't really justify a circular saw considering how often it'll get used. I can't remember what blade it is, but I checked the number and it was listed as for medium to course wood cuts. I don't think it's been used more than a handful of times so ought to be...

I rarely use a jigsaw, but I've just been using one to cut some 1/4" OSB. I'Ve been using anothe piece of board as a guide to run the base plate of the jigsaw along, but the blade keeps pulling / bending towards the guide. As much as 1/4" over a 8" cut. I've checked I'm using an...

No.

Don't worry, it won't be load bearing.

Thanks again to all for the input. But first prize goes to StephenW for the term hypertufa. No further answers are required (unless anyone has first hand experience of making hypertufa). (I remain to be convinced by the yoghurt but as Sir Thomas Beecham said, "Try everything once ..." ;-))

(Thanks for the suggestions guys. I've reworded the question so that other information doesn't distract from the question I actually need answering.)