Today I've mostly bin...

[gill216]

I don't know why I think this but I seem to recall that you can extend without planning permission (so long as there are no previous extensions) to a certain percentage of your general house area.

[giraffe]

You can add a certain percentage, but that includes all previous works. There are also other things that mean you need planning permission.

[Bunnylump]

It's a long time since I did all this (back in the dim and distant past I used to be a trainee building surveyor and did a year of RICS) but as far as I'm aware, you can build a small extension without planning permission, but it's to do with the percentage increase in the size of the house. If you ring the planning office they are generally very helpful. You will, however, have to get building regs come what may. Your extension needs be be inspected at several different points before you can proceed. I know it used to be they had to inspect the footings before you could start building wall, for example.

You will usually find that if houses around you have similar extentions, you're more likely to get planning permission. However, this does vary from authority to authority. Also, be aware that there has been more legislation passed recently regarding the "terracing effect" (ie infilling between houses) so you might find that you can't have a continous roof line and my have to get into the realms of dormer windows / split level roofs. Again, speak to the planning office about this.

The kinds of things which could incur extra, unforseen costs are:

The need to dig deeper foundations due to rock type, drains, or tree roots. Any large trees, especially the vigourous variety like prunus (which are terrible for working their way into drains and foundations) or willows can result in the planning department insisting on really deep foundations.

Any requirement by the local authority for you to use either bricks or tiles to match your existing house. This is a lot worse if you have an older house (ours is 1930s, and we would have needed to use reclaimed Dutch pantiles on our roof, which are very expensive and very hard to come by). Sometimes they will allow you to try to "colour match" your bricks, but sometimes they insist you have the same texture / make of brick which again can be very costly.

You CAN get an extension built far cheaper if you're prepared to use individual tradesmen to do the work, however, a word of caution here - it does need to be effectively project managed otherwise you'll have people "hanging around" to do first and second fixes if another tradesman hasn't been booked at the right time. This, again, can lead to unforseen costs.

You also need to watch out for the new "green" building regs. Things like cavity wall insulation and roof insulation are now all pretty much set in stone on any new building.

[Laura]

Is there a job you haven't done?

[Bunnylump]

Well, I can HONESTLY say I've never been a lion tamer. Maybe I should try that next.

Thing is, Laura, you've got to remember that I am REALLY OLD. So I've had lots of time to find out that lots of careers are not for me. I think I am in the process of finding out that my present one isn't much cop either...

It's not that bad. I've only been a
Trainee Building Surveyor
Employment Officer
Long Term Unemployed Counsellor
School Governor
Charity Trustee
Data capture person (and I really DID work in room 101)
Helpdesk operator (that was hysterical. Me advising people on how to use a computer system to do accounts. Neither of which I had any training on or any experience with!! )
Teaching Assistant
6th Form Mentor
Higher Level Teaching Assistant

Next stop, lion taming. Having dealt with some of the kids I've worked with, that should be a piece of cake...

[clvrlad]

if you can get a lion to pass his maths gcse i will be inmpressed

[Bunnylump]

They might stand more of a chance than some of my current year 11s...

[Bunnylump]

...having an unexpected moment for puzzling. It's my husband's birthday today. But my brother in law (tree surgeon) decided today would be a good day to come round and cut down the 40 foot plus high eucalyptus tree from our garden. So my husband's been in the garden in the rain with a chainsaw all afternoon...

The really scary part was that B-I-L did his "inspection" of the tree last night when they were here for a meal, after about 5 pints of beer, dressed in sandals, he climbed the tree (without any safety harness or ropes) almost to the top. It was one of the most terrifying things I've ever seen.

[giraffe]

if you can get a lion to pass his maths gcse i will be inmpressed

I have this image of the GCSE paper:

"If an antelope runs at 30mph how long does it take to catch up with it?"

[Bunnylump]

Maybe we should try that tactic with the year 11s. "A teacher's range of vision is approximately at an angle of 45 degrees on both sides when he is looking straight ahead. You are 16 degrees from him at the front of the class. How many degrees do you have to move to be out of his line of sight so that you can continue listening to your i pod in peace?"

[Laura]

It would have far more significance than the lesson I was in where the maths teacher was talking about working out the corner-to-corner measurement of a window. Apparently, you never know when you might need to do that.


Erm, no, we didn't know when we might need to do that either.

I understood why we needed to learn it - to pass the exam, but his reason for us learning it was just rubbish. He'd have got much further by admitting that it was unlikely we'd ever need to use it again.

[Bunnylump]

I actually don't understand why lower grade pupils need to learn things like symmetry, transformations, algebra etc. It strikes me it'd be more sensible if they could work out the correct change in a shop, be able to work out how to make a recipe for 2 work for 6 people or how to work out how much carpet they'd need in a room. Learning all that unnecessary rubbish just makes them less likely to be able to add up and multiply. And I don't know about you but I've NEVER in my entire life found the need for the ability to make a probablility tree...

[eirian]

to be fair, the same goes for most subjects. Can't say I've ever needed to analyse the characterisation of a novel...

[Bunnylump]

Ah fair enough. But I hate maths so I like to whinge a lot.

[gill216]

he climbed the tree (without any safety harness or ropes) almost to the top. It was one of the most terrifying things I've ever seen.

Its even scarier when the tree surgeon is terrified of heights (OH) Apparently you dont look down, only across (and bounce on the branches with one foot to test their strength as you go)

[clvrlad]

well he could have suggested its to check

It would have far more significance than the lesson I was in where the maths teacher was talking about working out the corner-to-corner measurement of a window. Apparently, you never know when you might need to do that. ....He'd have got much further by admitting that it was unlikely we'd ever need to use it again.

well you could suggest they check the tv's theyre buying
make sure they get what theyve paid for

[giraffe]

I think most maths is useful in the real world, but I've never needed to use calculus to calculate the area under a curve! Not even for solving a puzzle

[Redfraggle]

Bunny, that's an amazing list of jobs you've had! Your CV must be huge.

We went to Ireland today to Donegal and the weather was gorgeous. We drove across the border back into UK and lo and behold, it was wet and miserable. Im in shock though because I though Donegal was a big place and it's not - it's really tiny!

[LAT]

Bet you wish you could go back to Donegal!! It's been absolutely miserable here too.

We spent the afternoon emptying a dresser so we could move it and clean underneath, where we knew there was a dead shrew!! How's that for excitement?

[MBH]

Thanks for all the pointers and advice.

If all the others have had it done it shouldn't be a problem with the planners, you're just making your house fit in.

That's what we're figuring - using the precedent of the other houses.

Could you perhaps speak to someone else in the road who has had it done in the last few years and ask them what pitfalls they fell into.

We've been here 7 years and never seen this sort of work - I suspect they have been up a LONG time

We then got builders to submit quotes, then discovered it would cost around 10k more than we thought. Borrowed the extra, and took someone on to start building.

Therein lies one problem. Whatever I get sorted will be at the extreme of what can be aforded, and we have nobody to go to for extra help If I don't get it right, or the costs rise, I really don't know what I'll do.

The list of costs rattled off included the planning drawings, planning approval, technical drawings, buildings regs, and a couple of others. If my totting up in my head was right, it's not much short of £2000. Obviously from my programming projects knowledge I know JUST how important the planning is, but the regulations and inspections seem to add a large lump.

Any requirement by the local authority for you to use either bricks or tiles to match your existing house. This is a lot worse if you have an older house (ours is 1930s)

Ours is a 1930s pit village, and looking down the street it's a total mish-mash of brick colours and everything else. All extensions, single or double story, are flat-roofed. I have serious concerns if ANYONE ever bothered about small annoyances like 'Planning Permission'

You CAN get an extension built far cheaper if you're prepared to use individual tradesmen to do the work

No - if this is going to be done, it's going to be done properly. I first approached a project management team but this is so TINY for them that they recommended firms large enough to handle the whole project and the management. Supposed to have passed me 3 company names long before now, but so far I've only got one. A visit to HIM put me onto the design guy who came.

It would have far more significance than the lesson I was in where the maths teacher was talking about working out the corner-to-corner measurement of a window.

Ah - good old Pythagoras.

I enjoyed maths at school - well, before 'A' level anyway - and think it was one of my entry ways into puzzling. "Find the area of this strange shaped room....", and you get to work out which regular shapes make it up, and which measurements you are given, therefor which others you can work out.

I think if the 'exam' was a dangerous or fatal situation with combination locks to escape that are the answers to the questions, then they MAY pay a bit more attention during the year on the run up to the exam.

Ah fair enough. But I hate maths so I like to whinge a lot.

We've already decided that I've got your maths bits

We spent the afternoon emptying a dresser so we could move it and clean underneath, where we knew there was a dead shrew!! How's that for excitement?

I hope, in keeping with the current issue, you tamed it