Home DIY

I had a good look at that dormer tonight. It's deffo an big old L shape and I wouldn't be happy about it at all if I were in Mr loins shoes.

Currently trying to get hold of the owner. It's difficult as we don't get in until 9pm most days. We've not been served notice and i'd like to see the plans but as long as it's being done properly I don't really have a problem with it.

Does it have planning permission?

Yes but pretty sure party wall is a separate thing?

The speed they've knocked it up I'd be doubtful it's been done properly. They have basically started from scratch and now have both sections of the dormer up and they've only been working on it for a few days that I've been aware of...

Tbh such is their discourtesy in not referring to you (in accordance with the party wall act or at all) I'd make sure that as soon as you get hold of the owner you exercise your right to a party wall award just to make sure things are being done properly.

They won't need planning permission for it but they would need to have served a party wall notice on you and would need regular inspections by a building control inspector

What princeperch said. You could find issues further down the line depending on how they are actually doing things (ie. properly or not properly). To put things into perspective, I'm currently having a 2 metre square wall rebuilt at the back of the house, and have paid £1200 for a surveyor to inspect both my neighbour's and my house as the rebuilt wall joins to a party wall.

Also good advice. I sometimes report things I spot around Leytonstone if I think they look fishy.

Wood casement window, ta! It's for my 2x2 wall.

https://planning.walthamforest.gov.uk/Planning/lg/GFPlanningSearchResults.page

Plan is to try and speak with the builders tomorrow, to see if I can get the owners number

I'd ask the council what they are aware of, and also building control. An email might do if you don't have time to call.

There might have been a party wall agreement drawn up with the previous owner of your place but you should have been made aware during the sale.
I'm phoning our soliciter today because we drew up an agreement with the owner of the semi next door who passed away before it was actually wet signed. The executors (and beneficiaries) have consented and signed and we've been assured it's all hunky dory but they've sold the place already and I don't want any nasty surprises with the family moving in.

Hinges... for a bike shed, ledge and braced door.

Anyone know of a T-hinge that can be secured with a coach bolt? The only ones with square holes I can find are gate hinges that can be lifted off the frame. Or hideously expensive.

I got some from Wickes with round holes and used a file to square out the holes for some coach bolts. Took a while but was all I could find...

It would take some time, but file the round holes square? You probably wouldn't need to do all of them: fit with screws in the conventional way and use just two bolts per hinge (one through the door, one through the frame) ?

I just used the hinges that were there, an old screwdriver and a hammer.

Yep, this is probably the route I'll go, door isn't massively beefy anyway so pointless going crazy.

@inchpincher @princeperch

Spoken to council and solicitor.

I'm going to try and keep getting in touch with the owner, for now but have requested someone from building control check it out.

Getting a cout order all seems a bit much, so hope I can sort things with them without.

I've been so busy at work and then working on the house, that I hadn't really thought much about it. But thanks for making me pull my finger out everyone! :)

Two part epoxy in the screw heads was my route. I use the gorilla glue one (as that is what I had). You have to clean it up a bit as it cures because it wants to very slowly run out of the screw heads but every hour or so just move it with a stick of some sort.

Seems to be very effective and pretty much invisible.

Also, the door was pre-hung so I didn't fancy fucking around with the alignment. Otherwise beefier hinges might have been in order.

Does anyone have any recommendations for smart thermostats? Tado, Nest, Netatmo etc.
There are so many options I can't seem to choose between them.

I have a Netatmo. Bought it primarily as I could fit it myself in about half an hour and it was cheap (got it on an Amazon deal for under £100).

It's decent in that you can alter the temperature remotely, set up schedules, look at the history, etc but it doesn't do any of the cleverer learning stuff that the more expensive ones do. I didn't want that anyway as my schedule is fairly random so there's not much to learn.

Best/securest garden storage for bikes?

You found this?
https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/129069/

No I hadn't - Think I'll go for one of the asgard ones