November Locals Chat - to replace West London Thread in Meet-ups

[Paddlechick666]

erm, not sure if this will work but have started a thread in the interests of currying favour with MNHQ!

although the older you get more likely it is to have twins

ah would love to do property stuff but am not enough of a risk taker and in London area difficult to find good priced property to make enough money even afetr refurb to survive on. Everyone is wise to the property game now (I blame Sarah Beeny)

hi kew, could you email me your boilerman's number as well? Need a radiator fixing and also to see if we can fit a thermostat to our current heating.

Ummm - you wouldn't mind adding me to the boilerman contact list, Kew - would you? We possibly need a new boiler and we definitely require 2 x new radiators for new house.

also means you can share a party wall if you co-ordinate rather than having two walls with a 6 inch gap. You should consider paying an architect to draw up plans, apply for planning permission and find a building for you then supervise work yourself. That would be my advice.

Andrew Catto in Putney is very good (though somewhat along the autistic spectrum methinks...) Another option is to retian a quantity surveyor who specialises in domestic building as they can be cheaper than an architect and more used to negotiating contracts - think you can get a list of suitable ones form the Institute os charterd quantity surveyors. Will have a search.

will puiblish boilerman on MN this evening!

Yes you can add a thermostat - in fact I thin kyou can add a wireless one to avoid having to run wiring anywhere.

sushi - I didn;t have any problem getting planning permission on my singel story extension - if other simialr properties have done it then you won't generally have a problem - go suss them out tonight! I'll have a look on the way home...

and sfx, apparently stats show more twins are born than usual during war-time..
fascinating stuff..

bunyan - loved you berating the tractor man yesterday! well, how very dare he startle a woman with child?!

love the panto. can't believe nigel havers is in cinderella at rich theatre this year. he's a posh, proper actor, surely? taking jobs from aussie soap stars, tsk, tsk...

think will take dd this year, too, lemon. but may have to forget any plans for building once we've bought tickets for la famille and MIL who arrives on from oz on sat.

QC, we went to see the house a few days ago and there are a few bungalows with an extension so I don't think this would be a problem. However two storey one may be...

new career deffo beckoning i'd say, kew..

sfx - met a lady who had a 2.5 yr old last night and was expecting twins!

Just very, very recently, the planning laws have changed substantially - df (who was at Quokka's leaving do) moved to a 3 bed house this year on the purpose of converting the garage and loft for her 6 kids. Every other house in the street has had it done and no problems they thought. Plans drawn up, submitted and they keep on being declined. Precedent planning doesn't seem to apply in the current climate of planning law. As I said, her dh, who does extensions for a living is completely shocked at how planning are declining everything at the moment. He even had a job going for a loft conversion and they turned it down to the window. Be very very careful and make no assumptions Sushi.

Steppie - Hi!! I could give you her dh's number if you want - he's a builder (and a lovely man!!).

QC - I'm interested in the Boiler man as well, if you don't mind.

MrsR, many thanks for your advice. So the worst scenario would be no extension, just refurbishment, if lucky garage conversion. Not sure if it's worth the money now. Maybe we can ask the architect for advice.

Am off to try a playgroup this afternoon! Now that its getting darker so much earlier am trying to find other things to do that isn't the park!

Would anyone like to come over to mine next week? I'm probably going to be out of action for a couple of weeks after next Friday so thought it would be nice to see whoever's free before then! How about Tuesday or Wednesday pm?

Have you been to view the property yet Sushi? It does look as though there is lots of potential if you did fancy a house project

Cancelled DS apppointment, doc said if he s even slightly under the weather then best to reschedule. I hope he's ok, he could just be exhausted after all the partying over the weekend and yesterday. He's been asleep 2hrs already.

At least it's meant I finally watched Ugly Betty with Posh in it, v. entertaining, can't wait for next episode!

Ros, I had been going to post to see if anyone fancied a meet-up next week. DD & I would love to meet on Tues or Weds arvo - but am conscious of the fact that you don't really know us so no worries if you don't fancy it - after all, I am a bit hormonal at the moment

That's fine bunyan, was thinking of offering my place for tea & cake! And you're more than welcome, hormones & all!

Sorry Sushi I just read you went to see house, d'oh. My pc didn't refresh until i posted my message.

Ros we'd love to come over

can hear DS coughing now, maybe the dreaded lurgy has caught up with him, poor thing

SJ - no, you were right. We only went to see the house from outside, not inside. I just sent an e to the agent for viewing on Sat.

Ros, will look forward to it - and will bring some cake

SJ best thing I think no point doing it when ds is poorly.

by way of consolation and to stop eating biscuits I went on youtube to lust after my favourite irishman being all soulful and tuneful then felt guilty when DH called to check on how I waspesky hormones

SJ - best not to if he's poorly. That's why the nurse took the bull by the horns and gave it to him there and then - I doubt that he will be well enough when the next appointment comes through.

Ros - would love to come over but my boss is away and I can't get any time off. It seems ages since I've seen anyone and I'd love to meet you bunyan.

Sushi - check out the planning website of the local council - you will see a list of planning applications and you can see if they're being approved/not.

there's dinfitely still extemnsions getting through planning fairly easily round our way - next door but one are just building one. Perhaps its a council by council thing. I think rules of heat emissions have tightened up dramatcially over the last few yeara but if you use an architect to draw up plans then they will take that into account.

They probably sneaked in before the rules were changed. Its now to do with the percentage increase in your living space and whether it increases over a certain amount. If it does, then they won't allow it. Definitely agree with an architect to draw the plans, mind you not that has helped any of my friends.

What about garage conversion? They wouldn't object rebuilding it as it's already there, surely?

it is generally easier to get planning to refurb an existing structure than add new.

Structural engineers in our area:

www.findanengineer.com/Search_Results.asp They will draw up plans as competantly as architect but will probably not give any design advice so cheaper if you know what you want.

There are plans in process that you won;t need planning permission for extensions belwo a certian size/loft extensions but I'm not sure when it is liekly to be brought in.