Please advise - it's all gone SO wrong

lisawaters

saxysarah wrote: »

omg i remember eating that straight from the tin

Wow... you are SOOOOO my kind of woman. :coffee:
You must come to one of my monthly parties... bring a tin opener and dress appropriately.
x

SouthernBellE*

:TTHANK YOU MIKE AND BLESS YOU;)


Feeling very inspired today(:beer: Mike)!
Considering your approach to complaints and your rate of success with complaints, I decided a different approach in making enquiries regarding my council tax band and the possibility of the band not only being reduced, but a refund of all overpayments.

Taking your lead with researching and preparation, I have scoured sites & forums for hours for fear of losing out because of the rules applied.

Considering previous letters of complaints have been ignored :rotfl:I phoned the VOA instead.

Premature to celebrate but staying POSITIVE, I think it looks really hopeful!:j:j:j. If agreed and back dated, that call could produce a healthy refund of around £2000.

I refuse to let any doubt creep into my thoughts and will enjoy this moment.:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j

I should hear the official decision within 8 weeks and will stay blissfully optomistic & cheerful during this time.

Should this result in ....computer says noooo....Normal service will be resumed!:p

Sorry Mike, your thread!....I've gained a lot from it and if it has bought good fortune in my direction, then Karma should return good fortune to you!

GO KARMA.

lisawaters

SouthernBellE* wrote: »

:TTHANK YOU MIKE AND BLESS YOU;)


Feeling very inspired today(:beer: Mike)!
Considering your approach to complaints and your rate of success with complaints, I decided a different approach in making enquiries regarding my council tax band and the possibility of the band not only being reduced, but a refund of all overpayments.

Taking your lead with researching and preparation, I have scoured sites & forums for hours for fear of losing out because of the rules applied.

Considering previous letters of complaints have been ignored :rotfl:I phoned the VOA instead.

Premature to celebrate but staying POSITIVE, I think it looks really hopeful!:j:j:j. If agreed and back dated, that call could produce a healthy refund of around £2000.

I refuse to let any doubt creep into my thoughts and will enjoy this moment.:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j

I should hear the official decision within 8 weeks and will stay blissfully optomistic & cheerful during this time.

Should this result in ....computer says noooo....Normal service will be resumed!:p

Sorry Mike, your thread!....I've gained a lot from it and if it has bought good fortune in my direction, then Karma should return good fortune to you!

GO KARMA.

Go SouthernBelle, actually. Clever lady!

I haven't done anything and nor has Karma (Tell her, Niccatw?)

Capture how you feel right now, telling people won't jinx the outcome. Expect to win all or most of what you want. Get used to this feeling in everything you do. You'll win the winnable. No-one wins the unwinnable. There are still rules.

Even if the computer does say no (cough) 'normal' service will never be resumed for you again. You will accept the outcome, knowing you did your best with what was available to you on March 10, 2010, and go on to the next fight. Even the ones you don't win will teach you something.

Tremendous news!

x

lisawaters

While SouternBelle floats a foot above the ground quietly in the background...

I have been bricking myself (geddit!) about having to own up to the Building Regs and Planning Consent peeps at the local council. My NBL told me to write, accept what they say and don't challenge them. With heart in mouth (sounds good) I wrote to the chief cheese yesterday and have been looking out of the window today nervously waiting for the police to come for me.

Instead, I received this email...

Mr *******,



I'm sorry to read about your terrible experience. Firstly I must confirm that no Planning or Building Regulations applications have been made in relation to your property. Unfortunately most of what you have described does require the benefit of Building Regulations approval.



Where building work has been carried out without Building Regulations approval it is necessary to submit an application for a Regularisation certificate. For application forms and fees details please go to the following link Please include a much detail as possible with your application, e.g. copy of structural calculations, plans and photographs, etc. Given the situation that you find yourself in it might be prudent to engage a professional architect or building surveyor to assist you in the preparation of plans and supporting technical specifications for this work.



Work relating to gas appliances must be carried out by a competent person on the Gas Safe Register (formally CORGI). Likewise all electrical work should be carried out by a competent person registered with a Competent Persons Scheme, e.g. NICEIC, ELECSA, NAPIT, etc. Please follow this link for further information https://www.competentperson.co.uk/files/consumerbooklet.pdf You will receive certificates from the Competent Persons Scheme provider after the work is complete. If you are unsure that the work has been carried out by a competent person, then I strongly suggest that you have the work inspected by a competent person as a matter of urgency.



I note that you have had replacement glazing, which was carried out by a FENSA registered installer in 2008, therefore a Building Regulations application is not required for this work. FENSA should have provided you with the necessary certification for this particular element of the development.



As soon as a Regularisation Certificate application has been deposited you are entitled to request an on-site inspection/meeting. The purpose of the first inspection will be to make a detailed assessment of the work that has been carried out so far, provide you with a schedule of defects, and a schedule of the remaining work and what must be considered to achieve compliance with the Building Regulations (this will also be based on the plans and details you provide).



I would also advise you to contact the Planning duty officer (available between 9am - 12 Mon to Fri) on ************ regarding Planning Permission.



If you wish to discuss any of the above please do not hesitate to contact me on **************. You are also welcome to come to the Civic Centre if you wish to have a meeting, but please ring to arrange this in advance.



Kind regards



***** **********


I may just have got away without having to demolish the house. And many thanks to my bad builder for not doing all this like he promised and charged me for...

My only worry now is that there's a fee payable now of - I think - about £500 to start the whole thing. Haven't got it though. No doubt something will come along. I believe it will, so it will.

Good one, eh?


x

saxysarah

PHEW! so they not gonna demolish the place just yet then!! thank god!! (was worried i would never get to skid on the oak floors) I say crack open the carnation to celebrate and worry about the technical bit and the £500 2moro!!

I'm feeling rather smug as i've planted carrots today and a rasberry bush AND made rice crispy cakes:p and have almost completed my entire to do list for the day and that NEVER happens!! roll on work tonight so i can have a rest!

ps carnation party sounds awesome - will bring plastic aprons!!!

xx

lisawaters

saxysarah wrote: »

ps carnation party sounds awesome - will bring plastic aprons!!!

Oh you HAVE been to one before then!


Excellent!

x

jonni3000

@ lisawaters.. If you go to the Planning Portal (Govnm't website - sorry, can't post link) and click on the General Public section. You may find that the work the builder started did not need planning permission at all. The planning regulations were relaxed in Oct 2008 to enable householders a bit more freedom and the coverage of what is known as "General Permitted Development" was widened.

Re the building regs, in my experience LA Building Control Officers place most emphasis on structural stability - if load bearing walls have been removed and steel beams inserted they would want to see calculations to prove the beam can hold the load. I usually pay my engineer £70 for a simple beam calc. If new timber floors have gone in, these are usually sized from timber tables and don't require calcs (up to a point). The building regs are nothing to do with aesthetics such as plaster missing off walls. Just because your house appears to be a tip doesn't mean it is unsound. You will usually find Building Control officers to be quite pragmatic. I'm a Building Surveyor by profession and have met many in my time and most are reasonable people - the only time they get upset is when builders try to fob them off.

If you need any further help, just shout!

lisawaters

jonni3000 wrote: »

@ lisawaters.. If you go to the Planning Portal (Govnm't website - sorry, can't post link) and click on the General Public section. You may find that the work the builder started did not need planning permission at all. The planning regulations were relaxed in Oct 2008 to enable householders a bit more freedom and the coverage of what is known as "General Permitted Development" was widened.

Re the building regs, in my experience LA Building Control Officers place most emphasis on structural stability - if load bearing walls have been removed and steel beams inserted they would want to see calculations to prove the beam can hold the load. I usually pay my engineer £70 for a simple beam calc. If new timber floors have gone in, these are usually sized from timber tables and don't require calcs (up to a point). The building regs are nothing to do with aesthetics such as plaster missing off walls. Just because your house appears to be a tip doesn't mean it is unsound. You will usually find Building Control officers to be quite pragmatic. I'm a Building Surveyor by profession and have met many in my time and most are reasonable people - the only time they get upset is when builders try to fob them off.

If you need any further help, just shout!

A friend who's an architect's tech assistant did the original plans and reckoned none of the changes affected volume, and should be covered by permitted development. I have the engineer's calculations for all the work Bad Builder did and I think it's all OK. I know the steel RSJs supporting the ridges should have had a double layer of plasterboard over them but that was an interim builder's oversight. I can put that right quite easily once I figure how you fix plasterboard to steel!

I expect the new floors are up to spec as the rooms are tiny. My only concern is whether the changes to the roof structure (which were done to raise the ceiling height downstairs and upstairs by removing the skeilings or whatever those slopey bits are called) is OK with Planning. It's not visible from the outside. I also want their view on converting the garage to a kitchen/dining room.

I may be in touch with you in a while if that's all right.

Look people, there is a higher force working... a real building surveyor has turned up!

Thanks so much for posting, Jonni.


Mike

lisawaters

Remember I went to an organisation earlier this week to talk about help with return to work? A bit premature but interesting.

Well the guy I met knows someone whose sister danced with the Prince of Wales' brother whose friend works for the drugs section of a local authority, and he's looking for a graphic designer to do some posters and stuff. Just rang me. Seems I got the job on the spot. They were obviously looking for someone who wouldn't have anything to do with drugs. Oh no siree, no. Not me. Ooooooh no.... And maybe even someone who's a graphic designer who wouldn't charge them anything for the ideas 'cos he wanted to grab all their business because their inhouse people are a bunch of jobsworths......

Nice.



x

dancingfairy

Definitely - a big thank you to Jonni. Mike does appear to have been really messed about big time by his builder. It's nice to have someone who can help with the technical side of things. Me - I think my role is lurker and cheering from the sidelines - it's so frustrating not being able to help - so a big thank you.
df