Daydream thread... without the rose-tinted specs

alfie_1

choille wrote: »

All electrical work needs certifying - well, it's a sensible legislation if you ask me. After nearly having a house fire - wooden house - where we used to live, been a self wired job by previous owner.

We are doing most of our own wiring now - but will get it certified.

Alfie - sounds like you need to look elsewhere for somewhere to live - once you go down the route of trying to stitch up the landlord or whatever it's bye bye to accomodation time I would think.

Very stormy here & sleet - snow on the tops. Got a lamb out from downn the bottom this morning - so thawing out with a coffee. It's half light again, even the old cat has gone back to bed............

i will see them quake in thier boots and i will be the most irritatingly smug git in hampshire.....:rotfl::rotfl:

alfie_1

Itismehonest wrote: »

I agree that, if DIY, then certification is a sensible move, but for those who use qualified electricians extra bureaucracy is going OTT. It's rather like holiday home owners having to check every electrical item yearly. It ends up being those who are law-abiding who rack up bills while those who are happy to break the law will just continue to do so in the hope they're not caught. The same goes for many other laws. Sometimes, even when caught, the offenders can still end up 'paying' less.:wall:

Just wet, dark & miserable here.

as ive read it, there is no actual LAW that says yearly checks etc .
it is NEW/REPAIR work that needs to be done by a CP electrician who can self cert OR a council buildings officer can cert.
then there is catagories of WHAT fits in those catagories.
if nothing changes then one could go 20 yrs+ with no need.
they recomend a landlords guide to do it yearly/new tenant but there is no LAW...

unless ive read 100 pages wrong...;):D

the enviro man says it is wrong that gas HAS to be yearly cert'd but not elec ??

alfie_1

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

so with the windows we buy from a diy place, its the windows that has the cert? or the actual installation? do you get the cert when you buy the window to say it is of x standard or do the council need to come out and look at it installed?


I know certain trades have got to be governed and give certificates etc for the work and appliances, and so it should, but where do you draw the line???

ive not heard of a window cert but often the council would appreciate you telling them you are merely RESTORING the windows NOT "CHANGING" them.. thus they will probably check final work that youve followed the planning spec . i will get regs for you.

if a plummer fits a boiler to the manufacturers instructions accurately ,he can cert work [if hes prop reg plum]. BUT if the instructions were incorrect causing boiler to malfunction the plum not to blame ,so not incompetent...

if electrics are involved with plum's job then he must be a CP reg to cert or 3rd party or BW. you could do it without but insurance nul and void if damage....
most of these regs are for insurance based info.

alfie_1

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

vents in the windows??????

only double glazing and only if fitted after a date , few years ago.

phoebe1989seb

rozeepozee wrote: »

Thanks, Phoebe. Do you go and pick the things up? I think the problem for us is that we are soooo remote from most major urbanisations that the travel costs and the practicalities of collection (five hour plus round trips when you have children) are off putting.

Having said that, if we combine our searches with one of our regular trips to the Other Country (England ) we can probably do a bit of a detour and pick up that way.

Rozee - we have done......as far as about 250 miles, but obviously have factored that into the max we were prepared to bid/pay (unless of course it was a really special/one-off item )

Last week DH drove up from Wilts to Shropshire to collect a small piece of furniture that I'd won on a traditional (ie, not eBay, but an auction house with online bidding facility) auction. It just fitted in the back of the Landy and worked out less expensive than sending a courier.

We are a bit mad in that way though :rotfl:

We do have a very good, reliable independent courier that we use for the larger, more far-flung pieces - a sideboard in Scotland springs to mind - and we've found him better than the larger firms as he usually picks up and delivers same day or the next.

A couple of years back we drove 70 miles to collect a piece of granite found on eBay for under £30 - ideal for the kitchen island DH was intending to build, only to find it was a couple of cm too big to fit in the back of our then car. We drove away rather embarrassed promising to arrange collection ASAP. This was in the days before we found our current courier and we instead contacted one we found by chance online. They not only managed to cheese-off the seller by failing to collect on the pre-arranged date, but then took it to their storage facility where it promptly blew over and smashed......we eventually had to pay over £700 for another piece from a granite fabricator :mad:

I definitely would advise against taking your children if poss - we now have two puppies and that's bad enough, although I doubt your children would chew the furniture, lol :rotfl:

phoebe1989seb

alfie_1 wrote: »

anything hampshire, dorset ,wiltshire is in my "patch"
if you can wait a few weeks for YOU to get it...;)

Same here Alfie.....we should join forces We're currently on the Wilts/Dorset border, but are both originally from Hampshire......DH spent most of his formative years in the New Forest

alfie_1

CTC...

this is if Co. do windows

Ask the company to confirm how they will meet the requirements of the building regulations. Ask whether they are registered with one of the approved self-certification bodies or will they be seeking approval from the Council. Ask to see proof of, for example, a registration certificate issued by FENSA, CERTASS or BSI showing that their company is included on the approved installers list. Alternatively, ask to see receipt of application from our building control service.

or

Do I need permission from the council to install new windows,rooflights or doors in my home?

Yes. From April 2002 all building owners installing replacement windows or doors must get Building Regulations consent and have the work inspected to make sure it complies with the regulations. [NB Changes to windows and doors might also require planning permission or listed building consent].

COOLTRIKERCHICK

thanks Alfie... so does this mean we need to get planning permission to change our windows? or we can just go ahead and use a company to install the windows that will then supply us with a fensa cert?

moneyistooshorttomention

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

Thank you for putting a link to the vent, I had visions of grill type vent.....that you put into the walls


Yes I can see the need to have some sort of ventilation BUT as you said ITSME people are going to keep them closed because of the draft that they are going to cause.. as the point in having good quality windows is to keep drafts out.

Hmmm...well I "thought" that vents in windows are there so that it's possible to have a bit of air in a room IF wanted without having to open a window to do so?

I've now moved to a house where every window here is recent enough that it has a vent on it and that's my plan anyway, ie in decent weather I will have the vents open and not have to concern myself about the security aspect of having a whole window open in any room I'm not actually in/awake in.

Maybe I've got that wrong..and people are "supposed" to keep those vents open in all weathers regardless?....but yep....I'm sure most of us wouldn't...

CHOILLE (or anyone): What is a "replenishing fan"? I know about extractor fans....I've just had an extractor fan put into my new bathroom automatically scheduled-in by the firm that did the work (though I would have refused to have it if I hadn't wanted one myself anyway).

EDIT: I've just spotted the post mentioning about having certification for new windows and doors. I knew about the Fensa certification for windows...but is it necessary for new doors too? (as I've just had a new exterior door fitted and haven't been given any certificate for it). If it does apply to exterior doors...then would it be the case that it would only apply to front and back doors to the house itself? (as my new replacement door is for an outhouse door and not front/back door). Think I might be "covered" anyway, as this door doesn't have any glazing in it and a very quick google was talking about doors with a certain percentage of glazing in..

Itismehonest

alfie_1 wrote: »

as ive read it, there is no actual LAW that says yearly checks etc .
it is NEW/REPAIR work that needs to be done by a CP electrician who can self cert OR a council buildings officer can cert.
then there is catagories of WHAT fits in those catagories.
if nothing changes then one could go 20 yrs+ with no need.
they recomend a landlords guide to do it yearly/new tenant but there is no LAW...

unless ive read 100 pages wrong...;):D

the enviro man says it is wrong that gas HAS to be yearly cert'd but not elec ??

You may be right, alfie, as we retired around the time it was due to come into force. We were told that every time we replaced a toaster, fan heater, microwave or similar small electric item let alone the odd washing machine, tumble dryer, fridge, TV etc. (so, yes, as you say "new") a cert. would be required.
Given multiple cottages & the rate people manage to naff things an annual inspection would be cheaper than keep getting someone out to do the checks.
Couldn't tell you about the gas side. 'Tis something unknown 'round 'ere, m'dear. Only had electricity for just over 40 years in these parts so gas will be 22nd century ..... if then. :rotfl: