Daydream fund challenge part 4

Davesnave

DaftyDuck wrote: »

Dave, I'm still worrying about getting my conservatory and wood burner done, hearing your frolics. I do hope it goes well, your meeting, with your independent witness wearing wig and dark glasses....

There's nowt wrong with the wood burner; it was just the hearth that went paridae-up first time, and that's something that could happen with any order for stone.

I dare say most people who buy from MC Slates normally feel happy enough, or they'd go out of business, but there were signs which could indicate that they care about their bits of rock more than people.

For example, I never went there and managed to turn my car around, as there was no room; all turning spaces being filled with stuff. Usually, I was trapped in there for some time, either by their lorry or others parking behind me. Having a yard where people have to reverse 100m out onto a tricky junction is a bit of a 'take it or leave it' give-away isn't it? :rotfl:

As for the conservatory, I thought a company that had survived for 40 years would be a decent bet, but I was wrong. They had the approval of our builder who knew them from another life in days of yore , but he's changed his opinion now.

It's pure luck that the gutter was not approved by us, as they left it off the amendments to the contract that we signed, so we can reject it.....and with it goes the whole roof. Oh dear!

Chesapeake

Thanks for the fig advice, it is bloody massive which is why I need to cut it right back above ground and wondered if it would be worthwhile doing the roots. The base of the trunk is a good few inches thick and it is occupying 25% of a decent sized polytunnel. As much as I love fig rolls I do want to grow other things in there too!

Chesapeake

Oooh I've just been informed that Poundland have a load of high quality gardening gear in... ha! We may pick up some cheap tools to get the clearing and scraping etc done so that we don't ruin good tools!

pink_poppy

Chesapeake wrote: »

As much as I love fig rolls I do want to grow other things in there too!

Ooh I love fig rolls, just remember not to eat too many in one sitting

Never had fresh figs, are they nice??

Sorry to hear about the continuing conservatory woes, Dave.

Davesnave

Gardening guru and ex-teacher Bob Brown on figs: "Nice if you like sweet latex flavours!" :rotfl:

I find them OK. I just eat them as I work in the polytunnel. Not a huge quantity so no ill effects.

I visited the chap with the dodgy conservatory this morning. He paid up-front and had problems with leaks from Day 1. He battled for two years or more and eventually he got about £4k back. His file is much thicker than mine!

Anyway, he used the money to re-build with a solid roof, having extra metal supports made to take the increased weight. This has worked-out well enough, but his living room behind is now quite dark. That's the reason we went for a conservatory, as we wanted to keep the level of light we have at present. We could have built a conventional room on by now, probably for less money too.

It was a lovely day here today, so I went hedging again, borrowing DW for an hour to pull on a rope and topple the larger trees into the field. Didn't work every time, so I ended-up frantically sawing one in the middle of the road :eek:, but luckily it was before school run! Last year, two Mums drove over the tree, rather than wait and possibly miss being with their darlings for a couple of minutes extra.

Chesapeake

I don't like fresh figs haha, I just like them when dried or cooked with.

pink_poppy

Davesnave wrote: »

That's the reason we went for a conservatory, as we wanted to keep the level of light we have at present. We could have built a conventional room on by now, probably for less money too.

Is it too late to go down the conventional room route?? I've seen rooms on property programmes that have the big box 'windows' in the roof (can't remember the name for them ~ lanterns or something??) and they let in masses of light.

I know the conservatory is pretty much done and I'm guessing you would have to go back to planning though...

Davesnave

pink_poppy wrote: »

Is it too late to go down the conventional room route?? I've seen rooms on property programmes that have the big box 'windows' in the roof (can't remember the name for them ~ lanterns or something??) and they let in masses of light.

I know the conservatory is pretty much done and I'm guessing you would have to go back to planning though...

Planning is no problem. We have planning permission to build a room on the back, as that's where we were going to have the kitchen, but I'm so glad we didn't do that now, as it would've been too hot in summer for a kitchen.

You mean an orangery-type structure with a lantern roof, which the conservatory companies are hoping will be the next thing they can flog to us all, as they look substantial. However, I suspect they will be prone to all the usual problems of flat roofed structures, and probably the less-than-brilliant building skills of the guys who normally put up conservatories too.

We could have just built our own garden room, but I was trying to avoid going into the roof again, as we did that that on the other side of the house and it wasn't fun, or cheap. However, I see now it would have been the better option. For reasons too complicated to go into, that would have affected other work we've done, so it really needed sorting at the early planning stage.......Hindsight is a wonderful thing!:(

DaftyDuck

On the way back from "real" work, I thought I'd just call in on a near neighbour, who I knew had a trailer out in a field for sale. Rather than telling me where it was, he chose to show me... Twenty minutes later, with my clean & smart car parked in a ploughed field I, wearing smart leather shoes and light coloured trousers, was off wading through mud and puddles in a different field to have a look... My two lives don't always mix, but...

Well worth it!

I may have ruined a pair of shoes (probably not), but getting a large trailer that'll take a mini tractor for £160 isn't to be sneezed at - although I have probably regenerated my everlasting cold! He's a nice, odd, old bloke with a sense of humour! Needed one, admittedly.

I got another 100 metre hedge planted at the weekend, which leaves me with the prospect of trying to dig out the next two stretches, and planting them, before the growing season. Or, I could just wait a year. Seems a shame to delay getting a decent hedge by a further year.... Hmmm... decisions...

Hot figs in the sun... instant transport back to the Mediterranean.... Oh, if only holidays were on the horizon but, with all these beasts rapidly accumulating, we need to find a reliable stand-in (and Boy, are we choosy) before we can go. Oh well!

Sheep ladies are still all holding back. Might be tonight or tomorrow. Better be soon, because they are now too wide to fit through the door they came in through! You can see the lambs have the occasional ballet lesson inside, and tell which have twins, and which (probably) don't. More sleepless nights waiting Neighbours are placing bets on which will be first (and I'm betting I'll fall asleep at the critical moment, so nobody will know).

I could do with some slee

pink_poppy

I wasn't thinking orangery, just another room but with a fancy window in the ceiling. I've googled lantern roof and that's what I was thinking of ~ I didn't realise they tended to be on a flat roof though. I certainly wouldn't expect you to go with the conservatory people :eek: I was thinking your trusty builder could rustle something up

My Nephew has an extension with a pitched roof and 2 or 3 big (velux??) windows in the ceiling. He also has glass doors (the concertina type) so it's a lovely bright room.

Anyway, you've got enough on your mind with your current battle without me complicating matters

Dafty, is it a natural sheep 'thing' to have twins?? I do see a lot of them around.