Nice People Thread No. 15, a Cyber Summer

hjd

GDB2222 wrote: »

If selling, do you need to go through the stress of building? Is it enough to get the plans drawn up and planning permission?

That would be my suggestion too.
Hope it doesn't come to that though and you pass the driving test fine.
Can't advise on holidays as they have never been high up on our list of priorities - money needed for day to day living and DH teaching so restricted to school holidays!

vivatifosi

Re Caribbean. I like Grenada because it is so lush and natural. It is not massively wealthy but has a really lovely vibe. May not be best for you at moment though given criteria.

Barbados is easy to access from uk and wealthier and more developed. In terms of what you are looking for, it will offer a good first foray into the Caribbean.

Bahamas are nice enough, but not as dramatic as some of the other places. Have enjoyed going there, but not my first choice.

Not sure what medical facilities are like, but for stunning white sand beaches Antigua is hard to beat. It also has a nice slice of history in the shape of Nelson's Dockyard. Well worth taking the helicopter over to Montserrat if you are up to it... you fly over the volcanic wreckage, amazing.

Puerto Rico is very American, it's like Miami, but in the Caribbean.

We were underwhelmed with St Lucia. Did not find as friendly.

St Kitts and Nevis are lovely. Have been a couple of times and it has changed a fair bit since they built the massive port. Not sure whether it is so easy to get to from the UK as Barbados and Antigua. Brimstone Hill Fortress is amazing, but getting around is physically challenging. V hilly and uneven with lots of steps.

British Virgin Islands are lovely and quite wealthy, good beaches, but not the culture particularly.

Venezuela and its islands... nice, but too unstable.

Dominica. Very lush and green, but don't think it meets your wish list. V poor also.

I haven't been to the bigger islands such as Cuba, Jamaica or Hispaniola, so can't comment on those.

If you get a chance to go earlier in the year that will be better, weather wise. Haven't been in May, but have late April and it was lovely.

Also, don't rule out a cruise, maybe on a British liner as it will also have medical staff on hand and you get to try more places.

bugslet

kabayiri wrote: »

It sounds odd, but sometimes rooms can be too big. On reflection, our lounge could have been a bit smaller and we would have not lost out in any way.

Anyone else notice an obsession with putting the biggest house they can on a plot of land?

My kitchen has won about 4 foot because I took the shed area that used to be the outside loo away and made it part of the kitchen. Feels a lot airier to me! I look at these huge spaces and think all that floor mopping. I like to follow some of the tinyspace streams on Instagram, they look a lot more individual.

I think bifold doors are going to liik like a cliche soon.

GDB2222 wrote: »

If selling, do you need to go through the stress of building? Is it enough to get the plans drawn up and planning permission?

We have the same dilemma with MIL's house. There's an obvious opportunity to incorporate the garage into the house as a third bedroom. Some of the estate agents are saying just sell it as it is, and the buyers can do the work if they wish. But estate agents work to a different agenda than their clients. They want stock to sell now, and they'll tailor their advice accordingly.

Spirit, I'd go with planning permission as well - it's so much hassle. Whilst you may spend X and add Y to the value, there's a personal cost in my opinion to living through big building works.

GDB, on yours, that doesn't sound like a huge amount of work, so I might be tempted, especially as it doesn't impact your day to day living.

Generali

I've been to Barbados and Trinidad.

Barbados is lovely. The people are fantastic and every roundabout is named after a cricketer.

Trini is a dump although it does have a nice place to go to see the hummingbirds.

kabayiri

PasturesNew wrote: »

I am of the "small is good" school. And "bifold doors look good in magazines where the sun always shines" school.... they wouldn't fit my lifestyle and I'm sure (living in the south west) they'd just let too much wind/dust into the house.
...

I know a windows guy who fitted bifold doors for a well known premiership football assistant manager (and for his kids houses too).

He had to go back out often to fettle the doors, because they would settle and need adjusting.

Having said that, I rather like them!

kabayiri

cells wrote: »

it might not get built.

plenty of people put in applications and when they get a detailed quote run when they see the cost. The 70sqm you suggest if single story only would probably be north of £100k. It even happens sometimes on planning applications for new builds.

We spent probably close to £80K all said and done on a much smaller extension than the one proposed, though I admit we had expensive tastes when it came to fittings like the kitchen.

I'd be surprised if this comes in at £100K. I could easily see £120K to £150K spent.

But then, if you want a fully refurbed nice house, there is one for sale not that far away but it was another £300K more expensive, so I guess it could be value for money.

We do have grounds to object, but I'm not inclined to do so. If it results in a nice house it's good for the neighbourhood.

ivyleaf

ukmaggie45 wrote: »

We had lovely one too, but I lacked the energy to take photos.

We're toying with staying on a bit if I can cancel dentist and we can cancel fridge-freezer bloke. I only just found out when Easter is this year!

I know when Easter is, because of church, but OH hadn't realised. I commented yesterday that we must see about buying the grandchildren's Easter eggs and he said "Oh, there's no rush, there's ages yet!"

He was surprised when I said No, there was actually just about two weeks!

Just left a message with the cattery to see if they can take the cat for a couple of days later in the week. We have a building site across the road atm, and various roadworks causing diversions and delays, including extra traffic along our little road, and I feel completely battered by noise and "busyness"

We looked after DGS for a few hours yesterday after school and all I really did was supervise his homework and make him a simple meal, and by the time we got home I could hardly put one foot in front of the other and everything ached....I think I need a short break! But feeling really guilty, because if we're not there on Friday DD and DSIL will have to make other arrangements for one of the DGCs to be picked up after school, as they are at two different schools

kabayiri

PasturesNew wrote: »

...
Yes, it might be possible, in some instances, to have discussions with builders etc to pay them for the work and to buy the materials myself, so they don't turnover so much that they have to be VAT registered - but that can also seem like you're trying to be a cheapskate and might end up with "Bob's Uncle" doing the build as the people likely to agree to this might be the slack sort that are keen to cut corners and don't think "the finish" is important.
...

It's perfectly legit to project manage the build yourself, and find builders who earn under the VAT threshold (each; they work independently).

You get a suprising amount of building material for under £5K. Most of the cost is in the labour.

The way to avoid corners being cut; finish being under spec; is to weight payment as much as you can to completion; and make clear any incentives are dependent on "sign off".

The bad builders will walk away when they hear that. The good ones will not be deterred.

Finally, good builders are the ones in demand. The people who can "start straight away" may be available for a reason.

PasturesNew

ivyleaf wrote: »

Just left a message with the cattery to see if they can take the cat for a couple of days later in the week.

It's a shame you don't live near me. I could've taken kitty

silvercar

PasturesNew wrote: »

You don't have to leave home to spend money .... Council Tax bill's arrived in the post.

About £1150 (after Billy No Mates reduction)

Th's cheap, mine is about £2,500 without deduction.