Coming soon, my barn conversion guide…

Category: Barn Conversion Journal May 7th, 2013 by mbc

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The property roller coaster – planning reform to be rethought

Category: News April 17th, 2013 by mbc

Worrying times in the world of property with a seemingly constant flow of bad new, good news, contradiction and spin. I thought I might try to track it with my property roller-coaster.

First we’re on a downward loop as we learn that the proposed planning reform, to allow homeowners to extend by as much as 26ft is now to be rethought. Eric Pickles had to compromise in the vaguest terms to prevent a defeat and ensure that the house disagreed with a Lords amendment giving power to local authorities to opt out of the reforms. Now it’s back to the Lords to debate further.

Read more in the Telegraph >> Government planning reforms in disarray after backbench rebellion

Good job I never started on those plans for my single story, palatial, garden room…

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Tags: Eric Pickles, government, planners, planning permission

Interesting earthship greenhouse project on Kickstarter

Category: Barn Conversion Journal March 22nd, 2013 by mbc

I really like this Kickstarter project >> The Farm of the Future: Earthship-Inspired Greenhouse

This project is “Prototyping the First 100% Off-The-Grid, Affordable, Low-Maintenance Greenhouse using Earthship Principles and Aquaponics“.

If any of those words meaning anything to you you’ll be interested in the project if not, pass it by…

It’s already funded so I guess that’s a positive step in seeing some output from the project, the how-to guide at the $25 funding level looks interesting.

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Tags: earthship, green building, greenhouse, sustainability

VAT Reclaim sent

Category: Barn Conversion Journal February 15th, 2013 by mbc

I sent in my reclaim of the VAT on the conversion of the barn a week ago today. Putting together the forms and all the supporting evidence required has taken quite some time and partly explains my lack of activity on this website.

Anyway it’s in now…

As a point of note the first invoice I’m claiming against dates right back to the 11th May 2007 and relates to lime putty I bought from Ty Mawr Lime – it’s been a long journey…

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Tags: HMRC, VAT

VAT Reclaim Spring 2013 Part 1

Category: Barn Conversion Journal January 3rd, 2013 by mbc

With my completion certificate delivered in November the clock is ticking on my VAT reclaim for the conversion of the barn…

You have You can only send in one claim and that claim must be submitted no later than three months after the conversion has been completed.

VAT refunds for DIY housebuilders – Claim form and notes for conversions Page 10.

The form ‘to claim a VAT refund as a DIY housebuilder who has converted an existing building into a dwelling’ is downloadable from the HMRC website.

I’ve been here before five years ago (gulp! time flies!), but the forms have changed since then.

Having had a brief read over the new forms, all seems pretty straight-forward at face value. I have my planning permission documents and completion certificate so the documentary ‘topping and tailing’ is all in place. I’ve also already worked through and organised my invoices and receipts.

The one area I’m unsure of is claiming back the various small till receipts I have from places like B&Q. Obviously these aren’t full invoices containing names, addresses and VAT numbers so I’m a little wary of including them in my claim. After some research it seems that VAT registered businesses reclaiming VAT can claim on such receipts, but the jury is still out in my case. Further research required…

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Tags: HMRC, VAT

Progress

Coming soon, my barn conversion guide… Interesting earthship greenhouse project on Kickstarter

I really like this Kickstarter project >> The Farm of the Future: Earthship-Inspired Greenhouse This project is “Prototyping the First 100% Off-The-Grid, Affordable, Low-Maintenance Greenhouse using Earthship Principles and Aquaponics“. If any of those words meaning anything to you you’ll be interested in the project if not, pass it by… It’s already funded so I [...]

VAT Reclaim sent

I sent in my reclaim of the VAT on the conversion of the barn a week ago today.

VAT Reclaim Spring 2013 Part 1

With my completion certificate delivered in November the clock is ticking on my VAT reclaim for the conversion of the barn… You have You can only send in one claim and that claim must be submitted no later than three months after the conversion has been completed. VAT refunds for DIY housebuilders – Claim form [...]

Building Progress November 2012

Update on building progress during November 2012…

Barns

Barns Gallery on Remodelista

There is a lovely gallery of barn related inspirational photographs available on Remodelista.

Barns – the Long House

Situated on the North Norfolk coast, this is a building to admire…

Barns – the Balancing Barn

A stunning piece of architecture, although not entirely to my taste…

New fast-track planning permission for the development of barns proposed

The Daily Mail reports on a new fast-track route through planning controls for the conversion of barns…

De-assembled, re-assembled, re-cycled barns

“A bit like a private sector, modernising, repurposing St Fagan’s…”

Design

What is a shadow gap?

A shadow gap – a mysterious dark place between two plains…

Your barn conversion – "what you really wanted for yourself"

Thoughts on making YOUR barn conversion – "what you really wanted for yourself"

Building Regulations, Approved Documents Part D – Toxic substances

An overview of Building Regulations, Approved Documents Part D – Toxic substances

Building Regulations, Approved Documents – Part C Site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture

An overview of Building Regulations, Approved Documents – Part C Site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture

Building Regulations, Approved Documents – Part B Fire safety

An overview of Building Regulations, Approved Documents – Part B Fire safety

Architecture

Your barn conversion – "what you really wanted for yourself"

Thoughts on making YOUR barn conversion – "what you really wanted for yourself"

The Stirling prize 2012 winner – the Sainsbury Laboratory

The 2012 Stirling prize was won by a outsider, the Sainsbury Laboratory…

The Stirling prize 2012

I think that this years Stirling prize has some exciting projects on the shortlist…

Our engineers … our architects – Le Corbusier

The efficient, shiny world of construction in 1923…

Design in Storage

When designing a layout it’s easy to forget to plan for storage…

News

The property roller coaster – planning reform to be rethought

Eric Pickles vague compromise on planning reform keeps the house happy (for now).

Energy policy, smoke screens, fracking, confusion and big bucks

There seems to be only one thing that is certain in the world of energy policy and that is that costs will rise annually above and beyond anything that inflation can currently throw at us. Beyond that, smoke screens & confusion seem to reign. Take the recent news for example… It’s reported today that the [...]

Flanking manoeuvres and good design…

It seems that the government are undertaking flanking manoeuvres on the green belt…

Green Deal Launch

The Green deal launched in the UK on Monday of this week. Fanfares? fireworks? a deluge of marketing? … read more …

Plaid Cymru’s Green New Deal promise

The leader of Plaid Cymru has promised a “Green New Deal” to rejuvenate the Welsh economy and help maintain Wales’ position at the forefront of Green policies.

Permitted development extension limits to be doubled

The government is due to announce a temporary increase in the maximum depth of extensions that can be built under permitted development rules.

Lloyd Khan, making shelter simple.

I wanted to share an interview with Lloyd Khan that I recently found…

Just what is ‘sustainable development’?

Sustainable development – with the term now enshrined in planning law, what does it mean?

Sir Patrick Abercrombie – “It is a matter for serious thought…”

While reading up on the response of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) I came across this quote from Sir Patrick Abercrombie…

#NPPF response from the Campaign to Protect Rural England @CPRE

Whilst the Government appears to have listened to the many concerned voices raised in response to the draft document, the continued insistence on easing planning controls to promote growth remains a troubling key theme of reform and increasingly a political plaything.