Basically you get a two wheelies - a green one for everyday trash and
There are an additional two recycling crates, one is for glass and tin cans,
(There are on street recycling bins for plastics and papers and any other
The wheelies are 600mm wide by 750mm deep and 1100mm high.
The small crates are 570mm wide by 450mm deep by 350mm high.
Thanks and credit to my sister!
What do you need to send?
(1) a completed copy of the “NEIGHBOUR NOTIFICATION” form provided with the application form;
(2) a copy of a location plan showing the site of the proposed development.
(3) a copy of the guidance note “ADVICE TO NEIGHBOURS”.
If the neighbouring property is DOMESTIC (a house/flat), 2 copies of each of the above 3 items must be sent, one addressed to “The Owner” and the other to “The Occupier”.
If the neighbouring property is NON-DOMESTIC, a copy of each of the above
In my case this would be like this:
I'm starting to feel that Edinburgh and the UK in general are too over regulated. Not that I disagree with the points made here its just... well have a read of the edited version (the real thing is 8 pages long):
CITY DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
DEVELOPMENT QUALITY HANDBOOK
Colour of Buildings
Approved
Local plan policies promote high quality design and protect the character and appearance of listed buildings and conservation areas. For example, policy CD19 of the Central Edinburgh Local Plan states:
“The Council will permit alterations and extensions to buildings which in their design and form, choice of materials and positioning are compatible with the character of the original building, will not result in an unreasonable loss of privacy or natural light to neighbouring properties and are not detrimental to neighbourhood amenity and character. Particular attention will be paid to ensuring that works to listed buildings and non listed buildings within conservation areas do not damage their special character”.
■ SCOPE OF GUIDANCE
This guideline applies city-wide to proposals for new buildings or to change the colour of existing buildings.
a) The predominant materials and colours of existing good quality neighbouring buildings should generally be reflected in the choice of colours for new development. Colours should reflect, complement and be part of the design characteristics of the new building and the streetscene in general. Large areas of incongruous colours which are not “earth colours” or “natural colours” must be avoided. Stone and brick walls should not be painted.
b) In areas where the Scottish Vernacular style predominates, there is scope for allowing a more innovative treatment such as the use of coloured rendering on facades, although it will usually be inappropriate to use strong, non-traditional colours on large and prominent areas of walls and roofs.
(ii) Contrasting shades of colour can help to accentuate and link proportions between new and old buildings, give variety and interest, and help to break the scale of bulky elevational compositions. They can also help to enliven the streetscene.
(iii) Architectural details can be picked out in neutral tones or highlighted to contrast with their background.
(iv) Buildings that have roofs darker than their walls tend to create a more stable and robust effect and are encouraged.
(v) For major new buildings and complexes in a modern style, the choice of colours should reflect the context but also be an intrinsic part of the architectural design concept. In such cases, colours of buildings will be assessed on their individual merits, taking into account texture/context and aesthetic balance.
(vi) Innovative schemes of demonstrable quality may justify a departure from recommended guidance, and provided they are acceptable in the context of their surroundings
2.9.4 Escape windows (E2.17)
The normal means of escape from a dwelling in the event of a fire will be by way of the internal stairs or other circulation areas.
In order to provide the occupants with early warning of the outbreak of fire, mains operated fire detection should be installed in circulation routes (see guidance to standard 2.11). The early detection of smoke should allow the occupants sufficient time to evacuate the building safely. However in some cases the circulation area may become impassable due to smoke or heat and openable windows large enough to escape through should be provided from every apartment from which the occupants could make their escape by lowering themselves from the window.
The use of an escape window will be the last resort for the occupants and inevitably involves some risk.
An escape window should be provided in every apartment on an upper storeyat a height of not more than 4.5 m. In addition, escape windows should also be provided in every apartment that is an inner room on any storey at a height of not more than 4.5 m. Escape windows are not necessary from apartments where there are alternative routes from the apartment to circulation areas or other rooms.
Escape windows should be a window, or door (french window) situated in an external wall or roof; and having an unobstructed openable area that is at least 0.33 m2 and at least 450 mm high and 450 mm wide (the route through the window maybe at an angle rather than straight through). The bottom of the openable area should not be more than 1100 mm above the floor.
Locks and safety fittings for many types of windows continue to present practical difficulties. This is because the design of the fittings needs to consider child safety, safe cleaning and security as well as escape in the event of a fire. At present there is no guidance provided on the type of lock or fastening that can provide both security and escape, and the occupants of dwellings can choose to fit devices most suitable for their situation. Devices that should be prohibited are permanent obstructions such as fixed security grills. The intention is to assist escape, but not to prohibit the use of locks, restrictors or other safety devices.
"a house that would be acknowledged as a reference for the renovation of the architectural language"
| Biff | posted on 05-11-06 |
| ...it's obvious which windows are double glazed and which single. But the real issue over maintaining the architectural heritage of British townscapes is the width of glazing bars. Through much of the 18th and 19th centuries these were tpically about 20mm, sometimes even slimmer. For a standard insulated glazed unit, a rebate of about 12mm is requires to hide the seal, both for aesthetic reasons and to protect the seal from uv-light. A 12mm rebate either side of the glazing bar plus 6mm of timber between the units adds up to about 30mm for the width of the bar. This really is a practical minimum and many manufacturers make the bars nearer 40mm. While this might not look out of place in a Queen Anne or early 18th century building it really makes a difference to the appearance of many later buildings. Applying thin fake glazing bars to the outside surfaces of a large continuous igu, with corresponding bars inserted between the panes, gives a semblance of the traditional pattern but is, nevertheless, a fake and does little for the respect of historic fabric. The glue used to bond the bars to the glass probably has a limited life. The appearance of windows replaced by modern units is further compromised by the ubiquitous use of float glass. Its optically flat and parallel surfaces gives a dull and lifeless character, quite different from the movement created by cylinder or crown glass. Crown glass, in particular, is completely irreplaceable. The skills employed in making it have been lost, perhaps permanently. To remove a piece of crown glass and replace it with float is, in my opinion, akin to throwing away a piece of antique furniture or old masters painting and replacing them with self assembly flatpack furniture and prints from IKEA. Hand made, mouth blown, cylinder glass is still made at a couple of factories in Europe but if folk knew the cost they might be less ready to break their old windows. With the growing awareness that global warming is the greatest threat that humanity has ever faced, there is obvious pressure to throw out anything that is thought to be energy profligate. However, that our irreplaceable historic heritage should be the first victim of our effort to live sustainably, is a tradgedy that cannot be repaired. There are other more energy efficient routes to be travelled first. I would recommend Richard Heinberg's book, Powerdown, and particularly the chapter, Building Lifeboats - The Path of Community Solidarity and Preservation, as a particularly pertinent contribution to the debate. Let us build sustainably, and let us convert our existing housing stock to be fit for sustainable living, but let us not destroy our heritage and the beauty that our forefathers have left us. It was not the 18th century lifestyle not resulted in global warming. | |
The "preliminary plans" are the very crux of the architect's contribution. They embody the over-all conception of the building and represent a complete synthesis of the architect's gifts, schooling, and experience. They should be the result of minute and lengthy studies of functional, structural, financial, and cultural problems entailed by the human needs and physical and financial limitations involved in the building.
It is for this main creative effort that the architect earns the smallest portion of his fee...
The architect must realize the importance of his contribution and demand sufficient payment to permit proper performance. However, building is already overburdened with the charges listed above, and must be relieved. It is senseless for a family to spend years saving for the "down payment" and then occupy "their" shelter burdened with twenty years of debt bondage.
The only solution, both for the owner's over-indebtedness and for the architect's under-compensation, is for the architect to take charge of all building processes himself. His designs should include interiors and landscapes, to be executed by experts and subcontractors working under the architect's guidance ( In the planning of "contemporary" buildings, this procedure is a necessity.)
Complete management of building operations will not add much to the architect's tasks if he is in the habit of supervising properly, and need increase the percentage rate of his fee only slightly. It will bring him into closer contact with craftsmen and give him greater knowledge and control of costs...
Deciding to “take it” isn’t very simple due to the stupid Scottish bidding system. In
The way it works seems to be like this: the seller decides what they want for their house/land, they then knock off 10-20% and say offers over this price. Then people seem to bid 20-30% (perhaps the average as of 2006) over that price. It is a bidding system rather than a first come first offer system like in
The good thing is that the seller gets 'market value' the bad thing is that the process can overinflate house prices, cause delays and a great deal of dissapointment and frustration.
The bid was made on the bid deadline of
It was accepted and we won. We were delighted. Jackie and Dave are buying the whole thing; it is being sold as a package and not as two separate entities, then they will sell the land to us. The completion date is There is an interesting aspect of this transaction. My sister Clare and her American husband Paul live in I will be next door neighbours with my cousin and within 5 minutes walk of my sister. Weird? Maybe.
* edited March 2009 to remove the costs
We spent a week at my Uncle’s cottage in Crinan relaxing and getting over the Jet Lag. We also figured out that living in such a rural place as the Western Highlands wouldn’t be possible for both economic and social reasons.
We went back to my mum’s house in
We were invited to lunch at my cousin’ Jackie’s house in Portobello, near Edinburgh. We had an appointment with a financial advisor, to discuss financing the house, in
Jackie and her husband Dave had been looking to move from their 3 bed flat to a house but stay in the same area – a small seaside town of Portobello on the outskirts of Edinburgh.
They had put in a number of offers which didn’t win on houses over the past year. They had just been to see a Victorian terraced cottage which needed work but which fitted their requirements. The problem was the House included a plot of land at the bottom of the garden which had planning permission to build 2 No. 2 bedroom flats. This would inflate the price above what they were willing to pay. They were also not delighted about the idea of flats at the bottom of their garden.
So they mentioned casually “You don’t want to buy a plot of land do you?” I replied Yes, we do actually. We looked online at the planning applications (Edinburgh City Council logs all their planning applications with drawings online – a very useful service). And then Jackie took me to see it, Makiko was putting the girls in bed for their afternoon nap. As soon as I saw it I thought this is right for us.
On the way, a 5 minute walk from their house, Jackie was waving hello to other people and stopped to talk to another mum whose son was friends with her daughters. The walk along the beachfront was beautiful and the one could see the potential of this area – lots of Victorian and Georgian houses, tenements and terraces with a big sky and the north sea and a sandy beach right there. There was a good primary school and lots of child care we heard. The area was good for new families. It was a dull, cloudy March day and it still felt very nice.
The plot is at the rear of 11
The plot itself was tiny, 194 square meters (2088 square feet or 0.048 acres). I had previously worked out a minimum plot size for what we wanted as 0.1acres so this was less than half. However it was a town location rather than semi-rural and when we thought about it the plot was very similar to Japanese plot dimensions. 194 square meters is almost exactly 59 tsubo (a Japanese unit of area equal to 2 tatami mats or about 3.3 square meters) and compares with many of the houses and gardens where we live now.
The plot also had a 2m high stone wall all the way around and while the rundown garages made it look ugly I could see the potential for both privacy and a nice, cozy garden.
It has a good aspect (the long dimension orientated to the south) with no overshadowing. To the north was a nice mature sycamore tree which while it’s root system might need some care provided nice ready made mature foliage over the garden – maybe even a branch for a rope swing?
I went straight back to get Makiko and we did the same walk on our own with time to think and discuss the options. We actually weren’t able to get on the site but with land that is less important, we just walked around and peered over the walls. Makiko liked it too and we decided there and then to take it! On
In
When we sold the flat to come to
Matsushima where we live is a small town (10,000) although it is fairly rural it is also within easy reach of a decent size city,
So in returning to the
What we weren’t agreed upon was where in the
So we planned a trip back to the
I had read many reviews and reports online about the difficulty and problems of finding building plots in the
