GRANTED

Oh Wow, yipppeeee, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. After a very long drawn out struggle, many tears, lots of pennies, advice, support and guidance we have got planning! Wrexham planning committee "weighed up the material considerations along with Policy" and realised that human life and family life along with the Wind is far heavier than any UDP (policy).

In all my ranting about committees , it was good to see that decisions in the council chambers can be made by members who research and take the time prior to a meeting to understand the applications placed before them. (It was worrying that little white lies were used)

It is not until something is lifted from you tghat you realsie just how heavy it was......I'm BACK!!

P.s Thank you to the knicker throwers in the gallows...you know who you are;>))

Enough before i turn too bitter -Stick to it iveness

That is it i have had enough. They (being wrexham planning officers) can only communicate in writing and have ...................7th October, 2008 I have edited this posting as it was written with the essence of dismay, depression and bitterness!!
After a glass or 50 of wine, many nights sleep and more importantly friends, collegues and strangers words of support it has made me reassess... a friend emailed me this quote- Thank you: :-Three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-it-iveness; third, common sense. Thomas Edison .p106
At 'mentally stable' moments it is easy to see there has been a dividend to garage living, your appreciation of living and nature becomes hightened with the ever decreasing need for material furniture, fixtures and fittings! While we are on the subject of nature do you remember those irrating sticky green plants...
I am going to fight...or at least work out how!

Episode 2

Any policy and law is up for interpretation. Which is proved by the fact that planning officers from other towns are able to interpret' the policy and find 'material considerations' to allow people to rebuild their barns. So this has led me to think about how the personal values, experiences and ethics of an individual can thereby effect the quality, financial lives of many people and families. The very sad part is that i do not think that these people actually realise...or maybe they do! It does raise a very debatable question..how answerable are they and to who? Our own life experiences shape our character and effect any professional decision we make, let us hope that future decision makers have wide life experiences.
Which brings me on to the next episode-
I am speaking to planning, actually that is not entirely true as they do not want to speak 'please put it in writing' So i have put pencil to paper and drawn a garage with a rectangle attached- i wait with baited breath for the predictable 'your kindergarten drawing does not meet with the Wrexham development plan policies'

So if this happens we will then appeal, if this fails we will sell - I caravan site in the countryside will probaly meet with their policy.

What is good for the goose...

Why over the border is it acceptable to rebuild an identical fallen barn but in Wrexham it is not??????? Equal opps?????? Is it my name? Is it my hair colour? Is it my gender? Is it my profession? Is it ... Is it...Is it because I live in Wrexham?
http://www.crewe-nantwich.gov.uk/pdf/YC4174_Planning_App_P08_0504.pdf

And another granted but not in Wrexham:

http://www.south-norfolk.gov.uk/CARMS/meetings/pla2005-12-15min.pdf

"It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price

Thoma Sowell's words not mine! I have been thinking and trying to take a step back, While thinking and dwelling on the psychology of committees (yes I know...but I need to make sense of it and understand!) Allen defines committees in one short sharp sentence:'Committee--a group of men who individually can do nothing but as a group decide that nothing can be done.
(Allen, F, 1894 - 1956)


Perhaps I am being too harsh after all what is probably true here is that 'Any committee that is the slightest use is composed of people who are too busy to want to sit on it for a second longer than they have to' (Whitehorn). So considering this in relation to our refusal, out of 20 members only 7 were present at the site meeting, which means a majority of 4, which actually amounts to only 1 fifth -1/5th of the committee 'sitting on it seconds longer than they had to' -This does make me consider the democractic validity of the decision and brought about reality...the magnificant 7 decided our future!!

Perhaps some training from Freud would have helped 'When making a decision of minor importance, I have always found it advantageous to consider all the pros and cons. In vital matters, however,... the decision should come from the unconscious, from somewhere within ourselves. In the important decisions of personal life, we should be governed, I think, by the deep inner needs of our nature."

Click here to see the minutes for the site meeting http://www.wrexham.gov.uk/MinutesData/Planning/pl18072008m.htm

How predictable............

Refused
Words can not describe the disapointment i feel for the human race, planning policy is one thing human common sense is very much another. Through my tears of despondancy, anger and dispair and dejection I am probably going to say things that would be better left to a floating thought than to black and white on the world wide web. However, as our home life has been reduced to black and white bloody policy documents then I may as well join in.
Local councillors are meant to be supporting their communities, everyone i speak to in our community, Wrexham, Wales, Uk, World- apart that is from some, believe that no harm would come to allow us to rebuild, So?????????????????????

I'm now going to ... with my hands tied behind my back, with my head held low and tear stained cheeks... move to a better country and sell to the highest bidder, which happens to be the travelling community, they fair very well with the human rights and they are welcome to W LPA and their policy not to deviate from local policy EVEN with solid 'material considerations' and who do not take into account families who try.......................

Some further thoughts on the subject, a blog about me!!
http://kitsandmortar.com/2008/07/13/the-madness-of-planning/

Headlines 'Dream home' ...a last attempt...

David came home tonight and asked if i would like to read the evening leader 'No thanks, I'm busy' 'Are you sure? Look I'm sure you know her' pointing to my name. I immediately glowed scarlet at the sight of my name on page 5, it could have been worse page 3!! but to be fair to Matt (the author) he did quote me and the council officers word for word, either a very fast typer or a recorder turned up very high, as every time I turned my head when I spoke the microphone didn't catch my voice. Now everyone knows I live in a garage!!

Even though I have mentally prepared myself for 'plan E' I am sure the disappointment of a refusal is going to cause me to become cynical but “Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist”(Carlin, 1937) I am an idealist and i just wish people would come to live in 'my world' instead of me joining theirs.

Click here Evening leader article: Dream Home

Planning update

Planning committee on Monday, 3 minutes of begging and putting forward a 'passionate plea' (committee member who was against us, 2008) for a home and financial survival, the entire situation was not dissimilar from holding out a hat and earnestly appealing for survival! Normally pride would have probably got in the way but i was not begging for a handout, freebie or to be given anything physical, just a word...'Granted'.
The democracy was evident and i was pleasently surprised-with numerous positives and some council employees negatives but the overall decision was for a site visit...to see what is left...oh,... dearrr, A gable! I doubt the 'deserted travellers site look' will prove favourable for us.
Oh, that reminds me, the good news is at least we have some people who want to buy Loweroak, as to comply with council policy it is no use to man, goat, pig, industrial, haulage, sheep, martian or dog as it is outside the 'settlement' and in the 'countryside' emmm this makes me ponder i have a title for the wxm leader (incidentally they called today for a story!I could not think of anything worse than me standing, pointing to the fallen bricks.....cringe)

Another idea!

I would like to plant some fruit bushes, so to soften the blow to David i am very kindly saving him £30 (lorry tyre disposal fee) and I am going to use them as planters and they will also save on posts, to hold up the bank!! I am so considerate, David used another word...
Also a path would look good, we have some old black bricks and red tiles which need using...i've also decided that i like the number 3 (it is my birth path number, the difference between lana and chelsies 7 & 4) - so i have themed my 'sanctury area' on 3. It also stands for:

• Past Present and Future
• Mineral, Vegetable and Animal
• Solid, Substantial and Entire
• Fairies are meant to live between 3 trees, oak, ash and thorn.

If you look closely at the picture on the left by the carrots, my bees have a new home...thank you Louisa.

Planning names

Latest update: Due to various local planning polices the application has been refused (by the planning officers, so it is now being referred to the planning committee) as it is classed as a 'new dwelling in the country side' and is therefore harm full to the environment..... emmm and my large millions of pages application isn't I could go on but i am going to save my energy and direct it to something useful...I'll change my name by deed poll i will now find the most common surname which has been granted planning in Wrexham...

Wood henge

Well, David and the girls really think i've lost the plot( pardon the pun) "oh no! what have you done now?" "you are sooo embarrasing!" "What on earth!"

They have no immagination, just wait they will think that my hammocks are great, i wish now though i had only ordered 1 for me and i could have smugly rocked watching the clouds go by....no doubt one of them would have tipped me out! So 3 it is and 1 hammock chair.

yumm yumm

It is all growing really well. Ihave had another idea, i need a place to relax to after picking out the weeds, lugging my buckets of collected rainwater and picking off all the enemies, no! not the planners, slugs, snails, caterpillars. So i think, i need 3 telegraph poles in a triangle, so i can hang hammocks from them...Bees return

Fingers crossed

It is now submitted. The plans..., not my application to a 'mind retirement home'.
Hypocrasy! All the policies for this and that -environmental, sustainable, eco, access and future istic building regulations, most of which I do agree with. But there is a Big- HOWEVER, I have just sent in an aplication which was aprox 33 pages- then I have had to copy it 4 times at least 130 pages of wasted ink, electricity, paper etc- I am sure in this techno, electronic year2008 we live in, this is not necessary.
On the good side my local MP visited our 'gable end monument' and has pledged his support. Little words of support mean alot and I have been surprised where these have been delivered from. Thank you -
So, in the mean time , I will continue to clean bricks (1 a day is enough!) and plant my gold plated potatoes with my fingers crosed.

Veg patch with bees

We begun with bare, nettle, thistle earth

Breeze blocks to create 4 triangles and 1 rectangle

Railway sleepers on top, this will give me deeper raised beds, longer carrots!!

Filled the beds with my home made compost, sheep poo and 10 tonne of top soil

I'm planting them up quicker than my 2 little bees can build them...patience...emm no it's been used up by planning and the wind.

S +(Sand + gravel+ cement)+ Bricks= gate pillars - inches

After endless interogation( How far, How long, Where, when) I relenquished my title and allowed David to be King Bee, on 2nd thoughts Prince Bee for a day. I was on a layby on the M66, the pillars and tape measure were 81 miles away and as I have never hung a gate before I delegated.
We are hanging the gates using hook and band cranked hinges with the gates set back on the pillar and automating them with a maxim 600(?) - this has been recommended because of ...yes you have guessed it the windy conditions!

After all the disappointing occurances on the site- Steve our Brick layer is a Windfall, he brings with him a breeze of ideas and a hurricane of energy and speed (pardon the pun).

Veg patch-Progress made- potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic and very nearly David planted. ( he dug up my potatoes!)

My Veg patch building

I knew there would be a bonus to Barn building halting...My vegetable raised beds can now be completed. I had choosen Australian hardwood, as these are a stronger wood without being treated with carcinogenic creosote.
After spending 2 hours measuring up and 'uming and ahing' (as David had left my scaled to the millimetre plan in the JCB) we began the raised beds. As I am busy humming in my work thinking distantly of my crop rotation and organic veggies, herbs and leaves...and being a Garden Godess. David is thinking about and actually making his views known to all, that he'll be glad when the seedlings are in the soil and not on the bedroom windowsill. Who tolerates who????
So, the loss of The Barns progress has earned me 'some men at work' in my patch!

For my Bury friends

I thought this posting needed some explanation...

This is a picture of our unique 'modern open plan garage ouse'




The door of my bedroomand the Bolt!! (which my dear beloved, bleedin' lucky to be still breathing husband ) locked on Friday morning, leaving me to very gracefully, yell, scream and bang for help!
Emm...these things are sent to try us, oh I do dream about having a normal average existence..

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty

As I have said ealier, i have never been pessimistic. Conversely this morning, i thought i was...
However, after reading Churchill's above quote I have realised that I was not being negative, but I just did not have any fight left in me and I was allowing myself to only see the 'difficulty in the opportunity' which I was being faced with.
I awoke this morning to... no...not another bl**y bang but to a frame of mind that said 'don't set your self up for any more let downs' and by the afternoon after words of encouragment and constuctive advice-, the 'opportunity' I had to build me and eventually the barn had dawned...Let the fight begin...

Still standing

It stood! It survived! And the wind has gone.

We all need a little support in our lives

As the wind continues to gust through our wind tunnel
I have now made the decision to stop worrying about the gable now
' if it falls now, then what's meant to be will be'

wind turbines

Is n't there a saying about not being aware of what is on your door step? Well, silly me! There was me thinking about GSHP's, log burners and Solar when all along we are living in a wind tunnel! Yes the vane of my life is back, Met office forecast 'gusts' oh great! Perhaps I should consider changing my web home page to 'the Met office'.

• Geoff (our scaffolder) said today 'I would not like to be living in fear of the wind, like you poor souls' How right he is- How awful for the kids that I have had to cancel going away this Easter weekend because of the wind. On a more positive note, how lucky we are that there are some genuine, helpful people around. Extra Scaffolding is going up tomorrow, ironically on GOOD friday.
• Actually thinking about wind turbines...I would need planning permission...emmm

A plan of attack

One step sideways and ten thousand pound backwards! Attack........

• I have arranged for the structual engineer to come and survey the debris, to ascertain that the scaffolding and support (shoring) that we had used were sufficient to support the barn. Yes I know what you're thinking...
• I have copied the weather reports for 'that' night to reinforce evidence of the gusts.
• I am going to fight this as i am fed up with being compliant, complacent, crestfallen or even chary (yes, i have taken Walt disney's idea of the 4'cs and inverted them!)

How boring today has been spent shifting through the endless bricks to salvage the scaffolding poles, that was the easy bit that David and Waynne did. As for me, i get the most boring thankless job in the world, cleaning the bricks and palleting them. Aching back and fingers and David constructively says 'so where is the camera now to take photos of your busy bee' It was me muttering today ' I hate this...'

Character Building

Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four C s. They are curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy. No not my words but the words of -Walt Disney.
Do you think his barn had blown down? I'm becoming determined to make my dream come true, I have got to battle with red tape to enable a home to be built , I know a home is not bricks and mortar but a place where the heart is but it would be great for the kids 'normal' life.
Another thing i would like to get off my chest, why do people gloat on others misfortunes-if I had an enemy and their hse fell down, i would not laugh. I'm now going to reflect and embrace the words of the dare to be poem and Disneys 4 c's . Wouldn't the world be a better palce if everyone took an oath to Dare to be...!!

Dare To Be

When a new day begins, dare to smile gratefully.
When there is darkness, dare to be the first to shine a light.
When there is injustice, dare to be the first to condemn it.
When something seems difficult, dare to do it anyway.
When life seems to beat you down, dare to fight back.
When there seems to be no hope, dare to find some.
When you’re feeling tired, dare to keep going.
When times are tough, dare to be tougher.
When love hurts you, dare to love again.
When someone is hurting, dare to help them heal.
When another is lost, dare to help them find the way.
When a friend falls, dare to be the first to extend a hand.
When you cross paths with another, dare to make them smile.
When you feel great, dare to help someone else feel great, too.
When the day has ended, dare to feel as you’ve done your best.
Dare to be the best you can-At all times, Dare to be! By Steve Maraboli

The end ....?

Today began with a bang at 2:30-3:00 am and progressively became worse as the day went on.
Just as I originally thought our planning has now disintergrated along with the mortar that was holding the bricks in place.
After a meeting with Building control officers and Building inspectors, Building control returned to their offices and we awaited the decision .......can we continue'building' under the original planning application? Of course not...the reason? we had not supported the barn using the most appropriate best methods. !!!!!!!!!!!!
We had sought advice and tried, I resent garage dwelling and spending un necessary money the barn was my dream, why would we not have protected it properly?
I always find the positive side of any situation, there is always a reason...I can't, never have I lost heart, We comply, we try, we wanted to build a home...A home .
For the first time ever I'm putting my hands up and saying, you win- I give up

He huffed & he bloody puffed & blew my house down

I shall now rename the blog...'the downs of our barn conversion' I thought things were going too well:

• Steve (brickie) was coming back in 4 weeks
• David was going to lay the floor slab next week
• Steve (Building Inspector) was a wealth of knowledge and help
• I was beginning to make decisions

Now I have the pleasure of owning carnage. 1 wall /gable standing oh and about 10 bricks either side. A 3am gust brought my dream tumbling into a living nightmare. I say the girls bedroom looks like a bomb has gone off- well my barn conversion does.

What does this mean? Well, as our luck goes it probably means that planning will be revoked and we are houseless for ever...i suppose that is not entirely true we have the pleasure of garage dwelling, however, that was only 'sufferable' when i had a future dream.....

Oh no photo cos my camera batteries died too!! I can't even look at it without crying...all that work, money, waiting...the wind is still gusting now, hasn't it done enough damage?

Winds and decisions

High winds were forecast so yesterday was spent scaffolding the 2 A frames and the East wall.
Not the most lady like of jobs...but needs must! The winds came and went and so do my ideas!

I have decided that insulation insulation insulation is the key to a warm home, so thermalite blocks and kingspan in the floor and perhaps in the south gable to bring up the uv values.

I feel that solar slates can meet our DHW demands and i am going to look at a log burner with a boiler for winter space heating and DHW.

Red sandstone window ledges I think!

Even Harold Wilson said...

'He who rejects change is the architect of decay...' I must quote this to our building inspector and David, they keep suggesting that it is time I stop changing the plans! I was thinking about having an internal wall ( the gable in the lounge) in face brick! To save on painting in the future as it is 2 floor high- Which of course has the depleating effect on the U values, there must be a way of offsetting this,I am sure Mr Kingspan could help, I will not mention the cost to David, or I could leave the receipt in the same pile as the Kelsa light bar reciept!! I feel some research coming on...People are so patient with me, it's a good job really

The clouds are moving

As i have said earlier( i think). Goggle is great but too much info becomes very confusing...thermal stores, khw, controllers, zones, How confusing! But Mark Brinkleys site has blown away the clouds, well, for today anyway. I am now thinking 'no ground source heat pump but solar slates, Eco Cat thermal store and wood burner...' we will see. I'll probably be back to an oil fired boiler tomorrow!

A house!

I really am 'fickle' sorry moles you are no longer my favourite bees...Steve has been on site for 1 day and already I have a house, ok slight exageration but Steve builds with real bricks faster than I can with lego! However, he's brought along with him more decisions, what style lintels? brick work? etc etc. But I do like the fact that he does not 'sit on the fence' singing the 'it's your choice' recital.

Employee of the month

I would like to show the web the relaxed working conditions at our site..........................................................

Furthermore, the dda happus environment we create...Service with a smile!

These bloomin' gates!

which ones?

• Ball in sandstone or


• cast iron flats or


• sandstone flats?

vote on the right...

Trade accounts

I am a loyal person (well so David and my friends hope). However when it comes to buying materials and dreaming about a great kitchen, the pennies matter. My build store account is now up and running apart from Jewsons, which unfortunately they are running rings around the other trade accounts. So the very nice man in Jewsons is allowing me the build store prices....what do pennies make? A day on the phone today has saved me £58.97.....

BuildStore

Clay clay and moles!

I do actually feel fairly sorry for David and Nipper like 2 little moles burrowing through the tonnes and tonnes of clay. We (being the royal we of course) are lowering the floor levels in the main barn so that we do not have to live like 'the borrowers'- 45 tonnes later we should be finished...that is after David did some alterations to the lintel above the door

High lights:

At last our deputy site manager and our Chief Electrical engineer attended site today fine combing the plans and helping David practice his weekly moto' thou shalt defero' (communicate)

The gate house!

Blonde!

I had a blonde moment well so David thought- I booked the building inspector for this morning, so that meant the foundations had to be finished!! But i wasn't meant to as my bees were not going to do them today opps!


I am begining to wonder if David is building a gate house not pillars for our gates! Pheww it is harder doing the pillars than buiilding the house. I am going to have to confer with him on size, our perceptions are quite different. Just look at the photos I only wanted small !


Highlight


My grandad and Simba his 'bounty' dog ( named as he is black on the outside and very blonde inside) came to visit today, just as the last of the concrete was being poured.


Simba decided to dive into the 600mm deep slop...Wayne became chief life guard and hauled the sinking 'Bounty' dog out and got bitten as a thank you. What were the other bees doing? Rolling about laughing...

Foundations finished

Todays weather has blessed us with no frost or ice this morning, bitterley it has been replaced by a good gusty wind.

It is hard not to sound stroppy when your voice is needing to bellow above the growling of the JCB, Dumper and Wind. So I am learning now to smile as I shout!

Highlights of today:

1 argument about the difference between a mans perception of an inch and mine!

All foundations in and ready for the blocks.


Angel stuck on the top of the barn!

France v's Wales

We have some friends across the channel who are also renovating. Just look...where am I going wrong? His cat is at ground level and talking about the ground his does not resemble a clay pit!! The next one we do is in France.

Ps. Note the beer bottle, i hope he has dust in it!! Only joking John!

Decisions Decisions...

I've been thinking, there must be more sociable and modern ways of reducing our carbon footprint and being planet friendly, than taking the light bulbs out and boycotting supermarkets. David and the girls are a little fed up of being in the dark with no 'food'!. So i'm considering ground source heat pump and solar panels for the hot water. The solar panels can be quite ugly but then again so is a world without trees, so i really must think green!

The Ground source heat pumps will take about 5 yrs to re-coup the costs but there is so much mixed info- Google just does not help! So my My bed time reading IS REALLY BECOMING EXCITING 'The Green Self Build'

click on the green books icon for website to buy.

Foundations

Now my little nest has begun, Freezing temperatures but...

the site is full of little bees today and i do feel like Queen Bee! That is until David raises his voice and says " there are too many bloody chiefs here and not enough Indians" Oh dear -he has missed my fluttering wings and mistaken me for someone running round with a feather in their hair!

I think I am one of the only calm bees here today, oh Nipper and Robbie but they always are! Poor David- working alongside his Dad, who has adult hyperactivity disorder and me who is bleating about Pythagoras and his square foundations he runs to the quiet comfort of the mini digger and mutters" just tell me where to dig" So that i did,

I only have myself to blame when the finished shape resembles a polygram not a neat rectangle...i will pretend it was the 'contemporary sleek shape' that I sought!

The afternoon warmed up so we ordered the concrete and the clay holes in the ground now look like foundations.

The bad news for today is that along with the delivery of my Australian railway sleepers, which will enable me to grow gold platted lettuce to recoup the cost and the concrete I have managed to spend 4 figures without even entering a shop!

prepare

More cleaning of the bricks (these will be used elsewhere) and preparation as

we took the gable down -as it will not be in the finished barn as we are going for an open plan design, I do think this is probably as a result of our living accomodation over the past 1/2 a century.

Yes! we have started

I do believe in patience being a virtue but after 6 years of caravan dwelling and 'upmarket' garage living, i do not feel very virtuous and a hut on the beach in Thailand with no planning applications or waiting was beckoning. With my wings fluttering or should I say flapping David made some phone calls and the cavalery arrived. 28th Jan 2008 the barns birthday. Brick cleaning, part roof removal. A dwelling is on the horizon!

Plans

I thought it would be a good idea to include a copy of my plans, then it becomes a little clearer. I will have to work out how to rotate the picture, until then try to think of it as neck exercises...and tilt...

Look after the pennies...

If i can save 1p a block it may not sound much but by the end of the build that will equate to £400, which will mean a great kitchen. The difference is prices between the merchants is amazing. I'm going to open a build store account to give me even more discounts....