In addition to your list above we always thoroughly research and cost our projects so we don’t run out of money. Provide very detailed accurate drawings, make sure all materials & equipment are on site on time and checked for faults, all manufacturers’ installation details are provided and work quality checked at the start of works to ensure no misunderstandings or errors.

We will always be on site when equipment arrives & work commences as this is when most things need to be established eg work practices, problems and safety issues. A ‘Start as you mean to go on’ approach works well.

We tend to use new technologies quite a bit and some tradesmen tend to shy away from these but as we provide all the right information and detail then collaborate on how to tackle things we find our team are always up for the challenge.

Jo

Yes Douglas Fir is very durable too and similar in appearance to cedar. Plastic has it’s place (on suburban terraces for instance), but not on 400 year-old farmhouses!

We now have to consider whether to further extend into the unconverted part of our barn as we have permissions in place for an Annex (you may have seen my posts on Property Tribes) and this is giving us a bit of a dilemna – but a good one really. I quite like the idea of doing it, just need to justify it financially!

I agree about the timber conservatory. I insisted on my parents having one made by our Joiner who made the barn windows (Douglas fir) and it does look fabulous (although the slight movement of some of the wood has caused the odd minor leak – nothing insummountable)

Jo

Or how about “Don’t be a noisy neighbour!”

???

Being a considerate neighbour in the first place goes much further in building community – the onus shouldn’t be on the people being subjected to noise to put up and shut up.

If, and only if, your rental property is quite high-end (Pimlico definitely counts as high-end in my book) then it may be worth considering the extra expense of installing a wetroom on a wooden floor. As well as providing a fashionable and sleek bathroom they also allow extra uncluttered floorspace, and more head-height with no step-up into a shower tray. I believe Nick uses something called Unnatural Flooring on a Schluter Ditramat base. I have used the Ditramat and it worked – eventually. I haven’t used Unnatural Flooring so can’t vouch for it either way. I wouldn’t do it again myself, as I’d be concerned about maintenance problems down the line. With higher-end flats these maintenance issues, if they occur, might be covered by the funds achievable in extra rent. Maybe maintenance issues won’t occur. Only time will tell.

The main weak point is where the floor joins the walls at the edges. There are two problems. Wood floors will rot if wet, concrete won’t. Thermal and humidity changes will cause wood floors to expand and contract at vastly different rates to the walls, unlike concrete. This puts stress on the joint between floor and wall and that’s where leaks are most likely. So yes you can seal wooden floors with a flexible membrane against water penetration, but it is a comparatively long-winded and expensive process, and never quite inspires confidence in the way that ceramic or stone tiles on a solid concrete floor do.

There are also serious implications for anyone living below if the floor leaks.