Hi. I'm not a pro so clearly may be wrong but I thought using dark floors, combined with very light walls and a white ceiling was actually a design trick for making ceilings look higher. Having such a contrast of the dark and light tricks the eyes into making the walls seem higher. I've attached a pic of my basement which is a lot lower than your ceilings (ignore my lighting over the bar table as this is meant to be a no no with low ceilings. Mine were just so low I went with what I wanted but it does show the contrast in floor!). Combine this with other design tricks ie wall lighting, low furniture, floor to ceiling curtains, hang pictures high, full height doors etc. if in doubt, do follow One Plans advice and see your space with different flooring options so you can decide rather than making a costly mistake

Polished concrete floors, as the name suggests, are effectively poured concrete floors. Concrete that has been treated with a chemical densifier and ground to create a smooth polished surface. Stains and dyes can be applied to enhance polished concrete, giving it a wide aesthetic appeal in addition to a functional one. such floors will last a life time and are relatively easy to maintain and repair. Epoxy floors are made of epoxy resin that again is poured onto the existing screed and once cured are hard wearing and come in a variety of different colours and designs. Epoxy floors are somewhat more technical with better temperature and chemical resistance and are often used in commercial or industrial applications. in both cases you will need a team of professional installers that will also be able to guide you toward the best product for your home.

Thanks, so with an adjustable support pedestal is it right that the tiles wouldn’t actually be stuck down? They would just be rested on the pedestals? Assume that would allow for better drainage and also ease of maintenance to lift and sweep the roof below?

Hi Jonathan, Thanks for all your advise, as usual , worth it's weight in gold I am usually at home only on the weekend and as my day job is rather hectic, combined with an L5 slipped disc, will restrict what I could do physically to help out. I would rather divide the refurbishment jobs into those which are like A) ‘destruction’ or just ripping things out. Versus those which need B) re-construction or as you mentioned, the finishes. I would also divide the available tradesmen into A) Those with no reviews, who can start work at a short notice and are cheaper and B) Those who are expensive, have a web presence/reviews and would take 1-2 months to start a job Using your timeline which you gave me in August, I would list the jobs in the following chronological order Jobs A) to be done by a builder who has no reviews and can be available at a short notice 1) Strip out the house. I would strip out carpets, skirting boards, wall cladding, partition by the stairs, kitchen, unwanted curtains, internal doors and architrave, the fire hearth, I will need a gas engineer too to disconnect the fire and hob. 2)-- Dispose of all the stuff, using 6/7 skips. 3)General builder to take down the wall between the dining room and kitchen. As it’s a non-weight wearing wall, I would persist with my cheaper builder A? 4) My dining room and kitchen ceilings will probably come down at this stage?? Again, persist with my cheaper builder A?. 5) heating engineer and electrician to start rewiring and central heating. —I have shortlisted a couple of electricians, who have excellent reviews and could start work in 2-4 weeks. 6)Consider TV/broadband/alarm at this time for a tidier result—Will have to contact Sky 7) replacement windows and internal doors, will give this to the established builder B- Hopefully by this time, it will be like 4 weeks down the line and he should be available to start work 8) external repairs such as roof tiles and gutters- Again builder B. 9)/ additional insulation to the loft- Builder B 10/ plaster boarding where necessary, coving, plastering. - ** Here I have a query, do I give this job to the good builder? Or try and outsource it to another plasterer? Is plastering more difficult or important than painting? 12/electrician - ceiling lights, second fix sockets. 13/ joiner- new doors, architrave, bannisters, skirtings. If wood floor skirting to be fitted after. 14/ decorator - emulsion ceilings and walls, woodwork primed and finished with eggshell, external decorating as necessary. My tradesmen would do this 15/ floors fitted, radiators hung 16/ kitchen installation Plan to get the raw materials/ design from Wren and then get an independent kitchen fitter to fit it. Unless the independent kitchen comes up with a better alternative. Have emailed a couple Builder B, or the established one, to do all the works as mentioned in the survey, plus the RSJ on the padstone and the conservatory, along with a new roof. I probably leave the plastering to him, including the doors, carpets and new floors Does this sound like a plan? to recap It would leave at least 20-30K worth of jobs to be done by the main builder B I could get some no- interest loan from Wren for their kitchen Use the builder A for stripping and ripping things out, Tradesmen such as electrician and heating to do individual jobs Any advise would be much appreciated Regards Mel ps regarding the conservatory roof, switching over from a glass to an all year round. Do I have to get building reg permission prior to starting work? How long does it usually take? Also, if the original roof is removed, would it not leave the building exposed to rain etc, until the new roof is installed?