Update on sofa bed - offer withdrawn

What about a charity shop collecting it from you? Saves you a job.

Yes if it still has the label that says it is fire retardant the British Heart Foundation will take it away for free for you, otherwise if you get the council to take it away, you will have to pay.

Sheila

Thanks, Sheila, but it's of 1975 vintage, before the fire retardant regulations came into existence.

Morning Andrew, that's a shame, but there are other people about that might take it off you. There is the Norfolk or Norwich Homemakers, I see their vans going around quite a bit.  They might take it off you. It helps get the homeless into bedsits/flats I do believe. Not sure if the Salvation Army will take it without the label, but you could ask. Otherwise it will have to be the council take it away. Shame to see it go into landfill.

Sheila

Dear Sheila,

MANY thanks for this, and I'll try to pursue your tips but I have already contacted City Saints (I think), a Christian action group working out of St Luke's and St Augustine's, New Catton, abs they declined the offer as soon as they heard of the lack of fire retardant label. 

I tell you for sure, it's dammed well NOT going into landfill. I'd rather rearrange my big, long garage - something I'm planning to do anyway, to keep it as seating and even emergency accommodation in Summer, as I think my garage would be warm enough to sleep in in good weather. It's Heal's of Tottenham Court Road - quality stuff, but in need of repair on the arms and along the top, but the upholsterers wanted £900 to do it!!!

Anyway, thanks once again, and best wishes.

Andrew

Evening Andrew,

Glad you are not going to put it in landfill. Good idea about converting your long garage (will you need planning permission??) Make it into a man cave, think that's what they are called.  Think you will have to put a window in, if it hasn't already got one. Sounds really cosy.

Good luck with that, enjoy.

Sheila 

It already has two side windows, and an end window, now "blocked off" by a built on potting shed. I would like to do something with it, if I had the money, which would involve dividing it up into 3 sections (it's long enough). 

A front one for a car (would need to be small - all built in 70's/early 80's when cars were narrower); a middle section, turned into a "room" by cladding it in some way, but probably not sufficient to  call it a conversion, where I'd have this sofa bed and two armchairs; finally, a far end section devoted to gardening and DIY (at both of which I'm hopeless, but must start to learn, since my darling gardener wife died in September).

Each of the sections would have illumination: car section, a lifting garage door; "room" section a window; gardening and DIY section a window AND a second over and up garage door.

It's a HUGE amount of work, as there's so much clutter in the garage, but I've yearned to do something with it for ages, but wasn't able to do so because I was caring for my increasingly disabled wife, who was for three years slowly dying of pulmonary fibrosis (solidifying of thr lungs). She'd actually been slowly developing at an accelerating pace for nearly 40 years, but which finally nearly killed her in 2013, leaving her almost bedridden.

Doing something now with house, garage, and most of all garden, is an act of homage to my darling, and the fulfilling of a promise - a vow - to her. So I'll CERTAINLY not put anything in landfill, when my wife was so keen on "reduce, reuse, recycle", and on being green. 

Anyway, thanks for your support and advice.

Regards, Andrew

Morning Andrew,

So sorry to hear of sad loss of your wife. It's never easy is it.

If I were you I would get a couple of quotes from some reliable builders for your vision of the "man Cave". As you say, it might have to be tanked out. Any clutter that you do not want you can off load to charity shops, depending of course on what the clutter is and if it is electrical. If you do have anything electrical, you can take this down to the tip at Mile Cross, IT WILL NOT GO TO LANDFILL, if it is not working, they try and repair, do up and then resell if it is possible. There is one place just of the All where they have what I call a Swap day, if you have anything you don't want, take it to them and there might be something there you want in return.  Just cannot think of the name!!  

Although you are not doing a conversion as such, you are not going to live in it! Just please check building regulations at the Council, as there are so many rules and I wouldn't want you to get into trouble.

Good luck with it,

Sheila

Thanks, Sheila for the info about electrical goods. It's all a dream at the moment, but if I had the money, I'd certainly ask Broadland DC planning to come and view, and tell me whether I needed to apply for Planning Permission, as there are two other projects I'd include - a small extension and a further loft conversion - both of which I believe could go through under "Permitted development", but I'd want to know.

Those would be pretty expensive, but the garage needn't by wildly expensive, so I might go ahead with that, once I've cleared and tidied it. But talking of builders, I'm not very happy with a very local, literally round the corner, handyman/builder from the Trusted Traders Directory, who came to assess some minor jobs in the house 4 weeks ago today, and despite 2 phone calls, still hasn't come back with a quote. Back to thr Directory to get someone else, I think!!

On my wife, no, it's not easy: we were together 46 years! From what you say, am I to assume you've been through something similar?

No need to answer, if you feel I'm intruding, and thanks for your help.

Regards, Andrew