On Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:39:27 +0100, a certain chimpanzee, "Dave
Plowman (News)" randomly hit the keyboard and
produced:

Well, converting existing cellars round here is the in thing. And even
then requires what is effectively underpinning. They don't have the height
required by modern regs. A neighbour had this done recently and the total
bill was 80 grand. Including a rather nice kitchen.

Around here, it's also the thing. But 'around here' is the ****ty
parts of a large Northern city, now inhabited by students. The
business model of the owners of the student houses (after removing all
the supporting structure from the roof void to squeeze a couple of
bedrooms up there) is to cram an extra couple of bedrooms into the
sub-floor void by digging down below the foundations, lay a concrete
slab on a notional amount of insulation on a damp-proof membrane, and
slap a thin coat of a waterproof render on the walls. Part of their
business model relies on a) hoping Building Control don't drive past,
and b) not speaking English when they do.
--
Hugo Nebula
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just how far from the pack have you strayed?"