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Did you replace the trim yourselves or get someone in? I haven’t tried pulling the strip out yet but I’m assuming it’s a cosmetic thing, rather than anything we need to tackle urgently. We’ve moved in, still loads to do - could have done without another job and more expense ☹️ Hoping it’s a simple fix…

Giving some welly on a pair of ordinary side cutters should cut that box. If you want to use a multi tool just slit and slide over a bit of 15mm copper pipe on the cable. Can't see why it'd be a problem to slot the holes as long as you use a grommet.

Rats chewed ours - not for long, but they'll chew anything

I would have expected the slope to drain outwards, no?

Supplied drawers are 29cm total depth (perhaps 30cm with small projecting thing at rear). So I would be wanting 32cm (or 33cm including rear projecting thing). Do you have a link @dpmiller? Do they only do 300mm or 350mm etc ? If so that would explain why my kitchen has come with 300mm drawers inside a 330mm internally carcase.

there's a choice of standard sizes

I’m so upset. Something is nibbling my window seals, my first guess was a mouse but not sure they’d be able to balance on the ‘ledge’. So maybe squirrels? I’ll get on to the window guys next week to see how we can fix it. Anyone got advice on stopping it happening again? I’ve done a search and the only google advice is spraying chilli spray on windows, not exactly a long term solution. Has this happened to any buildhubbers before? Any words of wisdom for me? Thanks

Be conscious that you can have existing leakage current that's below the trip threshold so the protection doesnt trip and it's only a very minor change in the fault, or a small additional fault, that cause the protection to trip. If it only happens with the unit warmer than usual then a breakdown of insulation within cabling/components is quite plausible but difficult to find!! Maybe start with close visual inspection of all the mains cabling and components for any build up of dust/dirt/moisture. If you've got access to working spares then you could try swapping out components but having a spares kit is a bit of a rarity. Therma Vs come up on ebay from time to time for peanuts so that maybe a source but you need to know and trust the reason they are being sold

Yes have found a small 'Blum' etched on them. Then seem to take a snap in cover piece with the kitchen brand name on. So can I buy identical replacements to any measurement from Blum, they are soft close using some gizmo on the runners ?

Just follow manufacturers instructions of chosen membrane. If you need additional belts and braces for airtightness, your primary airtightness measures need to be looked at.

Thanks. I think both cables are in plastic conduit. Nervous of using a multitool to cut the box as easy to slip and damage the cable. Can I buy Aviation snips, or some kind of nibbling tool to cut the box ? Also when I put the new one in, is it permissible to cut the front section out of one entry hole so that I can slide one cable in from the front of the box ?

Could be - but at least I am following the manufacturers recommendations so I should be able to have some comeback if it does not work. This is the drawing I will be following in spirit at least.

Can you share the link to it here please?

+1. Lots and lots of small gentle taps with a claw hammer, to turn the plaster to dust, and let it fall away as you gently follow the cable. Don't use a chisel, as that can damage the cable if it turns or isn't at the same depth etc.

Glad it was saved at some stage. I have tweaked many an architect's final design, countless times, and they often don't care much for my input as principal consultant / pro-rata consultant, as they feel they are far better qualified and I should essentially go mind my own business. Unfortunately for them, they soon realise I don't just go away. A good architect accepts challenges or interjection, a poor one barks and bites, but all of it goes towards getting the client the best possible home, built without compromise, and that should be any professionals focus when they have been paid good money by said client for this 'privilege'. FWIW, that architect, who was too far up her own arse to come to site, would have been binned at the start line. In terms of pain; before you abandon a standing seam roof, check with several membrane installers for issues caused by heat and cool (stretching and quilting) as the roof is a long run and that's not without it's own issues. None of us want to see you back here because that went tits up.

Agree - take the hit on making good and just knock out a bit more plaster/wall - then you'll be able to carefully feed the cable back as you tease the old box out. If its just a 40mm move, there'll be a sizeable bit of filling around the new box anyway.

So just to recap, no taping for cold roof but better to tape for warm roof?

Multitool with metal blade and cut each side of the cable into the grommet holes on either top or bottom whichever is easiest one cable out then the box will come out and the other cable will feed out. Or cut away more plaster and slowly tease and feed the cable backward into a U shape on the outer side of the box and pull slowly and gently try not to snag the cable and hope the rubber grommet protects against the sharp edges. There will be some making good required but that’s par for the course I’m afraid!

Probably lots more to come, scuttlebut on the street is that complex system coding with LLMs is not as effective a professional team almost no matter how much compute you apply the directional control takes vast amounts of work, the smells are far greater, the code is much more complex - longer and much harder to maintain and it looks like you are finding similar challenges.

That's all very true and we had all the best intentions out the outset of the project. It was never our intention to end up in this much pain. We instructed Architect #1 in December of 2021, by the February we had already become concerned about a difficult working relationship. Something there was really no way we could have spotted earlier. She was a handful, very opinionated but oddly never wanted to come to site. It's a tricky site, with level changes and lots of trees, which was all documented in the Topo, but what we didn't think to consider and neither did she (because she never came here) was the magnitude of trees in the neighbouring gardens that would be impactful on the design. When it dawned on me, I called it out and she played it down. I ended up having to fudge a "topo addendum" of sorts, plotting estimated tree positions and approximate heights from our garden. It was clear at this point that we weren't getting the service befitting of the fee we had agreed (£16,000 for Riba Stage 4a). We plodded on through the difficult relationship, with all concerns and queries getting played down and brushed aside. After a massive mistake in ground levels on the plans (the building was drawn 700mm too high out of the ground), we really were getting annoyed. Long story short, we had to call it. The attitude was unbearable, it was pushed myself and SWMBO into tension and that's something we will not tolerate. So, with planning permission in hand, we broke lose and initially felt liberated. However, it soon because obvious that we needed further details/drawings and I think we can all understand just how reluctant any professional is to take on someone else's work, and so began the turbulent journey of trying to get our remaining detailing done. We "interviewed" 5 Architects in choosing the one we went with, she had us thoroughly convinced, she truly seemed to get it, us and the site. How wrong we were. That was just the start of our problems, but I think most of it stems back to that. Having an Architect who is not truly on your team is, I think, the most fundamental "clunk" in a self-build journey. The guy this post is about was technically Architect #3. Architect #2 turned out to be almost as bad as Architect #1, but now we are back with the firm of Architect #2, but with Architect #4, a really good guy and he's been worth his weight in gold.

So I need to move an electrical box about 40mm to the right - see photo. The box is loose but how do I get it out without damaging the cables ?

Primary current client and I have been detailing all of these things intensively, for just over a year before the concrete went down; from the orientation of the new house, grounds / founds / superstructure, and everything from the interior architecture to the roof. Night and day difference in how other projects are run to this, with near zero stress or surprises; doing things in the 11th hour sucks, yields poor results, and causes stress / expense / delays. In this additional slack I have come up with many other ‘new’ ideas which would likely have never had a chance to materialise if issues were popping up weekly / monthly which consumed us all. The aforementioned roofers have brought all sorts of value to the project, including innovative (proven and approved) methods for bespoke flashings, how to detail gutters and facias, and more, including providing examples. They’ve also helped the client to detail the DIY roof prep-work ahead of their arrival. There’s plenty of good (and very good) people out there, but too many people leave this vetting and selection process until it’s too late to book these busy / good trades, and the low-hanging fruit as it’s often bad. Use the time you have before planning wisely folks!!!

Found it and ordered one.

Hmm. Is this not an (expensive) solution looking for a problem?

They travel. I’m contacting them for 2 of my current clients projects. I’ll PM you.