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Does anyone have any suggested companies for existing house insurance when doing a backfill self-build please? We are shortly going to start work on a self-build bungalow in the back garden - I'm getting/have quotes for site/self-build insurance (Buildcare/Howdens/Protek) but when looking round to renew the existing house buildings and contents insurance all the providers I've found so far have a limit on the value of the building work that can happen under their policy (ranges from £30-75k) - maybe ok for an extension but not for a detached bungalow! Any suggestions appreciated.

The pumped screed we have used is cementitious but has lots of additives so my opinion (no research) curl is not a thing. If using a cement and sand screed by old fashioned tamping and trowelling, the water content is very low so much the same applies. With structural quality concrete I've never seen curl either, in some hundreds of buildings. I guess the mesh or fibres help somewhat but again I've never heard of it being a thing. Anybody's other experiences would be be interesting. Can do no harm and may do a lot of good. Would you mind reporting back on how much condensation is there tomorrow?

IMHO it’s 6 foot without planning.

I was recommended a screed company, I was told they are absolutely shit hot, I met the main man and he knew what he was talking about, I asked about screed curl at the edges and covering the screed to slow down evaporation. he said it wasn’t necessary. so I did some more reading and asked a few questions. they did the screed, an hour after they had gone I hosed it down with a very fine mist spray, I then covered it in polythene and also covered all the windows to stop the sunlight coming in. the result is I have the flattest most level screed I’ve ever seen. you need to satisfy yourself how it should be done, and any short comings in your opinion you need to make up. buy the polythene and install it yourself or do you due diligence and insist on a curing agent. if you think they are good why do they not want to cover it ?

Hi All, I have a funny setup with a new build towards the bottom and the side of my garden. There is a retaining wall between them and us, and their 'garden' sits substantially lower than our garden. We have completely lost any privacy in that lower part of our garden since the new house, and I want to increase the height of the fence. What is the maximum height I can make my fence (considering their garden is about 5 feet lower)? Bear in mind that the gardens run roughly north to south, so the sun will be blocked from their garden even more for most of the afternoon by any height increase (which I'm sure they will complain about). TIA

Who cares, you’re not going to stand on them contemplating. you run up and down going from a to b.

Couldn't agree more. Doesn't matter industry you are in. Definitely not a necessary unless one side or the other is an arse or full of their own self importance (maybe the same thing). Had one designer that wouldn't entertain any input from me (not really the designer but his boss), so the company got sacked on the spot very early in the design process. Design is a two way process, it may look pretty if it can't be built easily it's a rubbish design by a poor designer. But back to the slab, your structural design should detail rebar and concrete specification fully. If it doesn't it should. Scottish system makes this all blissfully easy, structural design not completed - no building warrant - no permission to build. Curing agent or not depends on few things, such as outside temperature, so in winter in Scotland is completely different from summer in England. Get advise from your structural engineer, as they should be giving you the structural design certificate.

Not necessary. I've been both. Sometimes in one camp or the other. Mostly doing both together Turn friction into bouncing off and it is very satisfying and productive. Good designers and good makers who can accept suggestions will flourish. If there is friction then it's not for long / only once.

Wot he said ^. It requires a skilled fitter, it's definitely not something I would try, nor would I want the assistant doing the job.

On a new build - I doubt it. Our max flow temp is only 28 at -9. So well below body temp, actual floor temp a few degs above room temperature so even cooler. Even without the previous how long will you be spending walking on the steps. If well insulated they will be close to room temperature?

Ah, the ever present and necessary friction between designer and maker, between design engineer and manufacturing engineer, between architect and builder, between fashion designer and seamstress/tailor. I did have architect, SE, and builder all in disagreement over insulating my abnormal corner. Chippy came in, said I can do that in PIR that is tighter than 1960's hot pants, and did - 4 weeks of debate over with. We all curse each other, we all need each other.

My main worry is that the steps would feel colder than the adjacent floors. You don't think they will?

I think I have entered a new twilight zone now. Maybe time for Nurse Ratched with medication. So now we have more boxes on site and I have looked over 4 boxes or 108 planks it becomes apparent that this is not throwing up any further 'image space'. It seems as though there is really quite limited unique wood grain image area equivalent to maybe 12-14 ish 102 by 914 planks - or maybe 1 to 1.5 sqm. These have then been cut at different start/finish points on the image so they are offset length wise, and/or reversed in direction. When you try and lay these out by eye you really have not got a great deal of choice to work with. It is all but impossible to avoid repeated features within a meter or so of any point. Dry laying can only achieve so much given the limitations of what there is to work with.

It’s only the internal that needs to be airtight, the external only needs to be weathertight. Also, it’s prudent to have the pipes fall to outside, vs be laying flat (or worse, accidentally falling to inside), a good general rule of thumb for possible ingress of rainwater. I would break the pipe insulation where they become exposed outside the frame, and weather-tighten there, then change to the higher spec UV resistant Armaflex insulation, setting that in to a generous ring of CT1. Wrap that exterior insulation with duct tape, where the renderer will be striking it, to keep it in good order. Once rendered, cut the insulation to leave 30mm or so remaining, complete the plumbing, and dress the UV res insulation back to that.

Amtico/Karndean is a devil to lay properly. I've only ever laid about 5sqm in a campervan and that was enough for me. Also if you are using different patterns then you may find the planks/edging etc are different thicknesses (sometimes by as much as 2mm - enough to feel underfoot) - they do seem to vary a lot and not every pattern or edging will match and be compatible with each other. I think the lad is quite right to just say that he can't do the job and walk away. It's really quite skilled. I found that it was nearly impossible to stop a very small amount of glue pushing up between the planks and causing a slight gap, which when repeated enough can throw the whole thing out of whack. I'd ditch Mr Bodgit and start looking for a specialised Karndean/Amtico flooring fitter.

Pro Clima are good, and the Tescon tape they are based on is good for UV exposure for ...I cannot remember how long (a good period). What are the external grommets being applied to? A final render board before rendering (in which case I feel you'd need a std grommet with another layer of 'render-on' tape over) or ply/OSB on the 'outside' facing a final cavity between the OSB/ply and the render board? If the latter I think a Tescon-based grommet should be fine. Ecological Building Systems are, i think, still the importer. Why not try them?

Just about to get some tile adhesive instead, sure it'll be stickier! I'll SBR the boards as well when I'm back in. No biggy, learning curve innit, appreciate all the help.

SBR or acrylic primer on the dry boards is best practice. Leave to dry before installing. Yes, I could have said sooner, I just have way too many plates spinning atm, sorry!

I would divert around the steps completely - they do not need UFH. So first image with stairs going up to next floor, take pipes along and down wall then transition to floor, behind the stairs. Other bit again do the transition via the wall not the steps.

Even with a ‘decent’ architect, I think you’d remain about as disappointed as you currently are, but have a lot less money left to patch your wounds with. That’s my opinion; it’s based on real life, direct, factual, events and experiences where ‘top shelf’ architects with stunning websites / portfolios couldn’t hang a fecking shelf.

These are the steps I'm building. This is the arrangement from the Entrance Hall to the Kitchen/Dining Room. It will be fully insulated and hopefully shuttered and screeded all in one with the main floor areas. I would like to pass the pipe through each step. This is the finished look... From the Kitchen/Dining Room to the Living Room I have this arrangement... That's going to be a 150mm high plinth step. There will be a second uninsulated (hardwood) step, then the living room floor. The Nudura face can be battened and boarded over to give a void for the UFH pipes, some pipe slack can be accommodated there. This is the approximate look desired there... Any feedback on running the pipes through these transitions is greatly appreciated. The steps are pretty hefty and solid.

It's a ramp. So either tamp then float smooth, or deliberately tamp with grooves down the slope. The latter looks rugged and is slip resistant, but gathers muck. But the former only looks imperfect when you are on your knees doing it, and nobody else will look.

Not really correct - we have a fail and you go to the same place in the design rules if it's a fail for too fast or too slow. So the same design would be applicable to yourself also. Ours effectively sits on a thick layer of gravel, tops with more gravel. Suspect as you say disappearing pretty quickly. But our layout (due to elevation changes) has a limit switch operated out flow tank (with pump) from the treatment vessel. So around 500L is pumped at any time, then most likely off for a few days.

And adding number 3 to this! When I went to remove the spacers between the boards they just came straight off... The boards just didn't take to the knauff plasterboard adhesive. I guess I'll go tile adhesive and try again.

Thanks @saveasteading that was my exact thought process as well. I can then lap up the DPM on the inside of the inner leaf which can then potentially be placed under the bottom seal rail of the garage door. This will stop damp from being able to make it's way through into the garage. I always that that whilst taking the slab and mesh through the opening gives a solid base for vehicles going into the garage, the top will be exposed to the elements and if you have a garage door that sits behind the inner leaf, you have a visible 350mm slab of concrete that if not finished well when poured will look a bit naff.