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Hmmmm. Why ceiling? Not the best way to hear stereo, plus, when the ceiling speaker is kapput the replacement probably won’t fit the hole. Personal choice obviously but there are some amazing shelf mounted wireless speakers that will link room to room and blow your socks off with the sonic quality. And when they die, just plug a replacement in.

Agree. This is what builders and warranty providers use as a tactic to deny, delay and then defend. They know that often a domestic householder has limited funds. My approach runs in parallel. You do have to stick to the contract.. but you can at the same time introduce my approach. It works more often than not. As soon as you work it round to a safety arguement they often cave in.. the onus is then on them to prove otherwise as they have deviated from the design. For a builder or an Architect to answer some of my basic questions can be very diffcult, expensive and time consuming. My approach is to avoid this, you shift the battle ground.

We saw some lithe audio bluetooth ceiling speaker at a homebuilding show. Looked very good, seem to get good reviews but I'm sure there must be some AV geeks in this forum who can provide comment. Purpose: Stream music (bluetooth or wifi) into the kitchen dining room area Ceiling height 3m Area = 50sqm Looking at two speakers that could be configured (I hope) to operate in stereo

Just to add to this, re-read the contract from both your position and then from the perspective of your architect and builder - have they followed the process as to their responsibilities. Knowing it inside out from all stakeholder perspectives is key to setting the conditions for you to be in a strong position to negotiate. (Don't assume they know the detail themselves, even if they behave as though they do)

All too common among weak and corrupt circles. Even getting genuine quotes in by a deadline ( at great cost to the contractors) opening them then telling their mate the price. I had a boss once who i'm sure only got work this way as schmoozing was his only skill. I didn't stay long.

@Nickfromwales I'll give the flexi adhesive a go this weekend, only needs to be a few mm thick then so should dry quick. Get all the closers cut ready, and fit them with a bit of hybrid polymer and if needed some twist nails. I was looking at some soudal tape 200mm, they do two types. One has a self adhesive window strip side, then a peel off butyl side on the masonry edge. The extra tape is the same, but then the full area between the two strips is also a peel off adhesive strip. Not ure if this will make it easier or harder to apply for a full 4 sided opening in one go. I need a decent upstairs ceiling membrane too. I was asvused to use ampatex db90 with siga fentrim 50/85 (£85 quid is steep) because its prefolded and saves tons of tkme. Do the full upstairs before the stud walls go up so its only the perimeter edge to tape up.

The contract will include processes for valuations and disputes. You must follow this. The next stage will be you asking them to justify their requests for extras. You also state that there are quality issues, if there are. Then it gets expensive for both parties. There are specialist claims surveyors who work for you in presenting a reasoned and costed claim. The other side may do the same. Then layers and adjudicators get involved. If you're talking 20k dispute then it may be worth it. If the architect feels at risk they may take one side of thd other....again wrongly. Diy isn't likely to work. Anyway have a read up of the contract. And tot up the approx level of monies involved.

Milwauke Surge - 12V and 18V varients. The 12V surge is my go to, much quieter and still packs a punch. https://www.powertoolmate.co.uk/power-tools/milwaukee/cordless-impact-drivers/milwaukee-m12fqid-0-12v-m12-fuel-sub-compact-surge-hydraulic-impact-driver-bare-.htm

I'll have a look whats delivered tomorrow, theyre all dkfferent. If theres an outer wing too, i can cut it off or it will be hidden between the frame and brick anyways.

This is not uncommon. Many designers have a list of builders that they trust to play fair. I have such a list. When I pitch for a design job I tell Clients I have a list of builders that may be suitable. I insist that they also get prices independantly and this avoids a later accusation of a conflict of interest. It also keeps my list of builders on their toes as they know I do this. I clearly state that I have no financial or otherwise interest in the builders on my list. This should be basic common business sense to any professional! Maybe the Archictect and builder developed a relationship after your job had started? This does happen, it's corruption plain and simple. But I can tell you that in my 40 years of doing this job I've only met one that was totally corrupt.. and he went to jail. 99 % of professionals are not like this. But many make mistakes, drop the ball, we are all human after all. Then their biggest mistake is not to own up early on, admit your error, deal with it.. if not very quickly things can get out of hand. Some designers may think.. well it's only a domestic job.. big mistake! You only have to look at the range of skills BH members have, yes they may be learning about building but many will pull your trousers down if you try and have a laugh with them. Here it gets complex as we need to look at the role that the Contract administrator plays. On a large contract they have a QS in support, who does the valuation of the staged payments. But on a small domestic project this is not often the case. Rather than referring to your Architect, I'll just say your designer. They will have a wide range of experience and depth of experience. To make progress we need to go back in time. Traditionally we would have a Clerk of works. Most often these were highly experienced trades folk.. seen it all. They were on site nearly every day and nothing got passed or covered up until they gave the ok. The contract administrator can in this day and age be expected to excercise "reasonable skill and care" and this is based on what they can see if they visit the site. If the builder has covered stuff up then this can be a clear issue for example. This maybe explains your expectation with your designers take on it. To add a bit of further context. I hold insurance to act as a Contract Administrator.. but my policy specifically excludes any Clerk of works function, as I would have to be basically standing over folk on site.. and there is a fee attached to that. If you refuse payment at the moment you must make sure you are not in breach of contract. It sounds perverse.. you have been wronged! But just check.. I hope I'm wrong! There is another way of maybe skinning this cat. Valuing work cost is a bit abstract. Even more abstract can be at times who decides and what is a bodge / unsatisfactory workmanship? The objective is to run up the clock to your contractor while introducing risk they have not forseen. You make their life hard! Here are some things I do: 1/ Contractor.. have you swapped any materials / changed the method of construction from what was shown on the drawings? Just write this and get a response.. then ask later if they admit to this... If so, can you show us where we approved that as we would have reasonable expected you to make us aware of the knock on effects. As soon as the builder does this then they are taking on a designer role and are now responsible for the design! Don't forget that you are a domestic Client and have an element of protection under the consumer act and CDM regs. Now even if they have changed insulation or air tight details that can put the structure at risk. You force them to prove that what they have changed or ommitted is still ok. By doing so you can shift the battle to your own ground. 2/ We are noticing movement / distortion in the finishes. Can you explain why we are observing this. It's on the face of it an open question.. but if they don't answer! The objective here is to turn a money problem into a building safety risk..condensation can impact on the structure for example and when you do that you often have them on the back foot. That's my take so far.. If you post some photos then I bet @ETC will bring his decades of experience to the problem! Then others will chip in! The question is.. Are you happy to walk away just now and call it a day or do you want to chase some form of refund?

I used to use my combi drills for driving screws but they both would have been burnt out months ago on this build. Using my impie today I found my hand getting uncomfortably hot with the hot air, so I think even my impie is on its limit. Mind you, at £40 it’s paid for itself many times over.

Something part threaded like these will drive in without a pilot hole and pull tight.

I need to look at the Agile tariffs to help once I get it settled down and have the full BMS integration details. As it is I only have the read codes for the Modbus link. So although I can turn it on and off using the call for heat contact I cannot switch modes to DHW other than at the controller itself so not much good for the agile tariffs.

I did a block plinth several years ago. Used sharp sand and cement with a load of water proofer in the mix. Used a sponge to finish it off. Quite enjoyed it to be honest. painted it black when dry. It lasted at least 10 years, till i sold the place. The old PVC ain't cheap, and you can see ripples if the chucked up blockwork is a bit iffy.

I stuck PVC to brick with the above about 15 years ago. Still there.

Might be less work than you think. 2 plasterers did ours (48m) in about an hour and a half.

Nicely done. I wonder who could have done that. (Mk4 mondeo Titanium btw?

How much is it to add to the build? we’ve just finished doing it ourselves. Probably overkill because we are planning on aerobarrier as well… but it’s one thing that wasn’t expensive in materials but was time consuming. Soudatight membrane with fleece over all cavity closing joints and then airtight tape on window to cavity junction.

I don't think so, but there may well be some confusion over terminology. Used to use an impact driver for undoing stubborn screws and bolts, they could be revered to tighten up as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_driver Then a hammer drill, also know as percussion drill or impact drill. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammer_drill So I may well be wrong, but ours at work have this torque increasing mechanism, based on a hammer and anvil. I always think of a 'hammer drill' as something that just vibrates the drill bit up and down as it rotates, but does not increase torque. As I mentioned earlier, it is based on this physics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerk_(physics)

Sticks like shit, is very good IMO

@Nickfromwales @Onoff any particular prep you can remember? Dust it all off and use something particularly sticky I assume?

Paint it black.

Can we see some of the problems…..? Also….complain to ARB and RIBA…..

I have worked directly for clients over the years who have used an architect, and the architect has appointed the main contractor. The architect only puts the job out to his pals, who look after him at crimbo, for tender. It has never ended well. Years ago, i had a friend who was One of the Architects mates. He used to get told, you are not getting this job, so i need your quote to be this. he would sometimes be no1, other times not. The architect defo used to get well looked after by his favoured contractors. (The only Ones he ever went out to tender) Just saying.........

@SteamyTea are you confusing impact drills and impact drivers?