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Seriously.... Sikaflex, screw it on and be done with it ! You cannot see a 1mm deflection in a backing board, from memory they are made to 0.5mm tolerance anyway so it may not be 1mm....

I think your no doubt a lot more people skilled than I am HMP . The planner I spoke to who I believe is handling my case did at least seem down to earth and reasonable enough, not too stuffy and someone you could talk to. However, I'm not the kind of guy that can wangle favours from people with a slick tongue. With the neighbours I really prefer not to talk. I think I'm likely to do more damage to my chances than be at all beneficial. Odds are I would probably end up unintentionally winding them up, drawing attention to the situation and raising concern over my plans where otherwise they may not be bothered. I've spoken to the old chap one side when he happened to notice me on site, he seemed friendly enough but seemed to reserve any opinion other than on site history do I felt it best not to press (think he's a tenant at any rate). The guys the other side looked fairly old as well, didn't look the approachable type though. They didn't look the intellectual type and as such wouldn't bother objecting unless you approached and got into a conversation with them that didn't go well. The impression I got is that they might have a gut reaction to any sort of an approach and immediately be seen as a enemy/raise hostility. I generally see myself as usually quite decent at analysing the social environment around me even if I not that good in it. The impression I got of the area is that it seemed better to take it slow and steady as the folk around there seemed to be a bit guarded at first and being real full on in their face could be very counter-productive. You might well pull it off better but I am likely to make a mess of it, worsening my chances rather than assisting them, lol. My thoughts are that an application from a fairly anonymous individual here for me is likely be better than from someone they have met. If its from an anonymous somebody who they have not met they may be cautious about sticking there two peneth worth in an creating hostility/enemy of a potential future next door neighbour they do not know. If its someone they have met then they know who they are and if did not take to well are likely to follow through in viewing the application the same way. To be honest I really don't see what all this clap trap of jogging around and petitioning neighbours should have to do with building a building anyway, its a complete oddity to my mind like a kind of curious convention that should have a decade or more ago. Even on the planning application its got about whether you've approached your neighbours, who are they, view, etc (what if they viewed it bad its not going to help matters in which case better not to approach at all). I think the only time you should be really called upon to approach neighbours is if there is an obvious aspect that will affect their property/house. Other all this running around seems a lot of silliness that really shouldn't be brought into it. After all I'm trying to build a build on my land, not become personality of the year, if it doesn't affect them then its really none of there business. I guess I'll have to wait and see on this if this is the right approach but I'm thinking the less fuss I make the less fuss they will make.

I believe HerbJ has a Paul system, professionally installed - not that active on the forum but will probably respond to a PM. Many here have done it DIY, not that complicated in the grand scheme of things, most of the hard work is making allowances during building design for duct runs (both large and small diameter) and location of the unit. Many here have used BPC, an independent and very helpful supplier based in NI - I have a VentAxia Sentinel system from them that serves a near 400m2 house - self installed and seems to work (although not formally comissioned. Others have used more sophisticated units from Genevx with active heating and cooling functions.

Do you actually have a vodafone signal. We are shown as a strong 4G signal but my wife's phone does not work well indoors. I am o2 and get a cracking signal indoors. Both transmitters are the same place so it must be something to do with the Vodafone signal.

The whole place is that tidy believe me!

Thanks Nick, makes perfect sense now. So a shorter joint with some added support, rather than a long joint that lines us with the battens. It will be easier to handle two square bits as well, rather than two long skinny ones. (Confession time- I already broke one board yesterday when I thought I could balance it on my head and carry it up a stepladder. Note to self, no you cannot).

Ok, just squinted at the pic and your boarding vertically ( portrait ) so turn my last comment through 90 degrees and we're back in the zone With vaulted stuff I always board landscape so my brain was stuck in that mode ?? Change "lengthways" to "sideways" and see if that makes better sense

Cut across. Definitely.

Throw in Gibraltar and it's a deal!

Happy wife, happy life.

I should add, anyone whose thread about his bathroom extends to 27 pages isn't really in a position to complain about occasional off-topic detours!

Alexander Pope: My thoughts (not advice): 1 - 6k is not really a lot if you get into consultants and process. eg a QC is perhaps 3-5k for a start if they are representing you. The best way to get a cheap QC or legal bod who can go toe to toe on this is probably to marry one, or be very closely connected in the profession. 2 - There *may* be an arguable case, but it is possible you are the wrong side of the deadline.Or on what may currently be the wrong side of one of several different dates. But I think you are in the position of asking your former wife to return part of a divorce settlement because you think the law says you overpaid. As a Council I would respond with a polite version of "prove it, buster". 3. Bit more background: http://www.selfbuildportal.org.uk/sources-of-finance/7-information/301-cil-s106-exemptions https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/what-is-section-106/ 4. Were I to try and tackle this, the only way I would consider economic to attempt for 6k would be: a - A carefully argued letter to the Council, perhaps from a solicitor, arguing that the S106 was not applicable because Appeal Judgement etc. I might try and argue that since the money was obtained unlawfully (according to me), it is unlawful for the Council to spend it. b - Appeal, which is free. Deadline gone. c - A reapplication for planning would cost a chunk of the 6k and swallow time and elapsed time, though could potentially be done with the same documents. Could be elephant traps if you have started building. In conclusion, it may perhaps be worth a run around the houses to see where you are. Perhaps ask the free RICS Planning Advice service or ask a Planning Law blogger (Martin Goodall?) to do an article on the issue. IMO it will be an academic exercise, but perhaps you want to satisfy your curiosity. My opinion: In the absence of a clear legal justification and validity (which requires some homework), and a cheap way of enforcing it, this is probably not worth the candle .. short of a couple of long shots I have suggested. Take a punt if you wish, but remember to put your main effort into your house and life. But personally I think 5-6k or say a few % of build cost is quite reasonable to ask of self-builders as a community contribution. I will wish metallic-sodium-in-the-bath on Councils attempting to take the pee (hello Shropshire a couple of years ago) at say 10-25% of project value, but I do not think we should have a complete opt-out. Ferdinand

I was sure I put something about surprised looking cats and pencil sharpeners on this thread. Perhaps I didn't or didn't push the button or it evanished. Anyhoo. It does exist. *Edited* I think in the interests of forum decorum I may remove this later. Just in case someone is self-building a cat sanctuary. * Apparently the diamond brand is Twinkle Tush.

Yeah its a bit of a problem when the planners see the appropriate build one way and the developers another which I gather is often the case. The planners tend to be more conservative in the amount/scale that can be built and the developers often left wanting more. While some restraint needs to be exercised on some developers that are too excessive in making a quick buck and jamming in the builds I tend to get the impression that planners might be a little out of sync with present day economics, if they end up suggesting a too modest build then its just not worthwhile for the developer to make it feasible. I'm guessing you might have would the developer up in your case Jeremy, lol He probably thought you would come back with something near what he wanted then he would build it instead. I've no problem with adjusting a little where reasonable/possible but if its a planner who just wants to restrict you to building what they would like to see then its no good in my view. While the built environment needs to be safeguarded from monstrosities I also get the impression the that planners tend to have a rather meek view of everything being very unnoticeable, architecturally devoid and pedestrian looking.

I think your right Ferdinand, people can get very worked up/funny about development. Fortunately for me there are no trees on site. So I am blessed in this respect

@Tennentslager Correct. But you could have stopped at 1

@Onoff Dodgy place the internet when it comes to advice!...I couldnt work out if that video was supposed to be an official one from Aquapanel but it's definitely wrong regarding the screw depth. You'll see the correct method on Aquapanel's website. Quote: http://www.knauf.co.uk/technical-assistance/technical-faqs "The correct use of the correct type of fixings is vital to both the strength of the whole partition and to prevent future problems, such as cracking of the joints. Plasterboards should be fixed securely to all supports, using approved Drywall Screws, working from the centre of each board. Screws should be positioned not less than 10mm from the board edge, at 300mm centres - reducing to 200mm centres at external corners. Screw heads should be set in a ‘depression’, and the screw gun torque set so that neither the board paper or core are broken." I was involved recently with a high-rise project in london where we had to complete a job where the client was suing the contractor in a multi-million £ claim because they had over tightened the Aquapanel screws in dozens of bathrooms that were to be clad in marble. Part of our contract work was to replace all the Aquapanel. Because it was high-rise the building had to be able to cope with significant movement in high winds without anything falling off walls. At the top it moves about 400mm.

Just a quick heads up to those who need a warranty and are going via a broker - check the broker asks the right questions...! As background we purchased the Self Build Zone site insurance and warranty via a broker last year. All seemed fine - we are extending and converting a large double garage - until we tried to get the Building Control elements sorted. The BC company and the warranty company didn't seem to have the same scope as the conversion element was missing despite me being explicit about it and us having insured the existing building so it could be seen that there was something already there .... I've just spent nearly 2 weeks getting this resolved which included me having to write a report and take photos of the existing building, along with the significant risk that we may face a hike in both warranty premium and inspection costs. This was down to the broker not following the insurers process and not asking the right questions - even looking back on the statement of facts it's pretty clear it was "correct" but when you talk to the insurer direct you find there is a lot behind the quotes that needs to be considered. Some conversion and unusual build elements have to be technically checked by the insurers and this is only triggered if the brokers ask the right questions it seems. What has come out of it is that Self Build Zone (which is Sennocke Insurance behind it) do have some very good people and do understand warranties and insurance ..! They have resolved the issues - not without some challenges and a couple of additional terms - but the way it's been done has been professional throughout. I know they always say you find out how good people are when there is a problem - this is one of those cases ..! [As a note I have asked Sennocke for their direct contact details for anyone who is interested - and no, I'm getting nothing out of this other than not losing any more hair and one or two less sleepless nights ...]

We went with Buildzone and combined B Control & warranty. They use BBS as surveyors. We originally went with LABC but they didn't like passive slab foundations

Not heard of CRL, I ended up with Buildzone after getting a few quotes and reading the cover provided. The "top-tip" for saving money is to combine structural warranty with build control. The inspections overlap and, in my case, adding BC cost an extra £200ish instead of about £1k if bought separately. Buildzone have been fine to deal with as have their subcontracted inspector. I had to appeal some decisions and a remediation notice and, in the end, all was fine.