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Melton Mowbray BS I'm a contractor too and they've been superb - can't rate them highly enough

They hold open and stay in position just fine.

Looks like the Spanish/Portuguese imported direct system have risen above the parapet again................ Last time a couple of companies tried importing these, they got into hot water with the MCS, and had they approval withdrawn. In essence, they are just an ASHP, with no fan on the external evaporator, and with that evaporator formed as a flat plate, rather than an air-blown finned array. The interesting thing is that a lot were sold in Ireland a few years ago, and the owners were pleased with them. I wanted to fit a double panel unit as our hot water system, with the panels mounted on the East wall. I went down to Southampton to see the importer, who had a demo system running, and it was pretty impressive looking. The really big show stopper is that there was zero technical data. Not even the manufacturer (in Portugal) could provide really basic info on COP. In theory, the efficiency should be higher at high DHW temperatures, because of the direct exchange between the refrigerant and the DHW, but the manufacturers were really cagey about letting me have any data. In the end, the two companies I spoke with both dropped the product, and refused to supply it to the UK market, just because they couldn't get data from the manufacturer. This was the last email I had about these "thermodynamic" systems, back in March 2013:

It's the total extract from the room at boost that needs to be met for Part F, table 5.1a, so as long as the sum of both extracts exceeds the minimum (13 l/s for a kitchen) then you're fine. In practice, I've found that turning the trickle ventilation rate down to well below the whole house rate in the regs (the 0.3l/s/m² rule) seems fine, as long as you can boost the system up when needed to clear steamy bathrooms, cooking smells etc.

Hello experts! A question on project management and VAT. I am 90% through a new build house and have engaged a project manager as I am working abroad. We initially were looking at a Design and build contract with a main contractor overseen by our project manager. On the PM’s advice we understood we would not be liable to VAT on her fees. Having received tenders from a number of builders we went with a JCT prime cost plus contract. 12 months into the 18 month project our PM announces that because we had moved from a Design and Build contract to a cost plus then she had to charge VAT on all her fees. Is this correct? Why can you zero rate VAT for PM fees on a design and build contract and not on a cost plus contract. Any advice would be most welcome. Thanks WDF

I've been using Lumberjack by Everbuild. Smells like you'd expect this sort of stuff to.

I use Sika Universal as it covers a multitude of different products in one - easy to spray on too with a cheap garden sprayer.

That's a great site, thanks.

The great architectural critic Ian Nairn coined the memorably ugly, but useful, expression SLOAP (Space Left-Over After Planning) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/architecture/9589588/A-fast-track-to-cities-in-full-bloom.html googled like a pro

The angle beads will be used to form all the corners, could be corners of walls or the window reveals. The bell casts will be used at the bottom of your wall to form an edge to throw the rain of. Stop beads are normally used when you change from plaster to another material like timber so will give you a clean straight edge. He could be intending to use them up against the window frame. You can also use them to form arches and corners that aren't 90 degrees. Expansion joints are used to try and prevent cracking on walls that are likely to settle and move.

@MikeSharp01, @Incipiens Mox: Unfortunately, Halifax only deal with Brokers and Financial profesionals for self-build mortgages according to their website. https://www.halifax.co.uk/mortgages/mortgage-information/property-types/ They use a company called "Halifax Intermediaries". https://www.halifax-intermediaries.co.uk/default.aspx 2 year fix. 5.64% interest rate for all customers. £1500 product fee. 75% LTV limited to 75% of the value of each stage. Ouch. (Note: take care to not to let us confuse your status as a "freelance Contractor" with "Contractor" who around here is often a company who develops or is employed to build houses. A small number of people here have built their houses or another if building two as a Contractor using a company set up for the purpose.) I think the way to expedite it may just be to get a different broker; I can see no reason for such a delay. Or alternatively perhaps a phone call to the Halifax side just to progress chase, tough they may refuse point blank to talk to the customer. On "reasonable", I do not see how Halifax would be persuaded to do something different to their normal procedure and terms. They decide what their market offer will be.I assume you have found the quite detailed information online. It may be worth a direct phone call to some of the other providers. If you are committed to a Passive House try Ecology. Buildstore(?) There are Top Ten lists for self-builders on the internet in newspapers etc.. Nottingham BS have told me that they try to be flexible - and they have seem to work from a quite local level. I think that alternative forms of finance (bridging loans etc) are unlikely to get close to the Halifax 5.64%. Business peer-to-peer type lending or normal peer-to-peer could be an option, but that is unlikely to get near the Halifax rate. This article discusses options, but does not address freelancers directly: https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/financing-renovation-extension/ Ferdinand

But what's the realism of having to dig up the drive as long as drawstrings are left in? For what reason would it need to be done? Gonna run an extra 2 or 3 ducts for electric cable/lighting/intercom for front gate Not overly keen on an external cupboard but certainly better than meter boxes!

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