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Staircase has arrived and I have now fitted it. We used TKstairs and have been very pleased with the outcome We opted for oak with embedded glass and had it part assembled Although it was heavy the wife and i managed it without help. Glass will be fitted once treated. Everything fitted and they even send precut oak plugs to cover the dowels

Wet room floor for main bathroom finished. Some pictures: A bit more (not a lot more!!) on my blog at the usual address

Porcelain tiles 600 by 300mm No room for error. They were end of line sold off cheap at Topps. No spare black ones and only 1 spare white one. Yes I know I must have been mad. It was daughters idea to use black tiles in the shower area. These tiles were chosen partly by their size meant an integer number of tiles filled the shower area. Cut with a wet diamond wheel tile cutter. Marked out by laying the tile in place and drawing a line from the corner of the waste, to the corner of the shower former. Drawings lines you can see on a black tile was another challenge. Oh and this is the first time I have tiled a wet room shower. The tiles used for the "skirting" were the same tiles but a different batch code so not an exact match though they looked pretty damned close to me. I predict this bathroom will be finished before @Onoff finished his.

Well, at last we have finished our renovation and have had an offer that we have accepted. It took longer to get here than we ever thought, over 17months, but I think it was worth it. After Christmas and our little party, we had the estate agent in who had already sold one of the neighbours houses and before we knew it, the photographer was there and the next day it was online! we still had a few snags to sort out but we soon had those done, apart from the wooden mantle for the lounge fireplace, which we hadn't found yet. After a couple of weeks, we had a good offer and so we are now in the hands of the solicitors. I am hopeful to have it all completed by end of April. Our buyer was in the middle of selling her place to a first time buyer so I am keeping my fingers crossed that there are not too many problems. We did say we didn't want a chain, prefering a FTB or cash buyer. So here are a few of the photographs of our amazing house, together with the origonal shots, if I have them. The dining room. The lounge. Our lovely bathroom - Am very pleased with this The back bedroom. I am so proud of what we have acheived. it was our first big renovation and we had to take on many challenges that we had not done before. But apart from the builder (who did the structural work on the side gable wall and removed the wall between the kitchen and dining room) and the plasterers, we did the lot ourselves! Poor OH has still not recovered, although his knees are much better now that he is no longer crawling round the floor doing plumbing/electrics/boarding etc. Whenever I mention another nice place I have seen on Rightmove that needs renovating, he turns a strange colour of pale and goes to lie down. I think I shall have to wait for a little while before looking too seriously. I hope you have enjoyed sharing this experience/blog with us and maybe have learnt some things on the way; I know I certainly have. I shall be sad to see the house go - it has always felt a friendly /warm house, even in the middle of winter. But onwards and upwards! Maybe we will eventually find a plot and can build our own house or, if not, a renovation for us rather than for profit. And whatever, I shall make sure there is a blog on Buildhub! Cheers, The Mitchells.

You might wish to look at "Local Heroes" aligned to British Gas- I have used them twice recently for separate jobs - electrician and Plumber - Very good service. PW.

@lizzie, I am writing this from my flea-pit : I can see our build from here. And I worry - mostly needlessly - sometimes not. How close you are to the build makes no difference. You never stop worrying. Here, you are in good company The worry level is close to that felt when in order to get to sleep you need to hear the ever-so-soft click of the front door when the current teenager returns at an amusingly early hour.

I'm definitely no expert lol but do you need to have 2 doors into the kitchen? If you lost the single door it would give you more usable space in there.

What make are they ? Just sounds like the flush plates have been pressing on the actuator rods which push the flush mechanism. They're on threads so you just turn them in a turn or two and try again. A pic of the flush plate may help

Its the friction of the ash going up the plastic hose. You can get anti static hoses but they "earth" to the machine. You could ground yourself to something via a wrist strap maybe. Get enough of a charge and it could ignite the dust even if "cold". Dust fires in things like flour mills are horrific. I worked at a mill where all the conduit systems were pressurised (to keep the dust out).

I think if I had more than 1 beam to lift I would seriously look at hiring a genie lift again for a week. Approx £120 Inc vat. Cracking bits of kit.

@Declan52's idea... prop the standards with scaffold boards under the 'stars'

Agreed, and this would be worth emphasising to them. The onus is on RT to prove that the workers are genuine and you shouldn't have to go searching for that. A perfectly reasonable stance.

Why not buy a nice light ally tower and when you finish the build you can sell all the Kwickstage and keep the ally one for any maintenance you do in the future. Hurry up and get finished and I will have your kwickstage.

I would focus your energy and efforts on reaching some sort of agreement with Rail Track and get it all in writing. The word 'reasonable' that crops up a lot in the documents works both ways and you have a right to expect them to behave reasonably towards you, too. Fair enough if they need access to get work done, but not having regard to noise levels and essentially being anti-social would count heavily against them in respect of that. Before contacting Rail Track, decide what you want as the outcome of any agreement you get from them, as this makes it easier to have a focussed discussion with them and for them to understand exactly what you want. I wouldn't waste any time on arguing with the solicitors. Sadly, you will rarely get a black and white opinion on matters like this - their life's blood and livelihood depends on being able to argue a point, including why their mistakes were actually the fault of their client. We have a shared parking area on our plot, on which our neighbours have a right to park and access their homes, but our conveyancing solicitor completely missed this when we were going through the purchase. Fortunately, I spotted it and had a couple of useful amendments done, but many of them aren't as bright as they would like you to think that they are. Decide which fight is the most important to you, get as close as possible to the result that you want, then move on.

E-mail this address and ask for the procedure for subcontractors working on site StandardsManagement@networkrail.co.uk https://cdn.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Accessing-Network-Rail-Standards.pdf

Boom pump, had heck of a reach on it:

Agree Fb is by far the best

@RichS and @willbish The cost of the removal and the replacement works were borne completely by the company laying the slab. As I had video evidence of the work being done and the time taken they accepted liability and in that respect can't be faulted. There was some half hearted vibration work done but the concrete was going off before it could be laid properly. The cost cutting included not pumping and using a concrete supplier whose depot was too far away. The weather being quite warm didn't help matters. After ultra-sonic testing showed cavities, core samples were taken to verify the fact. After that there was nothing to do other than complete removal.

Agree ! It’s pot luck with these websites . I do exactly as Dave says I ask on fb - someone always knows someone ?

Here's mine during the pour. The DPM is over the bottom layer of EPS and up over the EPS upstand. If you pour directly into the ring beam then there is a risk of the liquid getting under the uncovered EPS and it floating "away", hence pouring on to the higher areas to weight it down and letting it gently flow into the ring beams. This is not an issue with self-compacting, it can happen with C35.

We discussed this a while back and the consensus was none of them were any good as almost without exception they bock bad reviews. As an electrician all my work comes from recommendations form satisfied customers, and many tell me they just ask n the likes of Facebook etc for a recommendation and my name often comes up. So if you "do" social media, try asking there.

1. They cannot remove a lock from your gate even if they have a right of access. Without a court order enforcing their rights that is criminal damage. I cannot believe they even suggested that they would do that in writing. Their or their lawyer's opinion on their right of access is worthless unless they can prove it in court. 2. It would probably depend on the exact wording of the deeds, but I would repeat that a right of access, including vehicular access, usually means a right to traverse a piece of land, not to park on it.That is not the normal definition of access unless it is specifically stated in the deeds. 3. They certainly do not have a right to park on your land or block your or your neighbour's access to your property. It is hard luck on them if there is nowhere for them to park unless they have been given specific rights to do so in the deeds. You can ask that they park somewhere else and walk. 4. I assumed that the vendor was Railtrack. Your solicitor should never have relied on an assurance from the vendor's solicitor if the vendor was not the person with the right of access as that assurance is basically worthless. 5. I would expect that their right of access can be conferred on their subcontractor. However, as they have told you that they don't have anyone working there then you are well within your rights to deny them access as Railtrack have removed their rights by denying their existence.

That had been done, so they all floated nicely together

Maybe a simple rope across your bit.

I always try and do an audit trail, and then try and find out all the companies procedures. Those contractors are being paid who pays them and keep going, if they have no id or work permits how do you know they have a right to be there. I have add major hassle with film crews breaking the law, no one would listen, found out all the correct procedures, laws and use Article 11 "Rights to protest and freedom of association" and how the Scottish Parliament encourages people to protest. Virtually overnight I was getting phone calls wanting to find a solution. Key points, I saturate all the parties with emails and always inform the police about my protests and make it into a "game" so my blood vessels do not explode. My rule is if I would not do it to other people, then I do not expect it done to me. I always remember @JSHarris phrase, "you are oiling the wheels" and I can assure you this unacceptable behavior is happening to other people, with you challenging them it will help others.

It's not the train operator who is responsible though (ie ScotRail etc), it's Network Rail (I've named them now ) so they'll say it's nothing to do with them, and actually ScotRail doesn't run trains down here, there are only Virgin and Cross Country trains on this line and it's not a majorly busy line relatively. I'm probably just feeling extra irritated by the letter they sent as I've been stuck here for almost a week due to the snow so am going stir crazy. It looks like it's finally starting to melt though so I might actually be able to get back to civilisation soon . The local FB site has been a joy this week with people accusing their neighbours of buying all the milk, and being greedy. One lady even wrote that iodine in milk exacerbates acne so 'think on oh greedy ones' . But in better news apparently one lane of the McDonalds drive thru is now open . Priorities ......

I would keep it locked and send that correspondence to their lawyers. If you keep it locked they are going to have to get a court order to enforce their access. I think you might find them a lot more willing to engage with the gate closed. I don't think you take much risk in doing this, although I am not a lawyer. I would also take it to another lawyer to clarify their reading of the access rights. It would probably entail paying a few hours fees. Even if they are not bound by the deeds they may be bound by the letter that they sent to your solicitor as that seems to put their intentions in writing. Your lawyer should have clarified what the actual deeds said, not what the other side said, however, I would think having put it in writing they are bound by it. Sadly I find this kind of thing typical of the poor service that many expensive professionals provide. If you have been badly advised you would have to claim against them which is going to be a pain. Even if they do have a right of access, access is quite clearly traversing the land, not parking there. That is not access.

@lizzie Fingers crossed it will all be ok. I had the same anxiety in the autumn when it was so wet & no windows or roof covering. I have found the house to be remarkably resilient. As you say it is the underside of the soffits that are not complete. Even if the snow was blowing horizontly it should have just hit the side of the building & you have really deep fascias. I know snow has blown into the cavities where our stonework is not finished and underneath the slates where the sides of the roof are not finished, waiting for the render to be completed. I am just hoping that we get a dry spell with a bit of a breeze to dry it all out soon. It is not being able to get to it to have a look that is really stressful and easy to imagine all sorts of things. Please try not to worry.

I don't think there is any limitation on the retirement of a solicitor as the liabilities then fall back to their professional body / insurance as it is a PI (like) issue IIRC so you could pursue them if you wished.

Pplus a few strategically placed large boulders or plants so they can't get onto your land?

Perhaps some LARGE notices, "Do NOT Park here" and "Please park HERE" might be all you need.

So this is Railtrack, or their appointed contractor accessing a railway line for maintenance work or similar. So of course they will be doing it at night when the trains are not running,. quite probably with a load of spotlights rigged up. If so hopefully this will be a relatively short lived thing. (unless this bit of track is being upgraded to form part of HS2 ) Have a POLITE word with the contractors and try to agree a place they can park that is not in the way of either house.

Could you go down the route of noise at night regulations with your local council. Unless what they are doing is an emergency repair to a pipe/cable then why is it not being done during the day.

No need to disagree @jamiehamy : yours is a sensible, measured approach. And, despite what Durisol claim @Luckylad (here's their claim they call bracing 'propping') you should take @jamiehamy's advice very seriously. Dursiol visited us post collapse, and in the absence of the builder (who refused to attend the meeting) suggested that the builder had 'gone too far'. Close questioning from my wife (citing the website reference to propping) elicited a patronising response from the Managing Director. He simply walked away and did not reply. It's a question of balance. A Dursiol-experienced project manager would be able to judge whether or not propping is necessary. I am told that many Durisol builds do not use props. I have no independent evidence for that claim. Given the company's pitch to self-builders relies heavily on that claim; the company should consider presenting clear evidence to support it. We made that point forcefully (and believe me it was forceful) at the time. I would use Durisol again, and I would try to save the expense of unnecessary propping. Until the company provides clearly evidenced reasoning why and why not self-builders should prop / shutter then it's a question of judgement. PS, there's a Durisol build this week in Lancaster: I'll do some polite research and get back to you (all)

5am Just about to set off upto the house for a days plasterboarding My hearts in my mouth each time I go up We are surrounded by trees and with gale force winds I exspect one to be on the house each time I go up As already stated It’s easy to think the worse More likelikely everything will be as you left it Like ours ⛄️

Stack ventilation Essentially it’s to the bottom of the cellar and goes out higher up in the property to allow the cellar to naturally ventilate.

New build was £108.00 using http://www.sapeasy.co.uk/#newbuild

Just to clarify, although I have quoted @ProDave my reply below is to @Ralph This is very true and I suspect has happened in my case. My husband and I planned what we thought would be a house for us to retire in later on so we weren't always as cost conscious as we might have been as we were building a house for us, not for profit. That wasn't a major issue to begin with as my husband wanted to do as much of the work as he could himself for the 'challenge' and self satisfaction, and it would help to keep the costs down. Unfortunately he got sick half way through and I then had to organise for random trades to come and do the remaining work on a piecemeal basis that cost much more than we had budgeted for, and it was all a bit of a nightmare at times. And now I'm on my own in a house that's far too large for me, and will be selling up at some point, possibly now at a loss although I may just avoid that. I'm not saying that this will happen in your case of course but you do have to plan for the unexpected. There will always be costs you don't plan for. I wish we had gone with the 'fixed price' quote we received early on from a builder recommended by our TF supplier that would have taken us to the end of the first fix. It would have meant that the house had been built much quicker, and in hindsight it may have been cheaper too given the events that followed later with my husband's health. And I wish we had scaled back on some of the non essentials now. Some of them are white elephants that I never use! So review your spec and review it again, and then again for good measure. Is there anything in there that isn't essential? Are there things you can retrofit easily later on when you see if you do actually need them? Are there things you are getting overly fixated about that cost more than their eventual value? If the cost of those things is holding you back can you force yourself to compromise so that you can actually break ground? Is holding onto the dream more important than getting on with things in the here and now? Have you had someone else look at your spec and critique it to see if there are certain factors keeping the costs high? Have you asked the builders who gave you quotes what they could suggest to bring the costs down? I don't have much experience of fixed price quotes in the building trade but I do a lot of contract work in my job, and the thing I have learned about fixed price work is that it needs to be based on a very clear outcome, with agreed sign off / quality criteria. There are fixed price quotes that just buy you a capped amount of time and materials effort which is not what you want. For the type of work I do we just go through the change control process if we need something to change post agreement and go cap in hand for more money. When it's your own money there will be a finite amount, and the only person you can go cap in hand to is you. So get a detailed spec in place that very clearly notes all of the things to be delivered, what is to be done / delivered, the materials to be used, what the end result should be and the sign off criteria. This should help to set full expectations on both sides and prevent endless arguments later over what the builder considers to be 'extra'. And ensure that they don't charge you vat either as you will not be able to reclaim it later. You can only reclaim vat for materials purchased in your own name. I wish you the best of luck with your build.

Another quick update At long last we have finished the plastering. It has come up well and my decorator (wife) is getting on with the painting. For those interested we used 270 sheets of plasterboard with very little waste to go to the tip ( so far two trips at £6 a time) Kitchen cabinets are all installed. The island granite is on order and we are looking at oak for the rest. One big improvement is the Oak porch and balcony. MBC provided these as an extra. Well I am impressed with the outcome and there was not a nail gun insight. Most of the wood came to site as long lengths and the team got to work with a chain mortice and hand chisels all the joints were dowelled The attention to detail was second to none. MBC did say that they are doing a lot of oak inside so if you are after oak trusses etc they will use them with the timber frame system

I used standard towel rails (well, not quite standard, as I managed to find some very wide ones, that will easily take two bath towels side by side) and fitted low power electric elements. It was pretty easy to just fit two matching right angle "pipe" connections at the base and run the cable inside one of them. The towel rails are filled with inhibited car antifreeze, with a tiny expansion gap. If you don't want the risk of trusting antifreeze to be suitably corrosion inhibited, then the cheap option is to use a mixture of 60% monoethylene glycol, 1% sodium nitrite and 39% water. That is a better corrosion inhibiting mix than any of the commercial products, and will last decades in a sealed towel rail.

I just wanted to say big thank you to @Visti for raising this question and to everybody for weighing in. This is an very helpful topic for us during our planning stage.

I found a ceramic holder that claims they are suitable for upto 210C. But it's not quite the right type... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CERAMIC-BAYONET-BC-CAP-BC-22-High-Temperature-Lamp-Bulb-Holder-/262946776986

I looked at the previous location plan from before the plot was divided. It clearly seems to demonstrate that there is an intended route to be taken in order to access the gate but it looks like when the plot was split and the new access route drawn up the parking position 'A' wasn't moved to the new intended area and was left in the middle of my neighbour's drive. How did 3 lawyers miss that?