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I just got all my invoices back this morning and confirmation that my full claim is payable, this includes some invoices that were in my builders name , some in my plumbers name and one for glass that was provided from a local company, the only paperwork I had for this one was a worksheet with the company name on it and amount paid, no vat number on it, I didn’t expect them to pay this one but decided to put it in anyway, happy days! Oh and it’s only 8 weeks since I submitted it!

Main rules are that they have to be accessible and they must not be buried in insulation, as they need a bit of free space around them for ventilation/cooling. They only run slightly warm to the touch, so nothing like as hot as halogen lights or transformers.. Some of ours are in the ceiling void, accessible through the holes where the lights clip in, with small baskets of chicken wire over them to keep the acoustic insulation a few inches away from them. They are just resting on the plasterboard ceiling. Others are either inside the light enclosures or are behind the eaves walls, and can be accessed via the doors I built in to those (we use those spaces as storage areas).

It all rests in weather the house is your main residence In theory you can register your utilities Then put it up for sale without capital gains But you couldn’t have your old house waiting to move back into My friend Finished building his so called forever home ? as we started ours Six months on he found an d en better plot and sold the house he had finished less than a year earlier He and his wife didn’t pay any capitol gains

Aside from making the declaration in the form, how do they actually know ? And how long do you need to live in it before selling ? A day, a year...?

The scheme is for self builders who intend to live in the house (see the notes from the claim form below). People who build with the intention of selling the house count as property developers, not self builders and are not eligible.

The way the trade would fix this is with plastic tube washer and concrete screws, this gives a thermal break and a fairly easy application compared to using resin overhead which isn't great fun. 250mm version of this https://www.fixfast.com/products/fastener-systems/surefast-reg-flat-roofing-fastener-system/sf-75mm-tube-washers-for-insulation 100mm version of this https://www.fixfast.com/products/fastener-systems/surefast-reg-flat-roofing-fastener-system/sf-rs-6-1-fasteners-for-concrete-and-timber-decks Fixfast have an Irish branch if that is where you are from memory? If you are struggling from them there's other sellers online.

Companies can adjust their VAT returns up to 4 years plus the period to the start of that tax year so yes they can sort that with HMRC. If it’s over that time, the company has gone bust or deregistered for VAT you are stuffed however so always best to fully consider if you have been charged the right VAT from the get go.

Just clipped direct, maybe add a batten or board for the wiring runs if need be. Easy to do, keeps cables up off insulation, makes inspection easy, etc. Need to use 18th Ed compliant clips now, but that's no big hassle. TBH, despite the fact that they are more expensive, I prefer the metal clips. I recently tidied up some wiring using the Schneider metal clips and they seemed more robust.

to me looks like you have added extensions to an exsisiting box shaped house --not part of an actual design

My shower is dual digital. On Off. Too Hot Too Cold. But was only 120 quid.

If that's what happened I'm inclined to let it go. Presumably the planners were trying to get the neighbor to build something that doesn't clash horribly with the existing house. They could have asked the neighbor for a street scene showing a drawing or even an actual photo of the existing house.

Not the OP - his architect, that is what I am saying, we would, as in my firm, if there was a breach of copyright or use (there is even a disclaimer on our title-blocks). I am not suggesting the OP would do it to his neighbour but I would have the architect act with a tip off, it also would not get that far - rarely does - however, it was not clear how they were being used by the OP and it sounded like he was submitting them to use for his own benefit. In fact the whole post is somewhat confusing now as there is now a comment that it was the planning authority (by submitting them to the authority the have rights to use them - limited, but rights) that was using them so really I don't understand what is going on.

nope as it’s flammable so the cables would drop in the event of a fire.

Looks like the valuer came out two weeks after the date of the application and payment of the fee, although there was some additional correspondence between those dates, relating to requests for proof of income, etc, so I'm not 100% sure when it was triggered.

Yes my badness . I’ll blame the lack of manners on my man flu . thank you oh humble one ; much appreciated. May your armpits be infested with the fleas from a thousand camels ( Jeff Minter I think )

If retrofitting to an existing house, then PP may be required (seems to be often ignored here, though), but if it's a new build then adding an ASHP is a NMA. My planning consent had no ASHP, as we were, at that time, going to install a GSHP. When I realised just how much more expensive a GSHP was going to be over an ASHP, I called the planning officer and asked if I needed to submit a new application. He just asked for an amended plan showing the location of the ASHP outdoor unit, then emailed me to say he'd made a note in the file that there was now an ASHP included. No fee payable, no forms to fill in, just a phone call and exchange of emails.

The general rule is that you can only reclaim VAT on items that are incorporated in the build, so you cannot claim VAT on purchased scaffolding, containers, Portaloos etc, but if you bought a loo, plumbed it in temporarily as a site toilet, then later included it in the build, that should be OK.

If there is no reason to do it (like boundary or physical geographical feature) then I am not at all keen. Don't waste your money there is no WOW factor in this. The top window is clashing with the roof btw.

It seems entirely dependent on who processes the claim unfortunately (or fortunately if you get one passed that doesn’t quite fit the criteria). I had one or 2 that I thought might be a bit dodgy in that they didn’t explicitly say invoice but they were paid without question. Others on here have had similar things refused. Happy days for you though! Much better than the 20 weeks I waited last year.

I doubt it will increase the valuation much but it will give them confidence that there are not abnormal or unknown costs for these.

We had our plot valued at the end of the initial ground works stage, so the plot was cleared and levelled, the big retaining wall was in and there was a rough access track. There were no services in at all at that stage, although the sewage treatment plant had been installed, but not commissioned. It didn't seem to make any difference at all to the valuation as far as I could tell.

In that case you own the copyright and can take action to prevent it being used, or demand a fee for the use of it. You don't have to explicitly state on the drawing that you own the copyright, as I believe the law is that copyright is assumed to apply to the named author.

I would just make your architect aware of what he has done and he will no doubt "have words"

Our flat roof slopes 160 mm over 9 meters. No water stays on it for long.

Because you didn’t say please.... it’s a tool station link ✌️ Bingo

please.

Oh that's a pain because eBay may have helped you out with this. Unfortunately I don't believe that a supplier has a legal obligation to provide a VAT invoice unless you are VAT registered (although most do) so ALWAYS best to clarify that they will do so before purchase. How do you have an eBay invoice if the transaction wasn't completed through eBay however? From the Gov.uk site: https://www.gov.uk/invoicing-and-taking-payment-from-customers http://stewartaccounting.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Do-you-always-have-to-issue-a-VAT-invoice.pdf What options do you have? Well, if the company still refuses to send you one maybe you can add the VAT number to the invoice yourself (assuming all of the other details required are on there)? An invoice does not have to show VAT separately and there is a separate section in the claim form for purchases where VAT is not shown separately. I had a few such invoices (although they did all have the VAT number on them) and one where the VAT was worth several hundred pounds. The VAT for all of these was refunded without any issues. For this particular transaction I would attach the receipt from Paypal. Plus keep hold of the emails. It may still not get paid if HMRC aren't happy with it but it's your best shot if you really can't get an invoice from them.

If you have only communicated your request by email could I suggest you phone the company in person and speak to a human. I’ve always found that when a problem exists speaking to people directly and reasonably gets results whereas emails can get ignored, passed around etc. Above advice re HMRC regs is excellent but I would keep that threat in the armoury. It’s far less easy for a person at the end of the phone to ignore you if you’re reasonable, friendly and on first name terms. Only escalate to next stage if necessary / needed. If if you speak to someone and say “Look I’m really happy within my doors etc and want to leave a great review but I have a problem which will take 5 mins to resolve and it’s this...”. Make sure you get the name of the person you’re speaking to and ask them how long they will take to action your request. Sorry if if you’ve done this and thus this is a patronising answer but obviously I have no way knowing if you’ve just sent emails. But if that doesn’t work deffo hit them with that HMRC threat.

A couple of pics

I have some of these oriel windows in timber frame, but 2300mm wide and 330mm deep. Your cavity wall looks about 275mm, so you will have quite a deep cill and reveal with your 400mm add-on if you set the window near to the outside. If you clad the sides with OSB it will act as racking resistance. Ours are just timber frame panels and they don't have gallows brackets.

Like @Russell griffiths says, I would get the gallows drawn up first. If there are no side windows then bring the gallows bracket inside the timber frame and secure to both the inner and outer brickwork and blockwork. As you’re building quite a deep external without a matching internal recess then you have space to hide more steelwork. I’m assuming the whole house is getting cavity wall insulation at some point as part of this..?

All looks reasonable, but I would re draw it with your gallows brackets to get a better idea. I would also use resin anchors as with no expansion they will not displace the brickwork.

I'd be looking to incorporate some angles pieces in those sides. Going from bottom corner closest to house to top corner away from house like a hidden gallows bracket. One or two in centre as well

Here's the spreadsheet version of the VAT form (which is acceptable to HMRC): VAT Claim Form 431 - Blank - extra sheets added.xls

Here's something, based on your initial post and photos, that you might like .... Peter Millard has put together a very valuable resource for people interested in making cabinets - among other things, out of MDF.

I doubt that CE mark means anything other than Chinese Electronics If it has a flying flex as it's input, is should be double insulated, as in a sheathed flex. That's glorified speaker wire there. I would be tempted to replace that speaker wire with some proper 2 core sheathed mains flex and then into a choc box or wago box if it's going to be in an inaccesible location. I would put one on an extended soak test to see how hot it gets.

Any chuffing cables. C’mon batman. THINK DAMNIT! ( please ) lol ?

Indeed, and to be honest tray is way OTT in many commercial applications to be honest, the number of times we see tray spec'ed and indeed installed for a single piece of SWA to be fixed to it. You cannot even claim it is for expansion as most of the times the situation has no clear scope for future expansion. I was involved in VEing a project back in my early days for a major project, saved them 1.2million by sizing the cable tray correctly.

Thank you ! Hmm - I suppose it could work . But I’m going to add cable as I go - don’t really want them sagging . Could just use slim lengths of osb as trays with timber either side to stop cables falling out . If that’s satisfactory m’lord ?!