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Highly unlikely they will accept an offer subject to survey or planning etc. Properties go to auction to save any hassle for the seller. Auction properties generally sell for less (although i have seen people pay well over the odds after getting auction fever) but the buyer takes a risk. Planning Consultant would (for a price) give you some pointers or an idea but not set in stone.

If you are doing the supply then you need to buy the materials from a vat registered merchant with your name and address on the invoice. The trade can't buy the materials 'on your behalf'. I had a labour only deal with my landscaper and now and again I would to go to a merchants with him so that he could leverage his discount with the goods were on my account or some other fudge i.e. use his account but my details were on the invoice. Bottom line was that I had a clean invoice for the HMRC reclaim that was in my name and address and I had proof of purchase (CC receipt) - not that this is needed for the reclaim but useful to have.

Yeah- the prep for tiling is pretty hardcore. Others may vary but the tilers I use just won’t entertain the anhydrate any longer. Too many problems.

Gotta love a posho with too much money, over complicating things! Here's one I made earlier...like 40 years earlier. Based round a CA3140E op amp. Looks like I added a little amp at some time... What's a little hum between friends? ?

good article here which will enlighten

Ah so I guess that rules out something like this.. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/217365-REG/Rolls_DU30B_DU30b_Audio_Ducker_with.html/overview?gclid=Cj0KCQjwh_eFBhDZARIsALHjIKepwrHczjJzEZGgfoXvjjoFBPRjfYtov8-nXU3FERocpOcd98_Dzb0aAu5sEALw_wcB Its an auto ducking mixer.

Not sure what you mean u recommend cement based over liquid?

When is the auction? If its already booked its unlikely you have time to get advice from the planners. They are very busy and at least one council has suspended giving pre application advice as they are overloaded. A planning consultant might be able to get an informal opinion from them if he knows them personally. Old boy network and all that. No guarantees though. You should probably be doing a lot of other due diligence checks or at least weigh up the risk of not doing them.. Ransom strips or similar? Covenants? Visibility splays? Access to electricity/sewerage/telephone Rainwater disposal if combined sewers not allowed. Contamination? Asbestos? Bats/Newts?

Not sure it does - think you have to press the talkover button? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274822256367?hash=item3ffcaed6ef:g:oQkAAOSwgJ5gujfD https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184875737701?hash=item2b0b73e265:g:iDgAAOSw0~pgvkoT You would also some kind of audio mixer (with inserts), which would push the price up too, but you might have this already to combine the 3 pis?

Something like Alesis 3630 - not renowned for being a brilliant compressor, but should be more than good enough for the job https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/194189465188 Manual here - has section on side chain and ducking https://www.alesis.com/products/view/3630-compressor You set the amount of gain reduction you want on the main audio signal - so mute or just turn it down, this kicks in when a certain threshold is reached on the side chain input from RP3

It is commonly called "auto ducking" in the audio/DJ world - for when the DJ talks over those disco classics Usually done with an audio compressor with a sidechain input - RP3 would go into the side chain, controlling the compression on the main audio feed

No most of the liquid screeds are fine at 50mm so the 25mm would be best as insulation if you want liquid. The cement based ones are easier to tile than the anhydrite ones.

Oh interesting. They did definitely sell another property prior to auction as I emailed the utility company itself to enquire about why it was withdrawn and if it would become available again and was told that it was sold prior to auction. The current property has the option to submit a pre-auction offer next to the listing. It's right next to a public highway and has good access. Thank you

Very surprised if a utility company sells property before the auction. Normally they have demonstrate transparency through open bidding at auction. Biggest obstacle could be access unless it is next to a public highway.

Try spilling bleach on the worktop. Bingo. Spilled liquids and/or foods should be removed from the surface as quickly as possible – especially tea, coffee and wine which can create stains that are harder to remove due to their stronger colouring properties. Never place any hot pans directly onto the surface, always be sure to use heat mats. If you have opted for splashbacks or upstands in matching stone behind the hob, items being cooked in large pans or for a long duration of time should be done so on the front burners to avoid burning the stone. Never use any bleach or bleach-based products on the surface. Generally, products with a higher pH-value of 10 or strong solvents should be completely avoided. Aggressive chemicals such as oven cleaner or products containing trichloroethane or methyl chloride, such as paint removers/strippers can lead to permanent irreversible damage. Avoid contact with marking or printing inks For daily cleaning I advise you use any light bacterial sprays, again please avoid anything bleach based. I use Dettol Surface Cleaner and just a soft cloth to clean up. Sometimes I get the wipes from the supermarket if they are out of the spray. For any stubborn stains, I know its slightly abrasive, but you can use Cif cream to remove. I have used it all the time on quartz. The cif cream should be gently rubbed onto the stone with a non-abrasive sponge (let it rest for a few minutes) and then removed with warm water. Also, PVCu Solvent Cleaner, this works great stains. Other specific stone-based products that can be bought for general day to day cleaning https://www.extensive.co.uk/easy-clean-spray-500ml.html. I sell kitchen worktops. Edit: Matte finish is also a pain to clean in comparison to polished.

No, I didn't think so. The vendor is a utility company and I've seen a few of their properties go to auction now but they often sell pre-auction which suggests they may accept any reasonable offers. I'm just considering a small consultant experienced in similar properties so will contact them for advice. Thank you

I did it as a DIY job as the ground worker was not experienced in using EPS so just left it to me. Only took a few days to do this (I also had lightwells to install from MEA). Only fiddly bit was cutting the EPS to have the correct height at the top to interface with the timber frame - annoyingly it need to be exactly 80mm higher than the concrete wall itself to match the Kore profile. I also used the EPS to form concrete corbels to support doors (sliding and fixed) that would not sit entirely on the basement wall but would straddle the insulated layer also. This was easy enough, the crew drilled and resin fixed stubs of rebar into the required area, braced with rebar at 90o and I chopped out a 100mm wide, 200mm deep channel on the EPS which they backfilled with concrete - worked great. SE obv signed off this design detail.

Tell them you want a re quote for 23kVA supply( 100 amp)

Big increase in price and no real benefit unless your supplier is going to give you a discount or penalties based on phase load. I have 3 phase but use a standard Consumer Unit running on one phase for the house and only use the 3 phases for machines in my garage.

Soudal LE foam, the type that needs a gun. Simply wet the EPS and the wall with hose and then do a nice big squirty pattern on the EPS and offer up to wall. May need to prop it until the foam goes off. You can then go round and foam up the joints. Always wear gloves as it sticks to your skin and is a bugger to get off. I then dressed the exterior of the EPS with 3mm corex, the stuff you use to protect floors when building. It's the same size as the EPS sheets. Just to give some protection during backfill. Tried stapling that but gave up and just pushed in old nails (had millions lying around from the formwork).

Possibly wondering if he/she will be required or expected to split/balance phase loads

Do you think he might be wanting to know where he has got to run it to? If you want it in the house then he has to run it there, If you want it in the garage then he will need to run it there?

You can get a pretty good weld with a gas less machine, We used to use big versions for welding structures in exposed locations where wind blew gas shielding away. The weld will never look as neat as a gas shielded equivalent but so much easier than lugging bottles around. The new inverter welding inits are so much more stable than the old machines too.

Thanks @SimonD those alternative products look to be an equivalent spec to the Illbruck and ProClima products and the BBA cert is a bonus and a good price too. I had actually made a purchase before I saw this - I've gone mainly for the Illbruck product from Dortech and also bought a small number of ProClima tapes from GBS for comparison - although I think it would be difficult to fully compare without test such as wind driven rain. A note for others researching these products: - From looking for a cheaper source of the genuine Illbruck Tremco Compriband 600 - Dortech was the best price I could find - many web shops of the form 'SealantsRUS' were a few pounds more expensive. Are all "compriband" products equal? I'm not so sure. Most I could see on Amazon market place or eBay did not appear to claim to be capable of the primary weather seal - e.g. wind driven rain.

Quite normal for the architect to send drawings fo the SE for his input. He might be able to suggest changes that allow a beam to be eliminated or spot areas that need strengthening. Our Architect arranged a meeting between the three of us. I mostly listened while they discussed some of the construction details. The SE then did the foundation design while the Architect incorporated changes the SE had suggested.

I don’t like them as they do not resemble the samples that led me to purchase them. If they were representative I would like them.

cheers. sadly we didn't get PHPP calcs and our architects used a firm they use to do the thermal modelling before I found Enhabit otherwise I would've got them to do it. but it's done now. I'll drop Enhabit a quick mail to discuss the potential of putting the comfopost in now or leaving space for it later and will make a decision from what they come back with. Enhabit are doing our Solar PV and ASHP/DHW as well. been very happy with them so far.

I am just doing it now - as said above use gun grade foam in any gaps then I am taping up with this stuff - Gocableties Aluminium Foil Adhesive Insulation Tape 50metres x 100mm (4") Silver Premium Metal Roll: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools Bit of a pain getting the backer off but no biggie.

I’m not sure the additional cost of 32 grade is justified in a better u-value when installed between rafters or studs. The thermal bridging in this layer means only a very small decrease in u-value (0.01 better?). 35 grade probably at the sweet spot unless you’re really desperate for that very last bit of improvement.

It gets fully filled when the scratch coat goes on.

Preferable yes, but you need a good spread to get things dragged and floated on the first sets so the end result is flat / plumb etc. For D’N’D I now stipulate a minimum of 70% adhesion, plus a continuous bead around perimeters / sockets etc. All methods can be done badly so it always falls back to the tradesperson undertaking the work, every time.

I wish you were around to show a few guys I've met exactly how to D'N'D properly mate. Some are still out there working with 12 miserable dabs to a full board

It's all down to quality of work, whichever you chose, and attention to detail. I would parge the blockwork, fill and smooth any chases / back boxes etc, foam and seal joist pockets / other penetrations to atmosphere if you have them, and then dot n dab. You won't get a plasterboard / thermal 'tent' if you mitigate against it. Knowing how / where to successfully mitigate is the key to success.

Novy hoods are not the cheapest around, but they are the quietest. Their hobs are reasonably priced when you consider three elements - higher grade ceramic offering much better scratch resistance, the octagonal induction coils providing much better cooking performance and longer warranties. PM me if you'd like it priced up.

Oh dear. Like when someone asks for a lift to carry something; "You're doing a great job, keep it up! Your hair looks good today!" To respond to your earlier comment, needs to be black as the rest of the gate furniture is also black.

Buy a picture frame of me, glue one in place, then take it to an art show. At least I will get a tenner, plus package and postage.

+1, my CAD drawings are “crayon assisted drawing”. Seriously tho, I did my drawings on paper in pencil using a drawing board and paid an architect just to put them on CAD (and he still got things wrong ?‍♂️).

Hmmm, bought a stick welder. And one member who shall remain nameless ( because I cant remember which - either @Declan52 or @dpmiller ) said my welding looked like Braille. Wounded I was, from that day to this......