Leaderboard

Does he own the drive ..? If not, he can take a hike as it’s nothing to do with him. MS (or RAMS to give it the correct title) is only required for HSE purposes, or where you are operating on a property where 3rd parties have significant safety requirements. For example we have to use them in a nursing home environment as it details how access for emergency services will be maintained. I would basically be having a chat saying “we want to get on and build what we have permission for, and this is slowing down progress and protracting the period he will be disturbed for, so please let us get on” Also… make sure your contractor get the signs and barriers correct when they close the road, and insist it is a full PPE site - that means you too. Boots, helmets, hi viz, no exceptions. That will stop him entering site as I can see him trying to interfere here when they do start and you need to make it very clear what the boundaries are from the outset.

I’m pretty sure supply will outstrip demand very soon If it isn’t the case already We have had a sign up at the plots with my name and contact details on for the last six months and up and till three weeks ago no calls from the usual reps This past two weeks I’ve been contacted by 2 kitchen companies 1 window company 3 timber -builders merchants and a GSHP company our Joist suppliers have contacted me regarding ordering the roof Lead times down from 8 weeks to 2 weeks Pasquils have asked if they could re quote This is a massive contrast to six months ago when it was taking several weeks to get a response to an email enquiry

You are not alone. My practical suggestion is this. The R value is linear and based on an infinite surface area. That is your starting point. You use this to get the U value of your build up. You can get into perimeter effects, try and delve into the manufactures' test data.. but they don't give away the family jewels and the underlying research data. If they do folk will post it on BH and it will get ripped by the likes of @SteamyTeaetc. You have two choices.. 1/ Torture yourself doing calcs, trying to piece together obscure data. 2/ Recognise that that constuction process is pretty rough and go for a thicker / higher performing off the shelf insulation, cover your bases and march on with the build. If in doubt up the thickness, go for standard thickness off the shelf insulation, easy buildable details and that way you can save money for the things you will see on a daily basis. I say this as have been involved in development and research in a commercial environment so will bet you'll struggle to get to the bottom of it. We don't spend loads of money on research and then give away the secrets! One of my jobs was to make sure you publish enough but never enough to let you competitors see in the black box!

I just said granite as it would last….

Cover the hep2o with armaflex insulation it’s uv stable

Got to make a Gordon Ramsey outdoor BBQ / kitchenette for my current clients so am about to bridge this myself. The Belfast sink is an option but can look a bit ‘clunky’, but I may dress one in with brisk piers as suggested, and tile ( mosaic ) to make it look tres bien. Will likely make a deck to one side for a tap like this…. https://www.victorianplumbing.co.uk/arezzo-matt-black-industrial-style-basin-mixer-tap?campaign=googlebase&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI36_3xPD9-AIVh6ztCh05Kg5REAQYASABEgJRa_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds Can be swung away to the side to fill a bucket etc or wash your feet.

Build it like an outdoor bar, granite top with top mount sink, then that gives you an area for taps and a cupboard underneath to hide the waste.

Err no. When they do the air test they mount a bfo fan, normally in the front door opening. It will be good for over 500l/s compared to a bathroom extract at about 20l/s. A big MVHR unit will manage 175l/s but most are less than 100l/s.

Yep, that's how it works, though most local authorities are increasingly aware of the implications of operating in the way you describe. As a local authority you only get to lose a certain percentage of appeals against your refusals before the government class you as 'underperforming' and (potentially) remove your decision making powers. That has generally filtered down to local authority chief execs and planning heads, who now take local councillors far more firmly in hand than was once the case. Over the last couple of decades central government has used the threat of the big stick (removal of LPA powers and/or funding) to address both speed and quality of decisions. The implications of this for applicants varies. When I first started, old planners were still in the habit of taking absolutely ages to decide applications. Sometimes this was down to inefficiency, but mostly they were engaged in significant back and forth with applicants and relevant advisors, the mindset being to work together over time to get the best scheme, rather than to make a decision within 8 weeks, as is the aim now. It's good to have a nominal end date when applying for permission, but it does come at the expense of ongoing, fruitful communication with planners. You probably can't have both, at least not often. Regarding the quality of decisions (a good decision being one that complies with planning policies and so should survive at appeal) the major reason for measuring performance is to ensure that local politicians and residents don't get in the way of national strategies. If the nation is short of houses then the regions are set targets for how many new ones they should approve. If the region doesn't meet the target then they have to be less fussy in their assessment of proposals for new houses. If they aren't then they lose at appeal. If that keeps happening then they get cut out of the decision making process altogether. The opening part of my design and access statement addresses that context. I doubt I'd have got permission for my SB ten or fifteen years ago, when national policy didn't lean so heavily on my side. All of this creates an interesting tension between the centre and the regions. I have found that tension most evident between Conservative governments and Conservative local authorities. The former remain focused on national economic performance and deregulation, the latter on reasonable nimbyisim and preservation. They are on the same team, but pulling in polar opposite directions. Finally, don't be afraid of appealing against a refusal, even if only to narrow down the issues ahead of a revised resubmission. Some seem to consider a refusal to be some kind of black mark, but it is often part of the process of knocking an idea into shape, so long as you have the time.

Unistrut cantilever brackets.

I had a Belfast sink under the outside tap (no hot!) in my last house, very useful I found. Got it for £10 off eBay or Facebook. Put mine on brick pillars but you can get cast iron wall brackets.

Would doubt the fans man enough. Plus you don't want it running until all the inside is sealed up.

Exactly right.

I'll address the proposal in this thread and the doc separately. However, on Councils and Appeals - my small housing estate proposal received what I call a "political no", despite a recommendation from the Planning Dept to approve. That is, the Councillors on the Planning Committee did not want to be held politically responsible for saying Yes. It went through on Appeal instantly (about 6 weeks), but the local Councillors had improved their chances of votes. In my view the Planning Inspectorate are the most strategic body in the Planning arena, as the only one that is committed only to following law.

I would find out the exact wording of the survey you need from the council. We had to complete a preliminary ecology appraisal which included a bat roost assessment. We found a local guy who was well priced at £488 for a combined survey. I found him on the https://cieem.net/i-need/finding-a-consultant/ website. I would personally go for a small local company and have a chat to them first to make sure they sound reasonable, otherwise you can end up paying for other unnecessary surveys. Make sure you read up on this forum if you need to complete a bat roost assessment!

"As an aside - how cheap is it for you to replace radiators?" This resonates. Radiators, in the UK at least, are remarkably cheap. In planning my heat pump system I have gone from keeping as many as possible, to swapping out any I need to swap out to achieve my target flow of 45C, as I have come to realise how cheap they are, particularly of you can find a way to avoid less common sizes. Plumbers don't charge much to fit them either, although it's a simple enough job if you have the time. I definitely now have the impression that trying to avoid replacing radiators by increasing flow temp is a false economy. Having said that my design still has a couple of problem rads where I will probably take a risk on a slightly smaller one than ideal, so that the space impact is not too great, and add a homemade fan unit to boost the output by ?%.

Coil. It's brave size, 3m2/ 42kW. The heat pump coil is the same size.

In my experience, if the LPA don't like it, even when presented with compelling case law, a plethora of appeal decisions they will go to the ends of the earth to refuse. My appeal document was over 10K words with 30 plus appendicies which they still battled. They lost and lost handsomely, and I got my costs back and permission for 2 dwellings rather than just the one I wanted. Poetic justice. Something of night with one of my local councillors.

No, it's worse than that. Most do no prep at all, then want time to think about it during the meeting. At Borough level there are politics involved and most councillors look to their leader and follow suit. At parish level, there is a danger of vested local interests dominating. Training is available but many don't want it. All these councillors are elected. Why don't you stand?

Its actually how most major buildings are built.or.infrastructure projects. Agreed margins and fees which cover profit and overhead. Then full open book on the costs. They generally use NEC contracts. I am in one now building hinckley and it works well.

No, I paid for an official test. A very thorough German came and did it.

Thanks - that all seems to back up my rudimentary understanding, which could be summarised as: Single dwelling house of 2 stories (<11m) = 30min fire protection to elements which hold up floors, walls or escape routes. Fire protection to roofs not necessary. I suppose the question is, does the dormer class as a wall, or is there further structural support offered by the roof which would warrant fire protection?

Was thinking that . But it’s for SWMBO so therefore minimal cost ! 😁🍺🍺🍺

Someone suggested to use a cherry picker if the job can take a day or 2 but this would require a bigger unit to reach the chimney. I haven't spoken to the neighbour yet, not sure if he is affected by the leaks or ignoring them (retired but not disabled chap) I haven't even managed to get the roofer to come over and do their checks. These people are unreachable or so busy. I reckon there is more interest and money in doing whole roofs rather than going after repair jobs.