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The land will accrue in value over time, with or without planning permission. So you don't want that to be factored in to any uplift in value that you have to pay a percentage of - hence why the uplift in value is calculated on the day PP is granted and based on the value of the site on that day if it did or didn't have PP. How else do you expect the site to be valued other than by a surveyor? Put it on eBay?

Sure, but it should be level with your finished floor covering - whatever you choose that to be. They clearly realise it's been fitted wrong and are grasping as straws to avoid having to replace the door (which they will need to do as they won't be able to shave anything off the lintel). Stick your heels in and hold your ground!

We bought our site with an overage of 25% over 20 years, risk was on us but we got PP and more than happy to pay only 25% of the uplift in value. Just be careful with the wording of any overage clause and make sure you run it past a solicitor who knows what they are doing. In the example you quote above "above the base purchase price" would mean you paying overage not just on the uplift in value from getting PP, but also on the increase in base value of the land which will happen anyway, because, well, they're not making any more of it. Usually the caluclation is based on the day PP is granted and you mutually employ a surveyor to value the land on that day with and without PP, and pay a percentage of that.

So it is quite likely to get planning permission but for some odd reason the owner has chosen not to apply for permission? I still maintain they must be selling it as a potential development site, for less than it would be worth with PP hence the overage clause. You could always make any offer you like on your terms, like this is how much I offer and the offer is conditional on the overage clause being removed.

Ask for the overage wording in the legal pack. You'll get conditions for trigger and percentage of uplift. Land near me often sells with 50% over a 20 year term as these were the conditions ICI put on their farmland and others when they divested.

So they are asking for a shedload of money for a plot of land that might not achieve planning?

Pilot hole with a large breaker bar. Pound it in to full depth and wiggle it.

No as it has to have an air break and a visible outlet (tundish) so cannot be a sealed loop.

I can't speak for the 3 phase models but the latest single phase 11.2kW model is keeping us cosy using only 3k kWh pa against an EPC heat loss calculation of 16k kWh pa. The standby draw is a small price to pay to achieve that level of efficiency. If you have another way of heating DHW you can switch it off in the summer

so it's approx 20m with 2 x bends and a hole through a 250mm reinforced concrete wall. I'm definitely leaning towards the pump solution even though it's the most costly. 😞

35mm buys you another 9m but at that stage I would be in Polypropylene anyway for cost - it’s the holes through studs you’ll have issues with at that size

£13 for 100..?? https://www.tcfixings.co.uk/product/timco-m8-x-50mm-plastic-insulation-fixings-pif50-100/11284

Only way is a couple of battens across the two with a single screw so they can rotate and knock in sequentially

I think that would translate to: If you have not applied power and left it for 12 hours for the crankcase to heat up, then we won't be liable for a compressor fault if you demand it to start too soon.

There are a number of 'eco' white spirit/turpentine substitutes. They are usually water based. Or my favourite.

I can put caps on them.

It astounds me how many people get this wrong. a house i just finished wiring, I noticed the plumber has piped the D2 pipe in 22mm, probably okay for the short runs, but it goes straight from the blow off valves down and outside, no tundish fitted. I will be interesting to see if BC notice this.

Be careful. There is a long thread about this with Ecodan units. Some use a sump heater, and the manufacturer said something like the sump heater should be turned on for a few hours before starting the unit. So your simple timer might end up doing harm if the cause of the high consumption is a sump heater.

This is proving to be a question that should be asked of the manufacturer BEFORE you buy an ASHP as some are proving to have high standby power use. My own, a 5kW LG Therma V use used 1kWh in the last 6 months of standby. That's 1kWh in about 4000 hours which is an unbelievably low standby power level. Yours would have used 320kWh in the same time.

It’s impossible to know everything in advance . As you point out your architect didn’t even mention it . Assuming there are no other possible routes then the only solution is a pump of some sort . We all ‘miss’ things due to lack of hindsight - I should know ! 😁

This is more reassuring. The driveway faces East, and it’s not at all in the shade. So other than very early morning starts, it shouldn’t really get too icy hopefully. And yes, London… quite polluted but of London as well.

OK the drawing from that link is similar to what we did for our front door. However it won't solve your other problem which is an inability to open the door if you fit carpet or wood flooring. To solve that the door and sill need to be raised, probably at least 20mm. But if you raise the sill you have I don't think it will meet wheel chair access regulations as it will probably be too tall. Its hard to tell from the photos but looks like wrong design. Regarding the water ingress... The weather seals on many doors will leak to some extent but they are normally designed so that any water that does get past the seals drains through passageways in the frame to the outside. This is sometimes called secret drainage. If they are installed too low or incorrectly this drainage route can be blocked and the only place for the water to go is inside the house. There is also the possibility of it collecting in the frame and freezing in winter. I would try and get information from the door manufacture. Check if it's intended for wheelchair use. Check their installation instructions have been or will be followed regarding drainage of the frame itself. This photo shows secret drainage holes on a window. Don't let the builder just drill holes, they will be designed in by the manufacturer.. And this shows the complicated path through the door and frame that water can take on some doors. Try and get the equivalent drawing for your doors from the manufacturer. Regarding the need to be wheelchair friendly.. I know the regulations have changed since we built our house so it is possible they have to be. Perhaps a planning condition was imposed requiring greater wheel chair access.

Welcome. I’ve found this forum to be an invaluable source of knowledge experience and support. Look is great overall. Flows well with a good room layout. I agree with window comment. They look a bit randomly placed. The overheating problem is well made. That said, I just had all my heat loss calculations back which covers solar and overheating and their view is it’s not significant and we have more south facing glass but no east facing glass. I’m going to do my own calcs. The two storey design is a risk. Obviously you’re replacing an existing two storey building. We were told rural two storey buildings rarely if ever get approved. That said I have seen a few. Have you thought about how flexible your basic design will be in case they refuse the two storey design? i.e. could the front be reduced in height or even switch to room in roof design? I don’t know how far you’ve got with how the building will be sited, site levels, access from the road, visibility splays. It might all be quite straightforward for your plot but we ran into some difficulties with ours and an inexperienced architect and long delays for engineering reports. It’s set us back six months. Had I more experience we could have avoided much of the delay. Also don’t assume the architects get the application correct and follow the planning guidelines to the letter. Our application was invalidated due to really simple avoidable errors such as make sure every drawing submitted has a scale bar! If you are going to have PV and an ASHP include some documentation on both (technical brochures for example) They don’t need to be the final equipment you’ll use. Finally get the water source found and checked ASAP!

Yes.... when you put the frame in you have to take into account the inside floor covering thickness. Secondly the cill must have solid support otherwise it will bend when wheeled over. Last one I repaired the fitters had filled the gap below the threshold with foam!!!

Why not contact the window manufacturer for advice? Mine gave me low residue tape as I knew we would have a long delay. It's still made those funny marks on the glass that only show when it's damp or cold.

As a general rule wrapping anything in impenetrable plastic isn't a good policy, unless you're planning on ensiling it. You're lightly to trap moisture between the IBC and polythene if you don't leave a ventilation gap. Mould fungus etc will like this and the metalwork of the IBC will be more lightly to corrode as it'll be permanently damp. A ventilation gap would help but don't be surprised if you get little visitors becoming resident. Black plastic IBC's and a black plastic DPC sound like a recipe for lukewarm water, prime for microbial activity, even in the dark. I'd be keener to shove the IBC's in a well ventilated shed to protect them if you have one suitable. Do you have any good tree canopys that would substitute for a shed? HDPE expands and shrinks in the sun so paint doesn't stick very well. The internet suggests latex paint might do the trick. A light coloured one would be best to control temperatures.

I agree with @Jilly - live with it for a while and see how you go. Work collaboratively and remember that a develoment is always going to require some compromise and outcomes you perhaps didn't dream of. Our driveway happens to be a smidgen steeper than 1:5 where my wife parks her car, the rest of it slopes but not as much. It's north facing out in countryside so more ice - this bit sometimes doesn't get to see sunshine as the house also shades the area. Never really had a problem other than when it has snowed, even during Beast from the East. I have a tub of salted grit and haven't touched it in years. Ours is tarmac mind you. I know a few people locally with steepers drives that do get used to it. I do wonder if you redid the drive with infill you'd end up with giref about the loss of view as it's going to be difficult to imagine what it'll look like and if it'll make the difference you want. And BTW my wife has a 4wd RAV4 automatic - parking is a cinch and never complained. More complains from me when carrying materials from all the deliveries not able to get up the drive!

Both of you need to breath. A friend of mine has the saying 'What's this really about?' Apologise. Understand each other's POV. Get an automatic, bags of salt, some time, and book yourselves in with Relate. The housebuilding has driven you both bonkers and you are frustrated that you have spent so much time and money and it's still not perfect... Sometimes we try to control one thing because something else is out of control. You will probably still have to redo the drive, but try to live with it for a while to both figure out what would be best collaboratively, or she may still not like the result...

What I see people up here do where a steep drive is the only option, is to create an additional flat parking area right by the road, and then steps down to the house from there. Better to moan at sometimes having to park further from the house and walk down steps, than not being able to get up the drive in wet or icy weather.

From another source….. Carbon blacks protect the polymer from UV degradation, act as a black pigment and improve the conductivity of the plastic. Carbon blacks also increase the performance of the plastic by enhancing the abrasion resistance, modulus, tear and tensile strength.

Quick smear of vegetable oil on the O-rings to help avoid shredding them as you tighten up the fitting. This is what loctite 55 looks like fwiw. Truly magical stuff. Premium valves will come with pre 'roughed up' threads to grip string and drag it into the joint. The compression nuts on the are inverted. More like a brake pipe flare nut. It helps to keep the pipe "straight" in the fitting - the bore that the pipe runs through is much longer so it's difficult to stuff up the joint by waggling the body relative to the pipe. I suspect your leaking compression will be caused by tweaking the valve body relative to the pipe as you fix it to the rad. Try to ensure that the valve body is held absolutely stationary as you tighten the compression. A smear of oil on the olive and the threads of the compression fitting will reduce the force that you need to apply on the spanners for the same joint pressure. This can help by making keeping the fitting stable easier.

Ideally you want words that say its based on the average of three valuations from estate agents you obtain. Then you tell 6 you want a valuation for IHT purposes and submit the three lowest ?

No need for marigolds, it’s not poo, get in there it will only be leaves and a bit of crud from the roof, if it has the kitchen sink in it there could be the odd pea or a bit of rice ( don’t eat these)

That's what hedges are for!

So they admit it is a problem but have put some PR spin on it. For the two models that have a 94 W mean load when greater than 21°C (is that outside temperature) a resistance heater would do all my hot water.

I’ve got a 60cm wide and deep hole to break in concrete in an enclosed area . Swap jobs ? 😁👍

Yes, if I can disaggregate the data. Memory card is probably full as I think it was only a 4GB one, so on top of the OS, it has been adding half a MB of data every day at least, for the last 6 years or so. If you lived further away I would come and pick it up and see what is on the here. I never travel unless it is at least 300 miles it seems these days

@Thorfun ; my view of these things is you HAVE solutions. Whether it's a pipe run or a 800 quid pump. Don't beat yourself up over a relatively small cost addition to the entire project. Currently as SWMBO requests (wants!) a basement WC ( which I didn't plan for ) is adding around 3k in materials ( macerator toilet and pumping station ). So you got off lightly!

Can you get a residence disabled parking bay painted on the road outside your house. There must be one member of the family that would loose an leg, or just be a bit wheezy in the moorings. I have noticed down here people are putting traffic cones outside their houses. Its a great idea, I move them and park.

I understood it perfectly.

Sounds like English, but makes no sense. Don't we just love technical language.

Give the little sods a sledge and pick them up at the bottom.