MJNewton

I didn't see Note 4! Good that that's there as it makes your situation clearly covered by it. I'd say it means it should be 600mm above the roof surface though (not 2300mm which I suspect was said in error).

I can totally understand your position, and would myself be sick with the stress of both the poor quality and follow up. However, given the options with almost-guaranteed good outcomes are limited (pay by credit card next time!) I agree just take the £55 for your own pocket and deal with - perhaps even accept - what you've got. In time they won't be visible, particularly with a bit of filler. I wouldn't bother changing the hardware. Aim to look back on this one day and laugh (even hysterically if need be!). Life's too short. (Note: I don't practice what I preach but that doesn't make it any less valid!)

I think Diagram 17 of Approved Document J is relevant - or least helpful - here, however your flue doesn't technically pass through the roof as a 'weather surface'... Even so, I would expect it to be following the principles relating to being within 2300mm of a window (in which case it should be 1000mm higher than the top of it) or being within 2300mm of a building (in which case is should be 600mm above the highest part within that 2300mm). Hard to tell from the photos but is it within 600mm of the ridge too? If so, I would expect it to be following the rule about needing to be 600mm higher than it just as it would need to be if poking through the roof at the point. I'm no expert though - just a lay man attempting to interpret the guidance - but I would be expecting one of either 600mm or 1000mm rather than managing to avoid all of these rules entirely by virtue of it not actually poking through the roof as will surely still be similarly affected by it in terms of getting/keeping combustion products out of the building. Be careful what you wish for though as it might be perfectly safe as it is, and look better than if it were to be made taller!

Ah, I see what you mean. Ours was just screwed in place but then it was just a bog standard shower screen above a bath so was only hanging on the wall. You luxury bathroom outfitters may well have more complex setups and fixing requirements than this!

If you don't have an AAV what do you have? Or is the toilet connected straight in to the end of the soil stack (i.e. not branched into it)? An AAV serves to allow air *in* to the system (without letting smells out) and its absence could certainly lead to smells if there was just an open pipe (which doesn't appear to be the case here) or if any traps were being sucked dry because of negative pressure from flushing. I think you need to find the source of the smell - is it coming from the toiler, the sink, bath etc - rather than just pinning it down to the room. With it being so strong I would expect you to be able to pinpoint the source. Hopefully it's a trap being siphoned dry in which case an acceptable fix might simply be a deeper or waterless trap. Finally, they do say if you want a job doing well do it yourself so I think I'd be focussing on diagnosing/solving it myself in the first instance rather than allow the stress of chasing and poking plumbers to add to the stress of the problem itself.

Yes, I'm finding nearly all the appliances I shortlisted for consideration are showing stock issues - and these are all fairly run-of-the-mill models and so likely normally manufactured in bulk and readily available. I'm sure the prices have gone up since I was first looking (pre/early lockdown) too.

I may has misunderstood what you're talking about here, but I remember the installation instructions for our shower door frame emphasising the importance of only siliconing one side of the structure (the outside), presumably to allow any water that can get in to get out again. (Annoying when given dire warnings in instructions there is no explanation why)

We paid £300 to an Architectural Technician for a consultation and BR drawings for a fairly conventional 4.5m x 3m single-storey extension with knock-through, nearly-full-width sliding doors, flat roof and lantern. He specified the construction methods, insulation types, door lintel etc and did the calcs for the knockthrough beams. With such a simple design there was evidently limited need for original contents and so it was likely all a copy-and-paste from previous work and experience but even so we felt it very good value for money, and I did wonder how he even broke even given the the time to produce the drawings, answering questions and tweaking things for us. A bit slow mind; perhaps that's the price we paid, but we weren't in a rush and he was a nice chap which counts a lot for me. No BR application (I did that; £450) and the schedule of works was handled by the builder. Whilst the drawings were arguably not essential, we liked having them and all the builders providing quotes seemed to appreciate them too as it remove any ambiguity about what we wanted and were expecting. One also said it helped demonstrate commitment and that we weren't just kicking tyres like many do.

I've had success in the past just bending the lug in a bit. This presents a slightly smaller hole for the screw and also applies a bit of sideways pressure to aid grip on whatever thread exists.

As above, but they might not be shown. Ours - for a house on a 2007-built estate - doesn't show them. Judging by who has replaced what fence over the years though there does however appear to have been a convention followed that you own the ones to the left when facing the house from the front. Don't know if that's a local thing though, perhaps very local! It also seems conventional to have the 'nice' face facing outwards from the owners property. I know some people don't like the idea of this, but something that's always stuck with me is one person's view that having your fence 'facing' outwards fits with the idea of you keeping other people out rather than them keeping you out, if you see what I mean!

To add: Whilst a bit late now, but maybe useful for the archives and others, I bought these from BPC which are half the price of the Airflow plenums and simply require a standard 125mm pipe (~£10/2m) to bridge the gap to the ceiling and vent: Is it too late to return yours? For £12 saving per plenum - not to mention a simpler life (got a 3rd old myself so I understand the need for that!) - I'd recommend doing so if you can...

I think you are doing it right, and as you say there are photos/videos of these type of plenums protruding through the ceiling (prior to trimming). Indeed it's effectively what most are like, even those that have a separate top section and pipe. Have you enquired with BPC? Maybe it is standard practice to cut with a 125/127mm holesaw and then trim further with a drywall saw to fit. A shame as holesaws make beautifully neat holes with ease!

For what it's worth, our architect - who also did the structural calcs for other parts of the project - specified 47x170 C24 joists at 400mm centres for our 3.2m extension span and tripled them up either side of a 220kg(?) lantern. I don't know if there were any calcs behind this - could well have just been experience / rule of thumb. Building Control were happy, but that doesn't mean it wasn't over-specified.

I'd focus more on the straightness of runs rather than the length, and making sure they are well insulated.

They're called Architectural Technicians if that helps you find one. (Or were you after a name individual? I wouldn't have thought that necessary as the service you require is mainstream and so there should be plenty local to you which can be helpful if there are any nuances with how your particular BC operates)

What plenums are you using, and are you sure they're not intended to be used with a short section of 125mm ducting between them and the ceiling terminal? (Thus meaning you'd be cutting a 125/127mm hole in the ceiling, which I thought was the de facto standard)

It was more the bevelled edge bit that I was thinking about, but I am sure that could be filled afterwards with a tube of silicone. The worktop supplier is fitting the worktop, but as you suggested earlier I'll check regarding their requirements/preference for how much flexibility they have regarding the sink.

Looking closer at the sink there is a bevelled edge which I am wondering might not lend itself well to having the worktop hanging over it due to the risk of it being a dirt trap? Perhaps it could be filled with silicone, although it'd have to be out of a tube or via another application method as a conventional gun and tube wouldn't fit inside the sink to get the right angle.

Ha ha, yeah. I do that too. Definitely buy a foam gun (and cleaner) - I promise you you'll love it. One thing that might not be obvious is how controllable the gun is as the flow is proportional to the trigger throw.

I think we can all relate to that experience @Gav_P! That said, most (all?) find the issues completely go away when they move to using a gun (rather than nozzles cans) - have you done this? It really is chalk and cheese. Ignore the cost of the gun as it soon pays for itself thanks to far less wastage (and being able to spread the use of a single can over several weeks if not months).

Oh okay - I'd be just as happy with that.

It's probably a fair point but with us going open plan we've tried to make the kitchen less 'kitcheny', if you know what I mean, and we figured one one way of helping with that was to hide the sink a bit. As for stuff getting trapped, well - with Jim's overhang suggestion it'll be out of sight so out of mind! ?

It's Natural Stone Surfaces (supplier to DIY Kitchens). They have seemed a good company so far... I contacted them for a quote and attached my kitchen plan for context. They spotted the DIY Kitchens URL and advised I'd be best going via DIYK as they pass on the bulk discount that they give to them. (I'm assuming that was good of them - if there could be an ulterior motive don't tell me now!)

Yes, trapped water could be bad - particularly as we're in a hard water area. I'll check re templating but I suspect they may well be using machines as they have asked for the make/model of the sink and hob before they visit which I'm assuming means they want to check they've got the figures already. I suppose I can always ask for an overhang even if the template doesn't have one as they can just add 10mm-or-whatever to all the dimensions. I assume they'd cut the tap hole too? They haven't asked about the model (and size), but perhaps there's a standard?

Sounds sensible. If they're going to have an issue either way I may as well find that out now rather than when they turn up! (And who knows, maybe they'll say 'Don't you worry about that - all part of the service Sir'...)