newhome

MCS vs non MCS install. Well for an ASHP my MCS quote was 14.6k. People on here have DIYed that for around 5k or less. The RHI payment doesn’t make up the difference TBH.

FIT is ending next year https://www.evoenergy.co.uk/blog/20314/feed-in-tariff-to-end-april-2019/

Never seen a fridge freezer with the fridge on the bottom! Agree with @Onoff you must address the floor even if you lose a bit of height. Hard now you’ve got the units in tho so presumably will need to be up to the units?

I reckon it’s the floor tbh.

Is the fridge not the top half of that fridge freezer? You 7 foot tall? ?

@zoothorn, @Onoff started his bathroom renovation more than 2 years ago ?.

Great stuff. Clock is ticking for the VAT reclaim so get cracking with the reclaim paperwork in case you need to go back to suppliers and ask for a new invoice for whatever reason. Plus you should be good to get the final landscaping work completed as zero rated for labour still.

We decided against the black kitchen I wanted after looking at showrooms and seeing finger marks everywhere. Went for something much more practical after that. Now I have a black quartz worktop that is a pain too ?

Waiting to @divorcingjack to come back and report on the puke test ? ? ? ...!!

It’s looking good though so keep your eye on the end game.

Ah that’s good news then. You might get it quicker than me. They queried something on the PP that delayed it for a couple of weeks or so. Mine was all paid out straightaway and it still took 5 months. If anything had been queried it would have taken even longer for those items.

That doesn’t matter. The VAT refund is not the point that you lose the ability to get zero rated supply and fit, it’s just where you lose the ability to reclaim VAT from HMRC on supply items. The stop point for VAT being zero rated is when the work is ‘complete’ and if demolition is part of the PP you should still be ok for zero rated jobs IMO. You could have got the refund once it was listed for council tax for example which doesn’t mean that the work is complete at that point. Here is what it says in VAT Notice 708. Obviously you can’t keep getting zero rated for years but you should be ok for the demolition if the PP states that the building must be removed. My reclaim took over 5 months ??

Welcome! Good luck with the project and I’m sure there will be people here who can help with any questions.

Welcome! We’d love to see some photos or plans if you don’t mind sharing.

Welcome! Great to have you onboard and looking forward to hearing about your project.

Another one for the vat post!

@PeterStarck did you get yours zero rated?

Nothing wrong with that. It’s what they are sold as anyway.

Those would have suited me rather than the ladder that I only plucked up enough courage to go up once! Didn’t think of it TBH. I’m glad there is no video of me going up and down the ladder that day. It wasn’t pretty TBH ??

Totally. My hubby’s only known exposure was incidental when doing his electricians’ apprenticeship but it killed him 40 years later. Not a death I would wish on anyone. It grows round the lungs and squeezes the life out of you in a terrible way. More people are dying of mesothelioma than on the roads now.

It’s danger money most likely. Awful job for anyone to do and stay well away when it’s done. Would this not count as ‘demolition’ and zero rated if replaced by a new build?

Yes and of course a small extension under PD will require building regs approval.

Looking lovely now Christine! Glad things are on the up. Hope that’s the end of the low points x

Depends what the fix is. If it’s a fixed outcome (much more usual than fixed labour) it can’t be changed unless via a change request (using the formal term, I imagine it’s more informal in building land). The reasons why it might change are for example the client wanting an unspecified change, or a formally agreed requirement being invalid, so ‘joiners will be off site by x day’ for example, or a contracted scope item is invalidated all of which will require a change which is why it’s important to get scope and terms right. I can’t see how the cost of materials changing would impact a fixed price contract unless that was formalised in the contract as a condition, Other than that what ‘certain circumstances’ would alter things? I deal with fairly large fixed price contracts every day and have never heard that things can change in the way suggested just because something didn’t turn out as the supplier expected unless this is explicitly communicated and agreed as part of the contract. Fixed price gives cost certainty but it’s REALLY important to get the scope nailed, and be aware that any changes can turn out to be more spendy this way as you lose the position of power to a degree if you change your mind. And termination is more challenging if you want to walk them off site. What are the termination arrangements? Payment %? To next milestone? More to consider in a fixed price arrangement.

I’ve been ripped off both with day rates and fixed price rates. The benefit of fixed price is that it (should!) create certainty and you have the back up of experienced guys here to help validate the quotes.