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Bit of googling... Selected quotes.. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-46454844 From 2018.. "New homes 'crumbling due to weak mortar" "Under NHBC guidelines, mortar in most areas of the UK should be made of one part cement to 5.5 parts sand. In severe weather areas such as Coatbridge, there should be even more cement in the mix to make it stronger and more durable." "After 18 months of complaints, the NHBC bought back Mr Fascione's home at the market rate and he is living in alternative accommodation." "In some cases, customers have ultimately had their houses bought back by either the homebuilder or the NHBC. In others, it appears repairs have been made and compensation paid as part of a deal that involves the signing of a non-disclosure agreement or gagging clause." https://ww3.rics.org/uk/en/journals/built-environment-journal/weak-mortar.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com "The two blog posts by retired construction manager Phil Waller plus a third instalment provide a detailed technical analysis." "This suggests that the quality of the mortar used is not of the required industry, standard specifically BS EN 1996-1-1: 2005 + A1: 2012 Eurocode 6: Design of masonry structures. General rules for reinforced and unreinforced masonry structures, although that in turn refers to further standards such as BS EN 998-2: 2016." continues.

I drew mine by hand. Think I traced one of the other drawings in our planning application, probably the one showing the site plan or the level survey and added the existing trees and hedges then the new stuff. These days I'd use a general purpose CAD program, probably Fusion 360 because I already have that, but Sketchup or any of the others would work.

+1 Think the other sizes are.. 450mm Max depth 1.2m 600mm Max depth 3m 1050 mm if over 3m.

Silly question but why are you fitting wall plates? Will ceiling joists be resting on them or new rafters notched onto them? I think what you are doing might determine the best approach. If ceiling joist are going on top I would centre the wall plate on the wall. If rafters are being notched you really want them all to be identical so might be better for the outer edge of the wall plate to be in line.

A common mistake is to put the wall on the boundary forgetting about the eaves overhang or guttering. Make sure they start the wall in the right place. Don't wait until the wall is half up or they will never change it without a fight.

Had fun with our interlinked alarms. The electrician accidentally swapped two wires going upstairs. This appeared to mean two were running on their Batteries the whole time. After a few months they started chirping to tell us the batteries were low. Only realised something was wrong when new Duracell batteries also only lasted a few months.

Is that wall very long? I think walls over 11m(?) are meant to have an expansion gap in them.

I can't ever recall seeing a long radius T. Couldn't Google one. Go with @Conor suggestion.

We have a stick built roof with PIR between rafters. Builder had to cut hundreds of pieces to fit. Horrible task with unavoidable gaps. I'd never build that way again. Nothing wrong with PIR itself. I'd consider building a warm roof with PIR above rafters next time.

Not always possible but I think where the work can be divided into very different parts or phases I would look to quote and invoice for those tasks/stages. As long as that's clear at the outset. At least then you get a warning if your first invoice isn't paid before you go on to the next phase.

I cant recall what the regs say but I would run the linear drain around the whole patio where it touches the house not just at the door. Normally a patio would slope towards the drain but I don't like the idea of sloping it towards the house in case the drain blocks. So I think I'd put another drain on the side furthest from the house and slope it towards that.

Officially they don't need a certificate but sometimes providing one helps convince them to zero rate.

We have 300L vented TS. Currently heated by an oil boiler. The hot in and DHW hot out are both near the top of the TS so I think when depleted and the boiler fires up you almost have hot water on demand. We've never run out of hot water and have high flow rate showers. The down sides are... Our store has an external plate heat exchanger , pumps and blending valves which all leak heat into the room its in. They aren't ideal for use with a heat pump. Our store is set to about 55C and feeds both DHW and CH so we would need a flow rate of >55C all the time. The CH/UFH doesn't need such a high flow rate in modern well designed houses and a lower flow temperature would help the COP so it's likely that a tank for DHW only would be better., or perhaps two tanks at different temperatures?

I think the CIL still has to be calculated even if you are exempt if that's what you are thinking.

Is it my imagination or has the builder used metal plates under the steels to spread the load? I think I'd ask an SE to take a look.

You could consider adding some shrubs or 3 or 4 "standard" size trees in the hedge line or elsewhere. Typical they want a note saying any planting that dies in the first 3 years is replaced, then after that it's reasonable to assume those plants won't grow in that location. We had to plant 5 but only 2 survived. PS Remember any plants on the landscape plan you can reclaim the VAT on. Not otherwise.

They look quite good to me. In particular the thickness looks pretty uniform which makes laying them easier.

We had to provide method statements with our landscaping plan for both the driveway and a native hedge planting. You can find them on the web but the driveway that would be something like.. Dig out to depth ?? mm Install edging boards/conservation kerbs? Lay and compact MOT Type 3 (water permeable), depth ?? Lay gravel size yy to depth ?? I find weeds grow in the leaf debris that lands on the gravel in winter, rather than growing up through the hardcore - so for that reason I wouldn't bother with a weed control membrane. For the native hedge.. Planting Mark out a double staggered row, with 300mm between rows. Plant whips or bare-root transplants at a density of approximately 4-5 per meter. Fit plastic rabbit protection spirals? Ongoing Maintenance: Mulch around the base of the hedge to suppress weeds and retain moisture. Regularly prune the hedge to maintain its shape and encourage denser growth. Monitor for diseases or pests and take appropriate action. Replace plants that fail for first three years. I regret planting Dog Rose in my mix and would avoid others with thorns if planting again. Mostly to make it easier to cut.

I also wouldn't do it the way you propose. Go with packers or sistered joists.. Packers: How level are the tops of the joists? If very level the you can probably buy packers or get them cut to the right height. If the tops aren't level go with sistered joists. Sistered joists: These would probably be a similar size to the existing joists and fixed to the side of them. The advantage is you can clamp each one at the right height before fixing them in place. First thing I'd check is if the builder used the right size steels and fixed the steels together as specified by the SE. Then check if the joists the builder fitted are dimensionally correct (just installed too low). If both of the above are OK then I think you should be OK without new input from the SE. If you are parting ways with the builder I think I would invite the BCO to do an inspection in case there are other problems. Take notes and send the BCO an email to confirm what you discussed/agreed about fixing them. Then write to the Builder registered post with a list of defects giving him "opportunity to rectify". Say two weeks to build fix the defects without further funds. Meanwhile carefully work out the extra cost of fixing the defects (only) for any court claim. BCO aren't always willing to give advice in writing for insurance reasons but might be more forthcoming verbally on site.

They put a linear drain next to the house so there should be a fall towards that. It would be better next to the steps but wouldn't look as good. You can build then many ways. Its quite OK to do.. Compact ground, hardcore, formwork, concrete, remove formwork add paving. Devil is in the detail.

Made up ground (and the hardcore) should be compacted, probably in layers or it will settle. We used a vibrating wacker plate. In fact all the ground should be compacted.

OK so joists running left to right and you want a fall running front to back. You add firings on top of each joist that aren't tapered. Instead each is a different thickness to create the fall. Bit of maths is all you need to work out the height of each firing. But add say 1" to each so the firings at the low end aren't super thin. Cut them carefully and do a dry run to check for no hollows. Edit: Perhaps fit noggins flush with the top of the firing for extra support.

Google says the weight of plasterboard and skim is around 8.5kg/sqm. The insulation you estimate at 17kg/sqm making a total around 25.5kg/sqm. Google say lath and plaster is 30-40kg/sqm. I would suggest the architect add a note to the drawings that says the new design therefore reduces the load on the roof which has stood for 200 years and is in excellent condition. Most BCO will work with you unless you mess them around.

Thinking aloud... See what the BCO says first but If structural changes are needed perhaps you could reinforce what you have rather than replace. Sistering joists is common. Perhaps add another purlin if the rafters need it? Don't offer to make changes unless the BCO questions it.

Did the Architect say why he doesn't think it will meet Building Regs? Is it a structural issue or an insulation issue or ? If the roofing felt is old it might not be vapour permeable like modern membranes. That may mean a 50mm ventilated void is required between the felt and insulation. That might not leave enough depth for insulation ? If that's the issue there are likely to be ways around it. Perhaps by putting more insulation elsewhere. Ask him what he thinks the issue is. Edit: Ah I see your SE thinks it's not strong enough.