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Our house was quite complicated and we used a QS. He took the drawing package from the Architect and worked out his own cost estimate. When the 3 quotes came back from the builders the QS went through each of them and adjusted them so they were all based on the same assumptions (Eg to ensure they all had same provisional sums). There were also some items that differed quite a bit between the builders. The QS discussed these with the builders to understand why they were so different. We then had a three way meeting with me, the QS and the Architect to select the Builder. This included discussing the changes to the the quotes that he had agreed with the builders. In the end the three quotes were within about 12% of each other. The lowest was quite close to the QS's orginal estimate as the ammendments balanced out. The cheapest builder turned out to be the one I had found rather than either of the two suggested by Architect and QS.

As others have said.. It needs to be a rest bend which has a larger radius.. I would make a scale drawing. I don't see why it can't go where you propose. It might just mean you need slightly taller hole in the wall. eg drill higher up and remove brick below. The dimensions of a typical rest bend (Marley) are here..

At attempt to ball part the figures.. From the USA but.. https://home.engineering.iastate.edu/~tge/ce421-521/ishadeep.pdf So it appears you need between 0.001 ha and 0.01 ha of new wetland per house. 0.001 ha = 10 sqm 0.01ha = 100 sqm Has some costs for different types of habitat.. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6034ef5ee90e0766033f2ea7/Cost_estimation_for_habitat_creation.pdf Seems to range from say £10,000 to £23,000 per ha. Suggests an initial cost per house in the range.. 0.001 ha = £10 to £23 0.01 ha = £100 to £230 So if they are charging 10-20 times that perhaps the running costs are significant. Would be interesting to know how they arrive at £thousands per house.

I would write to the planners copy the archaeological society pointing out that the site was excavated with the photos. We had to pay quite a bit just for a watching brief while a water main was diverted. A full dig can make a project unviable.

My BCO had a gadget that he used to check every single pane of glass to ensure it was coated (and some of my windows have 12 seperate panes). He found one or two that were the wrong way around but that didn't seem to bother him.

At my mothers flat i think it was just a coaxial cable that comes in to a faceplate like box. It's probably against their T&C to DIY or ask an electrician to move but if you are just making it shorter I'd think its a simple enough job. Think I would carefully hand dig it up and make a temporary waterproof enclosure for it all out of the way while the building work is done then see if your electrician can sort it or as per @Conor Think my mum had something like this.. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VIRGIN-MEDIA-WHITE-WALL-BOX-ISOLATOR-CABLE-SPLITTER-HOUSING-COVER-TV-BROADBAND/333948721544?mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338624526&toolid=10029&customid=6b53424fd87a32d26446afc804a0580b&pageci=80a491e2-3959-49d1-af51-4143dca5242b&redirect=mobile

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2022/04/20/polysilicon-maker-predicts-5-year-shortage-of-solar-raw-material/. Polysilicon maker predicts 5-year shortage of solar raw material TBEA-owned Xinte Energy says it cannot produce polysilicon quickly enough to meet demand and wants shareholders to back its bid to quadruple its manufacturing capacity by mid 2024. Snip.. Pointing to booming global demand for solar, Xinte said even with a 100,000-ton polysilicon fab in Inner Mongolia due to be completed this year, the more than 1 million tons worth of solar wafer orders it has received from companies such as Longi and JA Solar mean it has locked up sales for three to five years.

How about one of these oscillating multi tool gizmo..

Yes I did.

My understanding is... When an overseas company exports to the UK they should do so free of their VAT or whatever it's called in their country (BTW in Belgium). Depending on the value they should either charge UK Vat or no UK VAT. I think the break point is £135 but that may have changed. On arrival in the UK you will/should be charged UK VAT if not already paid and possibly customs Duty. Any UK VAT charged can be reclaimed subject to the normal rules that apply to UK purchases. Any foreign VAT paid in error cannot be reclaimed but I bet HMRC miss some hidden away in the spreadsheets. If it's a lot of money best consult an expert.

Not sure if mentioned already but.. https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1621656/electric-car-charging-point-driving-law-changes-new-homes-buildings-june-2022

Not worried but hate to see a gap that could be filled with insulation wasted.

Got any left over Frametherm to put on top of the PIR before you put it in place?

+1 And be careful what you say on a public forum. Stables/Agricultural buildings arent usually within the curtilage of a dwelling so might not have permitted development rights for conversion to residential accommodation. You might need planning permission for "change of use" for the land its on? However Agricultural buildings can be converted to dwellings under different rules, but only if they have been used for Agricultural purposes. "Not used for 15 years" might disqualify the building. As would a non-agricultural use such as storing lawnmowers or cars. So yes best seek professional advice before accidentally spoiling your chances.

We installed MVHR even though our house isn't as air tight as recommended. I've no idea if it saves us money and it does use slightly more electricity than we expected. Would I fit one again? 100% yes. None of our previous houses had such a system and all had condensation issues of some sort. Our first few nights in the new house felt like we were camping out under canvas the air was so fresh when waking up. Towels dry quickly in the bathroom so haven't needed the heated towel rail. We dry all clothes on a rack in guest bathroom, don't use tumble dryer or outside line. We also don't have to dust surfaced do frequently. Your experience may vary but we think it's one of the best decisions we made. Just make sure the filters are easy to access and ideally washable as we find they need cleaning every few months. You should see all the muck and bugs they keep from coming in.

My input filter actually points downwards. Moths and flys get sucked up and stuck to the underside blocking it.

The "whole development" so yes whole site.

Not all emulsion is waterproof and yes we have tested this. Fortunately we found an identical colour that is washable so have painted that around light switches.

Tip.. If you want to build a house buy a plot from a pig farmer or one that's currently Allotments.

I've been playing around with the Natural England’s nutrient calculator.. https://www.push.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Nitrogen-Budget-Calculator-June-2020.xlsx I put in figures for my existing house and paddock. (For example if I was to do a knock down and rebuild). If I enter the current use as: 0.2Ha Urban (eg my house and garden) 0.6Ha Grassland (eg the Paddock) and propose a "development" that leaves this unchanged.. 0.2Ha Urban (eg my house and garden) 0.6Ha Open space (no option to retain Grassland) It correctly says the net change in Nitrogen is zero but gives a total budget of 2.9kg/year for the development and you get the red "Mitigation Required". So I wondered what I could do on the paddock that would reduce it.. Making it a Nature Reserve, woodland or orchard doesn't change anything. Making it into Allotments increases Nitrogen emissions increase by 13kg per year There are no other options on the calculator. Just for a laugh I told it I was going to knock my house down not rebuild it, just convert it all to open space. It said the Nitrogen Emission budget for the development was still positive at 0.7kg/year.

You can buy Bamboo sheet to make your own 🙂 Small sheets of solid.. https://kitronik.co.uk/products/3294-5mm-bamboo-side-pressed-natural-600-x-400mm-sheet 7mm plywood.. https://www.mosobamboosurfaces.co.uk/product/solid-panel-side-pressed-caramel-7mm-sku-bp-mp450/ or perhaps someone would make them for you?

Para 2.26 says there must be a visible boundary and that "A way of achieving this would be to provide a change of level". So technically you could have a flat area if the tiles were a different colour.

The building regs in England divide fires/wood/coal burners into two groups.. Those certified incapable of raising the Hearth over 100C and those not certified. If the wood burner you choose is certified then you only need a 12mm thick Hearth. However I was told this must be 12 mm above the surrounding floor. The idea is that the small step up discourages rugs from being placed too close. So in England at least I don't think the photo you posted would comply because there is no 12mm step. What you can do is put a sheet or 12mm glass, slate or granite on top of the tiles as per the photo posted by @recoveringbuilder. I visited a Monumental Mason who had some black granite worktop lying around. Got him to hone off the gloss so it's matt and cut to my plywood template. The shape and dimensions of this glass or whatever is defined in Approved Document J Duagram 26(a) on page 38.. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/combustion-appliances-and-fuel-storage-systems-approved-document-j If the thing isn't certified look at Diagram 24 and 25.

Yes, provided it doesn't create a statutory nuisance. For example don't let rubbish and or rats accumulate. However letting it go wild may detract from the value of your house when you sell in the future. Plant some fruit trees? Typically you can do a lot if things on land for up to 28 days a year without needing planning permission. A group of off road bikers were using a field for scrambling twice a month in our area. Not much the planners could do about it. In the end they applied for Planning Permission to allow weekly use but abandoned the idea when a covenant was discovered.

You can also get 40mm augers intended for planting. Not used one myself though.. https://www.amazon.co.uk/planting-42cm-Spiral-Planter-Bedding-Saplings/dp/B089LGD853/ref=asc_df_B089LGD853/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=499390094390&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1136716066730688426&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006818&hvtargid=pla-1222345633576&psc=1