Temp

395mn to the top of the pan. The seat extra. I probably aimed for 400mm and the stone floor took more than expected.

The top of our pan ended up about 395mm above the finished floor. Google says normal height for the top of the pan is around 400mm. The seat adds a bit more. That seems to work ok for my 6ft kids. 1m to the top of the frame wouldn't be possible on my house as the window sill is lower than that. I did discover that some pans have a non standard spacing between the wall mounting bolts, flush pipe and waste pipe. So perhaps worth checking the pan you want will fit before its all hidden. Make sure the frame is securely fixed to the wall and floor and ideally 2x4 studs either side as well the forces are quite high when someone plonks themselves down on the edge of the pan.

Apart from the silt in the bottom the only issue we have had is with the tap freezing and bursting when we forget to wrap it up in winter, but this applies to all outside taps. I should really build a permanently insulated box around it. I forgot to mention we fitted a programmable timer to the pump so can set it up to water the garden while away on holiday but have never actually used it for that.

We installed an underground tank and pump when we built our house. The instructions specified a concrete slab foundation to stop the tank floating out of the ground. It has a leaf trap/filter but has still accumulated a fine silt in the bottom. There is an access hatch/manhole cover to allow the pump to be lifted out. Gets used a lot in summer for garden watering. Can't remember the exact capacity but think it's around 2000L. We also had a caged IBC on an allotment. This was raised up about 800mm on blocks laid horizontally so a watering can fits under the tap and gives a bit more pressure for a hose. I don't think the IBC we had would be cutting enough for underground use without more reinforcement. Probably need to fill it with water then concrete around it? We nearly had a disaster with our turf. The weather changed to sunny and windy and we couldn't water it fast enough to stop it shrinking and gaps forming. We had two sprinklers going and moved them every hour but still wasn't enough. Couldn't use more sprinklers because the pressure dropped so the area being watered didn't increase. The rainwater tank ran out on second day. The next week or so we had the sprinklers on mains water.

If the fence isn't likely to be refused (eg its the same as neighbours and its not 6ft where it fronts the highway) then I think I would just apply to have the conditions discharged as that's cheap. There is always a small chance they will want a different fence or changes but you will have to take that risk if you really want the paperwork wrapped up. Otherwise I'd just leave sleeping dogs lie. If you want it discharged I would write something like.. Re: Planning Reference Number aaaaa I am writing to request planning conditions number x and y be discharged. x) We are proposing a six foot wooden lap board fence similar/identical to that used on neighbouring properties. Attach photo of neighbouring fence. y) As all construction work has been completed we request permission to remove the tree protection measures required by planning condition z Make sure to include/pay the fee (I think one fee still covers multiple conditions discharged at the same time but check). If they bother to send someone out apologise and say the builder got ahead of things or say you sent it last year and didn't notice they hadn't replied.

Biggest issue many face is with the process of getting planning permission. Not sure if the survey will capture that. It took us over a year and a lot of money and C02 to get approval. Most of the delay was due to a lack of resources in the planning department, turn over of staff and a lack of consistency. They told the previous owner of the plot one thing and told me the exact opposite.

Any room in the loft?

Opinions do differ on this. Some insist that it's not a problem if the wall is vapor permeable or if the permeability increases as you move from inside to out. In my view it's hard to know if the walls are vapour permeable and it's better to add a vapour barrier before plasterboarding. Do you have any plans for ventilation? When you seal up an old house you inevitably reduce draughts that might have been helping to keep the house dry. I think this is more an issue for houses with solid walls and no DPC etc. When we built our house we opted for an MVHR system and I think the constant air flow they deliver does work better than trickle vents in Windows even ignoring the heat recovery part.

I think I'd check that the insulation in the cavity isnt causing any damp to transfer across. What can happen is that insulating on the inside "moves" the internal brickwork towards the cold side. Then, if warm humid air created in your house can get through the new insulation, water can potentially condense on the now colder surface. That air can get through to new insulation via electrical sockets or any other holes, perhaps at floor or ceiling. So I think careful attention to sealing gaps is important. I think this is another reason to check the insulation in the cavity wall hasn't all slumped leaving uninsulated areas.

I think this level of detail Warrants getting a planning consultant involved. I would find someone local and give him all of the above with a request for an opinion and a quote to handle an appeal.

You can hire Cable Avoidance Tools (CAT) quite reasonably to trace a cable run. https://brandonhirestation.com/cable-avoidance-tool-hire Electric cables can be easier to deal with than sewers.

Had a proper Thai massage this week. Did wonders for my back.

@MrPotts Is it possible to fit smaller jets to reduce boiler power? Not sure about gas boilers but that helped my oil boiler.

Pump over requires water to be drawn down the feed from the header and back up the overflow to the header. This needs either a pressure or temperature difference between these two pipes. So I would be looking at connecting them both to the same T in the CH loop (if that's allowed) to keep the temperature and pressure the same (at least at that point). Perhaps run them up to the tank adjacent to each other wrapped in same insulation to try and keep them the same temperature as much as possible.

Sorry if I missed anything but I think pump over introduces oxygen into the water increasing corrosion. Much like a bubbler in a fish tank.

Planning Permission and Building Control Approval are two different things... Planning Permission I know an extension to the side between your house and the footpath (a highway) needs Planning Permission but I don't think an outbuilding in the same place does. At least not according to my read of this (Section E refers to outbuildings).. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/permitted-development-rights-for-householders-technical-guidance/permitted-development-rights-for-householders-technical-guidance#class-e-buildings-etc If it did need Planning Permission then after 4 years you should be able to get a Certificate on the grounds that Enforcement action can no longer be taken. Be prepared to prove when it was finished (receipts, aerial photos?) Building Control Approval As its over 15sqm and within 1m of the boundary (and possibly for other reasons) I think Building Control Approval was required. Previously Building Control only had 2 (?) years to take action. However I believe on 1 October 2023 this time limit was extended to 10 years in England and Wales. What would I do.. I think I would Let sleeping dogs lie. When/if asked you need to answer truthfully but that need not mean loss of a sale. I would answer something like: The purchaser should make their own checks but I believe the outbuilding complies with Permitted Development rules (Section E Outbuildings). Building Control Approval was not applied for. Depending on what paperwork you have for the electrics mention that.

Has anyone seen lever locks designed to replace interior door latches without needing surgery to the doors? I know lockable knobs exist (with a key in the centre) but all the lever locks seem to need a separate keyhole and the mechanism changed to add a bolt? PS I mean lockable from outside with a key not a privacy latch.

Given no cracks in the foundations I think that's the most likely theory. Do the cracks even go down to the foundations? Another possibility might be issues with the mortar. Laying bricks when too cold? Does it seem hard or can it be raked out too easily? Not sure what to recommend. I suppose you could remove cracked bricks and replace.

You can judge how secure a lock is by the length of the video. Very few of his videos are more than 3-5 min. Any time he gets out a wave rake you know it's really bad.

When choosing a lock its worth checking what the Lock Picking Lawyer on YouTube thinks of it. Or your house might be as secure as this...

Sadly all too believable. I reckon they hope to be long gone before problems show up. Anyone considering having a driveway or paving done should seek advice here. The Paving Expert web site is also good (see the index).

We have B+B first floor. Layout has all bathrooms along one side of the house. Pipes from shower trays run in the insulation and screed for the UFH. No plynths needed. Low but not ultra low profile traps needed. (Some ultra low traps don't meet building regs). One down pipe/stack is in a downstairs cupboard, another in the corner of a utility room.

We have a lot of trees and I think some leaf fall rots in the gutters before being washed through the leaf trap when there is a heavy downpour. I have to vacuum out the gutters twice a year with a wet vac but it's impossible to get all the "compost" out of them.

Yes. There is a manhole big enough to climb in but that might be dangerous (lack of oxygen or too much CO2 etc). I can see me hiring a cespit company to pump it out at some point.

We have an underground rainwater harvesting tank with a leaf filter on the input. It's been in use since 2007 and has accumulated about 1 ft of sludge in the bottom. We only use it for gardening and car washing but the water does have a brown tint to it.