Temp

Somewhere near where the FTTP comes into the building you will need a modem and power supply or can you run the fibre inside the building to somewhere else?

Welcome to the forum. Some ridge tiles interlock. I wonder if they cut one to length incorrectly loosing the seal?

Never heard of a "zero vat number". Offer him a certificate which is essentially a letter confirming that the work should be zero rated as it relates to the construction of a new dwelling at... and quoting your planning reference number, site address, your name and contact details. Attach copy of your planning grant. Your drive should definitly be zero rated. However its possible he may argue the neighbours driveway should be standard rated. If and only if he raises this issue point out that VAT Notice 708 has a section that covers "3.3.4 Work closely connected to the construction of the building" and argue that it comes under "(a) allows the construction of the building to take place,..". I would not mention it unless he does because its open to interpretation. The fact that it on your planning approval helps argue the point.

+1 What do the conditions say exactly? Normally all you need to do is start work before it expires. The catch is that the start must be legal so you must get any conditions that say "before work starts.." resolved and formally discharged. Assuming the conditions are OK then its a matter of doing something significant enough to count as having started work. For a new house that might be digging a foundation and getting it inspected by building control. I've seen a wind farm construct a site entrance and some meters of road then stop work. As its not clear what councils will accept you should probably get a letter from them afterwards confirming they believe you have started work. To be 100% sure get a Certificate of Lawful Development but there is a fee for that.

Some sections of the Approved Docs say a kitchen isn't a habitable room (F) and others that it is (B & M). Most websites say it is. Personally I wouldn't bother with BCA unless you are doing structural work.

I lived in Belgium for 10 years until 2007 and came across many EU companies that only delivered within the EU. They didn't have enough customers to warrant the hassle of delivering outside the EU. In some cases they had a deal with courier companies that gave them fixed rates for delivery anywhere in the EU. I also found many UK companies wouldn't export across the channel. Typically it was easier to get a company in Germany or Spain to deliver to Belgium than to get a UK company to export. In some cases I found UK companies only had distribution rights for the UK. Once or twice I failed to find a UK company and ended up opdering from a German company that was even happy to deliver COD to Belgium. It would be easy to underestimate the impact of misconceptions on trade. I met many that thought ordering from a UK company would mean they had to pay extra VAT because we weren't in the Euro!

Why switch from mains gas to an ASHP? Running costs likely to be at least double at the moment.. https://nottenergy.com/resources/energy-cost-comparison/ Scroll down to the table and see "Pence per kWh (after boiler efficiency)"

Think its missing a horizontal plate for the regular part of the connection?

I would try pretending you live in germany and see if the prices change. If not then they include EU VAT and as over £135 you would most likely get to pay UK VAT as well on arrival.

This has a sketch of a moment connection but I guess dimensions are important.

Think you will have to find another SE. Then I would suggest a letter to... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institution_of_Structural_Engineers

They just don't want the hassle of supplying to the UK. Can't say I blame them.

Interesting comments thanks. So far the dimmable bulbs I've tried have quite a high minimum brightness and flicker when multiples are used in an array of downlighters. Pretty sure I started out with a Varilight dimmer but perhaps more experimenting is needed.

How is the roof structure ventilated? Normal lofts have eaves vents so air goes in one side across the floor of the loft just above the insulation and out the other. If you change this so the insulation is between the rafters you will probably need to add vents at the ridge equivalent to a 5mm slot.. The insulation changes will need building control involvement.

I agree its the SE job but this fabricator says they offer free advice on connections.. https://www.bandssteel.co.uk/steel-fabrication/connections/

Deleted. Doesnt work.

2-3 weeks might be short notice for some standard bricks. Suggest you check if not done already.

Got a room that has GU10 Halogen downright on a dimmer. Looking to replace the light fittings and dimmer with LEDs. I've left these as halogen because they aren't used a lot and when they are they need to be highly dimmable which halogen does really well. Elsewhere I've got trailing edge dimmers in several rooms. While they do work they still aren't great. So has anyone got a recommendation for a combination of LED Lights and a dimmer thats working well? I don't really care what standard the dimmer uses just after really good dimming, ideally down to a few percent without flicker. Is CCR the way to go?

Lambda value of 0.07 W/(m·K) compared to 0.02 for PIR? You would need three times the thickness to achieve same result.

Possibly but it needs to be breathable or it traps water.

https://turnbullmasonry.com/common-causes-spalling-bricks-fix-crumbling-masonry/

I very much doubt blown bead insulation could damage a block wall in the way described. Arent the beads already expanded before they are blown in? I guess it might be possible with foam that expands in place but I've never heard of that cracking blocks. I have had an issue with a stud wall and expanding foam blowing out plasterboard but that was my fault. I think the person you spoke to was confusing it with another issue.. Fully filled cavities can cause water to bridge the cavity causing damp inside. For that reason its not recommended in exposed lolocations. The problem is that bricks are porus. Would your location be considered exposed? Installers that fill cavities on old houses are meant to decline if they think this is a risk on houses they have been asked to quote on. I suspect many dont. My understanding is this is not an issue if your house is rendered. I have heard that the grey "platinium" coated bead system is also at less risk. Pick a good installer and perhaps check if the warranty covers this issue.

What are the houses like either side of the plot? A 5 min drive is a log way in architecture terms. Do you know if it will go to committee? If so make sure they get the photos of other houses. Not sure what happens at the moment with covid but in my day you were allowed to speak at the meeting.

There is a bunch of info in here but I suspect you are OK. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/permitted-development-rights-for-householders-technical-guidance Search it for "loft" or "roof" as the relevant bits are spread out. Not quite sure why you have divided by 6? Can you post a sketch with dimensions? If the height is only 2.17m won't you will have a problem with headroom, especially after taking into account the depth of insulation needed.

In winter the solar won't be producing much on average and the immersion heater "COP" is 1. The COP of the ASHP might also be quite low ifvits been cold where you are. So overall I don't think its doing too bad.