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Welcome to the forum. Officially you need planning permission as over 300mm and the planning portal says you should assume you need Building Control Approval if you need planning permission. I think i would just keep quiet unless someone complains. If Building Control ask you to get an SE involved you could probably get one to come take a look and write them a letter. Ring round a few. Personally I wouldn't have a timber deck as they can get as slippery as ice.

Example funnel type "register plate" adaptor for pumice liners.. https://www.woodburningstovesdirect.com/product/232/clay-liner-adaptor-internal.htm

PS If you have the budget I recommend Clearview woodburners.

Officially wood burners are meant to be installed by a Hetas improved installer otherwise you need Building control Approval. So perhaps get one to come check it out. Some builders cast a concrete slab/lintel with a pumice liner block/tube through it above the alcove. Above that there are more tubes suffounded by insulation and around that the square or rectangular stack built from building blocks. These change to bricks in the loft. If that's what you have it might be fine. The pumice liner tubes we used are 225mm in diameter approx. Below the pumice liners/slab you need an adaptor. This is called a register plate as @ProDave mentioned. Sometimes they are just a stainless steel plate with pipe through it that matches your stove. The plate is sealed and screwed to the underside of the slab/lintel. Sometimes they also have a little door in to aid sweeping but only if the chimney is a lot bigger than the stove pipe. In other cases the register plate is more like a funnel. Thats the type we have. It adapts the pumice liners to the stove pipe. You can get them in standard sizes or made to order online. Wood burners produce tar that can run down the chimney so the pumice liner should fit inside the register plate/funnel and the register plate/funnel should fit inside your stove pipe. Special fire cement is used to seal these joints. Below the stove you have the hearth. This has to be one of two types depending on the stove... 1) If the stove is certified that it cannot raise the hearth over 100C then you only need a slab of something non combustible like granite, slate or glass. It must be a larger than the stove to catch any embers that fall out. Must also be 11mm higher than the floor in the room to discourage rugs from migrating too close. We used some 20mm black granite kitchen work top i found at a local stone masons. He honed the top so it wasn't glossy. 2) if the stove isn't certified as above you need a "constructional hearth" that is typically a thick slab of concrete in the floor. I forget if it has to be 125mm or 225mm thick. More on that if needed. As I mentioned the hearth has to be bigger and project out the front of the stove. This info can be found in Approved Document J Page 38 Diagram 26a. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/combustion-appliances-and-fuel-storage-systems-approved-document-j

So you've finished converting it? Have Building Control issued a completion certificate? The council cant issue a council tax bill until its been given a band by the VOA but the council normally send them the info they need. So yes Id write to the council tax office to tell them you have completed on <date> and request they contact the VOA. You can move in when you like if you have a completion cert (or even before).

The rules change when you go from two floors to three floors. They require the escape route from upper floors to be protected from fire for 30min. So I'm afraid open plan arrangements on the entry level are a problem in houses with more than one floor above (you have two floors above). A fire in your kitchen could quickly block your exit otherwise. I think it might be allowed if you install a sprinkler system but I'm not sure if this is an expressly permitted solution in the regulations or if its at the discretion of the Building Control Officer. https://www.self-build.co.uk/open-plan-layouts-how-overcome-fire-safety-problems/ An additional external staircase might also be an option?

Fire away ?

I think it would be difficult to get PP as a holiday let given the planning history. Regarding an annex that is occupied as part of the main house.. Find out if the garage was built with planning permission or under Permitted Development Rights. If PP was obtained (perhaps with the house) then the rooms in the roof may already be considered to have residential use status. In that case I don't believe you would need another PP to change it to an annex. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/25/garage_conversion A third way forward is to apply for a Lawful Development Certificate. This is essentially a ruling that PP is not needed to convert it to an annex. You submit plans just like for PP. The difference between an LDC and PP is the decision making process. An LDC is objective, you either do or don't need PP based on its current status. PP on the other hand can be more subjective and they can take into account more things like the impact on the area, traffic etc. Neighbours get consulted etc.

One option might be to notch the outside of the house and recess the down pipe into that. I'm thinking a notch mostly filled with a square down pipe. Might mean a pier on the inside but perhaps those are needed somewhere anyway? Edit: Google images found this but I don't like the bottom... or on full show..

As far as I can tell if they think the neighbours need consulting or it would impact local area then the go full app. Do your dormers overlook neighbours or are they very visible from the road?

I think I'd go around the outside if there aren't a lot of pipes already in the way. Building Control may have an opinion. I dug a similar length with a mini diger over a weekend but it was across bare ground.

That ones probably too big to do that but there are much smaller sensors. Only hesitation is that you probably shouldn't expose the wires as the stats are mains powered.

Could get away without a box. You can get a third party sensor and mount on a blanking plate...something like.. https://www.amazon.co.uk/BIlinli-Thermistor-Temperature-Sensor-Waterproof/dp/B07R7G1QJK For £150 you could buy a 3D printer kit and some filament and print boxes with vent holes any pattern you want:-)

PS. Never pay VAT on labour as you cannot claim it back from HMRC. If HMRC spot the mistake they will refer you back to the company and good luck getting it back from them. There are exceptions: Consultants like Architects - their services are standard rated. You have to pay VAT and can't reclaim it either. Likewise tool hire 8s standard rated and can't be reclaimed.

If you buy the materials you can claim the VAT back using the self build reclaim scheme. His labour must be zero rated to you as you cannot reclaim VAT on services. His quote should be "inc VAT at 0%". If not best get it changed before you accept it. If he buys the materials and fits them (aka supply and fit) then he must zero rate both to you. You then have nothing to reclaim. He can reclaim the VAT when he makes his VAT return. Likewise his quote should be "inc VAT at 0%". Some trades are reluctant to do this. If that happens refer them to VAT notice 709 and it may help if you give them a "certificate" (aka a letter) stating their work relates to a new house at <address>, <planning reference number> and atrach a copy of your planning grant. If he isn't VAT registered he can't reclaim the VAT paid on materials so best you buy them yourself so you can reclaim it back. Make sure to ask for VAT invoices.

Is it a detached house or a semi? If a semi have the neighbours already removed the chimney their side? https://www.labc.co.uk/news/how-to-get-it-right-removing-chimney-right-way-video-showing-wrong-way

If the motorised valve switches off (or something else stops circulation in the boiler flow) when the UFH is still calling for heat then I can see how this might cause the problem... With the blender turned down most of the water is recycled round and round the floor loops, little or none is drawn from the boiler flow. With the blender turned up less is recycled and more drawn from the boiler flow. If thats blocked so you get noise. It could also explain why it happens when the floor loop cools down (as described in your very first post). As long as the floor loop is hot the blender is recycling. When the floor cools the blender tries to draw more from the boiler. If it blocked you get the noise. So well worth checking that the motorised valve is open when you hear the noise.

+1 Looks like original installer messed up. I was just looking at this photo from their web site. Note where the boiler flow and return connect compared to yours. On their picture the flow connects to the left hand port where as on yours it connects to the right. As @JFDIY said turning the mixer so its facing the wall looks like the easiest solution but not great for access. I would ask JG Speedfit if there is another way. Perhaps they do a "left handed" mixer valve or perhaps the insides of the mixer can be turned around? The pump and manifold look ok so I don't see need to change anything there.

Could be a faulty blender. Can you tell if the noise is coming from the pump or the blender? Use a length of wood as a stethesoscope?

I noticed that the noise reduces when the mixer temperature is turned down. In that situation more water is being recycled around the floor loops and less new hot is added from the boiler. Does it ever make this noise when the burner is lit? I'm wondering if the boiler pump is stopping when the burner switches off? If that is preventing water flowing to the UFH mixer and pump it might be the cause?

Gosh its loud. Double check that the flow and return from boiler to blending valve is correct.

Google can find examples.. This one for a development of 4 houses.. https://www.ribblevalley.gov.uk/planx_downloads/17_0385_Const_Plan_&_Traffic_Plan.pdf 5 houses https://digital.flintshire.gov.uk/FCC_Planning/Home/NewDocView/160917 Knock down two and build flats. http://planweb01.rother.gov.uk/OcellaWeb/viewDocument?file=dv_pl_files\RR_2016_2430_P\RR_2016_2430_P-TA.pdf&module=pl

Its not common to need a Traffic Management Plan. Do you know why they asked for one? If not I would contact them and find out if they have any specific concerns they think you need to address. It might be a neighbour objected to your planning app and raised concerns about trucks delivering materials at all hours. As a sop they asked you for a Traffic Management Plan. In which case it might be as simple as one page note saying deliveries will be restricted to normal working hours (6.30 to 4.30 ?).

Is it UFH? Can you just turm off that loop or Rad?

Its hard to know what your definition of "large is". I would make a list of the rooms you want. Go measure up some you consider to be the size you want for each and build a spreadsheet to add it all up. Our house is a wisker over 3000 sqf/300sqm. For that we have virtually a 6 bed (4 reasonably large bedrooms, 1 small bedroom, home office big enough to be a 6th bedroom), large living room, dining room, kitchen, family bathroom and two ensuite. Garage not included in the 3000sqf. Our house is on a slope so split level and has a T shape roof with rooms in the roof and several dormers. This meant quite a bit of steel in the roof and even the first floor. If building again I would go for a more traditional shape to reduce cost (eg rectangular shape, two storey on flat plot). But keep some of the non standard internal layout features we have. Staircase in the dining room, full height window etc. Money saved would use to add a decent conservatory!