Temp

+1 A so called "cold loft" has the insulation at joist level. A "warm loft" has insulation at or above rafter level. A cold loft is meant to be well ventilated so that any water vapour (from the warm part of the house) that gets into the loft is removed by ventilation. There should be vents at the eaves that allow air to flow in one side, across the floor of the loft above the insulation and out the other side. That's the ideal set up anyway. This means that the boards you refer to at rafter level are not for insulation. I'm inclined to agree with this.. Your loft insulation doesn't look very thick. You might consider investigating grants for additional insulation although I suspect your existing insulation might need to be less than 2" possibly 4" and you might need to be on benefits. If you do add more insulation you should preserve the air flow at the eaves. If you block that airflow you risk condensation forming in the loft. There are special "tunnels" you can buy that allow you to stuff insulation down into the eaves without blocking air flow. The roof is also a trussed roof which means pretty much every bit of wood has been designed to be only just strong enough. You probably already know you shouldn't go removing anything without advice and avoid storing massive amounts of heavy stuff up there. You can certainly use it for storage (of anything not damaged by cold) but regular access should be avoided. Try and keep the loft hatch closed as much as possible to keep water vapour out or it might just condense out on whatever you are storing.

There are some ceramic tiles that look like wood. Is the floor rigid enough for tiles?

As long as it doesnt get too hot.. https://www.karndean.com/en-gb/floors/guides-and-resources/guides/underfloor-heating-guide#:~:text=Karndean Designflooring is suitable for,C (80°F). "Karndean Designflooring is suitable for installing over underfloor heating systems, providing they have been insulated so that the surface temperature does not exceed 27°C (80°F)." Think they mean "installed" not "insulated".

Thanks, The FT confirms what you said. Adds that the government could have left the rules for the EU the same as other countries but realised they wouldn't have the capacity to police it. Financial Times: UK VAT changes for foreign mail-order sellers create ‘chaos’. https://www.ft.com/content/bae02f57-a648-45fd-a774-6b341aa59caf

Google suggests quite a few people have had issues running washing machines from generators and/or batteries. One possibility is that the microprocessor in them doesn't like the electrically noisy supply these can produce (expensive to diagnose). Another is that washing machines have quite a high initial surge current every time the motor starts. If the supply can't cope the voltage might dip fooling the micro into thinking there is a fault. If it works when running from the batteries and inverter can you use the generator to charge the batteries at the same time? This depends how you have it all connected.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55530721

Some builders merchants may also be prepared to give you an off the record comment on your builder.

If you want/need to help with his cash flow the best thing to do is buy materials like the concrete in your name for delivery to your site. We did this for some windows. Make sure he is happy with the price you are paying before ordering because you're going to deduct that from the next stage payment.

You might consider linking some to sign off by Building Control. Groundworks - Foundations and drains completed and approved by Building Control. Walls - Completed to roof level and approved by Building Control Roof - Structure complete and tiled and approved by Building Control. Completion etc

Laying a few courses of engineering bricks isnt too difficult. Just set up some strings on posts as guides for the top edge of the brick. I'd never done it before I did mine.

If you really hate this aspect of building you could pay a Quantity Surveyor to take over the task. You could ask him to visit each month to value the work done and tell you how much to pay the builder that month or some similar schedule. He would ensure your payments went getting too far ahead or behind. The down side is they aren't cheap. Might add 10% to the build cost.

+1 and put some DPC on top. If its a windy location you can put some bolts (head down) between the bricks or in the slab to bolt the frame down to later. Just be careful not to fall on the bolts during construction. My outbuilding is clad with boards on vertical battens. I ran the battens down the outside of the bricks stopping 1" above the slab so you can't really see the bricks after cladding.

Avoid Anhydrite screeds if you are planning on tiling. They can form a Laitance on the top which is hard to bond to. Avoid aerated screed for obvious reasons.

Something to check... Is the CIL mentioned in the Planning Grant and if so has it been paid? If not be aware that you probably can't claim the exemption because work has started.

Sometimes there is a rotary lever/knob on the pump. This one is set to max = III

I think its possible to have full flow even with air in the pipe. The air bubble acts like a narrowing of the pipe so water moves faster while going past it.

Youre probably right but I thought the need for self closing doors in houses had been changed? Edit: Yes still needed for 2nd floor doors and up.

If its a thread that is likely to have recent additions try the "Unread Content" button top right or possibly the search facility.

Air lock? If that turns out to be the cause make sure there is corrossion inhibitor in the system after its been sorted.

+1 I purchased one. Used a few times then it failed because my garage got too cold and the water left in it burst the casing.

Honeywell range... USA only? https://www.alarmgrid.com/browse/recessed-sensors

Not sure about the source but just 60p each. Not addressable. https://www.wish.com/product/5c9228dc553c6379313aee0a?hide_login_modal=true&from_ad=goog_shopping&_display_country_code=GB&_force_currency_code=GBP&pid=googleadwords_int&c={campaignId}&ad_cid=5c9228dc553c6379313aee0a&ad_cc=GB&ad_curr=GBP&ad_price=6.00&campaign_id=6493229882&exclude_install=true&gclid=Cj0KCQiA0MD_BRCTARIsADXoopZ9ivOFvcDzz53tdOnCmMXrqcBHMtneIl8QgKN-DarMET1kiOoTa7UaAldfEALw_wcB&share=web

I'm surprised a council would consider a change to any planning condition as non-material. Planning conditions have to be "necessary in planning terms" or they aren't enforceable and can be appealed.

Google suggests the Texecom CQR FC505 series might be suitable but they look like simple window switches with no identification capability so you would need to walk around to find which window was open if they were all in series on one wire. Need a 20mm hole so not very small. https://cpc.farnell.com/cqr-security/fc505-wh/contacts-flush-mount-white/dp/SR08422 http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/1700911.pdf

Humm.. I doubt you want a separate wire from every sensor back to the HA controller, it would make much more sense to have multiple sensors on one cable. That means they need to identify themselves to the HA so that the controller can tell which window is open. This must have been solved by alarm/HA companies years ago. Which HA system are you looking at?