Temp

"UK refuses to restart Brexit talks despite EU accepting its demands" https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/oct/19/brexit-gove-praises-constructive-move-as-eu-agrees-to-intensify-talks "Barnier’s statement appeared to meet all the requests No 10 had been making as the price of new talks".

When you sell make sure your solicitor adds easements to the deeds to protect the services and your right to access them for maintenance.

I'd pay extra for that!

PS: if you are in a smokeless zone you will/should be sold a wood burner designed for smokeless zones. Typically these have a mechanical stop which prevents the airflow being turned down as far as you may want. This can cause them to burn a bit too fast compared to standard models. If offered the choice go for the standard version and keep the air vents wide open during start up to minimise smoke.

The main "problem" with any wood burner is cleaning, particularly the glass and some seem to make the glass dirty much faster than others. The stove in our living room needs cleaning before every use whereas the Clearview stove elsewhere can go 5-7 days despite burning the same logs. So I would look for reviews that mention this.

+1 https://www.gov.uk/options-if-youre-owed-money https://www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money https://www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money/enforce-a-judgment If you win in court but he still doesnt pay there is £66 fee for sending bailiffs. If they cannot recover your money and costs from the debtor I think there is a further £75 fee you have to pay. .. https://thesheriffsoffice.com/articles/high_court_enforcement_officer_or_county_court_bailiff I gather its quite important to take the right entity to court. Eg no good claiming against his company if he hired you in a personal capacity. So collect all paperwork, emails txt messages you have and check for consistency so he can't later claim you have taken the wrong entity to court.

Electricity is about 3-4 times the cost of gas per kWh. If there is a gas supply direct electric heating makes little sense apart from installation cost.

+2 Although i would expect to see some evidence of water coming out of the PRV. Perhaps pressurise the system when cold then fire it up. If the Expansion vessel has lost pressure I would expect some water to come out of the PRV as it heats up. Perhaps temporarily put a plastic bag over the outlet so you can catch it. If sure there is nothing coming out of the PRV then it might be a leaving rad valve somewhere.

That timber structure doesn't actually have a roof just a roof frame. If you plan to add one make sure the whole frame is designed for that as the wind and snow loading would be much higher.

Do you happen to know the power of your oil boiler? In cold weather do you notice it burning a lot? Very infrequently? It's quite hard to find a running cost comparison for different fuels and "boilers". This site (currently down for maintenance) is the only one I have found... https://nottenergy.com/resources/energy-cost-comparison/ Scroll down to the table. The figure to compare is the column with a heading something like "cost per kwh after boiler efficiency" as this takes into account the COP of a heat pump etc. Its not perfect. People argue the cost of electricity assumed is too high or the COP too low etc. Last time I looked the efficiency of a heat pump didn't quite make up for the higher cost of electricity needed to run it. https://great-home.co.uk/air-source-heat-pumps-an-alternative-to-gas-boilers/

This was news to me.... This is Money: Will your smart gas meter suddenly die at Christmas?. https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-8850277/Will-smart-gas-meter-suddenly-die-Christmas.html When the battery runs out in a smart gas meter some of them cut you off !

Might be worth a look at some of the VAT threads. HMRC give you three months from completion to file your VAT reclaim but they have argued over the definition of completion when people take a long time to do the work or move in years before "completion". In some cases claims have been denied on the ground that the house was effectively completed well over three months before the reclaim was submitted. It may help stave of problems if leave water and electricity idisconnected so it's clearly not officially habitable until nearer the time you are ready to get Building Control sign off and move in. That should also help to avoid paying council tax too early. Likewise Building Control have been known to close a file if no progress is made for some time. Perhaps worth sending them regular updates to ensure they keep the case live.

How is the wall itself being insulated?

Can you use two narrower beams side by side.. http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15148 Although read the thread as there are issues.

Customs controls aren't the only think likely to cause problems at Dover in January. What does Boris plan to do about... https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1347628/brexit-news-france-emmanuel-macron-latest-eu-uk-fishing-rights-vn "French fishermen threaten to blockade ports in Brexit row revolt 'this is the end of us!' "If we can't enter British waters, it's practically the end of our profession. "We might decide to flex some muscles. We got into trouble before for blocking the port of Calais, but it's something we will discuss"

Its not clear what happens next year in the event of no deal. We were going to have regulatory alignment and i dont think we have a choice but.. https://www.weightmans.com/insights/brexit/brexit-the-impact-on-the-construction-sector/

Did the price you were quoted include VAT and whose? Currently as long as they are from the EU you can reclaim foreign VAT. Next year the VAT rules change. My understanding is that should not be charged VAT by the seller but will have to pay VAT when they arrive in the UK port. It should still be possible to reclaim that VAT. Its not clear to me what you should pay if you order and pay in 2020 with delivery in 2021. There may also be some import duty to pay and a modest customs handling charge. Good luck trying to figure out how much duty is. There is a large government data base but the usual problem is working out which category it comes under. Are they building materials, timber products, insulation etc etc. Rates ive seen range from 0% to 40%.

No but it might work out cheaper as there would only be one lot of inspections instead of two. However you might consider more eyes are better.

Google found this which might be useful.. http://www.structuraltimber.co.uk/assets/Links/STA_Cavity_Barriers_Technical_Document_FINAL.pdf And nhbc has some info on installation in S8.. http://nhbccampaigns.co.uk/landingpages/techzone/previous_versions/2008/Part6/section2/sitework.htm

Post Grenfell they are paying more attention to this sort of thing. Normally you send drawings to the BCO who checks them and may ask for more info. Eventually he will give you the ok to start. Typically the BCO will want to inspect the bottom of the foundation trenches before you fill them with concrete. When he visits use the opportunity to ask him at what stage he would like to be called back for the next inspection. Same/next day write to him to confirm what he said and list any defects he found and how he wanted them fixed. Repeat at each inspection.

+1 12mm ply over existing 20mm floorboards would be ok if screwed down properly.

12mm directly on joists doesnt meet building regs let alone the stiffness needed to stop tiles cracking... https://ukbathroomguru.com/screwing-down-structural-plywood-to-joists/ https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/minimum-thickness-of-ply-subfloor.511459/

PS We have a small difference in levels at our bathroom door between a stone floor in the bathroom and wood floor outside. It's not been an issue although our step is going up as you leave rather than enter. The step is about 10mm high.

From what I've read you need more like 22mm plywood over joists before tiling. I think 18mm is the minimum for Building Regs. You may also need to beef up the floor joists and add noggins to reduce movement before screwing down plywood on 200mm centres. The ply must be sealed before tiling.

We have had Visonic wireless system for 13 years. Their Quad PIR sensors seem pretty reliable. Remember to turn off any LEDs in the PIR sensors and the batteries will last much lolonger - Well over a year. We use key fobs to arm and disarm from outside the house.