Temp

PS I got my Geberit frames from a German seller on eBay UK but that was a decade ago.

I claimed 21% Belgian VAT when VAT here was 17.5%. Think I just converted the VAT paid from Euro to £ and wrote it on the self build reclaim form. Presumably this will still be allowed after 31st January?

All applications are meant to be acceptable in their in their own right. I would have a look at the Design & Access statements for these other properties. Ditto the planning officers recommendation report to the committee (if they went to committee). These will give you a good idea what if any objections the planning officer had and possibly how they were overcome. For example one objection to rural development might be a lack of services and public transport. So you should check there are spaces at the nearest schools and a school bus to get there. Ditto access to doctors and ideally shops. Planners call this sustainable development (nothing to do with being green). You need to do this even if you don't have kids - planners have to assume anyone could live there.

No they won't do that but they sghould get utility maps as part of the normal searches they do for any house purchase, eg to check there don't need to be wayleaves or other rights of way/access. Typically it takes a solicitor 3-4 weeks to get them from the utility company. What I did was call them up pretending I was digging on site and had found a cable/pipe. Asked if any chance I could pop into their office later same day to pickup a map. Said I didn't need a meeting of anything. Had a map same day. They need the coordinates and scale you want. Once you know where the nearest services are you can estimate likely costs. Most of which is usually the cost of digging trenches in the verge/road. If they are in the road past the plot that's about as good as it gets. Any services that are more than say 50m away should start affecting the value of the plot as you could be looking at £5-10k to get them to the site. Main thing to check is that none of the route is privately owned. You can also ask neighbours or physically look for manholes or access hatches.

When you purchased the plot did your solicitor do "searches"? A good solicitor will contact the utilities to get a map as part of that process. Just in case there is an 11kV line or a gas main under the plot. If you can find out where the utility co has their asset mapping office you might blag a map quicker/free. Worked for me. Free map in a few hours but i had to collect it.

Bit too snug for me. Minimum I would go for is 100 x 80. Main reason we went for shower trays and screens is I hate getting wet socks. With pre-planning you can recess a shower tray as @Declan52 said so there is no plinth under it. Trays are available with or without anti slip embossed patterns and/or coatings. I recommend ensuring the top of the tray is at least 5mm above the tiles not flush so the door seal doesn't scrape on the tiles when opened.

Here is the McAlpine ST90CB10-70 top access trap with trap removed. Note that if your tray is very thin more of the outlet is obscured as the top part screws in further. However in that case you could cut off few turns of the threaded part to get better access.

I'm about to fit a MacAlpine ST90CB10-70 top access trap that appears to be rod-able through the removable top access trap. If that's not sufficient one option is to have a small access panel in the floor to one side of the shower tray. Under that you have a gentle 90 or 45 bend with a cap on that leads into the shower waste pipe.

I would hope that the core is always waterproof plywood but that might not be the case with some grades.. https://www.builderdepot.co.uk/18mm-phenolic-film-faced-shuttering-grade-plywood-2440mm-x-1220mm-8ft-x-4ft

Google phenolic coated plywood. Can get it with various patterns on it.

Only one I had issue with was the water company. We had to get a water main diverted as well as the connection. They wanted to charge a lot of VAT on the diversion part. Refused to pay until the VAT was removed. I referred them to https://www.gov.uk/guidance/buildings-and-construction-vat-notice-708

Google found some drawings of typical make up of a tarmac footpath... https://www.york.gov.uk/downloads/download/1539/highway_design_guide_-_technical_specification_drawings_and_plans_pdf Perhaps see if your council have similar drawings or make your own drawings based on these (eg a site plan showing where the path will go, a cross section of the path showing the make up and a cover letter). Ask them to confirm these details are acceptable before doing the work. When the work is finished apply for the condition to be discharged along with any others you have met at the same time.

As i mentioned above, do not start work until the CIL exemption paperwork is done. Its a multi step process, miss a step and you loose the exemption and become liable to pay it. One bit of paper lost in the post or even lost by the council and you loose the exemption and become liable to pay it and a penalty! You need to be able to prove you have jumped through all the hoops. I would not leave this to the Architect. Example: Man hit with £40,000 bill because he told the council he was starting work by email instead of using the right form!... https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=ca104a53-d127-4442-b05e-1c01a0389058

Make sure they get it. If it gets lost in the post you're in trouble.

I love plumbing...not... I'm currently working on an en-suite we never finished when we built the house. The pipe in the floor is Osmaweld grey but nobody seems to sell the other bits I need in grey locally. I figured white bits would be fine as it's all under the tray/floor. Wrong. It seems Osmaweld white and grey are slightly different sizes. The short length of Grey 40mm pipe I have is a bit too loose in a white 50-40mm adaptor for comfort. And yes its all same make and all solvent weld. Another 30 mile round trip tomorrow I guess

Welcome to the forum. Before you do anything on site have the council said anything about the CIL in your planning permission? https://www.chichester.gov.uk/article/29769/Would-CIL-be-chargeable-on-a-barn-conversion If you are liable then it is essential you apply for the self build exemption before doing any work. Failure to follow the multi step process to the letter and you become liable, possibly with no way back. One letter or form lost in the post has cost people £lots. If you're an SE you will probably know a lot of this (so sorry in advance)... That's called a "warm roof construction" because the rafters are far enough on the warm side of the insulation to prevent interstitial condensation. Ideally you should aim for as much insulation above the rafters as possible but usually a compromise has to be made. That will also give you nice exposed rafters on the inside if you want. Typical construction might be: Tiles Tile Battens Counter Battens Vapour Permeable Membrane Insulation Rafters with insulation between (possibly insulated plasterboard). There can also be an OSB layer somewhere in the mix to prevent racking. Not always necessary. Seems more common in Scotland? The counter battens lift the tile battens off the membrane allowing any water that is blown under the tiles to run down and not pool above the battens causing them to rot. Typically you need special long fixings to fix the battens to the rafters through the insulation. I gather these can be quite expensive but other can advise better than me. It can be tricky getting them to go in straight and hit the rafters. Ideally a condensation risk analysis should be done to confirm the ratio of insulation above/between is ok. Some insulation suppliers may do one for free. Many insulation suppliers have apps notes.. https://www.celotex.co.uk/assets/between-and-over-rafters_application-datasheet_nov18.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/buildings-and-construction-vat-notice-708 https://www.gov.uk/guidance/vat-on-fuel-and-power-notice-70119

+1 * Labour (as in actually working on site) should be zero rated to you. * Services (as in design services) are standard rated and not reclaimable. * Materials you buy are standard rated and reclaimable. * If someone does "Supply and fit" on one invoice then both should be zero rated to you. If it's on separate invoices the materials part should be standard rated and reclaimable, the labour part should be zero rated to you. Connection of services should definitely be zero rated to you. Request a revised invoice & your money back. Any problem and you can refer them to the relevant part of VAT Notice 708 and point out it is their legal responsibility to charge you the correct rate. I had to get a new invoice from my water company. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/buildings-and-construction-vat-notice-708

+1 See... https://www.gov.uk/guidance/goods-and-services-you-can-claim-for-under-the-vat-diy-scheme Under "B" it lists So its standard rated to you and cannot be reclaimed.

Try asking your questions here. Many of us have been through the process.

Sounds like a plan. Although if you have three phase I'd be inclined to keep it. Might be useful in future for electric car charging.

Running flashing up the fascia sounds like a bit of a bodge. Can't really see an obvious alternative. It is possible to put an internal drain in a flat roof but that's also something to be avoided if possible. Its one of those things that works if done right but is a pain if not. Again can't see you have much choice.

We have a travertine counter top basin with wall mounted taps. I wouldn't go with travertine again because it stains but everything else about them is great. You can get them with overflows built in... https://www.victorianplumbing.co.uk/costa-600-x-370mm-counter-top-basin-0th-ves009?campaign=googlebase&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=CjwKCAiA0svwBRBhEiwAHqKjFs3zrhMpnMhPic36B_xvzLKTVmclDSsqovoLNc6mzWn8M4idAcguTxoC_n8QAvD_BwE or you can add one hidden in the wall that bypasses the plug when the level gets too high. https://www.tapsempire.co.uk/product/ideal-standard-idealflow-hidden-basin-overflow-n8326/?gclid=CjwKCAiA0svwBRBhEiwAHqKjFi_5DK62Xm2p-79kvMlxftgAc8GxTC07UWv_k5vHNIVAWpCCs9KhJBoCfZ0QAvD_BwE Taps can be wall or counter top mounted. Our wall mounted taps seem to stay cleaner for longer as water from wet hands doesn't run down the tap or puddle around the base of the tap. Some counter top basins even have mountings for taps. I fixed our basin down with a bit of silicon same as our shower glass panels. They aren't going anywhere. The basin is also fixed down by the waste but you arent meant to do that (our counter top is also travertine and I forgot to make the hole big enough to clear the nut). I would avoid a basin with a very rounded bottom as it would be hard to clean under there (other things with rounded bottoms are fine by me :-)

We had two blokes try and steal a site workers truck in broad daylight while he was in it. He was having his lunch and bent down to pick up something from the passenger foot well. When he sat up again there was a bloke feeling around the front wheel to see if any keys had been left there. Ran off when the door opened followed by his mate lurking in the church yard next door. That would have been covered by his own motor policy but it could easily have been my own kit or stuff we had on hire.

Yikes. More than one house (and a few cathedrals) have been burnt down by a careless plumber waving his blow lamp around. There are 11 fires a day on construction sites according to.. https://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-safety-on-small-construction-sites/ But most people die on construction sites by falling from height. Did your BCO know you didn't have insurance? Some won't even come onto your site if they know that.