Temp

If you put 200mm insulation between 200mm rafters you really need counter battens to raise the main tile battens off the membrane. This is to allow water to run down the membrane and not pool above the tile battens causing them to rot. The alternative is to fit 150mm insulation and allow the membrane to sag between rafters forming a gap water can run down. Not all insulation and membrane manufacturers say they can be in contact. I believe Kingspan say one of their membranes can be installed in contact with insulation. We have something like 160mm or PIR in some parts of our roof and wish we had more. For some reason insulation at rafter level isn't as effective as at joist level. Perhaps because the rafters cause gaps or bridge the insulation? We get overheating in summer in "room in the roof" rooms even without significant glazing.

Ah ok. I see what you mean. I'd get the tiler back. Is the threaded part of the spout fixed to the spout? On ours it's a separate threaded tube that can be unscrewed from the spout to make it longer or replace it with a longer one.

I don't think it matters for the hot tap - just tighten the shroud up against the tile. For the spout just use a lot of PTFE on the threads and turn it until it's pointing in the right direction. Worse case it could be almost one full turn out from the wall so not "tight" against anything, however the water pressure in the spout is usually low so the PTFE should handle it. Our plumber didn't like the small gap on our bath spout and used a Dremel to grind back the travertine stone a little so he could turn it another turn. Personally I wouldn't have bothered. He made it look easy on travertine but I think some tiles would chip out.

You certainly need to convince the BCO to allow another door but ours was quite flexible. His view was that in rural areas disabled people would most likely come and go by car so if the parking space was nearest to the back or side door he was happy for one of those to be the part M door. If I build another house I plan to make all doors have a level access as it's just more convenient.

Before you install an accumulator you need to check that the problem really is the supply pipe to the house and not the pipework in the house. The pipework between the accumulator and the showers needs to be good or the accumulator wont help. If possible measure the pressure near where the main comes into the house while running the shower/bath. If that drops then the supply pipe is the problem. If the pressure stays reasonably high at that point then the problem is in the house.

Their installer should have checked tge flow rate before recommending and installing a mains pressure system. The problem could be the size of their supply pipe from the road to their house. However check that their stopcock(s) are fully open and no other restrictions or undersize pipes somewhere in the house. An accumulator helps when you have good static pressure but low flow rate. It works by filling slowly with water at whatever rate the main can deliver, then releasing it suddenly/more rapidly when you open a tap/shower. It needs to be correctly sized (bigger is better) or it may run out and revert to low flow, perhaps when a second person wants a shower immediately after the first. Check if it would be cheaper to have the main supply upgraded to a larger diameter pipe than fitting an accumulator - although I suspect not.

Looks like I've found a cheaper option... https://www.amazon.co.uk/eMylo-110V-240V-Wireless-Automation-Compatible/dp/B07JLQNHRH/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=Emylo+smart+alexa&qid=1570750464&s=diy&sr=1-4 Its a relay with three ways to control it... 1) Manual wall switch 2) Wifi/Alexa 3) RF keyfobs All for £26. Not quite sure about the packaging of the unit - exposed wires - will need to find a box but no problem.

Thanks for that. Looks like their socket or plug in adaptor ( https://aone.auroralighting.com/ProductDetails/AU-A1ZBPIA) can be used with their remote ( https://aone.auroralighting.com/ProductDetails/AU-A1ZBRC ) although might be a tad expensive at around £40 each.

Will do. Just to clarify... It could be a plug in adaptor, doesn't have to be a face plate.

It will also be used by an elderly family member - their phone still has a keypad and can't install apps.

It's been mentioned before but the problem with a pocket door is they take longer to open and close. We have one but it's on a door that's not used frequently. The door and opening may also need to be wider because the handle doesn't disappear into the pocket. Can't even come close as it may trap your hand between handle and frame. Go play with one in a show room.

It depends how wide the door opens. With the door open 90 degrees the clear opening width is less than the size of the opening in the frame by about the thickness of the door.

Anyone know of an Alexa/Echo compatible plug/socket that ALSO has a wireless key fob?

+1 The tricky part is generating the Boiler Enable (BE) signal that turns on the boiler. Something needs perform a logical OR function. In your case this would be.. BE = UFH or Rads or DHW. You can't really do this by connecting all the stats together because you get unwanted interactions (for example the Rad stat might turn on the UFH loop pump). You can do it with relays but it's better to use some sort of controller. Edit: Actually it might be possible to do it with just wire if the zone valves have contacts that make when the valve opens.

I'm just being sarcastic. Planners expect developers to sell a proportion of the houses on a new estate at less than 80% of the market value and require any buyer to do the same via a clause in the contract. Obviously these aren't for sale but how much would they loose if they were sold off?

Very interesting but which one is the affordable house they are selling at 80% of the market value :-)

T That's looking like the best option. I got two weeks before I'm due to visit them.

Relative has asked if I can fit some Duracell LV outside lights but ideally wants a PIR/Dusk sensor. The Duracell LV range appears to be 18V DC plug and play but I haven't seen them yet. Don't think they have a PIR sensor in the range. Bit of a long shot but does anyone know if 18V IP rated PIR sensors exist?' I'v seen some rated for 12V-24V but they dont appear to be IP rated, eg they are for indoor use.

Is water is ok for petrol fires?

Looks like I misunderstood. I thought one of the photos in the OP was a house to which you were adding a porch!

If you need a hot water store for the bath I would also use it for the shower.

I'm not sure an oak framed porch is right for the house. I think something modern in glass might be better. Flat glass roof, glass wall on the left. Open at the front or a glass door so you can still see the existing front door. Probably not what you want but that was my first instinct.

It's not illegal to add a 20% markup but it would be to add 20% and say it's VAT when it isn't.

This bit also went missing... https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/capital-gains-manual/cg65243

Sorry once again the formatting has gone wrong and the editor won't let me fix it. Grrr. How do I make quote tags visible so I can edit them? One missplaced / and the formatting is spammed up and I can't fix it, presumably because quotes aren't meant to be edited?