Temp

New quote from The Times today. Contrast that with yesterdays quote..

Regarding 3-3 Not very keen on the detailing. Shouldn't there be some sort of drip bead where I've shown to stop water running in under the cladding? Perhaps that's not shown because this is just the foundation detail drawing? Has the frame company provided any drawings? Again there appears to be a half block on the inside (see my earlier post).

Andrew - Cross section 1-1 appears to show a half block (?) resting on the insulation under the inner leaf? Not sure of the point of that. I recommend speaking to the frame company to see what they normally recommend. eg Ask if the full width of the frame must be supported or is a single width 140mm block enough.

Google reviews give Opun 3.7 out of 5. Worth a look at some of those reviews. I would question how anyone can offer a good quality national service as they will most likely be contracting the work to unknown local firms. I think always better to know who is doing the work and go to them direct.

Perhaps I misunderstand but.. Why tension the wires at both ends? If I've understood correctly that's going to be limited by the upward force you are allowed to apply to the end of the "cantilevered" stair treads (before they start bending upwards). You might need to run the wires down to the ground and anchor them there, using a double ended adjuster at tread level. But then how much tension can you put on the top end/handrail? I think you need to get this properly designed. I doubt the strength of the swage is an issue. Google finds... http://www.ybw.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-270417.html http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f116/strength-of-cable-terminations-wire-rope-grips-vs-swaged-131788.html

I don't think you have told us how much depth you have available and what sort of insulation you plan. How bad is the existing concrete? Given you want to tile the floor I think I would consider going for .. Tiles Screed (and perimeter insulation) Insulation DPM Sand blind Existing concrete floor No void so no need for air bricks to ventilate under it. Tiling wood floors is possible but it's best to get the thing as rigid as possible starting with adequate joists (perhaps not bare minimum) and possibly two layers of WBP on top screwed down (lots of screws). Then follow instructions for flexible tile adhesive.

https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/9/change_of_use/2

According to The Times there was another major fire involving cladding of flats yesterday. 20 flats were destroyed and 10 damaged. This time it was timber cladding. Good job the block was only 6 stories tall.. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-48574044 https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/massive-fire-london-block-flats-16403706

Ok. If it's going to be fixed to the wall below DPC I would put DPC or DPM between it and the wall.

What the government believes... https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmbeis/503/503.pdf The issue of plastic backs was first raised at least two years ago yet.. https://www.which.co.uk/news/2019/02/hundreds-of-potentially-unsafe-fridges-and-freezers-still-on-sale/

Gove plans to abolish VAT and replace it with a lower sales tax.. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-48571291 Can't see where it says how he plans to finance that.

I think more will come out during the course of the enquiry and related court cases. I don't know about the fridge in the Grenfell case but I'm surprised that the plastic backing of some fridges is so flammable. I recall from when I was designing consumer electronics (computers and set top boxes) that special plastics had to be used for some front panels. https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/fridge-freezers/article/fridge-freezer-safety Regarding accreditation schemes - has anyone else spotted a similarity with the Boeing 737 Max saga where it was also thought retraining/testing wasn't required because the new was similar to the old?

If you don't like the ideal of a timber wall plate, could you build a dwarf wall inside and put dpc on top to protect the joist ends?

Not sure I follow. Are these floor joists below a bifold door? or ceiling joists above a bifold door? I'm guessing its the former? As I recall there should be a minimum number of brick/block courses above a joist hanger so no you can't just rest them on top of the blocks.

CC45.. I think you are spot on with your spacing. I would suggest you go for lights that produce at least 400 lumens each. I would also put them over the work tops to avoid working in your own shadow as @ProDavementions. Regarding the beam angle... You can get LEDs with beam angles from <30 to >130 degrees. The narrow angle types have less glare but produce more shadows. The wide angle types produce more glare but fewer shadows as each one fills in the shadow from another. Personally I prefer wider beam angles and avoid thd 30 degree bulbs. Not sure where the happy balance is but its probably 60-90 degrees.

Just for info.. there are ways to avoid inheritance tax if you plan in advance. As far as I can tell all involve giving up some control over your money. These days they say that for safety you should not draw more than 4% in income if you don't want to deplete your capital. So let's say you want an income of £20-40k per year. That means ideally you need to keep £500k to £1m under your control not locked away in some avoidance scheme. So in practice anyone with less than say £1million will struggle to find an attractive way to avoid inheritance tax. However anyone with say £10m can afford to give £8-9m to their children or put into trust and still have money to live on. They can also afford the advice and admin fees that these inheritance tax schemes cost.

Here is how we did our tray on a beam and block floor with insulation and screed with UFH... Where the shower tray was going we omitted the insulation and screed, replacing this with a timber frame and WBP. Top of WBP was the height we wanted the bottom of the tray. In our case this was the finished floor level but it could have been lower. A clearance hole was cut in the WBP where the drain hole was in the tray. The hole was about 0.5 inches bigger than the body of the trap. We used a top access trap and plumbed the waste so that the base part of the trap was centered in the hole and flush with the top of the WPB. The plumbing was done so that the trap could move sideway slightly if necessary. Mortar/adhesive was spread on the WBP and the tray lowered into place and checked for level. The top part of the trap was passed through the hole in the tray and screwed into the base part of the trap. Later this was undone and sealer put around the hole before screwing it back down again. Finally the innards of the trap and the mushroom cap were added through the top. Then the walls were tiled down to the tray. The pipe run to the stack was done in the insulation.

A starting point might be someone's VAT reclaim spreadsheet.

We couldnt keep up with our builder and in the end told him we would do one of the bathrooms ourselves after completion.

You must appeal within 6 months of the date on which the determination was due. I believe that means the Date the planning application was validated + 8 weeks + 6 months. I would not leave it to the last moment in case there is some issue with getting the appeal paperwork validated. Edit: if your house is over 1000sqm they have 13 weeks instead of 8.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;url=https://gateleyplc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Beware-red-line-boundaries-1.pdf&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjU6qi0htjiAhVhqnEKHS41AMkQFjAQegQICBAB&amp;usg=AOvVaw1Mjbtjs6A3v5zwudKsepBf&amp;cshid=1559934616390 "Roads and rivers There is also a legal presumption in relation to roads. Plans will often show that the boundary runs up to the edge of the road. In fact, there is a presumption that the boundary runs down the middle of the road. If the road is a public highway, then the Highways Authority owns the surface and the necessary amount of airspace above it, but the adjoining landowner still owns the land underneath, up to the middle of the road."

Under some circumstances you may own the land to the middle of the highway... Hope this link to a pdf works.. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;url=http://www.britfordparishcouncil.co.uk/app/download/18560551/Presumption%2Bin%2Bthe%2Bcase%2Bof%2Ba%2BHighway%2B-%2BDitches.pdf&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjU6qi0htjiAhVhqnEKHS41AMkQFjAKegQIAxAB&amp;usg=AOvVaw1qzWi9B5BMLR7EF6-EvX-Q

There are diagrams of constructional hearth in the Approved Documents. If you want to do it differently I would discuss with your BCO.

An Appeal for non-determination (written representation) can take 27 weeks or more. If you want a hearing it's longer. I would give the planning officer more time but make sure you know the time limits for appealing because if you miss that the planners can drag it out for ages.

The rule is always put this sort of thing in writing but verbal contracts are legally binding if you can prove one exists. £10,000 to find an £80,000 plot sounds a lot to me. I think an estate agent would a normal charge a seller 1-2%? Obviously if you had paid to get planning permission or otherwise helped to develop the plot you should get more.