Temp

This is what I remember ours looked at 10 years ago.. General walk around outside and in looking for issues. Hetas plates on wood burners, air bricks etc EN marks on toughened glass (eg stairs, French doors) Coatings on all sealed units (ours tested every single pane in the house) Pressure tested drains Smoke alarms (looked but didn't test) Checked one of our doors was 30 min fire rated due to a window being bit too narrow.

It's to check for leaks (sewer gas into your house etc). It involves opening man holes and plugging the pipe coming into the manhole with a disc. A hand pump is used to pressurise the air on the upstream side of the plug and you monitor the pressure to see if it falls. Various places sell a kit.. https://www.plastics-express.co.uk/drain-testing/drain-testing-kits/drain-testing-kit-c7cw-2-x-100mm-plugs-p-pte394 Try also Screwfix or Toolstation. You need to make sure there is water in all your traps and any open stacks blocked. In my case I had a bathroom that wasn't finished so had to temporarily block a few pips that didn't yet have traps on them. Yes you can do it yourself. Our BCO wanted to observe the test during final inspection. Ask yours when he wants to do it. I recommend you do your own check before the official one just in case you have a leaking AAV or something.

http://www.bromley.gov.uk/info/200011/building_control/89/building_regulations_-_a_guide/6 It would pobably be polite to tell the BCO that you plan to start work on site at your own risk prior to recieving plans approval.

I'm wondering if they weren't very careful when they took the scaffolding down. I imagine it would be easy not to pull them out straight or leave them in the slot unsupported.

As I understand it only the legal owner can evict someone from land. So if there is no legal owner then nobody can legally evict you. I've heard of the land registry rejecting claims where the fencing allowed visitors like the postman access. As I understand it you have to demonstrate you have taken possession "to the exclusion of all others". Worth reading up on this point if there is any doubt. If a third party reacts badly and starts to take down your fence then I think your only option is to call the police. Technically they could be guilty of criminal damage but the police might not want to take action when they discover you don't own the land. Try showing receipts as proof you own the fence. I suppose you might have to resort to solicitors letters or getting an injunction if the police won't help or the third party continues to cause damage.

The process and sample letters can be found here.. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/party-wall-etc-act-1996-guidance If the neighbours are happy you can DIY

BBC R4 You and yours is currently discussing the shortage of building materials. Small builder reported delays of 30 weeks plus for bricks and roof tiles. Also price increases of 10-15% Will be on iPlayer later if not already. Last item in the program.

Interesting construction. What sort of blocks are the walls made of? Will there be external insulation? I noticed the floor joists are dovetailed into the beams. Cool.

OSB 3 Vs 4... https://www.egger.com/shop/en_LV/product-comparison http://www.osb-info.org/rightgrade.html OSB 4 is heavier duty and swells less in high humidity.

When I went to purchase a duct the supplier asked if it was for my house or shed. Apparently the local DNO insists on a particular type of duct and marking on it. This makes it more expensive so they also sell a cheaper version for connections on site (eg to a shed).

Perhaps too late but.... Between arranging a meeting and actually meeting our architect he had been to the site and done some pen and ink sketches of what he thought would suit the site. Architect fees for supervising the build phase can be expensive so decide if that's something you can really afford or need. Some Architects will propose a fee which is a percentage of the final build cost. Avoid this because it means they get paid more if cost over runs. If you decide to install a better kitchen than initially planned you can end up paying the Architect extra even if he's not involved in the kitchen design.

I would get the ball rolling on both and see how things turn out later.

If they pay at the begining of a stage it's an advance mortgage. If they pay at the end of a stage then it's an arrears mortgage. Sounds like you have an arrears mortgage. Normally builders are paid in arrears so either should work. I you are using subcontractors and buying materials without a credit facility then an arrears mortgage could be a problem unless you have some cash. Best check the terms and conditions.

I would also look for one that has a relatively flat bottom. Some are quite curved which can make them dangerous to stand in.

Sadly it's very common for planners not to take enforcement action. They don't have the manpower or money to take someone to court unless the breech is severe. I think it's extremely unlikely they would take the developer to court to make him make rip up the block paving just because he laid it early.

What do the "approved plans" say about the road construction. The pavingexpert website has construction details suitable for a public highway.. "This page details the procedure used to design a block or brick pavement for public highways, car parks, freight yards etc."... http://www.pavingexpert.com/blokroad.htm How do they compare? Presumably rubbish lorries (and oil tankers?) will also use this road? Perhaps tell other owners that if the road isn't built to the required standard you won't accept responsibility for any damage caused. Point out it will be impossible to prove if any particular damage is caused by rubbish lorries or delivery lorries to your plot. Will it remain a private road or will it be adopted? If it's going to be adopted then there are minimum standards of construction required. However many councils will wait a year after the road has been constructed, then they will inspect it and ask for any damage to be rectified before they will actually adopt it.

We didn't need to go to appeal because we found written evidence the LPA had told a previous owner of the plot the exact opposite of what they had been telling us.

What do you mean by "This contractor has registered his involvement"? Perhaps I'm wrong but I'm not aware of any registration process other than the normal VAT registration process that a business uses. In which case he should/must zero rate everything to you (eg materials and labor). Any VAT you pay whenyou buy stuff is reclaimed by you using form VAT431NB after completion but within three months. Download the form now and set up spreadsheets. Ask the contractor what he means.

Just for info the relevant section isa vat notice 708 section 3.3.4 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-notice-708-buildings-and-construction/vat-notice-708-buildings-and-construction

We did something similar but used lever operated valves.

I think technically a certificate is only needed if you are building a charitable building or something like that but it can be used to convince a reluctant contractor to do what they are meant to and zero rate. At least that way the subcontractor has something to wave at HMRC if they question his VAT return. Interesting. Also found that discussed here.. https://www.justanswer.com/uk-tax/7pbn3-vat-i-m-building-new-house-once-complete-hope.html One view is that VAT is only charged if the "house" is sold after a change of use. So if the self builder sells it as a house after say 5 years and the new owner converts it to a hotel then he might have to pay/repay VAT when he sells it as a hotel. I never actually supplied the HMRC certificate to any trades. I just wrote them a letter stating that the work related to a new build and should be zero rated, and included relevant details like my address and the planning reference number.

So you hope a remortgage would be at a lower interest rate than your existing mortgage? Where are you living at the moment? Are you living in the holiday let?

It's all in Vat Notice 708. This tells trades what they should/shouldn't charge you VAT on. If he provides materials and labor they should zero rat both to you even if he paid vat on the materials himself. He should reclaim that when he does his vat return. Might help convince him if you give him a letter stating this work is in connection with a new dwelling and put the address and planning reference on it. Any problem and we can find the relevant section in Vat 708 to quote to him.

This could be of interest to someone planning to convert a building to holiday let's or similar... http://www.huntspost.co.uk/news/matched-funding-available-for-small-and-micro-rural-businesses-1-5463226 Might just be in that area but perhaps similar funding available in other areas?

That's usually what happens if an owner extends their own house. I think that's an option if a builder buys a house, extends it, and resells it? I doubt it happens very often as all it does is delay payment of the cil and potentially complicate the sale. I suspect most builders just pay the cil or do smaller extensions to avoid it. It's also what happens if someone buys a house with pp for an extension that hasn't been started yet. They can decide if they want to build the extension or not. If they don't build the approved extension they don't pay the cil. If they do build it they can apply for the exemption before they start.