Temp

We buy loads from Amazon. They have always been very good when there has been a problem.

We put MVHR in our build and I think it was one of our best decisions as the air feels a lot fresher than in any of the five house we've lived in before. The fan unit is located in a void over the back door porch so some way from the bedrooms. You can't hear it at all. even when stood under it. Some of the room vents do make a little noise but it's a faint whisper and not something we are really conscious of at all. Our oil boiler and wind outside make more noise.

PS: In some parts of the country planners have got involved in matters that should really be left to Building Control in my opinion. I'm talking about the need for houses to meet environmental standards that are stricter than the Building Regulations. I know that's a good idea but I think it should be done by tightening the Building Regs rather than getting planners involved.

I would tell them as little as possible in the application. If the planners are concerned they will hit you with a condition that requires you to get materials/finishes/colours approved before work starts. Typically they will want you to submit a sample for approval so yes they may eventually want the exact colour/tint/hue/texture etc. However I've yet to see a condition that precludes you changing the colour after completion. I had to get PP for an outbuilding in my back garden due to it being a conservation area and fronting a highway/footpath. I proposed oak cladding either allowed to silver or stained a light oak colour. They sent two planning officers to visit the site who said they were happy with my proposal and the colour. Then when it was approved there was a condition requiring me to get the finish approved. So I sent in a sample of the oak and they told me I had to paint it black! Having had a major battle getting the house approved I didn't want a repeat with the outbuilding so rather than argue I just sent them a sample painted black using whatever I had in the garage and they approved it. I never did paint the actual oak cladding black. It looks great stained light brown and nobody has ever came to check or complain. Soon it will be 10 years since the building was completed and they won't be able to make me change it. Nobody that has seen it thinks it would be better black.

I'm not sure what's involved but perhaps one option might be to install your own fire hydrant within 45 meters? Presumably you will have to run a water pipe down the driveway anyway?

This and related issues sometimes come up at the planning stage as well. The fire authority is one of the statutory consultees but they don't always respond when they are consulted by the planners. The Approved Documents are different to the Building Regulations. You have to comply with the Building Regulations and the Approved Documents provide guidance on how to do that. Near the front they all say the following... You will need to speak to Building Control and get an agreed solution in writing. In general Building Control Officers are much nicer to work with than the Planners. If you approach BC the right way you may well find they help you when it comes to bending the rules. Very late in the day I found I had a window that was too narrow. The BCO agreed that instead of replacing the window (which would have been very very difficult) I could just beef up the fire rating on the interior door for that room.

Actually that can't be it because they will be in tension when used as rafters with a structural ridge beam.

Perhaps engineered wood I beams can't handle tension? So the triangulation forces that tend to push the walls out have to be handled by a structural ridge beam instead of tension in the joists.

I think that's ok if renovating an existing house that has Permitted Development Rights (PDR) but I don't think new builds get PDR until they are completed ? Mobile homes don't need PP if they are used as accommodation for site workers (but clearly a child can't be a building site worker).

Guidance says vents equivalent to a 10mm wide slot the full length of the eaves. Here they suggest 70mm diameter vents on 160mm centers will achieve that.. https://www.discountbuildsupplies.co.uk/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1101&cat=Circular+Soffit+Vents+70mm+&gclid=Cj0KEQiAwMLDBRDCh_r9sMvQ_88BEiQA6zuAQ1-pKlkBU2AYlDmnG-fTX9ixkW8g3jqtd9xfcpq8LWYaAs5K8P8HAQ

There is some guidance on the web regarding the size of vents needed. It's surprisingly large. Works out at several of those screwfix vents per rafter bay as I recall. Will try and look up the figures.

Make sure your CCTV cameras are secure. There are web sites that specialize in finding unsecure cameras and making them available to the public. They even categorise them so you can search for them by location and " content". On the other hand if your content is "interesting" perhaps you should charge for it... www.reallife.com

Did you "charge" it backwards? I think most chargers will blow a fuse if you do that but if not then that might explain it. Has the battery been left cold and flat for any length of time? I found that's a good way to kill a lead acid battery. I now try and keep them on a float charger between use to prolong their life.

Some engineered wood floor companies say no rugs to cover their backsides because there is a risk of the glue delaminating. However we've had boxes of books piled up on our wood floor with the UFH running quite hot and no problems.

It's not the design that's copyright but the drawings. So for example you can't copyright a window shapped like a clover leaf. A new architect could also include a clover leaf shape window in the new design. What you can't do is give the new architect a copy of the first architects drawning and have him trace it. The issue is can a new architect make any use of the original drawings. A lot depends on the wording of the contract you agreed with the first architect and the terms of any license it contains to use his drawings. See bottom of page 14 par 47 (a) continued on page 15.. https://www.architecture.com/Files/RIBAProfessionalServices/Practice/SmallPracticeConference/2010/2011RobertStevensonHandout.pdf and then ont the other hand (b)...

+1 5.4 , 5.5 and diagram 10 don't actually mention the required slope. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/485420/BR_PDF_AD_B1_2013.pdf 1:40 is usually the minimum recommended for draining water off a pavement and that's 1.4 degrees.

That reminds me of my father making coloured paving slabs back in the 1960s. I think he made 30 or thereabouts for a small patio..

Currently you aren't forced to buy third party insurance for vehicles used on private land but that may change soon according to.. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/21/golf-buggies-dodgems-could-require-motor-insurance-new-eu-law/ Pretty sure most self build policies would cover you if you ran over your brick layer in your digger but it's possible new policies will be required. Ride on mowers? Powered wheel barrows?

To be honest I wasn't there when the chimney went up. I think we have round pumice liners, insulation and blocks. However the insulation can't be very thick due to the overall dimensions.

Pity this event has finished.. http://londonist.com/2016/06/fancy-making-your-own-brick-inscribed-with-your-initials

It's an interesting question. You want an insulated chimney so it runs hot and draws well but on the other hand that means you get less heat leaked into the rooms upstairs and more lost up the chimney. Our chimney used pumice but does seem to leak a lot of heat into the room upstairs.

Ah this is what I was thinking of.... https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/468872/ADJ_LOCKED.pdf

Are you talking about putting an SS liner inside concrete? I'm sure I read somewhere that SS liners are not allowed on new builds? or perhaps it was "not recommended" rather than not allowed?

I would leave your modem/router near to the BT master socket to maximise your broadband performance. If there aren't enough ports to run lots of cat5 you can add more ports using a cheap switch. They are just plug and play like a USB hub, no programming of set up needed. Eight port switches are around £30. You can also chain these together to minimise the number of wires if necessary. For example the following is possible.. modem---switch (downstairs)----one Cat 5 cable to----switch (upstairs)---several cat 5 cables to----several PC and or wifi access port(s). If you don't want to run any wires around you could use Powerline adaptors to get from the modem to a wifi access point in the middle of the house. Edit: Oops somehow I missed earlier posts suggesting switches.

Isn't that similar to an hour in a tumble dryer?