Temp

The government seems to blow hot and cold on self builders. Perhaps next time they decide to encourage self building everyone should write to their MP and suggest the frame companies be encouraged to set up a low cost escrow scheme. Perhaps in partnership with lenders?

Drainage pressure test? Bco may want to witness the test. HETAS for any wood burners. Unless BCO is happy to inspect himself. Check internal glass partitions or glass on stairs etc has required marking. BCO may still refer to it as a kite mark but thats out of date. I forget which standard is has to say.

When the M3 was built next to our house in the late 60s my father fitted secondary glazing with a narrow air gap. Can't remember the exact width but it was on the inside of the wooden single glazed windows so probably 30 to 40mm. Then the government offered to fit secondary glazing. My dad ask if we could just have the money as we already had secondary glazing. They said no because the gap on what we had was too small. So my dad got them to come fit another lot. This was fitted to the inner face of the wall so a gap more like 175mm. It opened so you could still put things on the window sill etc. So we had a sort of triple secondary glazing.

Kinda surprised it's not registered. T Your solicitor should advise what this all means. If necessary he should consult an expert. Covenants and similar are difficult area of law. I wouldn't like to speculate. Some turn out to be worthless/unenforceable. Others a gold mine. A comma here or a word there can change everything. Dont septic tanks need emptying every 3 to 5 years? I would ask the seller when that was last done and if he has any evidence they paid up. You could always knock on the neighbours door to introduce yourself, tell them you are thinking of building a house to live in yourself and ask if they know anything about the local schools, Internet, drains...

Page 1-10 has the parts list just for the jack. .part 6 is P70072 but Google could only find that in the USA at $160 !

Think that's what I would do.

I'm sure that even the 1m from the boundary "rule" is a guideline and not mandatory. Its to discourage building even closer giving a "terraced" look. To successfully argue with the planners you need to find written copies of local planning policies and check every letter of the wording. Even then if you find the proposal would breach the guidelines the wording might allow the planners discretion. Can you afford to hire a planning consultant? If so ask one to look at the plans and possibly quote to submit an objection for you (if the consultation is still open). I believe this argument is wrong. I don't believe you need Planning Permission to change it from gym to office so they should take into account its current use as an office which is considered a habitable room. Make sure they are aware it was "converted" from a gym to a home office x years ago and therefore should be considered a habitable room.

Sorry for not posting sooner but this is our dining room ceiling. Hope the cobwebs don't show. The smallest beams are 75mm wide and 60mm deep. Yes all decorative. The only exception being the big beam on the right which supports part of the stairs landing. The floor upstairs is beam and block.

You can't just leave regular joists exposed because it's unlikely that would meet Part E Sound transmission. We opted for a beam and block first floor with oak beams below it. They look ok. Will try and post pic later.

I think I would want that post resting on the existing foundations if possible in case there is any movement of the new relative to the old. But perhaps I worry unnecessarily

If money no object Perrin & Rowe or Swaddling if they still exist. Their thermostatic mixers are serious lumps of finely machined brass. But take a heart pill before you Google the price.

+1 We are on clay (not the really stick stuff) and even with some drainage it's an issue. The ride on mower leaves tyre tracks when the ground is wet which it is from now until late spring. Depends how much this bothers you but you might want to look at putting in a serious drainage grid and getting advice on soil improvers from local lawn care company. Might need quite a few ton bags worth.

https://www.northnorfolknews.co.uk/news/23846573.thousands-set-lose-jobs-ban-building-new-homes/

Assuming it is definitly all garden and not mixed or agricultural... This is from 2020 so might be dated.. https://www.herrington-carmichael.com/sdlt-treatment-of-garden-land/ And..

I've never heard of a concrete floor moving enough to cause audible squelching from underneath it. I wonder if there is an issue with the insulation under it becoming waterlogged?

Yes you can do that and groove the mortar with the point of a trowel. A totally flat solid layer of mortar can make it harder to level the tray.

Check the instructions. Some/most trays need support over the whole base area so for those tile adhesive and a notched trowel is what I used. Allows some levelling like you would a tile. Other trays are strong enough that several large dabs of mortar can be used and that's slightly easier to level the tray.

Is it only when you move about or can you hear it when standing still? I think I would check that rainwater down pipes take water away to a soakaway the correct distance from the house (or a drain) and not just into the ground too close.

Ok so he is proposing a structural ridge beam instead of a ridge board. These work by effectively "hanging" the roof from the ridge beam. The ridge beam is typically supported on steel posts, chimneys and gable end walls. The rafters need to be well secured to the ridge beam, possibly with metal straps connecting the rafters one side with the rafters on the other side. This solution is commonly used for "one and a half" story houses where you cannot use prefabricated trusses or triangulate the rafters using joists because the joists would be at the wrong height. Eg not in a floor or ceiling. Make sure your builder understands the concept and follows drawings. In the UK most structural engineers reach for steel beams in this situation. In other countries they seem more willing to use timber beams. The cost of the steel work is one of the disadvantages of 1.5 storey houses but then you save on brick work over a 2 storey.

Is it a detached house or semi? One option might be to take down the chimney above the roof and (possibly) replace with fake/fiberglass.. https://www.premierbuildingproducts.co.uk/prefabricated-grp-chimneys

I think the key to stopping it rotting is to keep it off the ground with a post base as @joe90 suggests. On some oak posts I made my own from 12mm SS threaded rod, plates and nuts but I didn't have to worry about wind lifting the post off the rod. If really keen recess the bottom of the post to make a "drip groove".

As for software... I'm liking the free Personal/non commercial version of Fusion 360. You can export from that to any of the slicer programs. I'm using Cura which works but there might be better slicers out there. My printer was an ultra cheap A8 kit since heavily modified. Great for learning and experimenting but if starting over I'd buy something better with auto bed levelling. One other thing mine can't do is pause and resume a print. It crashes if you try. That means I have to be sure I have enough filament left as I can't pause to load a new spool. Also can't pause to drop in a captive nut and print over the top of it.

+1 Lift manhole covers and check water from each waste (sink, basin and WC) reaches a manhole. If that's OK perhaps pressure test them. Where does rainwater go? Soakaway? Surface drain? Perhaps post photos of the roof in that area showing where roof meets wall (x2) and ideally where the two fascia cross each other.

I doubt they can blanket approve something like this as too many variables. I suppose it's upto your BCO to approve it and they might want to see the design justified by a SE to cover their backside. Normally joists are sized to allow some holes without reinforcement. These should be on the vertical centre line and a diameter no more than a quarter of the joist height. There is also a limit of where they can be along the joist. Not sure if these are the latest rules.. https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/Notching_joist.htm