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Do the deeds for either property say anything about the retaining wall? That's first place to look. Otherwise I think you need legal advice. Because of this.... https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Right_of_support In short you may only have a right to claim for damages to your land not to your house. I think you will need to build your own retaining wall fully on your property. Had the wall been on the boundary.... unless the deeds say otherwise, it is generally accepted that the wall its in shared ownership. The person whose land is retained by the wall is responsible for most or all of its repair and maintenance. He might have been guilty of criminal damage for destroying your share of the wall.

I built my own using an arduino with an RTC timer and memory card hat and a seperate opto isolator board to allow power to the boiler pump to be logged. Whenever the boiler pump changes state from ON to OFF or OFF to ON it logs the time and outside temperature to a file on SD card. I need to write an Excel script to process that data.

Think I would use same stuff as the fascia boards.

Its quite possible for planning and building control to insist on opposite things. Legally they aren't required to agree with each other so in extreme if it can't be resolved you can't have your windows and your room can't be a habitable room. What I would do... Would the neighbours complain if they saw you change it to an opening window? If not I would do that to keep the BCO happy. Heck make them all opening but keep those on your neighbours side shut for 10 years. Just open the other side. Planning are very unlikely to notice the breech unless the neighbour complains. After 10 years file an application for lawful development on the grounds that planning cannot initiate enforcement for a breech of planning condition after 10 years. If planning did get a complaint you could offer to fit restrictions, screw them shut (that woukd be a breech of Buikding Control but again they are very unlikely to do anything) or file an appeal. The appeal inspector might decide any overlooking issue is minimal and allow the appeal.

Not sure if this helps or clarifies... https://www.gov.uk/guidance/buildings-and-construction-vat-notice-708#:~:text=Snagging (or the correction of,part of that building contract.

+1 The VAT reclaim process required you to provide evidence of practical completion and you used your council tax info for that. So you've told HMRC it's complete as far as they are concerned. After completion everything has to be standard rated.

PS Most door liners already have joints cut at the head so these would need to be modified to move the sides in a bit.

Most door liners are at least 22mm thick. For example Wickes are 27.5mm. I think you need to find 22mm liners then allow at least 5mm for packing to make the opening square and 2mm clearance around the door. So at least (22+5+2)*2= 58mm for the lining and clearances. So the door would need to be cut to 882-58=824mm wide. Your doors are 838mm wide so you would need to be able to trim about 838-824=14mm total or 7mm off both edges of the door. The amount you are allowed to cut off varies from make to mak and depends on the construction of the door. Some say only 5mm, others 12mm or more. I think I would check how much you are allowed to cut off the door each side. If it's enough make up a temporary liner from some 22mm timber and brace it up well so it's definitly square. Then try fitting it in all the openings. See how hard or easy it is before buying all the liners. It's 3:30 am so check my figures!

I think if there is water nearby I'd go for the mist sprinklers. Think they can use plastic pipe so perhaps not too hard to pull through the ceiling? https://mistek.co.uk

If its being valued for sale those are normally based on what the market will pay rather than the build cost. Some agents use a nominal figure per sqm to estimate market value. This is a lot more common in EU countries.

Was the loft being used as a habitable room like a bedroom or just storage space when you bought it? If it was as bedroom then house didn't comply when you got it. Ideally he would have spotted the problem but he hasn't made compliance worse. If it was sold as a storage space or similar and was converted to a bedroom as part of the renovation he should have made you aware of the issue and addressed it as part of the project. If its still only storage space you could try arguing with the BCO that it's not a habitable room so the escape route doesn't need enhancing, but if it's all neatly plasterboarded and decorated they won't agree. Overall if he has any liability I don't think it would be for the full cost, just extra cost of doing the work now rather than earlier. I can't remember if sprinklers are an alternative officially mentioned in the regs, or if this is something the BCO is allowing as a concession. If its the latter you need to keep the BCO on your side.

My builder told me to choose handles that have their own return spring and not rely on the spring in the latch to lift the handle. I guess he'd seen the problem before. Google found.. https://www.morehandles.co.uk/blog/door-handle-not-springing-back-how-to-guide-from-more-handles/

I can't actually see where the problem is in the photos.

Yes that's a fairly well know gotcha. It's what I was referring to above. A loft conversions makes the house three storey and the rules on escape routes from fire are different. Typically there has to be a 30min protected escape route from the loft to an outside door on the ground floor. In most houses it just means ensuring that all doors and walls that seperate the living room and kitchen from the stairs and hallway should be 30min fire rated. In a open plan house there might be no doors or walls so no barrier between a fire in the kitchen and the escape route from the loft to the front door. Even a wall of glass blocks or doors with a lot of glass in can cause an issue. Was it already open plan or was that something the designer introduced?

Deleted as it doesn't help.

Can someone fix the spelling in the title for me.

Sorry if already posted.. https://www.current-news.co.uk/mcs-express-concern-as-octopus-drops-accreditation-requirement-from-smart-export-guarantee/ https://gtec.co.uk/clause-5-8-octopus-opens-up-the-solar-pv-market-with-a-paragraph/

Did BT demand the Modem back? I'm not familiar with the BT Modem but it might be possible to set it up for use with NowTV.

I would hope they have insurance.. https://designfor-me.com/project-types/self-build/does-my-architect-need-to-have-insurance/ But it does depends on exactly what they were tasked with doing. For example the drawings for a loft conversion might meet Buildings Regulations but the project as a whole will only meet Building Regs if the design of the fire escape route, including the ground floor layout and doors also comply.

When you say you have design and drawing experience does that include structural engineering of roofs? eg Are you familiar with the different methods used to stop a roof pushing the walls out and the ridge sagging?

So I believe you want Section 10 on Page 61 "Section 10: New elements in existing dwellings, including extensions". More specifically paragraphs 10.7 to 10.11. Subsequent paragraphs give alternative ways to comply if you have issues with the above. Table 4.2.. I'm not 100% sure how to interpret section 10.7 d(i) in your case. It looks like there will be three windows serving three rooms in the dormer. I would work out the percentage for each room individually. They must each be <25%. If not you have to do the more complicated calculations in the other parts of section 10. Paragraph 4.13 might also be helpful if you get stuck.

Yes but there was a whole rafter there before the opening for the velux was cut 🙂

Some people report drying issues with F&B. Scroll down here to the comments.. https://fromevijawithlove.com/2018/04/23/things-you-need-to-know-before-painting-with-farrow-ball/

I suspect it might just be taking a long time to dry. High humidity? Was it stirred properly? I'd give it 24-48 hours before deciding its not drying. Perhaps paint up some scrap wood with a primer (Zinsser products are good) and then the F&B. See how that turns out. If you have issues with the F&B I've had success with Rust-oleum over Zinsser on mdf. You can get small samples on Amazon. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BJ2Q1V6K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09NW4ZG4K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

When you cut out the rafters save the offcuts. Cut them down to form a small "rafter" that fits between the trimmer and the velux frame and supports the tile batten. It may need to be tapered in depth. Get it right and it can also support the plasterboard in the splay.