Temp

My son sections and inspects welds for a living. Took one look at the photo and said the bit done on site looks horrible and should be redone. He suspected some might even come off if you run a hammer down it.

I've seen pink SBR used before render/plaster but it's not that bright red.

So this is the joist that is now 7" from the wall? If this was a normal joist (eg one of a dozen similar joists crossing a room) then yes I would cut a 7x3 to fill the gap and extend into the wall. Then either sister josts both sides or use metal joist repair plates extending perhaps 2 feet either side of the joint. However I hesitate to suggest this in your case as the floor structure looks somewhat unconventional. Is this joist is supporting a wall separating the stairwell from the landing?

ChatGPT is pretty clever. If you don't like a long complicated answer you can just ask it for a shorter or simpler explanation. I frequently ask it to reduce answers to a simple list.

Sadly its depressingly low at just 0.7 bar at your property boundary.

Building Control Approval would also be required.

My understanding.. Unfortunately if your builder isn't registered for VAT there isn't a way for you or him to reclaim the VAT paid on materials. Nor to any subcontractors... So if your builder hires a VAT registered subcontractor, like an electrician, the electricians bill and any materials he supplies will be at 20% (to your builder). However if you were to hire the VAT registered electrician directly he can 5% rate everything to you that he supplies. This is because the 5% rule only applies to labor and materials supplied to the "final customer" by the person/company doing the renovation. If it had been empty for 10 years, and the builder was VAT registered, you could also claim the 5% back charged by the builder AND the 20% you paid on any materials using the self build reclaim scheme. Unfortunately I'm pretty certain this doesn't apply to properties only empty for 2 years.

When you say the float is "ON"... Is its internal switch closed (conducting) or open circuit? If ON corresponds to open circuit then there is another possibility... Switch and relay contacts can have a MINIMUM switching current for reliable operation. Switches designed for mains voltage or currents in Amps don't always switch currents of uA reliably. It's to do with the materials the contacts are made of and any plating like gold or silver. This could only be the cause if ON corresponds to open circuit.

Google AI said..

Yes the "plus" is different. I found this circuit for the plus which shows switch between 9 or 10 and GND pin 7. No pull up resistor shown.

Not if you follow that diagram. One side of the switch is shown connected to pin 1 L. (Sorry I called it VCC earlier.) However that assumes the float switch is literally just that, a switch. It may not work if the float switch is a powered device. Sorry for editing this post a lot. I'm waiting for a train and hate typing on my phone.

If the float switch is essentially just an un powered switch with two wires I believe it should be connected to pin 7 (or 8 ) and VCC (pin 1)...

Lot depends on the land it has to cross. Is the connection in a country road or A road etc

We installed a system even though our house probably isn't very air tight. Would do so again. Not for energy saving reasons but simply for the air quality improvement it gave us. First few nights it felt like waking up in a tent.

ChatGPT suggested.. But watch out for earrings and the like disappearing into the trap.

Modern wastes typicalpy have something in the middle of the plug hole to operate the mechanism and that provides more places for hair to get caught on. A good old fashioned plug on a chain type might work better?

What do the instructions say? May not need it. I suppose you could make a slightly runny mix of flexible adhesive and use a paint roller to apply it to the bottom of the tray. Regular mix on the boards.

I think cladding with something is the way to go. Perhaps fix pressure treated battens on some sort of non rotting stand off and timber cladding. Or that artificial wood made from recycled plastic?

Check the regs on overhangs. If that's ok and the weight is ok I think it will be fine. To prevent this put a strap around them to keep them tied together. In the past I have used a strong Tesco bag for life and duct tape!

Is the wall retaining higher ground behind it?

I can sympathise. I think we applied for a line through BT who arranged for OR to do the work. BT called weekly to say their engineers were "working on it" but I could still see the wire we left at the bottom of the pole and knew it hadn't been touched. Eventually they stopped calling so I called them, only to be told it was all finished and working. The girl wouldn't accept my assertion that I could see the wire was still unconnected. So next step was to ask them to test the line, which they did and decided it was faulty. I tried to explain that it hadn't been connected but they wernt having any of it. The computer said it was all done so that was it. In the end I agreed to them sending a fault engineer which they said would cost £75 if the "fault" was in my house. I gladly agreed to that. The old boy that turned up insisted on testing the line at my master socket and wouldn't listen to me telling him I knew exactly where the "fault" was. In the end he made a few call and told someone to send a team out and we were up and running a week later. What a shower.

While the plasterboard is down I think I would fit a vapour barrier before replacing it (in addition to adding ventilation above the insulation)

Old thread alert. You cannot reclaim VAT paid in error to a contractor for labor. The contractor must zero rate it to you. If you get a quote for labor that includes VAT its best to get this corrected before accepting it. If they are reluctant then you can show them the relevant pages of the guide. If its still a problem you can try issuing them a certificate.

Are you obliged to replace your septic tank with an STP under the regulations? If you will be sharing replacement costs won't it be in your interest to Ake it easy for them?

Get a drawing from your SE. Are they really expansion joints or contraction joints to ensure cracks form where you want them? I think 20mm foam will get pushed about and ripped up when you flow concrete. May have to use a form board, pour one side, remove board of replace with foam then pour the other?