Temp

The data for the LED on Aliexpress is confusing. It could be 12V DC, 12V AC or 12-24V DC. However one of the photos is a diagram showing how multiple LED are connected. This shows a 12V DC transformer. It also shows the LED wired in parallel. So I think it's most likely to require a 12V DC voltage (possibly 24V DC) and very unlikely to be a constant current type. With a constant current type LED you would either use one driver per LED or possibly wire multiple LED in series not parallel.

Another possibility is a Quantity Surveyor but you would have to pay them to work out the cost.

Is it possible they measured the opening in the blockwork rather than the frame the windows are fixed into?

Is he the sort of family friend that comes to dinner and might see them again? They look like freestanding wardrobes that have been built off site and fitted. If you really can't live with it you could probably find someone to move them towards the chimney and put an infill on the other side.

Architects and QS are quite expensive. Their standard contract can typically ask for as much as 11% of the build cost each if you hire them for the full duration of the project. If you can afford that then great. The Architect would visit the site regularly to check progress and manage the builder and look for defects etc. The QS would also visit a few times to value the work done and tell you if it's OK to pay the builder the next stage payment. Having a QS on board can help if you expect a lot of changes or the builder starts pressing you to pay more or in advance etc. It can be handy to be able to defer to your QS. However if you are good at managing people and negotiating then perhaps you only need an Architect and QS at the beginning? If unsure perhaps hire them in phases? If the report submitted for planning says underpinning isn't required I would start by finding an Architect to do construction drawings and get Building Control Approval to start. The Architect may require the services of an SE to check some things. Some Architects seem unable to do the calculations for steel beams for example. Be very clear on your budget. Its very easy for them to design things you can't afford to build. Depending on how that first phase goes you can decide if you want to pay for an Architect to be managing the build or just be available on an hourly basis. Do you even get on well? Start looking for builders. Any nice house you see being worked on stop and tell them you might need a builder and ask to look around. The more sites you can see the better. These unannounced visits are better than getting the builder to take you to see one finished- that one will be his mother's house 🙂 Look to see how tidy the site is. If the plumbing is in are the pipes neatly laid out or a mess? What are his views on the level of insulation required by the building regs? Does he see it as a pain to meet or an inadequate target? What does he do to ensure the house is air tight? Has he installed MVHR before?

Caution... To be eligible for Class Q Permitted Development I dont think you are allowed to underpin or replace foundations. Normally the planners require a report confirming the building can be converted without major "development". I would look to see whats in the report that was submitted with the class Q application. If it mentions underpinning in there you might be OK because the council gave approved it anyway. If not mentioned then you might have to hope the planners don't find out you need it. https://www.edgarchitecture.co.uk/blog/what-is-class-q-planning

That would be my guess. Sometimes a power supply can go unstable if its too lightly loaded. If it says minimum 7.2W and you only have 3W that might account for it. Got any 12 V car bulbs? Perhaps put two 10W bulbs in series to see if loading it up stops it flashing. Only having a working range from 7.2W to 12W is pretty poor. I happen to have the 24V 60W version of this one going spare. Its new and untested. No instructions but you can have it if it helps. It says "no minimum load" in the info. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BRQ6Y9VZ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details If interested PM me an address and I'll stick it in the post.

@Marvin I think you are looking at a valve on the filling loop. The one on the left appears to be on the pipe at the back eg where the other end of the flexible pipe goes. It's common to have isolation valves on both ends of the flexible filling hose.

[Mod note: this reply and the next are responses to a post by a spammer that has now been deleted. Leaving the responses here in case of interest] Kingspan and Celotex are companies. Both make a range of insulation boards both PIR and Phenolic with similar thermal conductivity. Just two examples.. Kingspan - Kooltherm K108 - Phenolic - thermal conductivity of 0.019 W/mK Celotex - GA4000 - PIR - thermal conductivity 0.022 W/mK The smaller the number the better.

Yes I laid two courses of engineering bricks then put a DPC on top and then the wall plate. I cut an X with a knife in the DPC and just pushed it over the bolts. Then trimmed off the bits that stick up with a stanley knife. It was overlapped at corners and where the end of the roll occurred. The double thickness in a few places didn't cause any issues. The holes in the wall plate were drilled quite a bit oversize just to make their position less critical and allow it to drop over the bolts easily. I put big washers on top under the nuts.

+1 if that black backplate still used? It's got wood to the left so its not the one behind the controller? or the thermostat?

I think he's asking for far more than he really needs but all I can suggest is providing it. The only "report" I can think he needs is from the designer eg structural details to justify the design. As for a warranty I would collect together warranty info for the roof tiles and roof membrane. Possibly from their websites. If its a flat roof the installer of the top layer would normally provide a warranty for the system used. If you are getting a 10 year warranty provide details of that. So you may already have provided the first bit. Normally a plan showing the house on the site with the location of things like WC, showers, stacks, inspection chambers and the routing of pipes to the main sewer in the road. Ditto for surface water. Ideally the plan would have the depths for pipes but you might get away with specifying the falls on pipe runs. If soakaways are being used the location should be shown with the distance from the house marked and a note on how the soakaway will be built. He may also ask you to justify the size of the soakaway but I would wait for him to ask unless you have that in hand already. Where pipes go through the walls below ground there are standard ways for dealing with settlement and rodents ingress. Probably copy them from the regs? When stacks go through the roof there there should be some sort of flashing around it. For this sort of thing perhaps copy the suppliers drawing onto a blank drawing and add a title such as "Flashing detail for roof penetration of soil stack". It's not real hard to make it look professional just annoyingly time consuming.

What about drilled piles? Thought they weren't too bad for vibration. https://www.self-build.co.uk/piled-foundations-explained/

There are plenty of conventional programmers available from the likes of Honeywell they might find more familiar?

Im not very familiar with the Hive controller but isn't it App based? Are they young enough to cope with that? Won't find it too confusing? Youtube has guides on how to install hive but it's not necessarily straight forward.

What problem are they having? Is the existing controller faulty or are they just having difficulty working it? That thermostat is pretty crude. A small turn of the dial can change the temperature several degrees. Is it possible they are just over controlling it?.. too cold.. turn it up.. too hot.. turn it down repeat?

I should have quoted the next paragraph as well...

Has weight per square meter.. https://regaltiling.nz/tile-selection/tile-weights/

Yes. No you should get it ALL back as its been empty more that 10 years. https://www.no-use-empty.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/property-tax-and-vat/reduced-vat-schemes/ However its important to pay any trades the correct VAT rate. If they charge you too much VAT (eg 20%) you cannot reclaim that as you should not have paid it in the first place.

As its been empty >10 years you can do it all yourself, none of it yourself, or any combination in between.

Class Q does include the land (but there is a but).. but most of the sections/classes that allow people to add extensions or construct outbuildings etc have these words.. So in short getting Class Q removes a lot of what would normally be Permitted Development on a regular new build or conversion done under Full planning permission. You cant even add a patio, porch or oil storage tank without planning permission. Planning permission isn't normally needed to convert an outbuilding to a gym or similar that is incidental to the main dwelling but I'm not sure which Class it comes under in the GPDO. Probably Class A but that also has the same words as Class E above. Its also worth noting there is completion time limit on Class Q.

VAT708 section 5 covers the rules for zero rating the sale of a bulding, but it also has this on what evidence might be required which I expect is similar for self builders..

My understanding is: 2 Years - Contractors should charge you 5% VAT under section 8 of VAT708. I believe that's the only provision. I don't think a self builder can reclaim the 20% VAT he pays on any materials. The 5% paid to a contractor cannot be reclaimed. 10 years - VAT paid by a self builder can be reclaimed using Form431C. I'm not 100% sure what rate contractors should charge you. I think its treated the same as a conversion of a non-residential building, in which case they should charge you 5% and that can be reclaimed.

+1 The form.. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1110167/VAT431C-form-and-notes_22.pdf Whats the planning status?

Just remember the £30k limit on section 75. If the total order value is over £30k you aren't covered. Not even the first £30k.