Nickfromwales

Get an off cut of the quartz, 30mm thick, do a test run to see if it only charges at 1/4 snails pace, if so then bin the idea. If it charges around (at least) 50% normal rate then go for it. If you think it'll be handy, just do it. 🤷‍♂️😉

As you’ve drawn it seems fine, but unless this is a 200mm raft because load bearing intermediate walls are landing on it, then go for more insulation and a thinner slab? I assume you’ve omitted DPM/DPC for simplicity? Lose the cork, and replace with 30mm PIR insulation. Cork is hygroscopic and friable.

Tell the to go GF. As above, tell them you’ve built as per the permission APPROVED by them. Planning officers are just insane. Neighbour is a tosser.

Ok, lol. Which way around does that need to go and I’ll edit it for you Go for it, I’m a big fan of basements, and I think this would be a good candidate for an EPS based ICF. Many birds, one stone. Any plans you can share yet, for comment?

If IR, think again. They're horrible, crude things.

They’ll bean-count the shit out of it…..

likewise. Back to helping the OP we go……. @Babybirddog, get some pics so we can see if the inside is as shart as the outside. And also some of the flue; check if this is loose or has been cemented in properly.

Last job I was called to, was by an electrician friend who sub-contracted to British Gas. He asked if I could go to a job he was being called out to (old to new combi conversion) as he took one look and walked off as BG had specified using whatever original infrastructure that could he reused to save time and money. BG plumbers, and not subbed out (rare occurrence as once you’ve been woo’d by the sales folk you’re lucky if you ever see BG again, other than on a bill or standing order…..). Anyways, these ‘plumbers’ had hacked into the wiring centre and got the system running, but had requested that an electrician attend site to “tidy it up”. I arrived, introduced myself to the 82 and 83 year old, one deaf and one with bad cataracts, and my jaw hit the floor when I saw the aftermath. Bear in mind that at this stage BG were paid up front, and had left, job declared as “complete” and these pensioners had been left for multiples of days without a working heating or hot water system, that they just accepted as part of the upheaval. IIRC the bill was over £5k for removing a Baxi 551 and screwing some bits of cement board over the opening, and they installed a Glowworm heat only boiler on the outside wall, on show in the dining room. Fecking horrific looking install. I ventured into the depths of the airing cupboard (ground floor flat btw) and located the wiring centre. It had loose wires sticking out of the poorly squeezed on lid, screw half done up. I got my tester out and found that there were live wires projecting from the side and top. I shit you not. I told the couple I had serious concerns, and asked for the sales pack. I asked the lady of the house to ring the sales support number and to speak to them to authorise myself to act on their behalf. She did. Whilst on hold (forever) I walked to rest of the job. I found the blowoff turned back on itself and in complete contact with the render of the wall, as in nearly fully sealed; there must be open gaps here so the water cannot form ice build up and block the PRV. Terrible. Also, the condensate had been drilled through the wall in 21.5mm pipe, and this had simply had a bend added (both of these immediately out of the rear if the boiler jig, at chest height) and it was just dripping onto the concrete pathway between them and the neighbour who shared the access. Set in place to slowly erode the pathway and house foundation over time. No flush had been done, 30 year old system! Guys were on site less than a day. I got given the phone to speak to some jumped up Scottish BG woman who was asking me who I was, to which I replied “your worst enemy, love”. I said they had an hour to get a BG van pulling up outside or I was going to the local press and the GSR, and told her that countdown started when the lady was put on hold; that gave them 40 mins to attend. BG employee got proper shitty with me, continued to demand to know who I was, and what business of mine was it of mine to be involved in their job etc etc. I just kept saying “now you've now got 38 minutes and counting, love, I hope you’re typing and talking as you’re about to go public for endangering the lives of two pensioners, and may also get BG struck off by the GSR”. Eventually she said the best they could do was call out in 2-3 days and she promised everything would be sorted out without fail. I said “you now have 35 minutes, keep chatting shit for as long as you like. BTW, I’m parked close to this house and I’ve cancelled my next job to sit here and see this through. Your move, love”. 2 vans arrived about 30 mins after she hung up on me lol. Wankers. I left my phone number with the couple and told them to call me if they didn’t have heating and hot water that day. Did I say wankers? Once more, for completeness, British Gas are pensioner robbing, unscrupulous, useless, underperforming, over-charging, responsibility-dodging, wankers.

You’re better off with it going into the downpipe, but it needs to be done better. Refuse to settle until the fitting is a white one, theres a rubber bung reducer to accept the round pipe into the square fitting, and its set back to the wall and clipped; minimum of 2 clips here. A soakaway needs lime chippings in it to neutralise the condensate, and these will need changing periodically. If not, that can eat into the foundations, worst case. Do you want to post some pics of the boiler install here? Just in case the faux pas extends to the boiler and pipework. If theres now a combi, is the shower mixer a thermostatic valve vs a manual mixer valve? Gas Safe is another cartel run by muppets, so I doubt they’ll show much interest in an install which they will decide is not “immediately dangerous”. Show some more pics before paying is my advice.

They couldn't give 2 (expletive deleted)s mate.

British Gas are just shite on toast, and their forte is ripping off pensioners. Be lucky if she got a Worcester, more likely they've gone bottom shelf and fitted a glow-worm. The above is exactly what I would have drawn if someone asked me to sketch a typical BG condensate arrangement. Just shocking. I went to one pensioner that had become another victim, and as they hadn’t brought a ladder, above 2m around the side of the house, the copper gas pipe just wasn’t clipped, literally flapping in the wind. They put a combi in and left the old boy with a manual mixer shower, so he was getting scalding hot water from it; you can’t leave anyone infirm with a non-thermostatic shower fed from and instantaneous hot water heater. List of this goes on and on, from what I’ve seen over the years from BG. Great adverts, even better sales-people, then the most dogshit plumbing you’ve ever seen.

You’d do 1 and 4. £20 on it.

Just observe a reasonable bending radius and it’ll be fine. Stopping and starting with fittings causes a snag, so one continuous piece, joints in a perfectly straight section only, if needed, and get a 6mm nylon draw rope in it when you lay it.

Or a downpipe? If it’s a combined sewer that is taking rainwater? If that’s a foul then it should just be going to a local IC. Is this bloke older than Jesus?

I think I’d still want to line these with dabbed and screwed Marmox / Jackoboard (min 10mm) and the wet plaster over those. At the very least I’d want solvent-free gripfill / other similar mastic to attach the leading edge of the above closer to the internal leaf of masonry.

Exposed face fixings or secret nailing?

It’s a bit crap seeing the pipe on the wall, but what stage are you at? Is the pipe no longer able to punch through and come up internally? Why are you having arguments?? You’re paying this goon, so stop arguing and start instructing him! ”Put the pipe here, don’t ask questions. If you can’t do it, I’ll get someone else who can (or will)”. 🤷‍♂️

Yes This 👆 I have an air coil nailer, and for cladding and featheredge it is just so much better. My 1st fix Hitachi just explodes the featheredge if attempting 'hidden fixing' on the leading thinner edge. Coil nailer fires a full round head too vs a clipped head, so offers the benefit of less penetration into the wood.

Singular or plural, squire? 100mm duct is the easiest, as you only need a hockey stick when outside afaik. 2 will come up that with ease.

Ok, so we need cable sizes, eg outside diameter, to comment. What are these cables for?

Then defo the flat metal grille.

Just remember, the system will log every single event, including when it is armed or disarmed. If you forget to arm it and you get burgled, your home contents insurance is often invalidated, the same way your car theft insurance is invalidated if your car is stolen because you left the keys in the ignition. So an alarm can be as much of a liability as not having one. Best to give the illusion of having one and say feck all to your insurance company about it, and make sure it’s not in their small print that IF you get one mid-term that it automatically attaches to your policy, along with the caveats and exclusions. Texecom is the upper end of the lower market, fitted a few for previous self build clients and they've not reported any issues, and seemed decent quality / features vs Accenta etc. I fitted an Accenta in my shed / office / hideout, more for show than anything.

"Trust" ? Water goes down the hole, gravity is your friend I'd be drilling the joists vs top-notching anyways, so the pipe can be lower.

I've fitted the ones with the 'hidden' drain, and I'd say that is way nicer vs a mushroom you step on.