twice round the block

I think most people's gardens look the same that have either compacted sub soil or clay below a thin layer of top soil after the rain we've had in the last couple of month's. My plot has water features that required no excavation or designing.

Outside tap x 2 1 hot and 1 cold.

Should have used Hallhook Slate repair clips. Permanent, invisible and cost less than a blob of mastic sealer.

The slabs are upside down.

You could skim, depends on the thickness your trying to make up. I've used out of date multi finish before as it cures faster ( if it's really out of date it goes off in the bucket ) 🙄

Must be a chemical resin bond available that can be used.

Skip loader taking afternoon nap. Volvo still upright. Haven't got my knee down on a digger for 30 plus year's

Any size machine can cope if you know how to use it. This was my 1.5T Volvo 2 weeks ago. The bigger and more powerful the machine the more damage you can do unintentionally. If you have the space a JCB or Massey with a back actor and 4 into 1 front bucket maybe a better choice.

Remove Type 1, get Type 3 with specified with no fines and lay on a non woven geotextile base as this stops mud and fines coming up through the fabric but allows water to drain away

My extractor external vent flap used to get slammed shut by the wind. Are you the top floor flat ? If so do you have a slate roof or dormer windows?

You could find more cold rises through the floor if it's block and beam as there won't be any insulation below that in a 90's build. Photo of 90's built timber frame build.

You can buy cutting-in brushes they have a 30 angle on the bristles or use a quality 2 inch brush with long bristles so you can load lot's of paint up and use a steady hand and work around the room anticlockwise if your right handed..... Do not buy cheap brushes or rollers or paints, it's false economy.

With that amount of hard landscaping around the building the rain must be bouncing off it and and going above any dpc level you have. In your photo it shows a damp patch at ground level on the righthand side of the building. I'm concerned there is no gap around the building to act as a soakaway for any rain water. It's not normal to pave upto a building. A 200mm minimum gap is normally let and this is filled with pea shingle to aid water runoff. Is there a renderstop on the bottom edge of the render.?

Can you post a photo of the roof before any work was undertaken.

Punch the screw through by running a 1.5mm drill bit down the side of it. Take the hole out to 5mm and glue a dowel in the hole. When it has cured, drill a pilot hole for the hinge. Put a white plastic screw cap finisher on the outside finish of the mdf to hide the repair / bodge

20 .sq m would be a nice small job for a plasterer. If your going to tackle it yourself make sure you get angle bead and render stops in place first. You may need to coat the wall first with uni bond. Don't try it if temp is below 5° Use sand and cement 4:1 for the whole job, and rule off in sections with a straight edge. Apply with trowel and hawk, rub up second coat with a float. You can use a damp sponge to rub it up providing the second coat has nearly gone off. Remember professionals make it look easy, because we've been doing it for year's.

You could try igne geotechnical services. Have own engineers and testing laboratories.

Landscaping plan ???

If the pots have been removed and the top capped off why would you want to fill the void? My concern is filling the stacks with loose fill is if someone removes a blanking plug in a room containing a disused fireplace.

Have a look on screwfix barrels on there.

Only an architect or structural engineer would be able to answer that one. There's some good stuff at Graven Hill, Bicester. One of the show / experimental houses has sips roof. Well worth a visit if your ever close by as nearly every type of construction method has been done there and some of the results are stunning. I expect some of the owners are on here.

Option 3 sounds good to me. At least they managed a site visit. No much in the construction costs between two storey and mezzanine as a third of your money is in the ground with footings and services.

Hard plastering is coming back into fashion after 30 year's of dot and dab and the failings it has. Problem being lot's of the old tradesmen don't exist anymore.

Welcome on board. What method of construction are you using? and what's the floor area?

Thames Water shouldn't be poisoning customer's with lead and if they are going to change that section of mains pipe to your boundary FOC that's great as they will fit it to a stopcock. A meter can be purchased direct from Kent Meters and installed after the stopcock by your builder. Just run a long section of poly pipe from this that terminates just beyond where your new kitchen sink will be and put a standpipe there. That's the future service in place.