Tosh

If there are other properties in the vicinity that have been replaced then I'd have a look on the planning portal and see what documents were submitted/approved under those applications. Judging by your discription my inital thoughts are you don't need a planning consultant if there's other properties in the area that have been demolished/replaced. I'd just get the architect to do the planning drawings and submit them. My architect wanted me to employ a civil engineer to plan the route for a 32mm water pipe across our site - at which point we parted company! Planners will tell you if you need anything more. Planning consultants are useful if you think you're going to get into a standoff with the LPA over the principle or design of what you're doing.

https://www.dortechdirect.co.uk/faceshield-uv-membrane-1-5m-x-50m.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqoEF0dakba4-g2N6bQWWJldFY0_x-xl9EHV3bDlDYYmAein1TV We were going to do open screen but decided against it in the end. This stuff any good? 12mths fully uncovered according to the data sheet.

We have a slam shut as well. Was advisd to keep a small keysafe with a spare in an outbuilding 🙂 Interested to see you using Tece cisterns. We've used Tece frameless, really nice product but be aware where you purchase as there are non WRAS approved units out there which can catch out the unwary, I know!

builder should charge you 5% for labour and materials. You claim back the 5% as part of your VAT claim at the end. The builder deals with the 15% via their own VAT input/output calculation. Materials you buy direct are 20%, so claim the full amount back. Some of the accountants for supply/install we've used have asked for the planning permission to confirm 'conversion'.

I have an unopened 20l tub of TT spare, well 2 x actually but will keep 1 x in stock. Damn useful stuff. PM me if you're interested. I created a mortar fillet between the foundation and ICF then coated it with TT, fibre tape on the joints then used a cavity membrane over the top to direct into a french drain.

I was going to mention Party Wall Act but looks like thats already in motion. What about just putting a few heras panels on feet across there? Surely the edge of their wall will be set back from the boundary otherwise they'd have to dig into your property to install the foundations.

I have an old Air Arms TM100, used to be perfect for the job in hand. Unfortunately after a few years in storage (ahemm self build yawn) it won't hold pressure. I couldn't find anywhere to either get spares or repair and was about to throw in the towel but then found a place in stoke by pure chance that said they could repair it with seals made by a local company. Almost willing for them rats to come back!

Our formed cills were all folded but they did have to solder a few joints around our plinth flashing. They just took the coating off back to the steel, to the width of the solder and then painted afterwards with colour match spray.

Our new neighbours decided to put ducks in their garden. Within 3 months here the rats came. Chewed through the timber floors of our sheds and destroyed our belongings. Tried to politely reason with our neighbours and put poison down for 2 years but still they came. They just find different ways to break in. Explained that it was the food that was attracting them. In the end I just lost my patience and had a row with them. Coupled with the rat man telling them the same they eventually removed the ducks and food source. Although the council in our area did'nt offer pest control they did say they would do a visit and talk to the neighbour and ultimately we could file a nuisance complaint though it never came to that in the end. The chicken food IS the reason you have rats. Stop the food and they'll stop using your gaff as a hotel.

I have it as well https://www.ssab.com/en-gb/brands-and-products/greencoat/products/plx/pural-bt Can't see any technical reason why you couldn't use it to make cills, we used it for that but only because it was an integral part of the metal facade cladding. However we used aluminium cills everywhere else, supplied by the window supplier, was just easier to procure and cheaper. Metalsolutions are the Greencoat UK distribtor and looks like they will fabricate to order as well if you want to go down that route.

Is there really an issue with the gutter? Ours is 150mm half round x 20m long, single outlet. Never had any problems. We also have issues with leaves but that's a maintenance task in my view. The size of the gutter is determined by the volume of water it has to carry not the material so not sure why VMZinc are throwing their two penneth into the mix. You also mentioned that you created a dam when you swept it into a pile. I think any gutter would suffer an overflow in that situation. In reality if you'd not touched it then the water would've likely worked itself in and around that debris and found it's way to the downpipe, carrying some of that debris with it. But ultimately you need to maintain it. Lots of ways - gutter vac, window cleaner pole with gutter head attached, etc. As mentioned before let the leaves come down the downpipe with a leaf guard on your gulley. Lindab do a nice version where it throws the leaves away from the gully but allows the water to run through. How do you plan to keep the rooflights clean and keep the upstand free of leaves? I can't tell from your window detail if there's a frame around the glass with drainage holes. If so and you have leaf problems won't they eventuially block up the drainage holes? If any of this is relevant then might be worth asking how the architect envisaged these things would get done. I believe they have a duty under CDM, and whilst might not be relalvant to these specific examples, it may open your mind to other aspects of their work that you've been unhappy with. I can't quite picture in my mind whats going on with the your upstand but I understand, can't recall for sure, BR determine height based upon roof pitch. If your upstand is too low why can't you just add another course of timber on your existing upstand, get a new roofing contractor to flash it in then drop your roof lights back on top? I must've missed something as I'm sure you would've thought of that? Note about your rooflights - if the installers plan to use sealant then do your own research into compatibility with Zinc. I know where the run off from a sealant used for a rooflight has stained a zinc roof and cannot be removed. Re the openings you need to get somebody to make that temporarily water tight. Cheap VCL sheet screwed down with battens onto your existing upstands - would that work for you? Any local small builder could do that for you. In terms of a SS roofing contractor I can pass on details of somebody. Send me a PM if you're interested.

Had a surprising response from Premier Tech today when enquiring about a Solido STP. This is the letter they've sent to their sales team who in turn forwarded on to me. They never answered why they didn't make this clear on their website. **************************** Dear Valued Customer, We hope this letter finds you well. As you may be aware, Premier Tech Water & Environment has been evaluating our strategic direction in the UK market. After careful consideration, we regret to inform you that we have made the strategic decision to cease manufacturing and product sales in the UK, effective immediately. What this means for you is that, unfortunately, you should no longer specify Premier Tech products, as we will no longer be able to supply them. If you have placed an order in the last few days, please contact us through the usual channels to confirm whether we can fulfil it. Despite this change, Premier Tech Water & Environment remains committed to our UK presence. We will now focus on, servicing, maintenance, installing and commissioning off-mains wastewater treatment plants, supporting both commercial and domestic markets. We can also offer full turn-key projects if your customers require it. Please note that our company name, registered address, and contact phone numbers will remain unchanged Didn't see anything untoward on their website **************************

We used a telehandler for our sliders. We left it all strapped up as delivered on the pallet then got it as close as possile with the forks then unstrapped it and 'walked it straight off the pallet and direct onto the threshold with suction cups. Think it was in the region of 250kg, me on the telehandler plus 2 others. All other windows me + wife, except a few of the heaviest which were just over 100kg so roped in my son to help with those. If lifting from above maybe have a temp platform (spare pallets/blocks/etc) outside the opening to drop it onto and then walk it in?

Just an idea but is it worth exploring if a group action would be feasible, strength in numbers etc ....

I screwed backer board to the battens. This maintained an air gap at the bottom to ventilate the cladding above. Then fixed a steel mesh to stop 'things' getting up behind the cladding. I screwed temporary battens to support the slate and provide a consistent line (you can just see this on the left of the downpipe) then removed them later. My slate panels had clips prefabricatred into them for a mechanical support, not technically necessary in my case but I still found them useful. Ignore the downpipe connection, that was a temp setup whilst we waited for the correct pieces from lindab to arrive.