MikeSharp01

You know it struck me, as it may have others, that had they mustered the sense to put the pieces in the other way around it would have looked better at least. Given this one is inevitably drawn to the conclusion that these work people were not the brightest.

Sorry didn't realise it was analysis tought it was fact - must be the heat. I suppose there is a chance that the 'system' we use is in reality just an output from another higher order system about which we know nothing but I thought we lived and breathed as a western capitalist democracy. Perhaps, now I reflect, Enver Hoxha had the right idea - try a few systems and see which works best, shame he didnt try capitaliam. Of course they did go that way after he died.

I think there may be an issue with this approach thinking as the structures might be similar but the cultures are miles apart. Dreadnaught said what the Toyota model (quality) was based upon. This is precisely what does not happen in the construction sector while it is writ large across the car sector. All of the communications across the whole car supply chain have the quality process built it and everybody signs up to it if you want to be part of it. I am convinced that house building could be more like car making if the mind set could be changed to accommodate it. That said the idea that we get the houses we demand seems about right.

Most do now, or variants of it. By definition the problem must stem from capitalism as it's the system we follow It's just that in the construction industry the core model is broken because of the sub contactor model which takes a capitalistic road at both ends and allows the quality to suffer in the middle. So the main contractor makes a profit by driving down the costs in their supply chain and the tier 1 and lower sub contactors drive down their cost - so as to max out profit, by skimping on everything from training through to quality of materials. As you get further from the main contractor your margins are further squeezed by risk factors arising from any one in the chain above you hitting cash flow problems.

They clearly cut the block supporting the lintel they could have cut a thinner one and then a row of blocks on top of the lintel to maintain the coursing. Why does building have to be such an imprecise / make work type business. Exactly my point you have to fix it rather than have it built right in the first place.

We got all the way through to stage 4 with our RIBA architects for around £14K. I get the feeling that they base their fee on your budget - seeking to charge a specific % of it. If you go to another one tell them the build budget is tiny and see what happens to the fee. I have been very happy with our architect - we love the design, although in places they have been a little scrappy with details, the overall experience was very positive.

Welcome to THE forum. Fascinating project challenges. On the concrete issue you can pump it quite a long way on ground based pipes which might help. What is the ariel view like is there possible access via other properties that surround you from a road they are on?

Could you not fit an isolating transformer based shaver socket in place of the existing socket. They are legal in bathrooms aren't they? If not just rely on Caveat Emptor, I guess the previous owners did.

Save yourself the angst - red lines.

Did you pinch these from Teresa May as she seems to have mislaid hers.

Never used them but if they are all changing together then the problem is most Likley Central as they won't all fail together. Have they lost connection with their base station / master node or something like that / are the odd numbers error codes / is it so hot they are out of normal control range?

And proving bread!

+1 on cost + but remember that there is a labour element so getting what you want might not come out as you wanted EG a three hinge door costs more to fit than a two hinge door. If you are absolutely sure you know what you want everywhere you can ask them to itemise the labour, en block, EG hanging doors as specified elsewhere sort of thing. Peter makes a good point though about even getting a price and quickly.

We have rodding points on the land drains round the base of the slab as well so we can keep them free of clagg as well as in the rainwater runs.

To tidy things up our form factor (Compactness factor) is 3.32.