MikeSharp01

Just adjust the scale of the 1:200 using CAD package to ensure it scales correctly then overwrite the scale on the map, Job done! They only need the map for information and they won't scale off it as its too big to have any meaningful measure at 1:1250, as a line width is a significant distance on the ground. Actually thinking about it you just need to say the scale printed at A3 (or some such) so might be easier depending, just shrink the image until it prints at 1:2500 at A3, on what print size you went for in the order.

+1 to that, you need to stay in control and not be browbeaten. Once we had a shortlist of Architects I took up references for each of them, then sat down with my other half and made the final choice - which has not turned out badly and although there are some slight issues they are always helpful. After some initial pushing back they have stopped treating us like we know nothing! (Interestingly we were warned bout this in the refs of several of the shortlisted practices.) In the end we chose the architects who had done two local, to where we are now rather then the new place, new builds because we felt we could work with them, liked their work and the fees were not outrageous. .

Good to see you are back on the horse Ian. Not sure you should need treated Joists as it is good practice to have treated timber next to masonry IIRCC but no where else. PS but probably wait for an expert.

The Chimney sounds like it might be the key source of the problems because if it is blocked, and the capping is not watertight then water is building up in the blockage and this may be the whole source of the problem as its a big hole and ends up delivering water quite a way up the walls from which it can run a long away along lintels and the like - we had a defective hood on our chimney and we had dark stains about 6 feet from the chimney, once we fixed it the whole lot dried out. If next door have theirs blocked then this won't be helping your side of the wall either.

Welcome - look forward to hearing more about your plans.

Assume your pour last week went well, don't want any funny ha ha stories about that!?

Looks spanking!

Sorry @A_LI have had a look and can see that the Novia has a water vapour permeability sd of 3m. The calc sheet says to get from sd to Mn.s/g just divide the sd value by the Vapour permeability of still air (0.2 gm/MNs) and you 15, which seems like a long way from 300 and already well below the 40 you indicate might be a cause for concern. It is late and I have had half a bottle of wine so maybe I am missing something? Even the Intello product only makes it to 37.5 Mn.s/g - Polythene will be cheaper than the Novia or Intello anyway!

Many thanks @A_L that looks very interesting, will download the software and have a play. Not sure how you could make the VCL fail safe, I suppose its the structure that has to fail safe not just one layer - and a very thin layer at that. The proposed VCL is this one: https://novia.co.uk/uploads/components/variation/Novia VC2 Jan 2016-57bc65ed49d64.pdf which is made by a company local to us in Kent. I am not sure I can see a conversion from the units quoted to the Mn.s/g but perhaps a power of 10 analysis with sort it. I guess we will have to avoid foil covered PU sheets as well because I suspect the vapour resistance of the foil is very high also. Taking your observation aboard means making sure that the VCL is properly installed to ensure it, the layer, has the maximum resistance and is secure and protected, this also ties up with the feelings @JSHarris sets out above about making sure its a gradient with the highest on the inside.

Cripes - miserable you both will be especially after all your fights so far from Newts, and fingers to gales. I am so sorry to hear this news and feel for you. The property market is softening so perhaps convert into cash is the best way forward although a rigorous assessment of your joint desire to live in a caravan while getting the build completed is a must I suspect.

What is on the curriculum for apprentice spark, not flashing by any chance

+1 for do your homework on the services. Before you close a deal on a plot without services get the local utilities to give you a quote. They will know where their services are and you can then rest easy - or run a mile on those costs. Also in your preferred are watch out for old mine workings way below the surface, I am aware of at least one new build, 20 years back, that has been destroyed by an old mine collapse.

Welcome Jim. Your right it is challenge, we would, well most of us here, agree! Loads of decisions. You need an internal philosophy that gets you over the lumps and bumps - mine is 'When the going gets tough the tough keep going' and 'you only get this flash of life between two great eternities - better make the most of it'.

+1 on not observing in the pouring rain

Sounds a bit odd doesn't it. Thinking about it, and I could be way out here given surface tension might play a part at very low angles, in a steady state the rate at which the water arrIves at the gutter must be the same as the rate it is falling on the roof. The only difference is the velocity it is travelling at. Given this it may well hit the outer edge of the gutter and some of it run upwards and over the edge. If this is case deeper gutters might not help. The other overflow possibility is that the downpipes are unable to cope. If this is the case then the system will still overflow in a high flow steady state (long down pour) only it will buffer it for longer. Is my thinking way out cos like the vapour permiability this morning I am now worried about our gutters which are internal but the down pipe cross section is bigger than the gutter cross section.

Now you have me worried as two of the things yout depreciate are in our design for the house. The wall build up, inside - out, is as follows. Plaster board 12.5mm Service void 50mm Air tight VCL Frametherm 38 300mm (between I joists) External OSB sheathing 15 mm PU insulation 40mm Outer Tyvek membrane Counter batten's and batten's 50mm Marley Thrutone tiles. I think that means I should be concerned about the OSB and the external insulation or does the internal air tight barrier sort this?

Welcome, I hear good stuff about draftsight - what do you think of it? ,

Brilliant reference Jeremy, just worked out our decrement delay at 8.99 hours using the ARUP calculator with FRAMETHEREM (as @ProDave has used and we are proposing) and 11.39 hours using Cellulose Infill (as you @JSHarris have). Might need to improve ours a bit! Also found this reference for loads of materials and their properties, bit of a Kaye and Laby, but full of useful material values to pop into the ARUP calculator - did not find blown cellulose yet, so used the cellulose infill values. Also this from the Federation of European Polyurethane associations on PU foam. Here is pic of calculation for you @jpinthehouse

By definition it will be worth the extra cost eventually but you would need to do the sums a bit to find out just how much energy you save each year and then work out the payback time if its a pure financial calculation. Many here though see it as important to tread a bit lightly on the planet so insulation is often to passive house standards and as such you try to see the saving over the very long term. Key thing though is to factor in the probable rises in energy costs over the next 10 years, some predict large rises and that makes the insulation even more valuable.I think that the spreadsheet @JSHarriscreated would do the sums for you as it can take a what if sort of approach. You can find a link here:

Yes, they are still in the running for our job, want to use them but its a bit away for us right now as we have rescheduled our build a bit, so should need them around now but actually more like May next year.

I have still got my Psion, great little device, only use it now for machining calcs, again in BASIC, in the workshop.

Why Twin Sockets? I would have thought at most you would need one connection, saves running and terminating the second cable, most people now use wireless connections so perhaps the second is for the wifi repeater, usually at high level in the room. Only the gamers in the family and perhaps your 4K TVs will need a hard wired connection. Costs should be about the same as installing a radial based power point as the wire and socket cost about the same, the run length is similar, termination costs no more. Are they providing a patch panel / router somewhere included in the price or is that down to you?

Though I would pop up and say cheerio to Cassini, now 385,000 miles away from Saturn and heading for it at some speed. Some amazing data and great engineering have given us the chance to get up close and personal with Saturn - did not spot any good building plots though. Any Cassini stories out there. Did you know Saturns rings are only 10m (meters) thick!!? Soon it will be no more 384,000 miles now. Cheerio Cassini.

Welcome to THE forum, interesting that a client pointed you at us.

.Yes but why is the artist / artisan / workman making a home, or perhaps the artists has made it home / to the house or possibly even just moving homewards. English was never my strong point and Latin leaves me frigus.