Pete

Good point about the bbq. All I would say is the bbq is at one end of the leaning section. When I look over the wall the bulging section almost follows the built up section of land on the other side and were the land is almost at the same level as our side there is no bulge.

The neighbour I do not get on with had a bbq built 2 years ago right next to this wall and when I was doing some work on top of the wall recently I noticed that there is now a gap between the bbq and this wall of about 20mm. I understand I may have to set up some kind of monitoring device to prove we have degree of movement but just wondered what the best course of action would be. Regarding the deeds, the conversation with our solicitor went something along the lines of " if you want me to spend alot of your well earned cash on determining who owns the walls then I will gladly do so but seen as they are probably over 200 years old I may never be able to give you a definitive answer" so we have left it and assume that if we have any problems in the future then the costs would be split evenly but not if we are not responsible for the wall leaning!

Screwfix code for £10 off if you spend over £100 is AUT1FC, must be used by 4/10/2020

This wall is a dividing wall between us and the neighbours. As you can see it is a fairly substantial wall and very old. Over the years the houses on the other side have raised their ground levels and in some cases it is nearly a metre higher than on our side. The reason for the post is I think it is moving, albeit very slowly. I want to try and involve the neighbours in a nice way to try and avoid very costly repairs. The wall may never need repairing in our lifetime but if it does then I want to ensure that the neighbours are aware of the situation now and what will happen if the wall does need repairing in the future and they do not do anything to mitigate the pressure of the higher ground level on the other side. I may add that the present neighbours are not responsible for the increase in ground level, it was previous owner's that did this. I get on well with most of the neighbours except the one were the wall is leaning the most. I am prepared to go and see then to have a chat and then possibly get a solicitors letter so we have proof of contact stating that we think the pressure needs to reduced in order to prevent further movement of the wall. Can anybody think of anything different without costing the earth in legal fees or really upsetting the neighbours? TIA

When we asked the farmer to go through his land to connect to the main drain running across his land he said yes but there would be a cost implication. Move forward a few months and the farmer asked us to move the drain further towards a hedge rather than being in the middle of the field as there was planning for houses and he could loose £100,000 if he lost a building plot due to our drain. As others have said think very carefully a bout your response because there are legal documents to be prepared that cover both parties that the developer will have to pay for and if you are planning on building/selling that land in the future you need to take all this into account. Then see how you want to spend your new found wealth!!

I have used the Tesa crack tape and it is very good. It is really thin and allows movement underneath it. It is then just filled as normal but does need as much depth of filler as the tape is very thin

I was joking, should have put laughing face I suppose. Ian wouldn't cut his joists away, would he?

Just chisel the wood away, it will be ok?

Is it a colander ceiling you are doing?

Already have, ssshh!

Just to let people know I contacted HMRC and they say a hob with built in extraction is not eligible for the Vat claim or in simple terms Vat must be paid. When I asked why they said because the larger proportion of the cost of the hob is for the cooking part and not the extraction part. I then said how can you permit an Aga which is not used for heating for a vast majority of the time it is used and not the hob as when it is used the extraction is on all the time,her reply was a decision was made and that is it.

You know what's coming next pls? Drawing if it is not to much trouble. TIA

There have been a few drawings put on here , @joe90did. It is the electrics that I will find the most daunting i think.

I'm doing the same! Just spoken to a renewables engineer and he was trying to convince me that the new £5000 government grant coming in was a good idea. He said he puts £900 on each job if RHI/MSC is the chosen option.

Had same problem and my engineering student son went and cut a slot into a piece of render bead and fished the cable out, not sure how much engineering sons costs compared to Bosch though!

I'm as bad as you when out, always looking at the standard of work and comparing levels etc! Even got the wife doing it now?

I know somebody on here had the decoupling membrane de-laminate so be careful of quality, I cannot remember what make it was though

I am using them, yes they are expensive but on my build with no architrave they will look the dogs b_______!! Just about to ring round prices as I have 15 doors to hang.

Rough sawn is fine. I assume your joists are 400mm centres? Ceiling battens perpendicular to ceiling joists.

Had a reply from the accounts dept who supplied the kitchen and they have said seen as the hob with integrated extractor is a grey area concerning the vat they are willing to split/refund 50% of the vat that we have been charged. I have tried HMRC today but got no answer but will try the number on the bottom of the vat claim form tomorrow. I have not replied to the kitchen people as I need to get some more definitive info before I respond. I am not happy that they think it is upto them to decide if/how much we pay. I sent them the info from the tax information regarding extraction. When you compare this with other grey areas and it in your favour then you pay no vat, not a fraction of the whole vat amount. An Aga is a prime example if it provides HW and heating and can zero rated, my hob is a hob and an extractor all in one and should be zero rated I think.

I can confirm that a Passive house or house that has insulation is very quiet to live in. We also have triple glazing which adds to the quietness

I am not sure that is correct as you cannot get appliances for the kitchen zero rated (I think)

Sorry to bring this up again but I am struggling to find this in the archives. If I remember rightly you can claim the vat on a hob with built in extraction? We have such a hob and we are trying to get the kitchen installer to put this in an invoice and he said we will not be able to claim it back in an email we received today. I will be having a chat tomorrow to explain I just want the invoice stating it is a hob with extraction and not his opinion on whether we can claim it back or not! But have I remembered rightly that you can claim this back? TIA

I am not a plasterer but can plaster and this is atrocious work. ( there are plasterers on this forum who will give their professional opinion). Not sure what you can do about it now as skimming again is a lot of work/expense depending on who is going to do it as I would not use the plaster you have used again. Easifill is great for going over slight blemishes but again is a lot of work. Hope you can get it sorted.

I am reading this with interest as my ASHP is the last job on my house and if a plumber does not know how to wire/set the system up what hope do I/we have as fairly competent DIYers? (Sorry if this is hijacking this thread)