torre

Are you leaving them fully open? I usually open a valve like this and then back it off maybe half a turn.

I recently changed my view on this - I used to argue you might as well wait, because the cost to buy the battery was coming down fast enough to balance out the usage savings. Right now though the balance has tipped with battery prices look more uncertain and export tariffs making it more cost effective to use your own stored energy. An ancillary benefit of installing now is that it should improve your as built SAP rating by a couple of points.

I agree you need to protect against this financial risk and I wonder if it's a sign the seller really means subject to a scheme they like being approved. The biggest benefit of buying both plots is only realised if you're going to develop at the same time - sharing costs for prelims, groundworks, services, having same trades on both at similar times, less material waste etc so I'd focus on just getting the most out of the plot that works best for you.

From that diagram my guess is there's a gasket that slots vertically down each side - any chance you threw it away when unpacking? I can't believe you're expected to plaster into that. Hopefully Eclisse can point you in the right direction!

Regardless of their merits it's also worth considering 1/ how mortgageable they are, as they may count as non standard construction (affects both you and any future buyer) and 2/ how easily you can find experienced contractors, or will your builders learn on the job at your expense and maybe have issues

I'd guess brick slips, based on other photos where the ceiling joists meet the brickwork at heights that don't match the coursing. Have you tried asking the architects? They'd probably just tell you. I wouldn't want to run cables in the cavity.

We used a non hydraulic lime with fibres (from Ty Mawr) that adhered very well to woodfibre boards and was easy to work the mesh into. It's premixed and was good value compared to dry bagged products, has the advantage of much longer working time, but the disadvantage that you have to manage the drying out period over a few days, giving the occasional damp spray. We removed any gypsum plaster but didn't have much anyway and I can understand you not wanting that extra work. If you've lots of layers of modern paints though they'll probably add risk.

Balcony solar is a great idea and countries like Germany have proved it can work, but there will have to be much stricter policing of imports than we've seen for eBikes and scooters or any decent size apartment building is bound to end up with some panels that don't meet regulations.

Worth mentioning that leaving any protective film on kitchen cabinets for too long should be avoided too. After over a year we had a few areas that were quite sticky (worse on bits we'd peeled off slightly). Luckily warm soapy water was enough in our case.

Cottingham vs Attey Bower & Jones is one reason conveyancers usually push for indemnity policies (as the conveyancer was held liable for £40,000 of damages) Well a quick search throws up this enforcement action in respect of a loft conversion after 12 years, again with costs in the region of £40k, so I'll stick with my description of 'low risk' rather than 'no risk'. There's simply no good reason not to seek cover from the vendor. Of course, none of this internet point scoring should distract that in the big picture, lack of building regs approval is more likely to highlight a risk of work done poorly than a risk of legal action.

@Roger440 I think we've both made the points that 1/ the risk is low, 2/ the cover is cheap and 3/ that it doesn't cover defective work. Isn't the only point of difference that one of us would ask for the cheap policy and the other wouldn't bother?

So the inspection chamber and pipe were both in place before the neighbour bought the property? As the chamber is unadopted I'd start by having a conversation with the neighbour, outlining this was put in by the builder ready for connecting to your property and letting them know you want to apply to connect to it. Be clear that after adoption the water company will be responsible for any problem with the chamber or the sewer, and that while you don't expect any work on their property is needed, you'd reinstate/compensate if it is. Hopefully the neighbour will be reasonable. One thing I've bumped into is that adoption may limit what cover is allowed - our water company wouldn't adopt unless we swapped ours from a recessed one you could lay blocks into for a flat cover that's not so aesthetically pleasing. Water company may well want you to install a storm attenuation tank even if they do allow rainwater into the sewer

Typically it's mortgage lenders who care, which may or may not apply in @WhiskyInTheJar's case, but may apply when they in turn need to sell. Lenders need to cover the small but tangible risk of enforcement action requiring works that devalue the property (and it's worth buyers asking for the same) The risks are low ( especially this example) but say next door make a large subsidence claim and it turns out your uninspected extension foundations undermined them then enforcement action would likely follow.

Bit late to this but I think I'd have preferred to seat the rafter on the 30-35mm you already have and supplement that with some substantial metal connectors. That would keep the plane of the roof flat. A company like Simpsons can probably suggest a connector (I joist rafters can be attached without any birds mouth after all) Won't raising the rafters at one end like this give you trouble later as there'll be a bit of a bow on your roof battens - hopefully not enough to stop individual slates sitting flat. With what you have, I'd still want a better mechanical connection between rafter and wall plate and would nail not screw (unless they're structural timberlok or something) for more shear strength. You need to be a bit careful you're not fixing your rafters mostly to the thin timber and leaving your wall straps holding down the wall plate below it, but not so much holding down the roof itself.

I agree this is the more likely explanation. Tell your conveyancer you don't think that's sufficient proof and you require a copy of the completion certificate, or (given it's some time ago) an indemnity policy from the vendor. These are cheap and easy for the vendor to obtain (but only cover you against enforcement action, not defective work). If your conveyancer is reluctant then ask if they'll indemnity you themselves based on having given advice - I'm pretty sure they won't.