torre

That looks rough to me. Have you seen other examples of their work? Is it possible your render will be finished with a scraped coat?

I don't think there are that many people with the plant, materials and experience to safely build a double garage size compost heap and a ready supply of half a m3 of compostables per week to feed it, presumably needing a digger to load efficiently, but I guess it points to being able to heat a garden room from something more manageably sized. It'll produce most of its heat when you need it the least though (summer) and during the winter if you draw off too much heat from the compost won't you risk the whole system stalling?

Aeromix website doesn't work, aeromix limited active application to strike off at companies house, no BBA approval, can't see a whole lot of advantages tbh

There is an exception if adding the insulation would reduce the floor area by 5% or more, so it's worth calculating the before and after areas. You might also be able to argue the condensation risk is too high. Pretty sure the BCO is plain wrong about insulating a solid party wall in a renovation, maybe confused with a new build.

If you'd started a basic builders/trades etc thread instead I think you'd see a similar mix of views, coloured by individual good and bad experiences rather than anything intended to offend contributors.

Looks like your architect has your counter battens fixed to the joists on the left and suspended in mid air on the right. Ask your architect what's filling the gap between the joist and roof membrane to the right of Z? And why the square section is needed at all?

I think that's pretty reductive and unkind. What you're describing, especially on this forum, is the inexperience of people who are heavily vested in a once in a lifetime self build and often juggling a limited budget across all areas. Any self help forum also tends to focus on fixing issues rather than praising successful outcomes too. People tend to get swayed by opinions of their builders because they're often more approachable and available. Some architects need to explain better to such inexperienced clients what they do and how that's reflected in charges, and also how that may help clients save money and have their project run more smoothly down the line. RIBA's 8 stages can seem more reflective of much larger works and at concept design some architects are guilty of prioritising design over budget prepared at earlier stages. Concept design is also a stage where self builders in particular are likely to have strong ideas about what they want and have their good ideas incorporated while their less workable ideas are improved by the architect. We've had a good experience with the architect we chose, found a good balance of input, oversight and charges that reflected what both they as architect and we as clients and also as main contractors could contribute. It's easy to see though that a different architect could have brought plenty of creative and technical design and oversight to the project but fail to respect the client's own constraints and hopes for a project they've been dreaming of for years. There's a mix of real experiences on the forum of people who've paid little and had a poor experience alongside others who have paid a great deal and felt let down.

Agree, you might have more space and more flexibility of kitchen layout if you swap the kitchen and the larger living room that connects to your dining space (losing the wall between). You lose the dedicated pantry but probably gain more in kitchen cupboard space and that frees up the pantry area to tweak the office and WC. Whatever you decide, remember these are all just opinions and your own is the one that counts!

We water tested drains the same as @Oz07 , filling enough so any below ground joints were covered and check the water level after a few hours (no need to block vents). BC were more interested seeing the runs and connections than checking any test but it's well worth testing as expensive to fix later. All our soil stacks are external though, so no worries or testing for internal stacks that'll end up built in and hidden.

I really like your hall and landing. Your dining/kitchen is a generous space but the two areas don't really connect and it looks a squeeze between the island and sink - maybe think about pocket doors from the hall so their swing doesn't intrude into the kitchen and move the island.

Interesting topic, something we might need to look at ourselves in future. it looks like Covalba may have a suitable product, I'd also thought about white pebbles but I'm not sure I'd like the look. Another idea might be pale tiles on pedestals (I mentioned this in another thread) which also adds an air gap between the reflective tiles and the roof. Wind uplift might be a worry though

Did they tell you why or did they just want to sell you something else? I don't know that Bauder system at all, it certainly looks heavy duty. Bauder also look like they supply pedestals themselves, so if you do go that way I'd try and get those supplied with the rest of the install so there's no question mark later about suitability if you have issues.

Tapered insulation would save most of the firring height for approx same u value (but costs more). You can probably lose the top ply too (but I'd use thicker ply at the bottom). Realistically you won't save much from a warm roof buildup, maybe get it down 40-50mm. Presumably you're planning to install a cavity tray along the whole length of the wall, not just the opening?

Is that just for the roof covering or for the roof layup below plus slabs etc over? Sounds steep for just the covering. For a simpler roof finished with EPDM we were quoted a bit under 100/m2 (did it ourselves for quite a lot less). It's the edges that need the time and attention to detail EPDM looks a decent choice to me here, it'll be supplied as a single sheet so minimal chance of leaks and very patchable, and you don't need to worry about looks as it will be covered

If you think you'll be heavy handed with the screwdriver, you can get special bits cheaply that stop you driving the screw through