torre

We have experience doing something similar. Build up the blockwork first (think that's recommended for full fill inflation anyway) so you can be sure you can keep the ties running downhill. An insulation saw makes the vertical cuts @Tony L mentioned easier. The insulation should match the blockwork coursing. If you do the insulation yourself you'll be fine, if you leave it to brickies make sure they don't just let the tie drag the insulation down. You're right the coursing will run out, think in terms of 5*86=430 Vs 2*225 = 450 though You may want to use slightly longer ties to make up for them sloping down. You can also get two part ties but they're expensive.

The layout makes clearer what you were saying about wardrobe space - I'd lose the insulation rather than the wardrobe space (you'd need to lose quite a bit of wardrobe width to avoid feeling like you're squeezing around the door) As built does look a fair way from as designed - more like 1900 height than the 2100 planned and you should've had about another stair's worth of landing depth to work with too (and a bit of leeway to move the door). Did you have to make changes along the way? I'd measure that landing depth just to be sure it won't cause a BR headache later.

I don't know exactly how SUDS works in Wales sorry but for there's a recent rainwater harvesting thread here, might that be an option? Or an attenuation tank? Long shot but are you 100% sure as a replacement dwelling you're increasing the affected area enough to even fall within SAB approval?

I'd probably cut the insulation back as a preference for where the door is hinged, but @TerryE's solution is neatly done. (Separate point - the landing didn't look much wider than the door opening so have you checked it is as deep as the stairs are wide for building regs?)

What have they inspected? Just a trench or pipework and stop tap etc? I'd contact them and be up front you realised it's in the wrong place and dig another trench

On a narrow stair you'll already be taking more care and cope better with a shallow landing, plus it's much less likely more than one person will be sharing/passing in the space. Anyway you won't change the regs, you'll have to compromise somewhere. It looks like you might need to swap the top half landing for two quarter landings or similar. Don't you have plans for this? What stage are you at? Try planning just the top half of this using stairbox as suggested.

I don't think this on its own is a problem, but the end of the strap will still need to fit over the outside of the blockwork . It wouldn't be enough to fix with plugs etc to the inside of the blockwork (if that's what you're intending) - it's the difference between the whole folded area of the strap resisting pull forces versus just two or three plugged screws if check with building control that they'll be happy with what you're suggesting - it sounds so sensible from an insulating perspective you wonder why it's not the norm?Maybe just a bit harder to build, or maybe the people who think most about insulation would've already gone for a warm pitched roof

Maybe that wall is needed for mid span support of the last full width truss, given most of the kitchen and dining ceiling joists then hang off that?

NHBC have good examples of split lintel details (fig 21 & 22). You'd use the same cavity closer at the head as whatever you've used at the sides. If you're concerned about ensuring beads can fill the gap later between closer and tray you could fit something full fill like Isover 32 now, cut to the angle before putting the tray over. (We used concrete lintels for some of our inners as it's cheap and airtight, some of the metal have holes)

This sounds very challenging with some of your joist suggestions! I'd be very surprised if 12 or 13 stairs didn't work. At 220mm max rise that's 2640 or 2860. Try a site like stairbox and play with their options. That headroom diminishing to 1.8 is the absolute minimum so don't miscalculate and then find you need 15mm for PB You already have a dormer at the back!? Then I'd definitely try to stack the stairs better. Given you already have sufficient headroom for an unrestricted 2m staircase I think building control may well refuse to allow the 1.8 as that's intended for conversions where there is no other option, so do this as full plans, not a notice

So is it an off their shelf shell design or could you get planning to your own design and they'd still work as main contractor for the shell? How many units is the developer working on? If you're self building you really want a contractor that'll give you more attention to detail than the typical new estate box shifter, regardless of any spec on paper - it's all about the quality of work. Is the plot being sold with services already connected? That's one part they should be able to do reasonably cheaply and save hassle versus having to arrange yourselves, and maybe it'd work to have them do the groundworks as well - basically the stuff they're well placed to do at a competitive price, then find another contractor better suited for the main build. The trades they'll get on site if they're building say 10+ units will be much more vested in future work from the contractor than they will be carrying about your single unit. Another factor is how they prioritise your job once you're signed up, versus all the units they're developing to sell themselves - which do you think they'll be wanting to finish first? It's exciting to find a good plot, good location, but don't let that influence what you build or your choice of builder too much

The Flexi orb name is terrible but the initiative sounds promising and is long overdue. MCS seems to have turned into the worst sort of closed shop scheme - it's not working as a guarantee of quality (esp with umbrella schemes) and seems to be little more than a grant harvesting scheme - the government's giving 7.5k grants but the householder benefits only by a fraction of that with MCS installers taking the rest in markup that bears no relation to their costs.

Tidy looking fence but as @Russell griffiths said, those bits of timber will rot and the gravel boards drop eventually Is that foot long piece being pointed to on the neighbours side? You can't expect them to be happy with that!? I'd put a brick below that end of the board before they pull the timber out (and your panel drops)

What's the ceiling height below? Could you drop the ceiling to give more space for a deeper section joist? Then run them side to side off a ledger board. 200 centres is getting a bit extreme, even a compact drill plus a bit at least 50mm long will be tight. Have any neighbours already done anything similar? Perhaps they've already found a good solution

Polymorph is a mouldable plastic - pellets that melt in hot water. The mould might need to be firmer than plasticine though

Definitely worth exploring, forward a bit or sideways to lose the pipes in the back of a cupboard.

As @Big Jimbo says, get your local councillor and MP involved, to put extra pressure on planning & building control to take enforcement action. The more fuss you and your neighbours make the better, you need to be proactive. Contacting the local press is another possible route as they will in turn put pressure on the council. The Health and Safety Executive is another route - that's a temporary scaffold with a roof so was it erected to a proper design? (As it's insurance related they may have of course). I'd expect HSE will investigate if you report that there's a large temporary scaffold and large bits of masonry have since fallen from height into your garden (as proved by your timestamped photos)

Surprising if post Grenfell any building inspector would sign off a loft without protected means of escape. Sounds pretty clear it doesn't meet current building regulations and (on a human level) would you put your children in a loft room knowing there's no safe means of escape? You could ask the seller to apply for a certificate of regularisation and tell them otherwise you'll need to revise your offer to reflect that the property only has two bedrooms.

Welcome and good luck! There's always a risk you won't get the permission you want especially for a large extension Or you can't afford it, realistically budgeting 2-3k/m2 As you say, a two storey side extension looks a good bet as you don't lose light to existing rooms, but planners may limit you to say a metre from the boundary, then single storey across the back. There's quite a lot of uncertainty in the outcome here (cost and feasibility) so I hope you've factored this in.

It's disappointing that circumstance meant not getting exactly what was planned but ask yourself - if conditions had led to building a couple of bricks wider, would you have offered them 8% more or just thought "it's only a few bricks"? It sounds like you agreed to the changes, I think you needed to re-negotiate and discuss the roof aesthetic at the time, not after the works were completed. I'd congratulate yourself on finding a company who've done good work, try to enjoy the results and not get hung up on trying to recoup what will be a very small sum at best for a lot of stress and effort

@saveasteading permitted development of commercial to residential

From your last picture it looks like this is a Post Office? Is there value in that as a commercial sale on its own, or splitting into a smaller shop plus single residence? Converting from a shop to residences should be permitted development so it may be worth getting prior approval as it gives certainty to potential buyers about one option at least, at little cost to you. I'd expect a local estate agent to have a good feel for whether there's more potential value in other options (single large residence, multiple flats) versus a straight split into two terraces. The only 'development' option I'd think about getting into would be doing the absolute minimum to split this back into two terraces, if valuations leave you confident this will be the best developed option, or at least looks like giving you some certainty of a reasonable return without much risk (and probably selling each as a 'fixer upper' rather than fixing roofs and floors etc)

I'd trim the ends of the block sides so you can sit then fully in the steel and then tie into the web. We fixed wall starter kits into our web (using self tapping screws) and then the ties just slot into that at each course. Hasn't your SE provided any detail for this?

It'd be good to mention build size, storeys, construction method for more context. Size doesn't get mentioned too much but it's hard to build small, cheaply per m2 - major costs (sewer, utilities) are the same regardless and you still have to fit out the same baseline number of the most expensive rooms (kitchen, bathroom). There's more wall, foundations, windows (£££) per m2 of floor too... Four wall lengths Six wall length - -- |1| |12| - -- Half as much extra wall Double the floor space ... build two storeys and it's less foundation, less roof per m2, build three storey even more so. For example, 10k for all services would be £25/m2 on a build Nod's size but £100/m2 on a small build a quarter of the size.

From the beams and piers it looks like someone's already had a go at opening up the layout, I think it would be a challenge to achieve the sort of layout you want, and as others said, you need to avoid an inner room - you could have a long corridor all the way to that bedroom but it's a huge waste of space. I'd try and work within the existing layout as much as you can - how about converting the kitchen area into a bedroom and relocating the kitchen along the fireplace wall or into the area you'd like to place a bedroom? It avoids a lot of structural costs and fire safety headaches as you'd connect to the existing protected corridor