Bitpipe

Thanks all - it's the spine feature wall of our house and is very substantial as we built it to party wall standards - there was a vague notion to enable the house to be split into two if ever required so this is effectively two Csl stud walls side by side. Pretty confident that we can brace as required, making good will be the trick but we have an advantge here as the lower wall was clad in 12mm Osb to provide racking strength. There is a layer of 12.5 pb over this and in the floors above it's a double layer of pb. Joiners plan is to cut the outer layer twice the width of the inner layer cut required. We will then secure the sections of 40mm plate along the line of the stairs, cutting it into the cls vertical timbers and then put a section of 12mm ply over that before putting PB on the outer layer. He feels that this will minimise cracking. Other side of the stairs is a full height atrium but we don't need to go through to that as there's plenty of support in the wall itself. Stair people are happy with that solution. I've asked them to pay the 2-3 days labour as they sold me a staircase that they should have known I could not have installed - they did a full survey and noted the wall construction. Staircase is built, on site and paid for so I'm committed to having it. Also saving them the need to make new stringers and ship them from Poland. No word yet so we'll see what comes back.

I have to say Megabads returns service was excellent - I used Hermes to ship the unwanted flush plates and had the Euro refund in my currencyfair account within a few days. This is was the point when the pound really started to slide so I almost caught the bottom. Never mind trading in gold, Geberit flush plates is where the smart money is

Never mind floating shelves, our final stairs arrived today but there is a small snag.. We have a single staircase void for the three staircases (basement to ground, ground to first and first to loft). We chose this particular stringless stair design for the top two flights as the top flight is viewable from underneath and we want it to look the same as it does above. http://www.max-stairs.co.uk/?c=gallery&m=150 We went for more basic stairs to the basement. The stairs arrived as individual risers and treads - very substantial oak. They bolt together with hidden fixings and look very sharp indeed. However, when the installers arrive we find out that they expect to fix each riser through to the wall to prevent movement which in our case is tricky as there is just timber stud wall clad in OSB and plasterboard. We pointed this out in the survey but it was obviously overlooked. So we now have two options, first to have a single string under the wall side and second to cut out the PB and put reinforcement in the wall and make good. First option might be ok for the ground to first flight as the underside is above the basement stairs and is only visible when heading into the basement. Second flight would leave the stringer visible from the ground floor so that wall will need to be cut, strengthened and made good. Joiner is giving me a quote tomorrow - he thinks its quite straightforward, not much material required but a bit of labour. Question is whether I ask the stair firm to pay as they quoted and supplied us a design that by their own survey would not work. They are offering to make the new stings and ship over from Poland for free (guess that there is little cost in this for them) but we really want the look we were going for on at least one of the staircases.

Also read my post above on converting the money first and transferring second to ensure that you give them the exact amount. I also used UK Forex - suggest you sign up to 2 or 3 - they will need a few days to do your ID checks - and then do a compare on the day to see who's best. Some services will let you set a target rate and wait until the market reaches it.

So here's the breakdown of what's in that WC (requested on PM): Read previous posts for details, best to compare 2-3 sites and then move forward on the one that's cheapest on the day (including shipping fees & discounts). Also note that not everyone has everything in stock at the same time, we prioritised first fix items such as Hansgrohe iBoxes and Geberit cisterns. WC http://www.reuter-shop.com/villeroy-boch-subway-wall-mounted-washdown-toilet-l-56-w-37-cm-white-with-ceramicplus-a113085.php Seat http://www.reuter-shop.com/villeroy-boch-subway-toilet-seat-white-with-quickrelease-and-soft-close-a113079.php Cistern http://www.reuter-shop.com/geberit-duofix-frame-for-wall-mounted-toilet-112-cm-with-concealed-cistern-up320-a33278.php Forgot to order these and had to get in a rush from Amazon https://www.reuter-shop.com/geberit-duofix-wall-fastening-set-a34489.php Flush plate (This looks like the whole unit, when we ordered it was just the insert, and we had to buy the frame separately - the clip over options are a lot less hassle.) https://www.reuter-shop.com/geberit-sigma60-flush-plate-for-dual-flush-mechanism-flush-with-wall-brushed-chrome-a569787.php Sink - only got this as the room is so narrow (900mm) so this was the only way we could meet regs. http://www.reuter-shop.com/villeroy-boch-subway-20-handwashbasin-w-63-d-355-cm-basin-right-white-with-ceramicplus-without-overflow-a317305.php Towel Rail for sink http://www.reuter-shop.com/villeroy-boch-subway-20-towel-rail-a317316.php Cupboard for under sink (will go on post regs signoff). http://www.reuter-shop.com/villeroy-boch-subway-20-vanity-unit-for-hand-washbasin-w-35-h-62-d-335-cm-right-stone-grey-a477430.php Taps http://www.reuter-shop.com/grohe-eurostyle-cosmopolitan-single-lever-basin-mixer-es-function-1-2-smooth-body-a428669.php

You have no protection - it's a cash transfer. CurrencyFair, who I have used most charge, €3 per transfer.

Bog standard 6mm splashback glass - we got our kitchen firm to supply it with the rest of the kitchen splashback. Was about £700 - probably not that much more expensive than tiles + labour. The cutouts around the pan and flush plate are not as sharp as I'd like as they're used to something covering them (such as a socket) but the coloured silicone I used does a pretty good job of covering them up and you don't see it unless close.

Yes, currency transfer is the best method - first time is a bit of a leap in the dark but I've used them lots now and even done a reverse transfer for a Megabad refund! Read my post earlier to understand the sequencing and ensure you don't get caught out with fluctuations in the ex rate. We found Reuters good for recommending additional products, however we did get caught out over the Geberit system - missed out the bolts that fix the frames to the wall (had to buy on Amazon in a last minute panic) and we also screwed up on the flush plates, only buying the insert initially and then realising that we needed the tile in box also. It was too late for two of the bathrooms as we'd already tiled, but exchanging them was easy and we got the clip over variety for those two rooms. They seem to have discontinued this two part system now Managed to get it right for the ensuite and downstairs WC which just got finished this week when the splash back glass was installed. Wasn't able to get a tight fit around the flush plate as internal cuts in glass have 6mm min radius - could have done it as four pieces of glass I suppose to get a sharper edge. Anyway, I sourced a matching silicone for around the pan and flush plate - fairly invisible unless you get super close.

+1 for cable. We we very reliant on the powerline plugs (until this week) to get data from the BT hub in the container to the house - I was surprised at how quickly the speed drops across those - went from 16Mb to 8 and using another pair, down to 2. Even within our newly wired house they often struggle to sync. Getting our data rack comissioned next week so will be able to plug in all the high bandwidth fixed items.

Well we're finally live. Went smoothly, Openreach guy was happy to move the voice only second line to the house while installing the new voice & broadband lines and remove the drop wire from the container / site office. As we'd done all of the internal phone wiring, he was only a few minutes connecting the relevant pairs in the incoming cable to the electricians internal wiring. He then connected two master sockets. These have a new slimline design, gone is the large box. However they are quite difficult to work with as a result, especially when connecting extension wiring. Then came the wait for the hoist - the OR guys have a very strict policy on climbing poles - they can be fired if they break it. Therefore most older poles can only be accessed by hoist and they only have one or two of these per area so there was a good few hours wait for the hoist to arrive and run my cable up the pole to make the connection and remove the drop wire. Really pleased I went the extra distance to get a neater solution - just need the broadband speed to ramp up over the next few days and to get the data rack comissioned so the TV, Xbox etc can get hard wired in.

He's here now making sure OpenReach play nicely with his work so will ask him. We have the integrated sockets though with two USB A under the switches.

We bought a heat pump condensing tumble drier for our utility - very low energy consumption as it extracts the waste heat from its own condensate.

Our guy backfilled the fairly shallow trench with crush, compacted and then concreted to within a few inches of the top. Has currently finished with Bitmac and will come back in new year to properly finish with hot rolled tarmac. Some of the virgin media work further up the road is shocking by comparison, has already dropped creating a rut.

Inching closer - ground-worker finally arrived this week to dig across road and lay duct to the pole. All going smoothly until neighbour starts fussing and calls council. Groundworker had apparently not got the necessary permissions (only told me that we didn't need road closing permit as it's a dead end and we're second last). Man with clipboard subsequently arrives and confirms what's going on - he was quite shirty with the labour but very polite to me. Looks like groundworker needs to fill a form and pay a fee - essentially to warranty the work for 2 years. Better not try and stick that onto me as we'd already agreed a fee for the works. Anyway, cable pulled through and BT scheduled for Thursday to provide new connection, we'll disconnect the drop wire to the container at the same time. Can't wait as the power to the container (where the current BT hub and powerline are) keeps tripping out in the kiost RCD - no idea why but that's another problem to fix...

We under-thought our balcony & balustrade and have had to compromise a little so well done for getting ahead of it now! Our bedroom balconies are about 3m x 1.5m and are over the living area - they were built with joists and OSB decking, each has a fall to their narrow edge. We decided on GRP for the roofing as this was being used for other flat roof areas and is pretty bomb proof. We then realised that we could not put balustrade pillars on this as it would get compromised, so investigated doing wall mounted pillars. However we'd not build sufficient support into the walls for this (twin wall timber frame) so ended up with a neat (but more expensive) solution from Elite Balustrades. Essentially its an aluminium deck overlaid with composite boards and the balustrade panels hang off the side. It will only need a few fixing points to the wall where there is sufficient support. http://www.elitebalustrade.com/gallery/qwickbuild-decking-frame.html Looking at yours, as you have block work walls, you can probably fix your balcony to the wall.

Similar schedule to ours last winter. However I had too many mince pies so the MVHR did not start until late Jan. Don't rush it, requires deep thought...

Get some pipe felt and put it between the strap and the pipe. Learned that from the plumbers!

Yes, and I'd forgotten to recharge the vessel after the initial round of bleeding. It doesn't have a gauge but charging it up seemed to do the trick. Thanks Peter!

You can get a combined inlet outlet - Or you could compromise on the separation distance - whats the max you can achieve in your plant room? You can consider angling the intake duct cowl away from the exhaust or have them at different heights to get your separation. The idea to reduce the pipe diameter for a short distance is a good one also - do keep in mind though that when you wrap the duct in insulation you add about 20-30mm to the overall diameter. Always a solution - I remember a few similarly 'impossible' scenarios with my MVHR that we managed to resolve.

We have 3 towel rads (Zenhder) in the three bathrooms on first floor - only rads in the house and are on their own circuit. Two are hot, one is cold - has been like this since commissioning. Plumber suspected that it was air-locked and came out and 'fixed' it but it didn't last. I've tried bleeding, there is an initial release of air / water but then it slows to a trickle and then nothing. I've tried turning other two off and running pump - it eventually heats up and releases a little bit more air when bled but as soon as the other two are opened up again it goes cold. Have asked plumber to come back, but while I wait any suggestions on resolving this? Thanks.

Ours was like that for the first week after we moved in - then we started to empty the caravan, shed and container. Full of junk again now...

The BCO explained it to me as this - the AAVs (or equivalent) are there to ensure that your system works properly, preventing pressure drops in the system upon flushing that may cause water in other u-bends to be sucked out. - The final air vent is to ventilate the sewer system as a whole and is not critical to performance of your system, effectively you're being a good citizen. Therefore as both neighbours either side of us and the one opposite have SVPs, we can do without. That said, the plumber was a bit sceptical and suggested we still needed one (would have required penetrations through flat roof so I was understandably reluctant). We have a soil run to the (soon to be removed) caravan to the rear of the house, so we could fit a vent to that and hide in a flower bed or something.

Our BCO (independent) did not make us have an external vent as he felt the neighbours would keep the street system ventilated. We have AAVs internally at the top of each soil stack. We were told by him that on new build estates, only 1 in 10 need external vents.

I think its not so much to prevent damaging the pipe but to prevent movement and causing the fittings to come away.

I've been working with Elite Ballustrades on our balconies (internal and external). Not taken delivery yet but very impressed with them so far. If it's a simple Juliet balcony, perhaps look at local glass suppliers - many do the fittings also. 15mm toughened glass is the default.