Bitpipe

IBCs are roughly 1m2 so you could squeeze a few in - we put a mezzanine deck over the top of the IBCs which makes a nice feature. TBH we originally envisaged our lightwell / egress area as a tiered construction but the SE pointed out that it would be easier to just make it a full box, not that much additional cost (just the muck away really as the concrete would have more or less been the same, just different geometry. Once we had the extra space (under the deck) it made sense to utilise it for rainwater harvesting, so the plan was born. The in ground tank systems are probably more robust but do come at a price.

Ta - was a fun project - not dropped a pump in yet as waiting for sparky to finish putting power down there.

I have a few power operated velux (top hung) - roofer installed. I recall some bit or other of plastic coming off on the clip when we were testing the power and our main window guy had some uber super glue that bonded it back on and never had any trouble since.

Our LA is pretty much unlimited waste, you do need proof of residency and a permit to bring in a trade branded vehicle. I did this with the landscaper and was initially refused on arrival, despite having the permit. Called council, complained and was allowed an hour later. We have relatively little fly typing and the skip firms still seem to do a roaring trade.

It's not but you have a gazillion things to remember so easy to let them slip. Forgot to add UFH spur and duct for bathroom floors if you're having electric mats (highly recommended). We made a last min decision to do that (walls were boarded but not skimmed) so a hectic weekend of removing and re-fitting PB either side of the electrician... Its very easy and relatively cheap to get your all you electrical needs in during first fix, its expensive and sometimes impossible to retro fit. Once your frame is up, get some decent silver gaff tape and mark out all your potential locations, then walk each room & harea, thinking through furniture positions etc and make sure you have what you need...

No problem. Our xmas lights are not on a timer, I just turn them off when going to bed. If you have the type where the transformer is built into the plug, you just put a 5a plug at the end of a standard extension lead and plug them into that. Our 5a bedroom lamps are switched by the side of bed only - in our old house they were also switched at the wall which was nice...

We have our xmas tree lights on a 5a lamp socket - makes it easy to turn them off at night. Other random thoughts.... Plan external lighting and power, outbuildings etc. plus security camera locations (inside and out), intercom / gate controls if you're having those. Driveway lights, external xmas decoration lights. Power for hot tubs / inflatable pools / garden tools / We wired our hot return pump and MVHR boost into PIRs in each bathroom and into the light switches also - means that entering a wet room triggers both extraction and ensures timely hot water to the tap. Put data points next to your plant incase you want to run monitoring / control and also in hall cupboards for wifi boosters. If you plan to have wall mounted TVs, put data and power directly behind, plus duct to allow HDMI to media etc. to avoid trailing cables. Static internet devices (printers, TVs, internet radios etc) should have hardwired connections and not rely on WiFi, leaves your wifi network free to support mobile devices, laptops, tablets etc. Think on power and control for blinds if you're having them also powered roof windows in inaccessible locations. Heated / lit bathroom mirrors. Power for wardrobe lighting (we used the Ikea system, works great). Good coverage of floor level sockets for vacuum cleaners, steam mops, irons etc. USB sockets at bedside/ kitchen / study for charging devices Speaker cable in roof for surround sound systems - plan ahead for Atmos etc which are 7.1 - plus control & power for screens & projectors if ever planning home cinema.

Somebody I know (cough ) started their development by removing the old attached garage (which ran right up to boundary) so that foul runs could be made from the main sewer connection to the rear of the new development, constituting a start by BC. Also allowed temp connection to caravan. In the process the slab and 4ft thick founds needed removal which required a decent sized machine with pecker. Neighbour complained about vibration in their house (which also sat right at boundary) and later claimed that their chimney had been damaged, loosing pointing. Luckily a contractor (with all the necessary insurances) was used and when the neighbour complained, they were directed to the contractor for redress.

I bought a 25 ft container / site office off eBay - was bout £1500 plus £300 delivery on a hiab. I lined the roof with 50mm EPS which prevented condensation (could have done walls if I could have been bothered) and also used damp sticks. Stored lots of boxed possessions in there and they all came out fine after 2 years. Planning did ask me to get it shifted once the build was complete (it was at front of house) after a neighbour complained. Managed to sell it on eBay for £1700 so was quite pleased with that.

This is from the policy document - my emphasis. Have already called Ombudsman and they would get involved once a formal complaint to the insurer is responded to. So no BC sign off, no policy. So how do they justify backdating it then? Technical Assessment The Residential Property insured by this Policy must be subject to a system of checks and inspections: Qualified Building Surveyors must have completed inspections before the Insurance Certificate was issued. Any Site inspection or other risk control procedures adopted are solely for their benefit and do not confirm or imply that the Residential Property is or will be free of defects or damage. It is the Insured’s responsibility to ensure that a thorough inspection of the Residential Property is carried out prior to completion of the refurbishment/renovation/construction by the Builder. If the inspection identifies any defects they must be reported to the Builder and remedied prior to completion of the contract by the Builder, any satisfaction note being signed or contract being considered complete. THE INSURER WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DEFECTS DISCOVERED OR KNOWN TO THE INSURED PRIOR TO THE COMPLETION OF THE REFURBISHMENT/ RENOVATION /CONSTRUCTION WORKS OF THE RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY BY THE BUILDER, WHETHER ATTENDED TO OR NOT General Notes 1) For this Policy to be valid there must be a signed Insurance Certificate held by the Insured. This should be kept with the Policy and must be provided at the time of any claim. 2) Any amendments or alterations to this policy whether applied at the time of issue of the Policy and subsequently later will only be valid if confirmed by separate Endorsements, which should be kept together with the Policy. The Insured should refer to these Endorsements and the Policy together as one document ascertaining the precise cover in force at any time.

So broker has apologetically come back and says they won;t budge. Another client, for whom the insurer have refused to even issue cover (issued a refund) and they are taking them to the ombusman as any equivalent cover is now going to be significantly more expensive. I've asked him to go back and ask for a refund for the two years that the policy has been shortened by - even by their logic, how do I make a claim in those first two years if the policy was not 'at risk' ? Had they issued the cert two years ago then I could see their argument. Again wondering if it's worth the money - nagging thought is that the house is potentially un-mortgageable for some lenders. On the flip side, I have the insurance cert now so could flash it to the surveyor Last one just asked 'if' I had a warranty.

Our warmstar mats (we have 3) are all working great - ditched the free stat they supply and got something fancier from UFHSS.

I do love the german external shutters. We went for external powered blinds integrated with our windows - Believe ROMA are the brand bit don't see a wood option.

I got quite a bit on eBay (UFH mats, latex, tanking kits, MPDE fittings etc..) on eBay and got VAT receipts from them all.

Ah - doubt they'd go that far, seem to be Berkshire based.

On closer inspection, maybe not. The policy start date has been set to Aug 1st 2016, when they believe we occupied (was actually a month later but that's immaterial). The legal completion date is 6th Sep 2018 according to BCO. This is relevant as there are two parts to the policy, a 2 year defects indemnity (where they cover cost if trade has ceased to trade) and the 8 year structural insurance. They only issue policy when building is signed off as complete so how on earth can they backdate to exclude the first part of their policy (which would never have been able to claim). Will see what broker says...

Ah well, they issued the warranty - luckily I had not mentally spent the premium yet!

I would worry about the humidity from the pool damaging the AV equipment... never mind that it looks horrific.

Current joy is weeding two front areas prior to turfing & then getting level with soil.. Last week's job was hand placing 5 jumbo bags of white cobbles to the space between wall and house. God knows what next weekend brings...

+1 I've even cut 32mm MPDE with these cheaper ones (which I bought for cutting UFH pipe) https://www.screwfix.com/p/0-26mm-manual-plastic-pipe-shears/59590

There's also that bittersweet feeling when you finish a job, after really getting into it and overcoming the initial procrastination. Then you have to start the next one... BTW, even though our house is now signed off and we've been in it over 2.5 years, the jobs keep coming....

When MBC did our joists, pretty much every hole going into the pozi itself was filled with a twisty nail. On the wall plate there was a continuous line of nails but not doubled up. I know this because I needed to move a couple of short joists to make space for waste pipes and they were a pain to remove! Nails are short so 2-3 bangs per nail usually does it.

Broker has offered to go back to insurer and explain gap in BC sign-off. However still tempted to just get the premium back...

This is my gut reaction also. Will see what the broker says on Thurs.

So subsequent to this post I got a letter from broker saying that as my build commenced before they went pop the new insurer would issue a policy. So far so good. Sent completion cert in Sept and after lots of chasing was told today that ... > As you are aware we have presented your Completion Certificate to the insurers who have unfortunately advised us that due to the time taken to complete the build, with the property being exposed to the elements for a time that makes the risk now unacceptable to them and therefore they are unwilling to issue the Structural Warranty cover for the property. They have advised that they will be refunding the premium paid. > Now this is nonsense as our build was watertight after 6 weeks (jan 2016) and we moved in Aug ‘16. BC delay was due to external elements (glass). Have gone back to broker to understand where this assumption came from and will rope in our inspector but also wondering if I should just take the money back and forget about a warranty. No plans to sell and we already have a post build mortgage but a bit concerned if we need to produce proof of it in the next 10 years... Would the MBC structural guarantee give the same reassurance to a lender (is it insurance backed??)