Bitpipe

We used metric throughout - ordered ours through http://www.fsndoors.co.uk/ and got a mix of FD 30 doors (including glazed - ouch), different widths and even different thickness (pocket sliders @40mm). They even did a few custom splay head doors for the loft. We got linings from Howdens - the metric ones (especially FD30 version) were few and far between but they were usually able to get enough together each week to keep joiner busy. Only had trouble with one or two out of 18 or so frames. TBH, joiner was 50/50 on just buying the stock timber and making the linings himself. If I was doing it again, I'd have looked more closely at fully hung door sets as the labour cost of doing the linings & hanging doors etc outweighed the extra cost of the door sets and any savings I made on the ironmongery. That said, we would have had to take the stock architrave which wouldn't have matched our chosen skirting (or chucked what they gave us). Plus, there was some adjustment getting the necessary MVHR gap for each room - we more or less went for 7-8mm per door (860mm wide) - I know @HerbJ (who used same door firm) pre calculated all his floor gaps and used the hung door sets.

That's interesting - we considered running a closed loop of UFH pipe outside the insulation layer of the basement to dump heat in summer from the GF UFH circuit but abandoned the idea early on as it was getting too complicated.

My basement guys used the batten method on slab and walls to leave a water bar channel in the kicker and on each edge of vertical wall sections - however they did not scabble the previous pours but did use a blowtorch to ensure wherever a new section was being poured, the faces were dry and warm enough for the waterbar adhesive to adere (September so not that cold really). Sika waterproofing system and poured under inspection by their rep so was apparently good enough for the warranty.

Well it beats watching it happen by the country itself (grabs tin hat and runs for shelter....) Life is stressful, there will always be something to keep you awake at night My personal mantra is to see if there is anything I can actively do about the situation. if no, stop worrying - it's not helping. If yes, start doing it. It's a bit trite but I've sat in corporate training with leading sports psychologists who get paid £££££ to work with world class teams and individuals and that's pretty much what their advice boils down to, along with 'remember the times you achieved something special'. simple tricks that work I suppose.

Concur with much of the above. We had ups and downs but they happen in all areas of life, we just chose this path rather than have it forced on us. Now I'm almost, almost finished (last bits of landscaping etc) there is a lot of satisfaction that we did it and that is rewarding - also, warts and all, I know this house inside out and I own all the success and mistakes. Bank account is empty, car is knackered but we came through more or less intact. I don't think I could every buy another house as I'd probably be more stressed worrying about what horrors were lurking behind the walls etc..

Good call Peter - I was wondering how my pressure washer could be brought into service! Branded 15m hose is about £60 from espares and there are non OEM equivalents for £45 ish.

Resistance is futile. Although the household is now on a liquids only diet for a few weeks.

Agree. We also enforce a 'shoes off at front door' policy which has also helped enormously. Initially this was because for a long time our exterior was not finished so was very mucky and gritty, and we didn't want the resin or oak stairs/floors getting scratched. However it just makes good sense from a hygiene point of view. We have hard flooring throughout - Karndean in basement, resin on GF and oak / tile elsewhere - any dust and pet hair is very noticeable so gets cleaned up pretty quick - was always horrified at what used to come out of the carpets at the old house when they were cleaned.

I tried to make every part of our build supply and fit to avoid building up a VAT cash pile - so rather than going head to head with HMRC I was negotiating with the vendor/trade which was a bit easier (as they wanted the sale). In this example, I got the kitchen company to zero rate the (quite expensive) Siemens cooker hood, even though it had a recirculating bolt on. A few trades took some convincing but we always got there in the end. The only place I've really racked up materials for VAT reclaim was EPS insulation & light wells for the basement; timber, doors & ironmongry (for various first / second fix joinery) and the materials for the external landscaping where the respective trades were on a VAT free labour only rate. Still waiting for one final bit of glass install to get BCO sign off and then will process claim - not relishing it but can't be any worse than doing my monthly business expenses!

As above, AAC not the issue but there is about 60cm of horizontal between the ensuite wall hanging pan and the vertical stack on the other side of the wall before it drops, dog leg style, to the ground level horizontal run. Culprit was obv the 45cm and fairly shallow initial IC that this connects into being backed up by the partial blockage further downstream - it had less impact the deeper the invert levels became but would have been providing some resistance right next to the house. Very glad those Clarke drain covers are tight fitting and are screwed into the base otherwise I suspect it would have leaked over the rear patio (prob would have noticed a bit quicker though)!

So for sh!ts and giggles I decided to pop a few of the new IC covers on the drive and patio - they are all Clarke Drain recessed covers so infilled with pavers / resin gravel etc. Lets just say there was not much giggling.... There was a partial blockage on the run from the final IC on my property to the main sewer in the road - this is the only legacy bit of drainage from the old house so I suspect it has some debris in it from the build that has snagged something (we have a strict no wet wipes down the loo policy but I suspect thats what it was). Everything was a bit backed up from there. Quick dash to Screwy to get a 9m set of rods (£20, cheaper than hiring), some disposable gloves and the hose and a pleasant summer evening was had by all. Now all clear, although I may need to get another set of rods as I suspect there is still some debris in the runs from driveway works etc and as the IC spacing is 10m they don't go the full distance. We have a couple of 45cm IC chambers right next to the house (mostly for kitchen / utility but also the run from utility) and I can't get the rods into those but can reach from the 60cm at the other end. Very impressed with the quality of the clarke drain covers, they seal very tight but pop off easily with the recessed handle system. I wish I'd been a bit more mindful of where the various ICs went - most are in the drive or rear patio (and with the recessed and infilled clark covers are nearly invisible) but a few straddle path and lawn so are proving more problematic to cover. If you're at the stage of planning these - I'd recommend 8m runs between ICs if possible as a standard rod set is 9m. Anyway, another mini adventure complete !

I’m about to put cills on the sliding doors - below this area is the entrance to the basement. The doors sit on a buildup of timber sat on a corbel out from the basement wall. The DPM runs under this timber strip and up the inside of the EPS on the basement wall exterior. Some of the DPM was pinched under the edge of the door frame and some was loose. Now I’m putting the cills on I want to treat the little bit of wood that is exposed - any suggestions on what best to use?

Quite impressed you smashed a triple glazed unit! We had a Gaulhofer glazed exterior door and it was delivered without frosted glass - a new glazed unit was shipped out and replaced by the installer with no issues. I'm sure Internorm can sort this - it must happen all the time in delivery, installation etc. Just put Eurovision on - will erase anything from your mind after a few mins..

Occasionally, If I flush (especially downstairs) the water level in the pan remains high for a few moments before descending - this is even when there is only liquid in the pan.

I think so, however the WC stack goes down one side of the house and the bath & sink flow into another vertical stack at floor level, takes up the downstirs WC and then meets the upstairs stack just before exiting the house. Anyhoo, I realised that we'd not used the bath for a while and with the warm spell suspected that some water in the trap may have evaporated, running the bath for a minute resolved the issue for now but still wondering if the AAV needs a look at.

Proper ones, had to cut through the newly tiled and tanked floor to create the depth. Was worried that the electric UFH would take a hit but all was well. The baths are from the Lusso Stone Milano range - very nice but no room underneath for a proper trap (they supply a flexi pipe that's worse than useless. There's an AAV on the top of the stack just behind the WC in the next room - boxed in obv but accessible if needs be.

This is why we can't have nice things. I remember watching (form a distance) a local 'lad' in his balaclava waiting for the bus to arrive to hijack it. It was running late and before he could accomplish the mission, his ma called him in for tea.

Very happy to live and let live as they're not really bothering us but at some point we'll need to fill in the holes and turf over so will see what can be done. Caught one inside yesterday and released - next time will try and take a pic.

Until I had kids I was the same - famously as a teenager I once jumped into the path of an Ulsterbus to escape a wasp - luckily it was going slow enough to avoid me I didn't want to pass on the fear so learned to be chilled out and now am not bothered by either.

This has been our challenge - wall went up in Jan and since then it's been too cold / wet for months and now it's too hot ?

Spoken like a true Norn Iron man Declan Seemed to be the solution to most things in Derry in the 70s & 80s ...

Agree, I think they're miner bees which are non social (i.e. its not a hive but lots of individual queens). Apparently the males of some species are stingless but don't want to find out. I think they just hatch a few eggs and then bugger off - If it gets too damp for them they tend to move out so maybe i'll put the sprinkler on them if they're still there when I need to work on that area.

Had to dig down a few feet in a to-be turfed area next to house to sort plumbing for a garden tap. While the hole was open, a colony bees has moved in, digging a little tunnel for themselves. Not really a nuisance and happy to have them in the garden but when I fill in the hole & turf over they'll be a bit shagged so wondering what the best option is?

They're on the same waste stack but while in the same room, the bath waste takes an indirect path to the stack (due to steels in the floor). I suspect the AAV right next to the WC is the issue but before I start dismantling I want to check. Have not lifted any IC covers outside yet either - may do that first as it's a bit easier...

I'm just getting quotes to render my new block front wall with sand & cement - one guy has recommended Webber RendAid as the scratch coat as it's less likely to suffer from frost damage etc. It seems quite expensive for what is really bagged sand & cement with a admixture.