Mike

Since the board apparently has a BBA Agrément Certificate, that should have the details. I'm currently looking for a similar product so just tried looking it up and can't find one, and the link from their own web site is dead (at the foot of this page) which is curious...

Personally I prefer my light switches to be on the same centre line at the door handles. Been specifying them that way since well before there was a maximum height.

A separate aluminium ladder, plus DIY hatch. See my post in this thread: You need to choose a ladder that doesn't oversail the hatch when retracted, so it doesn't foul the hatch - or mount it higher than the loft floor level to provide clearance, or choose one normally intended for a hatch on a vertical wall, which will fold entirely out of the way.

Made my last one myself - flap-down painted plywood on hinges in a lining + architrave (though could have been a sleeker purchased unit). Above that a separate 9mm ply push-up hatch backed with 150mm polystyrene, sitting on top of the lining with weather strip between, plus a Brighton Sash Fastener on each side to lightly clamp it down for maximum airtightness.

I've done similar using sheets of kitchen roll from time-to-time.

In 'traditional' construction the biggest risk to the cavity would probably be during construction and from inside, rather than outside - that is, from whacking down the hardcore beneath a ground-bearing floor slab, where the whacker would be working very close to the internal skin.

Bagged or brushed would work. Guess you've already considered the brick bonding - you don't want stretcher bond if you want it to look old...

I'd suggest looking up the Council Tax band of neighbouring properties to give a good idea - you can do that by postcode at https://www.gov.uk/council-tax-bands

I'm currently using an Android phone tethered by USB to an Asus RT-N66U router, and am getting 14Mbps download and 10.6Mbps upload (adequate download and much better upload than my previous landline), with 30ms ping & 11ms jitter. That's on an LTE connection with reasonable signal strength (-94dBm).

See if you can buy a stop end for the duct. You can then use a ProClima or similar grommet to seal a hole though it. I've seen water companies specify that you shouldn't use expanding foam or oil-based sealants as they can damage their pipes, so would suggest not doing so unless you use a product intended for the purpose.

I have to agree with the comments above, to which I would add that having all 3 baths blocking access to the bathroom windows is not great. And the two guest bedrooms are not very generously sized. I think you could make better use of the space and still achieve your objectives.

I'd agree with the planning officer that you should go 2-storey to fit in with the streetscape. An alternative to obscured glazing on the back would be to keep the windows above eye-level. That avoids the argument that opening the window will still cause overlooking, plus the possibility that the obscured glass could be easily replaced later. You can potentially compensate for that with a window on the site wall. I'd also go directly for a full planning application, rather than outline, to narrow the scope for objections. I'm not convinced that you need a planning consultant as the likely problems and possible solutions are fairly apparent. If your council has a design guide / applicable policy then that may give you a good steer, as would finding and documenting local precedents.

You could use a photographer's ephemeris (software / app) to give you the sun direction and height at any time of day throughout the year for your plot position. Using that you could work out what would be in shadow when. An alternative would be to use Google SketchUP to model the site - it can model the shadows too. If you're required to put anything together for planning permission on the topic - unlikely if you're on a rural site - then the BRE guide 'Site Layout Planning for Daylight and Sunlight – A Guide to Good Practice' is the standard reference.

There are also several missing stages between 'initial interest' and 'part way through build'

Not sure if the regs have anything to say about it, but my place has the consumer unit mounted on its side. Though when I rewire the new one will be mounted conventionally.

That will also depend on local custom and practice and what the planners will accept. I've lived in places where it would be no problem having a free-standing garage backing onto the road (facing the house), and others where that would be instantly rejected.

I agree with Ferdinand. Also not clear whether the dressing room is supposed to be that - with dressing table etc - or just a walk-through wardrobe. If the former then I don't think you have enough storage and would switch to storage-only. I'd probably also shift the airing cupboard left, pinch some space from the landing, and then have a separate walk-in wardrobe running left-right, and the bathroom running left-right along the outside wall.

Hope it goes smoothly! Bit late now, but if you have the right software you could probably have used OpenStreetMap for the block and location plans; there's no obligation to use any particular map supplier, as long as you meet the criteria

Looks OK, as long as the clamps are tightly fixed - they will get well tested by door usage / slamming. The brackets will presumably though prevent the plasterboard from sitting flush with the studs, so you'd need to do something to overcome that. No chance of reusing the existing holes in the lintel, maybe using chemical anchor bolts?

Personally I hate baths, so would just have a shower...

Mainly central heating, hot water & MVHR system. But it could also be a place for an ethernet hub and other things too, and double up as a space for washing machines etc. If you're near a flight path you certainly won't want trickle vents in your windows, so I'd look very seriously at an MVHR system. I'd also look at the specification for the glazing - you'll probably want at least 1 pane of Pilkington Optiphon to cut noise transmission.

Does indeed look good! Some thoughts on the layout: Add a compass direction arrow to the floor plans Move the doors into Bed 2 and the bathroom further 'up' the page (north?) to incorporate the airing cupboard into the hall, to make space for full-width wardrobes in Bed 2? Consider whether to make windows smaller to accommodate wardrobes in Bed 3. Consider a double partition for additional soundproofing between the master bedroom and the bathroom, unless you're planning a full fitted wardrobe there (I guess you may well be)? Don't narrow-down the width of the en-suite for the shower - you have enough space to be more generous. Put the shower above the bath (in the location of the shower)? Is the loft going to be accessible (maybe not, in view of its size); if so, how will it be accessed? Especially as you don't have much of a roof space, add a plant room to the basement? Does your LA specify a minimum garage size? Taking into account the stairs, is it big enough to comply? Provision for an electric car charging point in the garage? Do you have space for horizontal and vertical for MVHR ducting? Think about adding solar shading to prevent summer overheating Large windows facing north aren't great for minimising winter heat loss, though you're limited by the plot orientation Looks like the roof may be perfectly flat? Some fall (1:40?) is likely to be recommended.

Thanks @Ferdinand Your thread and @Jeremy Harris tip mentioned in it (re Unico units) has kept me busy of the day and lead to some more options that might work. All towards the upper end of the price range you mentioned though. Turns out that the Olimpia Splendid Unico range includes a couple of options in addition to the single room model, with heat pumps, so usable for warming too. One with the option to feed a second unit up to 10m away (perhaps most useful in my case , for bedroom + living room), and another that heats a 50L DHW tank. All of them are based on through-wall-vents being one side of the wall with the aircon unit on the other, rather than having a air supply that can be ducted further. Although I guess I could probably duct them anyway if necessary, subject to adding a condensation trap and using smooth walled ducting. http://zymbo.eu.url (Chinese made, Italian site, PDFs in English) also has several through-the-wall models. There's also Fimer's Windy range, different in that they they use a single hole though the wall with a pair of concentric pipes, though I'm not keen on their styling. Finally, I also found Airwell GCAO, which has a water condenser, rather than using outside air. Consequently it can be located anywhere within range of a water supply, and can be connected to one or more remote wall or ceiling cooling units. On the downside, it only does cooling, and it also throws away hot(?) water - 90 litres / hour for the base model, if I've understood their data sheet properly - which I may not have, as it suggests the water is only at 15°C (page 6, English in the right hand column). I do wonder if I could turn that into a closed circuit by running the waste water though a DHW tank, and loosing excess heat though a heat exchanger in the MVHR extract duct, with some way of capping the aircon level to match, but there are probably several gaps in that idea, apart from the cost. Anyway, further ideas are still very welcome.

I have a 40m² apartment several floors up that I'll be stripping and modernising in France. Despite the high levels of insulation + airtightness + external window blinds that I'm planning, it will get pretty hot in summer, so I'd like to take the edge off that. There's no chance of installing an external heat pump, due to conservation area restrictions and the only place to hang it being within 2m of a couple of bedroom windows. However it might be possible to draw in and expel a modest amount of air through a duct - either through the external wall, or potentially by lining a couple of old chimney flues - to supply a small internal duct-mounted (or at least duct-fed) heat pump. It could either be connected to in a post heater / cooler to cool the air in the separate MVHR system, or I could connect it to the planned wet UFCH system. Does anyone knows of a suitable heat pump (that's also fairly small, quiet and affordable!) that might work? Ideas welcome.

I'd agree with your first 2 points, but it's an existing roof that needs replacing (not on my house). Your 3rd point is quite correct too, but I'd not envisaged it being permanently in switch on - just manually switched on for a monthly test Except that it's a GRP flat roof that's failed prematurely. That's not to say that there's an intrinsic problem with GRP but, since it's formed in place rather than in a factory, it is (like other types of flat roofing) still subject to problems of sub-standard installation.