G and J

I didn’t realise that some spilt units connected hydraulically. I’ve been looking at the Panasonic Aquarea split units and they connect by refrigerant. Every day is a school day.

Goodness Im such a dinosaur. I use a water level, tapes, strings and profiles.

Bi bloc is a unit that sits inside the house. It connects via a refrigerant circuit to the compressor which sits outside. The two units make up the heat pump. (A split unit I think it’s referred to as). Put both units in your garden on the same concrete plinth and you have the equivalent of a monobloc. Split units are good at handling larger distances from the house to the heat pump. But they cost more partly I believe as you need an fgas installer. Are you looking at siting your heat pump a long way away from the house?

Out of interest why did you need a surveyor for ?

Don't think so, as could be interpreted as a fee for "professional" service, but would be interested as to what others think. We paid vat on the surveyors for our party wall agreement and architects fees even though you could "try" to claim they were associated with the construction! They are definitely not claimable.

I think technically they are correct because the pwa is more about the " how " I.e. how deep foundations.....the agreement is not about the " wall" in this case the boundary, but rather how what's happening is going to affect it.

As the one trying to keep track on the VAT....yes to the above so other e.g.s If we had hired a digger, and then someone to drive it we would not have been able to zero rate /claim back VAT on digger, as we hired the digger and driver (supply and "fit") the whole cost could be zero rated. We have had to pay haulage to get the bricks we (I!) want for the plinth, as long as it is invoiced with the bricks, the VAT can be reclaimed Finally, as our frame is not being installed, just supplied, it can't be zero rated (unlike our windows) but we can reclaim the VAT....... "Simples" or in fact not! J

Ours referred to items 4 and 5. However our context was different in that we are replicating the footprint of a previous structure, so we were also able to take actual measurements to the boundaries prior to commencement (we have done this for our own peace of mind).

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Interesting thread. We'd like to achieve as above, which kit/supplier did you use. @Nick Laslett busy researching the links you have provided....thank you

Can't open the images, but we had a 1963 sectional garage on our plot. We had to have a demolition survey done anyway (knocking down a bungalow), but that confirmed there was no asbestos, so it was successfully dismantled and "rehomed" via facebook. Although it will cost to have a survey done, even if you are just going to knock it down you need to keep yourselves safe and understand how you are going to dispose of it.

There is a small group of us on here currently undertaking projects in Suffolk, obviously not sure whereabouts you are, or how far along your project is, but welcome to the fray.

Presumably using the tables is tantamount to giving advice. @Benpointer Do you need a demo notice?

Will look that up. Thank you. Essentially that on EPDM upstands, etc. are fixed with glue like a pushbike tyre and properly welded single ply membranes are stronger. They also cited the fact that EPDM often ends up wrinkly. Problem is they don’t do EPDM so one suspects bias. Thank you Nick. Will read.

We’ve gone out for two quotes expecting EPDM (rubber) membrane things. Both companies have stated in no uncertain terms that such a roof is unsuitable. Instead they are both advocating a welded PVC single ply membrane. Whether that’s because we have a parapet and three skylights I’m not sure.

Ours were

It’s early days for our flat roof quotes but so far it appears that the extra cost of an insurance backed guarantee for the flat roof itself is so great as to make it more sensible to go without.

It’s all about tickets and PI cover. We are keen on a warranty ‘in case’. If one of us goes under a bus then it’s sensible for the survivor to be able to sell and go live somewhere else if they prefer. If we overspend on the build, given we are both retired, the only funding option will be a lifetime mortgage. In both of those scenarios we would benefit greatly from having a warranty, so we have played it safe. We are viewing them as worthless otherwise.

I’d have used the blower to communicate person to person, but hey, it’s your project.

If our experience is anything to go by the BCO will simply ensure the SEs design is followed.

We start the week with the latest quandary: how to show the warranty surveyor enough trenches so he can confirm he’s seen 50% of them. He saw some last week and if we dug the rest of them then that would add up to enough. However, if we did that we’d have a massive issue with spoil and we would not get the concrete lorry on to pour, so it would be barrows. Apparently pumping is an option, but we’d need to close the road which is a lot of cost and a great deal of time wasted. So, my Monday morning starts with red eyes from pointless endless ‘loop’ worrying instead of sleep, and the morning on site starts with a replan. The only way to do it appears to be to dig about two thirds of what remains, piling the spoil on the already done foundations, then let the surveyor see the newly dug trenches, then fill that and then next day (yes, this plan extends everything by at least a day) we pull the rest and pour on the final day. This involves lots of wasted time shunting piles of soil around - we can’t have a grab lorry on the road due to low wires, but we can have one on site once we’ve filled the trenches and they are thus stable. All the grab lorries are reserved for Kev the Dig’s last day. Now the issue with this is it mucks up our warranty inspections, (but not our BCO inspections as that one is in the bag already). So it’s on the phone to the warranty provider to seek guidance. Their response to my barely suppressed panic was reassuring and sensible: I’m to take more pics than David Bailey and show the surveyor as much as we can. I resumed normal breathing. But then - “Oh, and by the way, the surveyors report mentions removing roots round the trenches.” Yep, he mentioned that and I have done that I happily said. “And remove the shuttering too.” Another Roy Schneider moment. This is becoming a habit. Apparently this report was written before the surveyor went on holiday, i.e. before we poured any concrete. When, if it had been mentioned in the ‘roots’ phone call, we would still have had time to do that. Panic factor 8 Mr Sulu. Again, a reassuring and sensible response helped me calm down, for which I am grateful. We agreed all shuttering would be removed from the rest of the foundations, and advice would be sought but something low risk like that will be fine, the nice, calm voice assured me. I need to get lots of pics sent in to complete that bit, but it sounds like it’s ok. Phew. So then we finally got on with the dig. Lots of spoil shunting, a few little bits of soft ground to be dug past. A stern lecture (not needed, but kindly meant) from Kev the Dig about not going down a 1.4m deep trench as the sides were just too crumbly, and we were ready for our inspection. The surveyor arrived on time, and was happy and relaxed. Stayed a good few minutes this time (we were his only call that day as it was supposed to be a first day back and in the office day), talked through what we were doing. In response to the shuttering we left in he commented “oh that’s ok”. All that angst. Sigh. He appeared happy with all that he could see, noted that I was talking to the warranty provider peeps, so him being happy is the main thing. So we got on with pour #3 and removing the shuttering. The forces involved in pulling out a piece of 4’ by 8’ ply, even when less than half of it is in the concrete, is staggering. Kev used his digger to pull them out by the rope loops we had attached, but even then it was a struggle and only achieved by wiggling his bucket. Next day, we dug out the rest of the foundations, dumping the soil on the previous day’s pour and then lunchtime we poured #4. Bit of a moment when the digger severed the temporary site water pipe that some idiot had dug in and forgotten. Fortunately when I did that I had used the stopcock at the water meter so I knew it worked and the flow was quickly stemmed. Interestingly, after all my panicking this was the first instance where Steve and Kev showed significant concern and were moved to move rapidly. I guess water mixing with sand makes good castles but poor trenches. I simply don’t know enough to panic about the right things. That overcome the rest of the day went to plan, so we finished the foundations. Four tranches of trenches. Finally, a full set. Thursday was spent moving spoil to the front of site for 5 loads of a 16 ton grab lorry to be removed, and that still left some. Including the previous loads well over 100 tons of material gone by grab, all for a little three bed detached on a diddy site. Staggering. Next week we will hopefully get the invoices and we’ll find out if day rate did save us money. Fingers crossed. Next job is below damp blockwork and we’d planned ahead a delivery (meaning Steve had told me to book one days before) for Friday morning, first thing, so I could bump out and be ready for Steve to start blockwork Tuesday. At one point it had looked like we wouldn’t be ready for it so out of courtesy I warned the builders merchant and agreed I’d confirm by 17:00 the day before. Big mistake. Huge. Waited all day and despite reassurances over the phone no delivery. They finally admitted it would be there mid morning Tuesday. Visit to builders merchants for a ‘robust and direct’ discussion, which at the time felt pointless, as the rogue agent had absented himself, so there was a danger I might be shouting (I didn’t shout, but you know what I mean) at peeps who were already on my side. So instead I shared, in a measured way, both my feelings and the knock on effect on the project. Ten minutes after leaving there I got a call to learn that miraculously they had found a way to deliver Saturday morning, which they did. We aren’t allowed to work Saturday afternoons, Sundays or bank holidays so only a small proportion has been bumped out ready, but it’s a start. But the lesson is be careful with courtesy. In the everything at the last minute, think only seconds ahead building world giving someone a heads up that a delay might happen then sets that delay in stone. Won’t be doing that again. Far better to cancel at the last possible second and try not to feel bad about mucking peeps around. It appears that some won’t worry about how much they muck me around. Overall, in the end, despite my gripes it’s been a good fortnight. We aren’t completely out of the ground yet as we still don’t finally know how deep we need to dig down to ensure our solid floors are indeed solid, but the worst is definitely under us. Might even get some sleep now.

Phone up your CIL team and ask for their guidance. We did and they’ve been lovely even though they were erroneously given notice that we’d started when we hadn’t and the paperwork hadn’t been done. They are highly likely to be dealing with belligerent, ‘everyone is out to get me’ shouty types every day who really would do almost anything to avoid payment. We’ve found that despite me being anxious being nice really helped. Good luck.

Kinda cosy down there. Today we ended up digging down past some soft stuff and even though I'm really tall (when laying down) the top of the trench was above my head height. Rather an odd feeling. But trying to dig out corners past a bunch of struts definitely isn't fun. I think the other two found the swearing amusing though!

Indeed, this as well

From the depths of the memory,but pop the question into google and you will see lots of references to it being the case as long as you either have planning or permitted development rights