Spinny

Just realised I have a significant gap at the bottom of the plasterboard either side of my pocket door. I need to fill this urgently as the flooring people are coming - how can I do this ? I can actually push an LVT strip right through the wall from one side and out of the other. This is a problem because: 1/ I can't have floor leveller running into the door pocket and potentially causing fouling with the bottom of the door inside an inaccessible pocket 2/ This means sound can go straight under the wall despite it having two layers of p/board on each side. So I need something which will close the gap, have reasonable acoustic value, and can be easily fixed in place without a long drying time. Can't use expanding foam as it will expand into and block the pocket. Cut thin strips of something ? ply, timber, plasterboard ? And how to fix them in place ? Would AC50 be any good to fix something in place ?

Indeed. Our insulation was covered whilst waiting to be installed. Once installed the builders seeming happy to let it get soaked. I had to buy hessian to protect new blockwork from frost and polythene to protect the cavities from a November when it just never seemed to stop raining. It was also interesting to see the brickie diligently protecting all unlaid blocks from the rain. Overheard him telling a workmate that if the blocks got wet they would weigh more, and then you couldn't build so many courses in one day because of the extra weight bearing onto the new mortar joints. We had a load of efflorescence when the blocks dried out. Builders seemed to have no site protection gear whatsoever. I had to buy all sheeting, tarps, hessian etc. It was me protecting the road when the concrete lorries came. When we realised we were going to have to get rid of the builders I compiled all the receipts for the QS to offset against the completed works 😁

Presumably the position of the water supply/stop tap is defined in the drawings and the builder's contract includes it in the work scope.

I am glad to hear of your recovery, and well done with picking up your build again. I think the state of the NHS is a worry to us all, and ever more so as we get older. Where it is all going awry seems impossible for anyone to understand or fix. I will say that the very elderly do seem to get a huge attention from the NHS. We find ourselves ferrying nearly 90's relatives to multiple appointments every single week. A neighbour is 102 now. I presume they did explain what the problem was and explain their decisions to keep sending you away again. I am interested to see how you cover your cavities as you go. Our builders had zero interest in ever covering anything that was built. Oh the happy times (not) we spent going up scaffolding to protect things. Tarpaulins, DPM rolls, buckets, mops, water pump, sand bags at 6am was bloody miserable.

Why not phone up the water utility company and ask them. If a new water pipe is going to be connected to their water meter I'd have thought they would want to be informed. We were not building a new house, but we did replace the lead pipe connection down our drive with a new MDPE pipe. The connection at the pavement was done by the water utility company and effectively connected the new MDPE pipe we had put in by a private contractor to the mains supply and removed the old lead pipe connection. We were increasing the bore of our mains connection, but: The Utility Company had stated requirements for the install of the new pipe. They had an inspector that was required to approve things before the connection/move to the new pipe. Either coming in person while trenches were open, or looking to see photographs showing pipe was at the necessary depth etc. This is also something building regs should be insterested in - for example at least knowing that the utility company inspected your pipe. Now it might be tempting to play dumb, not talk to anyone, and just connect a new pipe. But down the line when someone is buying the house and the connection was not notified, or approved, or passed, you might live to regret it. Also regs and requirements are there for reasons that help to protect you as building occupier and owner. Your builder may be very good, or may not be. Do you want to wait until move in to find the mains freezes in winter, or leaks etc. If builder does everything A1 then a utility inspector will pass it in a flash, if not then you would want to know wouldn't you. Show your builder that you want a straight bat, that you are asking the right people the right questions - good ones will expect that. Also when our new pipe was connected the water utility accidentally broke the connector - had to turn the water off to the whole street to fix it. What is your builder going to do if that happens ? scarper ? Honestly in the context of the costs of building something, then any charge involved in going by the book is worth accepting and paying.

I have 3 smallish access hatches in my suspended floor which is otherwise fixed down with u/floor heating pipes in. 1/ one hatch will be under the sink unit, not visible and inaccessible without removing the whole worktop and then the sink unit - access hopefully very unlikely 2/ one hatch will be under the washing machine, not visible, accessible by pulling machines out and removing a divider panel - access hopefully very unlikely 3/ one hatch in an alcove//cupboard area, visible when sliding door open - access very likely if any wires need pulling to the AV/network cupboard Floor is going to have leveller then LVT. Not sure how best to handle these hatches... Bury under the leveller/LVT floor and forget ? Create some kind of position template/measurements, then just bury under the leveller/LVT floor ? Create some kind of enduring hatch by having a break in the leveller and LVT and a hatch that can be lifted somehow ? By removing screws ? By using a sucker to lift the hatch ? By putting holes or slots in the floor and using some kind of lifting handle ? Anyone had or done similar ? Suggestions or advice ?

I don't think you are at fault. We do actually have a couple of single origin doors ourselves which we are very happy with. I wonder what exactly happened regarding your survey - did they produce dimensioned drawings afterwards and gain your explicit sign-off/approval of them prior to manufacture ? Did the drawings show or specify the distances to the wall as an explicit design constraint ? Did they change your cill design when they realised the wall mistake and adjusted the fitting ? Were you always going to have a traditional cill rather than a low profile one ? Looks like a 50mm error - did someone build the wall out of position ? I just wonder because if there was some clear evidence that the wall issue was their reponsibility to take account of and they failed to do that then I would have thought you would have been within your rights to refuse the original fit. I found there is actually quite a lot to think about for the sizing and positioning of doors and windows - exact FFL, handle clearances, reveal clearances, threshold fixings, lintel/steel fixings, plaster lines, render lines etc. I attach our bifold drawing to show the level of info specified. You almost need to be autistic about it all. ID Systems fitters came across country last summer and were still working until 8pm one summer evening to get everything right. I would query that seal and the gasket. I think both should be fixable. When new stuff finally gets installed it is easy to be euphoric and not check it all over. On the unfinished cut edges, you could go back to a showroom and examine the showroom origin doors - do they have the same finish - if not you could raise it. Does the fall angle on the open bifolds match the non-plumb angle on the frame install ? When you build up the outside with slabs where will your drainage falls go anyway ? Normally a fall away from the house. In the end certain things are fixable with different degrees of consequence: Changing seals Changing gaskets Replacing Framing pieces Reinstalling the whole frames and doors Cutting a notch in the wall for the bifolds to open into Fitting a whole new door set made to different dimensions Replacing with different bifold make or different fitters All depends how unhappy you are, and how much you may or may not be willing/able to spend to address it.

It is only a small area. A physical DPM is going to interfere with getting a good bond. Not very likely to get any damp but would prefer to use something rather than nothing. People must want to liquid damp proof floors and then use tile adhesive all the time - what do they use ? Mapelastic AquaDefence ?

I have sunflex bifolds installed by ID Systems. I think it is very important that installation is done very precisely - everything needs to be exactly plumb - that takes time and extreme care by experienced installers. ID Systems did provide that. I don't trust a builder to do that TBH. All my window seals are very good. I did have an issue with a seal at the bottom edge of a door but it was put right. I did have some issues with wrong parts being supplied, and with my builder screwing up the opening, but that is a different thing. Drop on your doors could be install issue, or might be a 'design feature'. Yes I was told to open them as you describe, doesn't seem too much of a problem. Mine do slide right across the opening to hang at either side. I don't have a any cut ends exposed. Opening was surveyed by the fitters and dimensioned manufacturing drawings then provided for buy off before manufacture.

So I want to use tile adhesive on a horizontal surface after applying some kind of damp/waterproofing to it. (Yesterday AI recommended DryBase Liquid-Applied DPM saying I could apply tile adhesive while it was still tacky. Today it says the Drybase has to dry completely and then I may need a primer. Useless thing) What can I use and still get a good tile adhesive bond (Using Mapei Super Flexible Tile Adhesive - powder S1) ?

@Andeh What exactly have you used as your soffit material, it looks very good. Is it actual timber, or something man made ?

Not sure how Open can have any right to dig up the neighbours drive without his express permission. Would have thought to do so would be criminal trespass and damage.

@Alan Ambrose Another retrofit smart window sensor I happened across here... https://shop.siegenia.com/siegenia/en/Smarte-Systeme/Smart-Home/Smarter-Sensor/SENSOR-SET-RAL7005-GRAU-K1/p/ZUFS1000-0J9010 Interestingly they also do smart window handles that can be automatically locked and monitored and also tell you if the window is open or not... https://shop.siegenia.com/siegenia/en/p/ZHSM0020-002011

Why insulate the slab, are you heating the garage ?

Dot & Dab brings the plasterboard off the blockwork anyway. 12.5mm plasterboard with 2.5mm skim = 15mm. Dabbed off the wall by 10mm and the front of your finished wall is circa 25mm off the block work. Why no skirting board ? People do use flush skirting with shadow gaps and stuff - is that what you mean ? We have a 25mm upstand but levelling compound and flooring will cover it. Laying the top part of the screed to cover the top of the upstand could be one answer. Yes creates a small thermal bridge between floor and wall but does this matter much ?