Mr Punter

It is not bad, just very unpleasant to breathe in, stings in cuts and eyes, dusty. Much more volume than cement. It does make the mortar nice and creamy and workable though. I wouldn't cut the bag in half.

You get almost no suction on the marmox type boards. The foam core is XPS and completely waterproof.

I would say the biggest risk to colour variation is what sand and cement you use so having all the sand in one load is good. Make sure the cement is the same make and supplier throughout. I have used some that was very inconsistent in colour. Shovelling lime into a gauging bucket before chucking it into the mixer is a horrible job, but they should have paid more attention at school.

We have got the bricklayer to include a slate course in the past where we needed to work the coursing in with a steel on one wall. The could have gone for a cut block but the slate was simpler. For your 26mm you could have 6mm slate and 2 x 10mm joints.

If the ground investigation is decent they should be able to get a good idea. Also access and proximity to adjacent structures can have an impact that the piling contractor can factor in.

Looks a lot neater. Did you leave the old mortar and go over it? (I would have)

I think stop the skirting at the end of the plaster and cut a 45 back to the wall to account for any skirting profile. Finish the bit on the left of the kitchen unit with filler and paint and fit the plinth as normal. You already have the gap thing going on between units (I assume for handleless), so don't make it look more complicated.

I would think £35k extra would do it assume 300mm piles up to 6m. £20k piling £15k ground beams. You could get indicative quotes based on your ground investigation.

If it is not visible slate will be fine. 26mm is otherwise a bit much.

You can often make contact with the fire service and I have found them quite helpful. Did the fire service speak to BC? Were they happy with your proposals? Did the fire service bring this up as an issue at planning stage? They will often relax some guidelines for a single dwelling.

Once you have a decent topo it gives everyone a reference for follow on work. You will be surprised how many times it is referred to from planning drawings, services, site setout, groundworks and landscaping.

Hello @Adele Tractor and welcome. Private or Local Authority, building control are overrun with work and do not have time to talk to you. You need to work out how to comply and they will check the plans and visit key stages. They will probably only visit site 3 or 4 times. Why don't you post what you are unsure about on here and see what replies you get? There are lots of members with considerable skill and experience.

There are lots of smaller developers who do less formulaic developments. It is not just a choice between Taylor Wimpey and self-build. If you were able to offer fully serviced plots with OPP similar to Graven Hill you may find a market.

We dry the washing in the winter with a Meaco dehumidifier in a small utility room. No windows in the room and a machine load of washing dries in about 8 hours.

I doubt you need to close the cavity in any case, but I would look at a Rockwool sock compressed between the wall plate and the outer leaf, resting on the wall ties.

Best drink it quickly anyway, just in case.

The green line would be your gas membrane, laid flat with no folds or laps, supported on the slab and external walls. You can add whatever other DPCs you may need, safe in the knowledge that the gas membrane is continuous save for correctly detailed service penetrations.

So can't you do this?:

Why have you lapped it up the brickwork? Just leave it flat.

Our guy used 4:1 with some fibres chucked in. Get the levels around the edge then fill in the middle.

I have never seen these. If you are doing a DPC cavity tray around the perimeter you could just lap any joins, but probably not have any other than change of direction. You could use some double sided DPC tape if you are feeling really keen. Who specified these? Is it a radon thing?

You may find it useful to get some measured plans of the existing building and site and any proposed new layout. That will make it easier to specify what you want. Do you want to improve insulation, ventilation, heating, hot water, solar, cooling etc? These are worth considering early on. £250k sounds a healthy budget but windows and external doors, kitchens, landscaping, automatic gates, wrap around balcony and glass balustrading can eat through a lot of cash.

Hello Hayden and welcome. The house looks a bit neglected. It is quite unusual being 3 storey with the integral double garage. What changes are you considering?

If they were cut to size that sounds like good value.

I have an early Victorian rental and the plinth in the kitchen is out by 50mm over 1200mm. Oddly it is not that noticeable to walk on.