Mr Punter

I know they like to do this but I prefer the brickwork first because there is loads more mortar to clean up from the inside face.

Yes, go with the DPC. I would prefer to see the edge of the slab protected or coated. I assume this is not insulated?

I though proper slow grown Siberian larch was classed as durable.

Iroko, Ipe, Teak. Quite a lot of stuff that gets used in marine applications.

A really great flavour and texture pairing there.

Resistant Board is fairly inexpensive. Fill the joins and paint with masonry paint.

I would go back to the planners and say that you believe that the proposal meets the LA standards and that to alter it would compromise the internal space. Even if you did a flat roof extension at 3m high their connie would still be affected, because they built it too close to the boundary. They don't have sole rights on rear extensions.

The outward opening Futura is almost identical to Velfac. The inward opening has the same 50mm sight lines but is alu inner and outer with pur core. I found it best to avoid opening sizes at the limit of available sizes.

As per the other comments. Building regs is only to do with the safety of the wall. It makes no odds whose land it is on.

I really like lift and slide doors so go with Viking for them. No problem mixing but sometimes if you have, say, sliding doors with fixed panes above a single system can work better. Did you look at IdealCombi? V. similar to Velfac but with an insulated core and may be a bit cheaper. Delivery charges may mean it does not work out to spread the order too thin.

The main eave looks to be under 3.0m. If you have to, could you do a dotted line section with the neighbour's connie in the background comparing your proposal to a 6m deep extension 3m high flat roof, which I understand is the max allowable under PD? I can understand why you have applied for this. I agree it will be much nicer to have the vaulted part over the whole kitchen / dining area.

If you have an air test and score more than 10 you will fail. If you score between 6 and 10 you will have to have made significant improvements elsewhere with insulation and glazing. Less than 3 and you will need your MVHR and your house is very well built. Most new houses probably achieve between 4 and 6.

Hi Martin If you post the plans and elevations someone may be able to help. Block out your personal details. Is this being done as Permitted Development or a full planning application?

The brickwork on the right looks OK though, so you could rebuild in brick.

Can you have the same colour and material as the windows? PVC is probably cheapest. I have used powder coated aluminium on timber clad buildings but they are made to order and more expensive than PVC.

Most of the through colour render I have seen does this. Here is some in Brighton 7 years old Here it is newly done

I have seen the underside of static caravans vans 25 years old that were elevated and the rust is significant to the point of structural failure. After they were moved you could see the outline of the chassis on the ground in rust.

I would want a foundation ring beam galvanised.

We used Charcon four years ago to supply and fit Beamshield. £17,334 to do about 357m2, so just under £50 per metre. Included crane. We did the concrete topping.

Retain 5% from each payment, so that you have £1,100 when it is complete. So far, he should be about 36% of the way through. Based on his costs and programme, does that seem about right? These things work both ways. You could stiff him for payments, he could draw too much on the job and leave before it is finished. You need to find a middle path. No way will you get to wait until it is completed, unless he is a mug.

You have not yet committed to this. Why not consider just getting it decorated with some new furniture and flooring? Get a cleaner in once a week if you don't fancy doing it yourself. There is nothing to stop you renting out a room right now. It would be a pain if you meet someone and they want to live elsewhere and you have chucked all that money into this project. On the other hand, a prospective partner may love the place and then maybe would be the time to do the work - perhaps with their input and ideas.

That is a lot of work for a place worth £300k. Do you know how much it will cost?

Did you get some breakdown of costs? Foundations x%, brick and blockwork x%, electrics x, plumbing x, plastering x roofing x carpentry x, decoration x. That way you can more clearly see where the money is going. If he quoted £24k and he is a third of the way through, you are about right. Do not overpay early on.

You may do better getting a fixed price from a reputable builder, but I would want all the construction information from the architect. That way he is responsible should the plumber, sparky or whatever have any queries. I have never found architects that useful after the design and tender stage. They seem to just turn up to site in their collarless shirts and most people ignore them. I am sure there are exceptions though. I think Aspergers ranks very low on most sites as any impediment, so no issues on that front but I welcome you being so candid.

I have a couple of Ubiquiti AC Lite access points. They easily cover the 4 storey plus roof terrace and perfect 100% wifi everywhere with one SSID.