Mr Punter

No I have never used it. https://www.sageglass.com/eu/case-studies/waves-beaulac-hotel-switzerland looks like they have it. If it needs mains electric I guess they have to build this into the track at the top or bottom, like a tram.

You could consider SageGlass. I think it is very expensive but very effective.

Must have been a pain lifting the blocks over the rebar. How are you getting the concrete up to fill them? Will you wait until the wall is full height?

What a great location! So it looks like you have gone for a mix of hollow and solid concrete blocks. Are you filling the hollows with concrete? Jumping ahead a bit, what fixings are you looking at for the timber support battens through the insulation?

I like the look of it. I would look at foam for the grey uholstered bit and perhaps the drawers would be more practical if they were in line with the top of the mattress. I am with @JSHarris on the sticking out bed frame! It made me wince just looking at as I imagined shinning myself in the middle of the pitch black night.

It is so annoying having poorly insulated pipework heating up areas that do not need heat. Go especially crazy with the recirculating run you are planning.

@JanetE how did you "split" the plots? Did you transfer part to someone else?

I doubt this would happen as fire will normally travel up, not down, so if a fire breaks out on an upper storey, the storeys below are normally OK. We have used Fermacell as sheathing to external walls close to other buildings and also on some party walls to compartmentalise. This is supposedly to reduce the fire risk during construction but I guess it would help after completion too. We have smoke detectors and sprinklers in every room and corridor. It is still the case that if a fire breaks out in a cavity they will not be much help. I am just intrigued why the Premier Inn did not seem to have sprinklers or passive fire protection that worked.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-49028337 This shows a Premier Inn ablaze and a large part of it collapsed. I suspect it is timber frame as lots of their newer builds are. Quite why the fire spread through the building and caused such destruction I do not know, but it does raise some concerns.

The windows will have max dimensions for the type and I would advise making sure you are well within them. Fit them yourself and you will be fine.

I had a look at some images of this and they all seemed to come with a short bit of pipe attached. Not so with yours @8ball?

As far as I know the only way to "split" the title is to transfer part of the land. This may be possible if, say, the land is currently in joint names and you transfer to sole name or vice versa. You could also transfer part to a ltd company owned by you. You can do the transfer for nil consideration, so no CGT, but check with lawyer and accountant first.

I would not want the straps on the edge or the outside face of the outer leaf and rendered over. Would be near impossible to change the windows without wrecking the render. Why not have them fix to the inner leaf with longer straps?

You may find it useful to chat to the mortgage company. They would take a charge over the land (including your current house), then you can build your new house, sell the current house and repay the mortgage company from the proceeds. When you sell you will transfer that part of the land with the current house plus the outside space that will go with it and it will be registered under a new title at land reg. Your new build will be the same title as current but with the old house removed.

Are these the hangers in the other thread? I can see that the ones on the right are not in full contact with the ledger board. Continuous blocking pieces of the same section size as the joists run at right angles will fix any wobbles. Maybe do this 300mm from the iffy hangers.

@Grendel maybe ask Velox who they suggest as their system has been used on a fair few houses and doubtless many / most would have warranties.

I would replace the run and divert the whole length with 4 no 15 deg bends. It seems odd that it does not serve your property. Anything on your deeds, such as rights for others to run services over the land?

No so, you will easily get standard concrete blocks to go round with no problem and no need to cut the blocks. Given your diameter of 20m, the building circumference is 62.83m, so 279 blocks per course. The difference between the inside and outside of each perp join will be about 2mm and the maximum deviation in render thickness will be about 1mm.

If is their wall on their land you would not be allowed to attach to it without their agreement which they are not obliged to give. If it is a Party Wall you would need a Party Wall agreement or award. BTW did they object to your planning application?

I have found that with the holes drilled in the timber and the masonry 2mm bigger than the stud I am able to inject the resin, insert the stud, rotating anticlockwise, then fit the timber. You are right though - everything needs to be nice and straight.

I had our non approved chippies fit some windows. One developed a fault and after some wriggling Velfac came out and replaced it under warranty.

With chemical fixings it is very important the the hole is clean and free of dust. You can get kits specially for this but if you are on a budget blow down a piece of tube or a straw inserted into the hole (eyes closed) and an old toothbrush.

I think Guttercrest will do bespoke stuff.

If the company has gone bust you could try phoning them to see if any of their installers would be able to do the work directly for you. The Velfac style of window is a bit unusual as the inner timber frame and the outer aluminium sash are the same size. There is normally a gap around the windows of about 12mm which is sealed with Compriband tape. They also do not come with an outer sill as standard and if a sill is needed the windows are factory fitted with a timber packer and aluminium cills are soursed elsewhere. I assume someone has done some drawings / window schedule and accounted for this.

Is it correct that this is to do with condensation on the outside of the ducts, not the inside. as in winter the runs to and from the external terminals will be cooler than the indoor temperature?