Mr Punter

I have seen some contractors replacing all the glass balustrades on a development near me. They were frameless and recently one of the panes failed, shattered into pieces and fell to the ground. It was only then that it became apparent that the glass should have been laminated as well as toughened so all the panels on the development were replaced. The failure had nothing to do with the weather.

We built a 4 storey terrace next to a river. We piled down 25m but the nearest we could safely install the piles to the river wall was 3m, so the engineer cantilevered the ground beams. Lots of reinforcing near the cantilever, but this was a much bigger engineering challenge. The rear of the houses is cantilevered about 2m and the flood wall a further metre.

If it is just concrete block demolish looks the most sensible way forward. I would not be keen on a "fingers crossed" approach when investing so much money. Get a properly designed solution.

But down the sides they just have soakers that between the slates so even if the window is set a bit high they should still work without kicking them up.

This is in Westminster. If there was a spare 200mm of land, I suspect it would have been built on.

Just go a thick mortar bed on the low spots and a tight bed on the high and you will do it in 1 course.

That is a shame as it would give a really generous room and the corridor is wasted space. I did not see a bedroom on the first floor, so I thought there was no point in a bathroom. Pocket doors are not structural, so I think there may be some confusion here. They can be useful for saving space but restrict the opening width and are more difficult to operate. Your plans show them in all bathrooms and the kitchen on what appear to be non-structural walls.

They need to strip the slates and soakers around the roof windows and re-lay them properly.

I am with @Temp regarding the change of materials so this could be worth exploring. I know you did not ask for comments on the design but I am happy to make some unsolicited! 1. On the first floor you have moved the wall by the bedroom a little to make a wider corridor. If you remove it you can incorporate this into you living room. 2. The bathroom at first floor could be replaced with a WC and handbasin and the 600mm or so of space incorporated into the kitchen diner. You could make the landing a little wider as the WC would not need to be as deep as the bathroom. Also, 3 bathrooms are not needed for 2 bedrooms and losing the window means you cannot revert the middle room to a bedroom. If you want to put up occasional guests, get a quality sofa bed. 3. Not sure why you want the nibs of wall in the living room. 3. Pocket doors are a PITA. Difficult to open and close and the walls can be flimsy and poor at sound insulation. 1 and 2 will give an extra 2.5m2 in the living room, and 2.5m2 in the kitchen / dining. I think the room shapes and sizes will be much better too.

Just get on with building. They do not stick around in houses.

When you replace it could you move it along a bit so you can get to it from the window? Doh! I thought he had a light on the fascia board that needed replacing, not just a gutter clip.

What grounds did the council give for requiring the 200mm reduction?

I think it is worth having a site induction where you include site specific risks. Get each site worker to read it and sign to say they have. I also ask for evidence they have received H & S training, such as a photocopy of their CSCS card. If you have these you may be obliged to have them tested and certified. They are also difficult to dispose of. I have about 8 water extinguishers F.O.C to collector in Lewes if anyone wants them.

We had some Siberian Larch - a splinter fest to handle.

Try https://www.vastern.co.uk/prices/

I have had a Meile integrated bean to cup, which I would not recommend as it was rather demanding, the coffee was not great, and they cost a lot. I have had 3 freestanding bean to cup - a Jura, which looked good and performed OK, a Delongi. similar to the Jura but did not look so flashy and currently on a Melitta, which does the best milk frothing. Melitta is best IMO.

Render on block is probably cheapest. Cedral / Hardie plank type boards or render onto carrier boards is more expensive but you could diy the fitting.

I think @AnonymousBosch would agree with you there. Keep up the good work!

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?