Mr Punter

Did you check to make sure it dos not step in a bit inside behind the door?

You will need to establish the soil type and strength, neighbouring foundation depth (as the existing house will need underpinning) and ground water levels (as a basement that is below the water table is considerably more problematic). You may need to include contamination assessment as well. The cost of the soil survey is fairly low in the great scheme of things. You should also establish the exact location, depth, material and diameter for the sewer. You will need a Party Wall agreement or award with the neighbour. You will need a design from you architect / engineer for the upper floors as that will impact the basement design, especially the ground floor type, proposed basement waterproofing and basement to ground floor junction. You will then be able to use the soil report and architect drawings to get a price from some basement companies for the whole job so that they are the main contractor for the basement phase. I would want them to include excavation, underpinning, temporary works, drainage, welfare facilities, structural engineering, site security and all insurances so that they hand over a completed and signed off basement. Will cost plenty.

The £10,000 is only 3% of GDV although at 14% of profit it is a bit hefty. I think he may settle on £3,000 though. He would not have offered £1,000 if he did not think there was any agreement.

Further to this, perhaps write to him asking for the £10,000 and pointing out that this is as per your agreement made on xxxx that in the event that he purchases / develops / the site at xxxx he will pay you £10,000 in respect of a finders fee. If you took this to a small claims court the fee is £410. See if they come back with a better offer. I think they will.

If you think you had a proper verbal contract at £10,000 - that is a no its or buts type - then the builder should pay that to you. When was to trigger the payment - was it purchase, gaining consents or selling? Did you ever ask for the money? A verbal agreement can often be binding.

The I beam walls should not be a issue as it is just considered timber frame. I would not be convinced that a wood / plastic mix for cladding is great and you may find a cement based product, natural slate or clay tile to be more widely accepted and a lower fire risk. Why the green roof? If it is not a planning requirement then a pitched tiled roof is safest.

I see what you you mean @Russell griffiths, they look a bit like truss clips.

No Friday drinkies til you've finished!

I feel your pain @Big Jimbo. I cannot work out why anyone would be a planning officer. Understaffed, underfunded, not respected yet requires wide ranging skills and knowledge. I don't think an extra week or two would make me bother to appeal.

Looks like he tipped it on your shrubs. If the quarry have a grab lorry you could ask them to come back and move it.

@D Walter do At-Eco supply and fit or supply only?

With some councils it it is not possible to speak to the planning officer. Did you ask when he estimated would be determining the application? If not, phone back and ask. If you do not like what you hear, then appeal, but bear in mind that the appeal process is several months.

If I were you I would find out exactly what this is about or it may come back to bite you. Did you get your information from the previous owner directly? Unless there were strong grounds, why would they change the description and lower the price? Is there a dispute with the freeholders as to whether the bedroom is legitimate? Is it the case that freeholder consent should have been granted but was not? I think your issue is legal, not planning.

On the previous thread I asked @timn1423 "What leverage do the other freeholders have to oblige this to be advertised as 1 bedroom in sales particulars?" If you could answer it may help you with achieving your aims. We sometimes have garden rooms etc indicated on plans. This has been due yo being in a flood risk area where a habitable room would not be acceptable. There may be other reasons.

I would price up a normal screed. It does not take long to do (for the screeder), it is normally cheaper and you can tile straight onto it. 75mm thick fibre reinforced seems to be a favourite.

I am a bit late to this thread. Is it possible to excavate a little more to get an acceptable level of insulation AND a floor slab that won't crack?

And there is of course

If all the extensions to date have been authorised or carried out as full planning applications and were approved without a condition withdrawing permitted development rights you may be able to do the enlargements required under these. If the house is a real dog's breakfast and the location warrants it, you would get VAT back if you demolish and rebuild, perhaps with a couple of modest sized dwellings taking up a reduced footprint compared to the existing (once extended to full PD).

You can borrow 4 x wife's earnings, so £80k, as long as you have no other mortgages.

It is quite unusual to have a timber ground floor where you are. I assume you are using rigid insulation by the thickness. On a roof or wall the breather membrane is there to keep the rain out and let the structure breathe. With a floor, the rain is not an issue so it may be OK not to have a membrane. You will need plenty of ventilation under the floor to take away any moisture that may condense in the timber, especially where it meets the substructure. 150mm is quite skinny for floor joist but I guess there are sleeper walls or intermediate supports. For VCL above you can use normal DPM (and tape the overlaps if you really want to).

Another vote for Guttercrest. I once had some aluminium gutter powder coated to RAL 9007. It was really pricey and once installed looked almost identical to plastic stuff which would have cost less than half, so perhaps don't rule out plastic.

On the recommendation of others here I have used a couple of Ubiquity Unify AC lites and I now have seamless WIFI throughout a 4 storey house.

Not an expert but would it be acceptable for you to just raise the ceiling, so the new ceiling joists could still tie the rafters together?

Yes I think it makes sense to get legal advice. Just make sure you don't spend a fortune on something that has no value or potentially getting involved in an expensive dispute. I do not think the mortgage company will be interested in there being someone's pipe under the track.

I imagine they are not keen on racking up legal fees - which could be £££ for something where they consider they already have a right. What did the solicitor who did your purchase conveyancing say?