Mr Punter

I think most on here will have had similar. I guess the current one with the joists is also "Measuring / Specification". The "Big Boy" contractors do all they can to make sure they don't carry the cost of any errors - in fact may of them make much of their profit from what they consider extras / prolongation costs etc. The poor self builder just has to take it on the chin it seems.

Wall plates can be anything from 38mm to 47mm, so why / how they deducted 100mm I am not sure. With regard to trimming, with ICF you are unlikely to get the walls dead straight, so to ask for a 50mm trimmable allowance either end seems fairly sensible. They messed up and will have to re-make. They may be able to modify some of the longer ones - that is up to them - but they need to get a wiggle on or it will hold up your job.

I have used Pipestock for a few things the normal merchants could not supply and would recommend.

Are these meant to be top hung - with the top chord resting on the wall plate?

The bucket fill does not test static pressure, just flow rate. If you want lower pressure, fit a pressure reducing valve.

Agreed with the above. We had a flood from the 1st floor in a completed unit and went for doors and windows closed and industrial dehumidifiers and radiant heaters on full blast for a couple of weeks. It limited the damage and there has been no mould growth, just redecoration.

OK @Jenni, with barn 1, can you put the bathroom where you currently have the stairs and incorporate the current bathroom into the living space? If the stairs are just to loft space (as the height looks far too low for a second storey) you could just have a loft ladder. The main living space might be nice vaulted. I might look at barn 2 later.

How are these supported - top chord on the top of the wall plate or joist hanger or what? Just that the wall plate does not look as deep as joist.

How many joists? If you are at fault, can they be used elsewhere with modification or did you get all the joists for the project?

If you have a half landing as per @joe90 instead of winders and build it, say, 1300mm deep, you should be able to get all but the largest of items upstairs. The half landing is also safer should anyone fall.

The retrospective app will prob be cheaper than demolish and rebuild. Maybe discuss with the council. Can you lower the roof near to the neighbour? Who set the building out, and what plan were they using?

Our last house (1950s which had no special water efficiency measures) was detached with garden and occupied us - a family of 4. The water company would regularly send a bill with usage information that we were using the equiv of 2 people in a 1 bed flat. Maybe we just lack personal hygiene.

When you submit the rest of the stuff for the final inspection (air tests, elec and gas certs etc) you also submit a statement confirming that "Water consumption is less than 125 litres/person/day using fittings approach". You no longer need to do the calculator.

Also if you transfer the plot you may need to declare it at open market value and pay stamp duty on the value. If it is an issue you could do the transfer before you obtain planning - to keep the value low. I have only come up against this issue with a transfer between companies owned by me and the position between spouses may be different.

I have an architect who likes to work this way. I think the bonus was about 5% on top of the planning stage work.

I did an office to resi when it was first introduced. Although it was PD, the bank would not lend a penny until we had the prior approval consent from the LA. Even to get this, we had to commission some contaminated land reports and submit plans and an application form. We had another scheme elsewhere turned down as the LA were concerned that the building was near to the site of some redundant underground tanks, so we withdrew from the purchase as it tipped the viability balance. Like I said in my first post: There is no need for you to fall out with the seller over this as should the overage not be payable, the seller will have a claim against their solicitor (or their PI insurance) for negligence and so need not be out of pocket.

I suggest you take professional legal advice, perhaps from the solicitor who dealt with the purchase. You still need to make an application under part Q and gain written consent from the LPA. Does the seller hold a charge over the land?

Yes

You need to be pretty handy with the tin snips for cutting Lindab and fitting outlets. Saw or grinder is a no-no as the rough edges rust where a clean cut has less surface area and will heal with galv.

A risky request...

I thought this was just the frame underneath, not enamel applied to the glass. If enamel was applied to the top surface of the glass I agree that it should have been shown on the plan view.

I am not sure what you mean @craig. The sections look fairly clear and they show upstands, the metal frame, the single pane inside the upstands, an air gap, and the larger laminated glass pane that fits right up to the edge of the frame. The plan view shows the laminated glass shaded and I think that had it also showed the frame underneath it may have caused confusion. Perhaps an additional plan from the underside would have been sensible. I would have liked some annotation on the drawing and some titles and I am not clear on what "B.U" stands for. I am not clear if this drawing was the extent of the information sent out.

Reclaimed slate? If so do you have enough for the whole roof?

I must say that the woman doing the presentation in @scottishjohn's video was rather captivating!

I think this is a grey area and just gives an example of when this is standard rated, not when it MAY be zero rated. For me it makes no difference as we run this as a business and can reclaim the VAT in any case, but we have always been charged VAT for SIs. I have spoken to HMRC before re: zero or reduced rating and their take is that it is up to the supplier to apply the lowest applicable rate.