Mr Punter

I am very intrigued by this. I am also looking at heat reflecting film (bet they are all on a bonus, together with air con, ice creams and swimming pools!) for some south west facing glazing. It seemed fairly hot even on cold clear days earlier on. @lizzie why is your glass so "well" engineered? We have some river wall retaining glass and that is only 25.5mm laminated. Is there a consensus on what is the best supplied and fitted option for external film that does not look obvious and anyone know the cost? The development has 13 patio doors - each about 5.5m2.

I have had these fitted and while they seem to work OK be cautioned that if the house is not used for a couple of months you MUST remove the Combiphos or they will break down and clog your plumbing system.

I don't have much prospect of the extra insulation as the cupboard is very tight. I have got in mind to insulate all the pipework in the cupboard though. Time clock is definitely going to happen although it is v. tricky to programme.

I have a new four storey townhouse with a system boiler in the roof and a cylinder on the first floor. Bathrooms on first and second floor, kitchen on the third. The boiler seems to fire up a fair bit for the hot water and I wondered if it would make sense just to use the immersion in the warmer months?

I would have gone with brackets in this instance. I have used direct fix on timber frame with v small internal reveal as straps were not practical unless bent round the corners. Once the caps are fitted they look fine. Usually you will have some fixing drawings issued which you sign off.

If it is just rainscreen cladding above (tiles, rendalath, render board etc) supported on the timber frame you will not need a lintel. You need to work out how the interface of the rendalath and brickwork will be.

I have had Velfac fixed direct and via galv strap. Both work fine. The direct fix hole is plugged with a plastic cap. Looks OK imo.

Timber expands across the grain, so the issue is most tricky where you have a corner and the worktop has a wall at either end. If it is a straight run you should not have an issue.

I think it is a bit like gynaecology

Unless there is a planning requirement I would not bother. it will be expensive to achieve and perhaps more difficult to insure. A lot to strip back if there is a defect. I would be concerned about fire in this weather too.

First fix the plastic plumbing and the electrics and MVHR ducts. Do some carpentry - plasterboard noggins etc. Fix fascias and gutter and fit temporary downpipes. Properly secure the site to prevent unauthorised access.

We have just paid similar fees on a project with a build cost around £2.5m and final value of £6m. I think the quote is out by a factor greater than 4.

I have used Bluclad board screwed to vertical battens and 2 no. 3mm coats of Weber LAC - the first used to bed a fibre mesh sheet. The render can be sponge finished to a sanded render texture, then painted. I saw one we did 8 years ago. No cracks or marks at all.

Good drawings. Did he also have some spec notes for ventilation, waste sizes, roof, floor and wall buildups etc? Did he do the full building regs submission? Did he reply to any points raised from the plan check?

Either 75mm normal screed or 50mm liquid. Double check with insulation and screed suppliers for peace of mind. Put a thin strip of insulation around the perimeter.

Swing shovel = what they call an excavator in Devon (or at least @joe90 does)

Magic indeed @PeterW and nice to have some pics @Christine Walker but not a truss to be seen!

Kylie Jenner wearing only a smile?

Maybe too much suction. Pretty soul destroying to remedy.

You should be supplied with a full set of structural calcs from them. You should also have a spec saying what is included. Make sure the sole plate is completely level, walls are plumb, hangers fully nailed, floor fixed in accordance with spec, roof trusses / rafters mechanically fixed, rafter feet have correct overhang, fascia (if included) fitted at correct height, window / door / rooflight openings correct, thresholds cut out on completion of frame and whole work site left clean and tidy, as these are all things that some erection teams tend to "overlook".

No need to be pissed off. This will, I am afraid, be one of many issues and not one you need to lose sleep over. I have never seen a timber frame without a few tears in the breather paper. If you want to do a better job of the breather paper repair, make a horizontal cut with a Stanley knife just above the damage cut out a fill-in piece of new slide up the slit, dress down over the damage and fasten with stainless staples.

Plasterboard is the standard way but you can buy specialist clear intumescent varnish. Expensive, but the Building Inspector will be happy

@Ed_MK are these exposed structural timber columns inside the building? If so, the exposed faces will need 30 minute protection against fire.

Be very careful to clean up any splashes and splatters as once dry it is very hard to remove.

Hi @DrawCAD. If you type @ you get a dropdown of usernames to choose from and they get notified that you have mentioned them.