Mr Punter

I think that handleless kitchens are on their way out. Handles are practical and proven. A decent size single sink is often more practical than a 1 1/2 bowl. I am not keen on people leaving dregs of tea. On some of the plots in our current development we have the motor for the extracts in a plant room above the kitchen to reduce noise. Also I always specify low noise dishwashers. Whatever kitchen unit manufacturer you choose, you will end up with a row of chipboard boxes nailed to the wall.

http://www.discount-electrical.co.uk do these for £21.99 plus VAT.

I have never used gas ducting, as I understand that the pipe can get stuck. If you can get SGN or whoever to lay the pipe straight into the trench I would do that.

Don't sweat on the water usage as it is a paper exercise. You could change a shower head and pass / fail. Quite why they consider the capacity of a bath to overflow level is baffling. As long as it passes, nobody has an interest in checking.

Petrol cut off saw to reduce the concrete level. Get proper ear defenders, gloves and goggles and get yourself into a comfortable position to work. Attach a hose to eliminate dust. Mark and cut slots 40mm apart and a bit deeper than you need to go. Chisel out between slots with an SDS as per @jamiehamy. Pack / fill under windows with grout if needed. See how you get on after an hour. I think less than half day work.

I have a double Godmorgen sink unit. The waste system is only used by IKEA. The double units can glug a bit. One of the waste fittings broke recently and although under guarantee they demand the original receipt which, of course, I don't have.

The tapered insulation costs a fortune. Use firings (tilt fillets) will be much cheaper. Is there some sort of deck above the insulation? What insulation type? How is it to be fixed down?

I think eight to ten days. If you do floating click system you could do it in 2 or 3, but I prefer stick down.

I have used Ever Build Lumberjack 650 14kg Flexible Wood Flooring Adhesive at £59 per tub. Lay 3 or four widths of floor dry and do any required cuts. Mark with a pencil the edge of the last boards. Take up the planks and stack them behind.you. The tub contains 2 bags of adhesive. Just cut the corner of the bag and carefully squeeze out and then spread over the area with a notched trowel. Do not go over the line you have marked. Spread with great care to make any mess. You will get used to squeezing out just the right amount which will make spreading easier. Our chippie does this without gloves and does not have any adhesive on his hands or on the face of the flooring by the end of the day. Do not pour the adhesive into the tub as it will set around it. The bags prevent any waste. When I have used tubs in the past, I end up with over a kilo of adhesive setting round the edge and in the bottom, as well as stringy bits and lumps which make spreading more tricky.

I have not heard of self tapping coach bolts. Can you not use threaded bar and resin? You may have to abandon some holes if you don't hit the concrete. If you are using joist hangers you will probably need to use the square twist nails as screws do not normally meet the requirement of manufacturers.

I think they could be grouted

I have some of the Celotex CF5000 and it has proper aluminium facings both sides. It goes grey after contact with cement.

I am not sure this works as a motto.

The TF firm on the current project used Trad Deck. PITA to install, especially if there are smaller rooms and corridors.

If you have consent for an internal meter, UKPN come and mount a service head onto a small piece of 10mm chipboard that they supply. Once you have at least 2 circuits wired and tested you can then get your electricity supplier to install a meter and liven the fuse board.

I once had an Aga. Total pain. Very high running costs and was almost impossible to control. At just the point where you want to get all the veg boiling and crisp up the roast potatoes and crackling it has lost the will to cook. Mine was gas. Hopeless.

If the rafters are 600 centres, use 25 x 50 batten. Maybe use it in any case.

It is not ideal but will not be an issue as it is short term. Sweep out any big puddles on the floors. Try to get the roof on ASAP.

For a first attempt I would say they have really taken the brief on board and produced something clean and uncluttered.

One of your chambers seems to have 2 outlets to to connections to the main run. Choose one or the other. If the invert is more than 600mm you may as well use a larger chamber. They are cheap if you shop around. You also seem to have a run under the corner of the building

Part E is mostly for flats and terrace housing. Not applicable for you.

Yes, you need to watch the install like a hawk and I suspect that only those like Declan know this. I was fairly vigilant but with 8 sub contract bricklayers who changed each day it was impossible to even get the boards fitted the right way up most of the time and if they were called on it they were incredulous.

After you get your valuation, if you think there is even the smallest likelihood that you could be considered for a lower band, appeal and give evidence of any nearby / similar-ish properties which have a lower band. They will often move it down without too much question.

How about 100mm rendered block, 100mm cavity with Celotex CF5000, 100mm block or lightweight block? This is good for flood resilience and not bad for SAP calcs.

If you are outside a conservation area and the elevation is not overlooked I would save the money as the changes are trivial.