Mr Punter

As it is only a 65mm lintel (are you happy it is man enough?) you can just use engineering bricks for the ends. As per @ProDave acros and planks.

Tamping will be fine. You need to try to get the concrete to completely cover the rebar, to prevent rusting / spalling, but this is v. unlikely to be an issue with foundations below ground.

New build with timber ground floor, so partially propped. Chose Polarwall as it is flexible and simple to construct. Waterproofing was concrete admixture plus type c internal drained cavity, sump and pumps. Ground was chalk and putty chalk. Polarwall materials were £5,600. Area was 66m2 internally but including a light well - before we added the internal wall linings. We also had slab, mesh, temporary works (augered and king post walls) and additional insulation. In total the basement structure alone was £56,000, waterproofed and insulated.

I have done an icf basement. Used Polarwall with 300mm concrete core reinforced with mesh. You will need at least 800mm of working room around the outside. Potential issues are Party Wall notices, Means of Escape, ventilation, daylighting, excavation and temporary propping / shoring, engineering design and calcs, waterproofing, warranty guarantees and final value v. value of above ground floor space. As you are a novice on a tight budget I advise that you steer clear of a basement.

Why the battens?

Birch have a low water uptake and so not too much soil shrinkage / heave. Beware willows and leylandii.

The most practical solution may be to have a small triangular fixed light in the bottom right corner and a narrow door to the left. This would mean that you do not need so much space inside / outside.

Maybe easier to create a new opening to the left. What is the grey cladding btw?

Some of these were 4 storey without an alternative means of escape, other than the main staircase. They share a 50mm main supply, split off to 32mm for each unit. No pumps or accumulators. Interlinked mains smoke or heat detector in all habitable rooms and stairwells. In the event that one of the heads is activated, the water released is nothing compared to that from a fire tender.

I have had issues with these screens. I no longer spec any shower screens around baths as they can lead to callbacks.

I tried to spec the Keystone Hi Therm lintels, which have a thermal break and a much better Psi value. Lead times made them impractical though.

I have just had sprinklers installed in 7 houses. Total cost £16,950 to cover 1183m2 total = £14.33 / m or £2,421 per house. Mains fed.

I would have thought the radon barrier would be all the DPM you need. Not sure what the others are for. How are you fixing the sole plates?

The B & B floor should help if it restrains the walls. I have done an ICF basement and had a similar spec, with chalk soil. I think you could end up spending more on engineer costs than you save in mesh. I don't think you will get away with fibres either, but it is worth asking. How are you waterproofing?

The frame will shrink but the blockwork will not. At first floor level this means that if you initially have, say a 10mm gap around your blockwork at head and cill, this may, after a couple of years, become 22mm at the head and -2mm at the cill. This has a much larger effect the more storeys you are, so on the ground floor allow for 3mm and 9mm per floor above. To compensate, leave a very tight gap at the head and a large gap at the cill. Use an external sealant such as Illbuck Timbermax tape, which will take up the movement without compromising weather tightness. Leave enough of a gap at the eaves so that the roof does not end up sitting on the blockwork after the frame shrinks. Completing the roof covering and loading plasterboards help the frame compress. If you have a cladding or tile hanging system fixed to the frame much of the issue is eliminated.

I see no reason why not. If the windows are the Velfac type - sash is flush with frame - you may even need to render the reveals and heads before the windows go in. Make sure you account for the frame shrinking 12mm per floor - both with regard to windows and roof. It is worth clarifying the cill, head and reveal details early on so that the bricklayer can build to the correct spec.

@PeterW's best suggestion was to lose the hollowcore on the first floor. His others were good too.

We used a timber plate with coach screws into the back instead of the polystyrene to cast into the concrete on the inner section of the Polarwall and face fixed hangers to this. I am sure there are other methods.

When you get an asbestos survey, get a good one as your licensed contractor will base their quote on this and if they have missed anything it may be that your contractor has to re-configure the airtight enclosure. Get a shortlist of three licensed removers and ask who they recommend for the survey.

As a developer, I am responsible for the first 2 years, then the warranty provider gives cover. They also cover if I go out of business in the 2 years. All the warranties are insurance based. They aim to reduce risk as much as possible and not to pay out. If you need to sell, you could get a Professional Consultants Certificate for less than half the cost of a warranty. Also look at independent building control. Often cheaper that LA.

Top Customer Reviews 1.0 out of 5 starsPffffff..Even my farts are stronger.. By Marius on 19 Jan. 2014 This pump is a joke..and would you be wasting your time trying to blow out debris. The Pressure that comes out of the nozzle..is NO where near strong enough to even make an impact. Dont waste your time with this product..as there is a reason why it is so cheap compared to the rest of the higher priced pumps. You would honestly be better of making use of a Bicycle pump for this matter.. Comment Was this review helpful to you? YesNo Report abuse 1.0 out of 5 starsOne Star By a warren on 14 Jan. 2017 Verified Purchase Absolutely rubbish, was thrown in the bin after one use, no wonder it's cheap Comment Was this review helpful to you? YesNo Report abuse 1.0 out of 5 starsNope By Paul on 15 Jun. 2016 Hearing aid puffer and a small piece of plastic tubing. Works wonders ! Comment Was this review helpful to you? YesNo Report abuse

For part of the elevations on a new build project, we specified James Hardie Linea cladding and James Hardie Plank cladding, finished in Light Mist - one of their standard colours. We ordered some in November last year and a bit more in February. So far we have spent around £13k on the product. We need about 150 boards to complete and placed our order for these in early March only to be told three weeks later... they have discontinued the colour! This was now to be some sort of "special order" and our BM would need to source it via a main dealer. It was due in next week and when my BM called to confirm - SURPRISE!! not now due until June, but that cannot be promised. Quite why, when we placed the initial order, or any subsequent, we were not told that they were discontinuing the colour I have no idea. We now face the prospect of buying these in a different colour and having them coated elsewhere, trying to achieve an exact match. What a ball ache. I see on their website they are still advertising the colour as current. What a cowboy attitude to customer service.

I gaffer a bit of pipe to the end of the vacuum, stick it in the hole and it works a treat.

M12 same centres as the joists. Make sure you don't clash with the hangers or joist ends. Threaded bar is cheapest. Make sure you vacuum or brush out the holes properly.

Ask Munster, as it is their windows. Some systems have self adhesive EDPM, some have fairly large external gap plus Compriband, other have small gap and silicone, most have gun foam. Some have internal air tightness tape. The details are endless (and confusing) and as they are supplying and fitting the windows, ask what they require to guarantee the air tightness / water-tightness reduction in condensation risk and u-values required.