Big Jimbo

Re @nod and @ETC . The last time I fitted a steel, I painted it with a load of gloopy bollom fire paint. The building inspector when he saw it said "no need to bother with that anymore" ??

Yep,i believe you need them in both.

@Russell griffiths they are the proper job. Love em.

Well I just want to say.Well done. You will be fit as a fiddle by the time you get finished.

Tony. What a mess. That whole thing is so wrong. That whole thing needs to come up, and be started again. You have no cavity ! I have got to go out now, but I will be back tonight and try and give you some answers later. Your builder is not a builder. I'm shocked.

The 150mm from DPC to ground level wasn't made up for fun. You are asking for some nice damp. Have one level access point for the old duffers. Our rainfall is getting much heavier in GB. You get One chance to prevent water getting into your structure. When you have to have all your patio lowered you will be spending loads of cash, and making a right mess.

Sit the beams on a continuous strip of DPM. It's cheap FFS, and don't forget to seal the ends of the beams which is now a Building regs requirement

I'm not a fan of level thresholds. As a minimum, I would want a linear drain where any outside fixture is brought up to the height of the DPC.

My Mrs says you can't walk in high heels on that.

Thats so true.I have got LP's and cassettes I can't play. Reel to reel tapes of my own music, (that I paid thousands of pounds to record ) that I can't play. Photos on phones and old computers that i can't access. Mini, and Dat, and video tapes, that I can't play. Compact discs, etc, etc. Even cars are over complicated. One small wire broken only son in laws car, made it drive like crap. Drop its fuel consumption considerably, Soot up internally, and fail its mot on emissions. All without even giving him a dash light warning. Technology is over rated without question IMO

You may have twisted the frame when fitting it ? That would cause the problem that you have. You may be able to adjust it by using the hinges in and out adjustment . The pin in the hinge is often like a cam. Be careful though. you may find that the seal no longer touches the frame on the hinge side if you adjust it too much. That will then cause a draft internally.

You need to have a look in the loft and see if any of the ceiling joists, or any part of the roof structure is being supported by that wall.

I told the council to demonstrate that they owned, and maintained the grass verge. They could do neither. I then pointed out that regardless of ownership, the residents would ,by adverse rights, having maintained the land forever, now have a right to claim it as there own, if they so chose to. Find out, who, if anybody, pays the tractor man.

If you and your neighbours left the grass to grow, he might be being paid to cut that at the same time as the hedge? Where I am the council maintains nothing.So I was able to tell them to F-off. Worth your while finding out

He might do it on behalf of the council for a fee, rather than because he likes playing on the tractor. That might put a spanner in the works for you.