MAB

From the Mail online...but maybe worth a read for any potential 'new high-rise flat' buyers? "Buyers are turning their backs on one and two-bedroom apartments, especially those in new, high-rise buildings, and the fallout will be far-reaching for the economy. Competition is fierce as to which of the high-rise blocks of flats on the south side of the Thames is the ugliest. But what they all share – in a mile-and-a-half stretch from Vauxhall Cross to Battersea Power Station – is a sense of abandonment. Hundreds of plush apartments stand empty, while others have been languishing on the market for years, with viewings few and far between. Shoddy workmanship, fears about cladding, exorbitant service charges and the financial burden of stamp duty are just some of the reasons why apartments are empty or occupied by people desperate to sell – even at a loss. The outlook is particularly bleak for those who bought a flat in a new-build. People have begun to realise that many of these new blocks of flats are not built to last and so you’re being asked to buy a depreciating asset. And that applies to the top end of the market, too. Residents of One Hyde Park in London, regarded as the most expensive tower block in the country, recently won a £35 million court case against the contractor that built their homes. The High Court ordered the construction company, Laing O’Rourke, to fix defective pipework that was discovered in 2014, only three years after the luxury development was completed. Then, there’s the ongoing cladding issue, which began with the horrific Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, when 72 people lost their lives. Trust in high-rise apartment buildings was destroyed overnight. The wrangling over cladding has continued ever since. We’re also still seeing the fall-out from the pandemic when a lot of flat owners wanted more space and moved to the countryside. Flats lost some of their appeal during that time. For years, developers have been allowed to build sub-standard blocks of flats, cashing in on the need for more housing – and "laughing all the way to the bank..." https://archive.ph/62KS7

ITV Tonight Investigation - Floods: New Build Nightmares:- https://www.itv.com/watch/tonight/1a2803/1a2803a9449 Flooding prompts discovery of planning breaches on ten new-build estates across country:- https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2026-02-12/flooding-prompts-discovery-of-planning-breaches-on-ten-new-build-estates

"Guy's rolling up his sleeves as he explores how to make your home cheaper to heat. Using all his engineering experience, can Guy make energy bills a thing of the past?" "Guy Martin attempts to transform a 1930s semi-detached property into an eco home with no energy bills. The 90-minute programme, Guy Martin’s House Without Bills, will follow Guy's nine-month renovation of an average family home in Trafford, with the ultimate aim of driving its gas and electricity bills as low as possible. Whilst taking on the ambitious project, he also shows viewers how to reduce their rising energy costs with a range of advice and tips for any household wanting to cut bills and carbon emissions from their home, regardless of their budget." https://www.channel4.com/programmes/guy-martins-house-without-bills I watched this programme with some interest but i think the Home Building Industry will have to raise the general levels of on-site accuracy, specialist training, apprenticeships, quality control inspections and recruit/improve installation/construction skills in the UK workforce.....

A compilation of serious issues that 'New Home Quality Control' found during snagging inspections at new build homes.... https://newhomequalitycontrol.co.uk/

Not sure if the regs in Scotland are different....but in England 'Balconette' suppilied my Glass Balcony Balustrade as 10mm toughened glass which passed the Building control standard ok and their video linked below also says their frameless systems use 21.5mm laminated and toughened glass:- https://www.balconette.co.uk/

I find Liberon Decking Oil works well and does not peel. I always use the clear (Teak & medium oak tint is also available) as most timber darkens over time and after further coats of clear oil. The main drawback I find is it needs a further coat of oil every couple of years or so to maintain protection but at least oil is very quick & easy to apply:- https://nextdaypaint.co.uk/products/liberon-decking-oil?srsltid=AfmBOorMKCr02JmbK2lGsn7TXVwf9OjtJOTw6-5tJP7riL7uFiM9nyRS

Using a foil backed insulated plasterboard will give you a moisture/vapour barrier and is available in various thicknesses to suit, often used around door and window reveals.

One of my neighbours checked the footprint of his new rear kitchen extension AFTER the foundations had been excavated and filled with concrete and found the rear depth/projection was 0.5 metre more than the approved plans. As expected Building Control were not concerned (ie. only interested in Regs) and local Planning Dept said to go ahead as long as he consulted adjacent neighbours about it and confirmed that they did not object to the extra 0.5m....which luckily they were fine about it...much to builders relief! The kitchen design did have to be slightly re-jigged though to use the extra space!

Our side passage is 1.0 metre max wide and scaffolding for our 2 storey side extension allowed access below no problem including builders wheel barrows, etc. With your neighbours agreement could you remove any boundary fence temporarily between yours and neighbours side passages, giving you approx 2 x 800mm width in total for the scaffolding and access? Afterwards if it is their fence you can promise them a nice new one as a replacement!

Dug my own foundations for a side extension with help from an 'old school' Builder friend who said we could do it without a Mini digger in a few days.....1 metre deep in clay and we just did it with spades and wheelbarrows in 2 sections to make sure the concrete went in before any rain arrived. We also mixed our own concrete in a standard mixer. It was nearly 20 years ago and you need to be fit with good dry weather for digging clay....was easier than I thought but I could not do it now though! 😄 We hit the water table at 1 metre and the following morning there was 6" of water in the bottom of the foundations despite no rain for days but the Building Inspector said pump or bail the worst out and to use a drier concrete mix for the first few barrow loads that went in. He also wanted rebar put in the concrete where the two new foundation sections were to join plus a thick sheet of polystyrene between the existing 1930's house foundations and the new extension foundations.

Interesting below that Thames water reckon that Dual Flush toilets waste more water than they save due to leaks... Dual-flush toilets 'wasting more water than they save. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/29/dual-flush-toilets-wasting-more-water-than-they-save "Toilets specially designed to save water are wasting more than they conserve, the UK’s largest water firm has warned. Campaigners have warned for years that dual-flush toilets, introduced as more efficient alternatives that were expected to use less than half the amount of water per flush, are more prone to leaks. The problem is said to be so great that the costs are outweighing the benefits. “Because there’s so many loos that continuously flow all through the day and night, collectively that water loss is now exceeding the amount of water the dual-flush design should be saving,” said Andrew Tucker, water efficiency manager at Thames Water. “The volume of water loss is getting bigger every day as more people refurbish and retrofit older toilets and as more homes are built, so it’s a growing problem.” “A siphon will not leak whereas an outlet valve – if we look at the figures we’ve got – they could leak within a week of installation. It could be two years but they will leak,” said Jason Parker, the managing director of Thomas Dudley Ltd, one of the UK’s largest plumbing manufacturers. He told the BBC: “If we’re serious about wasting water and we want to stop it, the only way to do that is put a siphon back in.”

You might find this thread below also of interest:- Toilet not emptying waste completely

My areas local Council Building Control dept was closed in April 2023 and outsourced to a company EBCS Ltd which is apparently 'the first Building Control Mutual in the UK.' https://ebcsltd.co.uk/

I would have the tank in the loft and the Triton electric shower removed and have a new thermostatic shower valve plumbed in and fed by your combi boiler. Also as stated above your Ferroli Modena 102 Combi is at least 20 years old so it might be worth having it replaced with a newer and more efficient combi to provide your heating and hot water. Combi boilers have improved a lot in the last 20 years! Also make sure the electric supply cable to the existing shower is safely disconnected and isolated by an Electrician if/when the Triton shower unit is removed...water and electricity is not a good combination!

Triton Alicante Electric shower - Specification. Installation - Plumbing System = Cold Mains - see link below:- https://www.tritonshowers.co.uk/alicante-electric-shower#product.group.attributes The tank in your loft looks like a cold water tank to me (sat on a raised platform to improve the head and increase pressure to whatever it feeds) that has been left in the loft when the Combi boiler was installed. Have you ever confirmed the water in it is actually getting hot? Is the tank metal or plastic? Hot water tanks are normally metal (copper/stainless steel) and a cylinder shape. I would think the cold water tank still fed by the mains supply has been wrongly plumbed to feed cold water to the electric shower which heats it.....assuming that white pipe to the shower does not go direct to the mains supply that is/was feeding that tank? Not clear in photo. Simple diagram of how a combi boiler feeds a thermostatic shower valve and hot/cold taps.