SteeVeeDee

30mm is too much to leave, plus the plasterers won't manage to get a good finish. All the systems mentioned are good. You've got enough height to go old school and do a 3/2" frame as well if you want. You've also got enough space for resilient bars if you want to make an acoustic ceiling, just make sure you don't fix through the resilient bar and the subframe. You know all this anyway so I'm not trying to teach you how to suck eggs. I battened a ceiling out recently to avoid losing too much space and I quickly remembered why I stopped doing that years ago. What a pain in the backside messing around with the shims.

Who's house is this? His or yours? You've hired someone patently unqualified for the job so you need to, at last, start thinking clearly and realistically. Was the structural engineer from him or you? If so ask him/her if the know a lawyer. Otherwise you could possibly contact the RICS or CIOB. I'm sorry this has happened to you but its horribly common. Do not let this person continue works but do so within your legal obligations. My guess would be that they will not have the correct health and safety policies, insurance, etc. There may be pincer movements you can do that arent't straight ahead.

Congratulations! What a lovely view!

There are always exceptions to the rule.

Why is the ridge tile missing? Is it dry fixed and you've just removed it for the photo? They say "fix the roof whilst the sun shines" so great time to do the repair. It may be worth causing a leak by using a hose. Decide on doing certain things in a certain place and check. You can try the scatter gun tactic at first but that may not tell you anything other than that you have a leak, which you already know. Just make sure to allow a few hours in between to avoid this. The pointing at the wall/flashing junction could be better. Noticed that the ridge tile was probably laid with mortar and removed. The membrane should be turned up at the flashings but this only matters if the water is bypassing them somehow. It doesn't appear that there is an opening below, are the flashings individual or part of a cavity tray? You may want to replace the individual step flashings with a more traditional longer step flashing and 6" overlap between each. The lead dressing over the tile should also be checked from the manufacturer and make sure that is correct.

Great reply and very interesting.

Ok, so thats one. There are a variety of reasons why he may be sought after. Define builder.

A decent carpenter will be able to measure up and can either order them for you and add a margin, or use that and order them yourself. I'd avoid having a builder anywhere near anything that's got tight tolerances and glass. You've got a few options by either going direct and doing it yourself, or getting the man fitting them to measure them. Be mindful that you can save a penny and lose a pound. Some tradesmen are happy to let you order them because it keeps them under the VAT threshold but the best prices are from trade suppliers. Its a toss up so pick whichever one you prefer.

Agreed. Private project managers can feel like an extravagance but if they solve problems and keep the project on track then their cost is covered. I've met a couple of bad ones but the majority tend to be pretty good. They stay busy by being professional and getting recommendations so are incentivised that way, rather than backhanders.

I agree on this. The supplier/manufacturers are generally pretty helpful.

There are two types of roof: pitched or leaking. Epdm is good as long as its not going to walked upon. It can be repaired but the patches look like a teenager's bike tyre after a while. Ideally its for dormer roofs out of sight, or below roof terrace decks where its covered by a walking surface system. Felt is the industry standard because it's got a predictable life span, it's cheap, companies are always available locally, it's easily repaired, and there are a wide variety of liquid compounds to prolong it's lifespan if necessary. GRP isn't very good and lasts far less than advertised. Its far too brittle for the task it's given. Fixing it to the substrate doesn't make any sense, particularly when one side is exposed to extremes of weather and the other is fixed down. Differential movement is an actual thing and shouldn't be ignored. Its also horribly toxic and cannot be recycled.

I genuinely don't understand why customers don't ask for proof of qualifications and experience. For example the apprenticeship paperwork may be from decades ago but what CPD has been done recently? I would be open to admit that my experience on prefabricated timber frames is out of date and although I'd get back up to speed fairly quickly, it won't be as good as someone either more recently qualified or from someone that works on timber frames regularly. The workmanship levels could be contrasted e.g. would someone want to hire a recently graduated carpenter who it is hoped knows all the current regulations, versus someone who's been working for 10 years but has some research to do? It's a difficult balance to be struck but there's no way in hell that I'd hire an unqualified electrician, so why do it for a bricklayer or carpenter? Until customers start demanding higher standards and provable experience then nothing will change. I often also wonder about insurance. Will an insurer pay out for work done by unqualified people? I heard a story a few years ago about a plumber that burned down a house when soldering pipe. Although his insurance covered him for the use of heat, he wasn't qualified to use it because his ticket had expired.

Pointless looking at qualifications? Get a grip of yourself. An unqualified person looking at previous work by definition doesn't really know what they're looking at. Similarly, a recommendation from a previous customer or a friend isn't really of much value other than very limited for similar reasons. A reference is only of value if its from someone that is verifiably competent to do so i.e. has a provable qualification. Gaining a trade qualification is a significant indicator that a tradesman has at least met a minimum standard of knowledge and ability in the past. Unskilled men like to criticise skilled men because they want to deflect from the fact that they were too arrogant to submit to the process and just wanted to get bodging. The vast majority of bad work is done by unskilled men, not those with a trade. Being an apprentice isn't easy and its bloody hard work keeping it going for four or five years.

I'm curious about who the builders are and how they were awarded this contract. The workmanship I've seen so far is terrible and it sounds as if the process has been difficult to say the least. I wonder if qualifications and references were checked before starting works.

This is the correct course of action in my opinion.

I've only just started scrolling through this thread. This picture tells me enough that you need to stop works now and have a site meeting with your professionals and contractors. The Pozi joist install is horrific and looks like they are fitted by imbeciles that have only a screw gun and a blunt hand saw. This steel work is so obviously wrong that its not just a matter of comparing workmanship standards.

5 tonner best? I've got medium swell clay but its dense as heck. 1.5 ton mini digger was struggling with it.

Its probably fast grown Spruce so whitewood rather than joinery grade redwood. It will be kiln dried and treated but they still rot fast in exposed locations, particularly at the bottom rail where water gets trapped behind the glazing bead or if the threshold is tight. Locally available and slight upgrade swap will be Scandinavian redwood.

I've never thought about that before, thanks for telling me. Its something I consider when sizing timber but it hasn't ever occurred to me about bricks. Of course that makes sense!

What do you think about your system? I'm pondering about our heating and cooling systems. I'm still at an early stage but I really struggle in the heat overnight during the summer. Considering ac and solar panels to run them.

Can tuck pointing be done successfully using opc?

I'd like to build using lime mortar instead of opc. Reasoning being that its just a softer and more natural product. It seems "alive" whereas opc just seems dead and lifeless. I know its not realistic though so am resigned to opc. We're on deep, moderate, clay here so I feel that lime would be a better option since it can handle the movement better and will need far less movement joints, which I hate the look of. I suspect that using Lime for new work will just cause loads of drama now and in the future for certification and selling.

Depressingly true. Is anything as good as it used to be?

They're okay. I've done a few side-by-side price comparisons and I can get better quality for lower price.

I contracted to a plumbing company for four years. They're like anything that's made from plastic i.e. cheaper and quicker but not better. The stuff literally wears thin and then fails. It gets chewed out by rats. It blows and explodes when jetted. It gets pierced and broken when rodded. Its affected by ground movement and the joints slip. Nothing wrong with it in a general sense, and I use it myself because its the industry standard, but its a downgrade. I didn't think I'd get in to a conversation about how amazing plastic pipe is when asking about the ideal gradient for drainage. I like details, and finding out the pluses and minuses of any building component so I'm grateful for the input. I appreciate the conversation points and I know that using clay is potentially an unnecessary extra expense. I personally will prefer to use it in the main run where its underground. I will change over to plastic where it enters the house.