Jothetaxi

Thanks for all the replies. The letter from UKPN asks for details of those responsible for causing the damage to UKPN's property. As the contractor was responsible for the damage,we feel it right to refer it over to them. The work the contractor carried out was for a major renovation and extension to our home (we are not living in it). They had responsibility for the site under the contract. When it happened, we were away on holiday and were told the cable was close to the surface. We suggested they take lots of photos to prove this and they confirmed they already had. Fast forward 5 months and the many photos they allegedly took still have not materialised, which leads us now to believe they were careless when carrying out the excavation work. Surely the natural thing to do would be to take lots of photos to cover yourself, use as evidence to present to an insurer, UKPN or whoever.

Thank you for the replies. This incident happened last summer - around August time. UKPN have only just written to the contractor. . The contractor hasn’t supplied anything so far to show they didn’t act out of negligence. We are at the end of the building work now, with snagging to deal with. Working with the contractor has not been great… The Architect is also telling us that UKPN holds the homeowner responsible. Looks like they are both trying to shunt responsibility onto us but we will stand our ground.

Last summer (on the first day of our holiday) we received a call from our building contractor saying they had drilled through the main electrical cable. UKPN were called out. UKPN said they would lay the cable but would not dig a trench, as it was too close to a tree. The contractor dug the trench and UKPN laid the cable. The contractor claims that the cable was too close the surface, which is why they drilled through it and this was cause to dispute any charges that might be made by UKPN. They said on the phone they had lots of photos. They have since supplied only one photo. The contractor has presented us with a bill for the digger and for labour. They have also passed our details on to UKPN, who will now pursue us for payment for laying the cable. We have been told that because the cable was close to the surface, we should dispute this with UKPN, however, without more than one photo of the alleged badly positioned cable, we are not sure we have much of a case. We also face a bill from the contractor for equipment and labour. We are questioning whether the contractor dug the cable by accident or through carelessness. Without proof of more photos etc, we are unsure how we can prove the cable was too close to the surface. Would UKPN keep notes on the position of the cable? would they have notes regarding the issue? should we push the matter back to the contractor,as we were not present at the time? Any thoughts on how we should approach this would be appreciated.

How do you gauge whether a light fitting needs extra support above the ceiling/between joists? Are there any online links regarding how to give extra support to weighted fittings?

Thanks for the replies. Really helpful.

Thanks for the reply. Do you think brick cleaning would help to make it look less obvious?

Do you think this wall could be repaired or a section rebuilt? The tree roots have affected it quite significantly. Obviously the tree will be removed. Any suggestions or ideas welcome. Thanks.

Thanks for the recommendations. We Will explore these options

We will have stabilised gravel. A temporary surface will need to allow heavy vehicles to unload on it, as the rear garden will also need landscaping etc.

With building work coming to an end our driveway is a muddy mess, which was of course expected. It’s a large area and will need to be used daily. We don’t have the budget to landscape this area at the moment. it was previously gravel over tarmac finish. It was never the best surface. any ideas what we can temporarily put down on the ground so we can park on the driveway and not wade in mud when it rains?

Thank you. That’s a good idea.

The contractors electrician has butted a spur switch right next to the heating thermostat. It’s a child’s bedroom and near the door, so the child may think it’s a light switch. how easy is it to move this to a lower level? do you think a different electrician could move it? He hasn’t done other thermostats in the house like this so it’s very odd.

We're having Lutron RA2 Select set up for our lighting system. The electrician has a lighting plan showing a circuit for a dimmable LED tape in a media unit. The LED tape will be connected to the RA2 select using the 0-10v dimming module. The electrician says this can work via the 5 amp socket, but i'm a bit confused by this - would it have to plug in? The media unit is free standing so I thought a cable would be required for the connection to the media unit. I'm waiting for him to come back to me but thought I would ask here as well. Thanks.

If used, the LED tape is for effect under the overhang of a deeper worktop, such as an island seating area. They can also be used along the base boards of the kitchen units. Personally, I would keep it simple and stick to under cabinet lighting for tasks, pendant lights over islands or lighting inside units. These are all functional.

Thanks. Actually might give this a go at the top of the stairs.