ToughButterCup

Because it takes effort to do that. And so very often people don't realise the fundamental assumptions they make.

I'd like to bet that cost (at all levels: screws to completed house) is one of the most eagerly searched for and read subjects on this board. That's why I was so interested in @SteamyTea's one word answer to a post I wrote some time ago ( here ) and the subsequent thread about costing method ( here ) To boil those discussions down: cost per square meter is problematic, but it's also common to do so because that measure is easily understood. There are lots of traps to fall in to because the underlying assumptions (when presenting the cost) made are rarely explained - because to do that is complex.

Welcome. 1 : we dont know, and can't know until you ask their strutural engineer. 2: yes. My fingertips are burning just at the thought of putting in a retaining wall there.......

I'd be checking that. Which pipe work? Foul, or supply ? Get yourself some drain dye and pop it in the cistern. Flush merrily, then (excuse me maam) squeeze. You might be lucky and see the dye . In which case Bingo. Then get (or hire) a thermal camera. And do a bit of investigation (Heres an example) You could also try stabbing around with a Damp Meter. The aim is to try and identify the lower temperature areas in the floor. Good luck. I feel really .... yuk... for you. Its no fun. Ian

First, I would think about my own skill set, and the existing demands on my time first so I could make a rough guess at how much time I have for the build , DIY and - or supervision. Whats your time budget ? Want it done pronto, or can you wait? Trades: The key issue (other than Due Diligience) is the hidden networks which exist - normally trades people usually only work with people they know. And if your luck matches the stories we hear on BH, be sure you can take a joke. Contractors: simpler. Does their price suit your budget? Apart from doing Due Diligence, thats about all you need to know.

I am no expert. I have come to understand Class Q as a nest of hissing, spitting, supurating malignant vipers. And the coolest head around on Class Q is Martin Goodhall. Superb written style: as brief as can be but elegant at the same time.

In haste .... https://communionarchitects.com/article/how-do-i-get-planning-permission-for-a-barn-conversion/ In brief, in terms of permission, if it were easy to convert a barn to a habitable space, most barns would have disappeared long ago.

Better safe than sorry. Here's a start on the guidance ( other parts of the guidance may be relevant in your case) . I ask my original question because in a similar situation as you, my Council refused permission on the basis that part of the eaves (2 meters long) was 10mm above the permissible height for the class of permission I required. (I'll dig the thread out if I have time) @Jilly 's point about BRegs is likely also to be relevant because you are planning to make the space habitable. Whats to lose by asking whether permission is applicable in this case?

... as a living space, or office ... and do you have permission?

Right up my street @SteamyTea. Thanks

That's got me thinking for the rest of today @SteamyTea . Perhaps also ... we know that we have known the answer to something similar ..... in the past Thanks Ian

@mrgreen1234, I think I know where you're coming from.....You are deeply disappointed by the standard of work, and your bank balance is hurting too. There's a kind of hidden rule on the Internet; its very simple : brevity before detail. The Internet is associated with speed and speed of response, most people skim read over detail. A long detailed post requires a lot of commitment on the part of the reader. So unless the reader has a very similar problem, you aren't going to get them to commit to a detailed response. Case in point @craig above ... he's forgotten more about windows than most of us will ever know. The detail he will already know very well indeed. (He provided our windows) With us general builders, I think you might have better luck by asking a simple question - and then filling out the detail when asked: yeah but that's why I provided the detail in the first place I hear you say. Its how the information giving on the Internet works : its a pyramid.

Some of the answers you obtain will be measured in cost per square meter. You might like to take this thread into account when reading the answers. Oh, how rude of me: welcome ?

Trouble is, it does. How I wish we lived in a principles-based system instead of a rules-based one. Principles-based order means that everyone would be trustworthy. But we aren't. Any rule draws a line. Most people will develop up to that line, and a touch beyond (because we're human). And someone else pushes a bit further until someone else says 'No Further' . 200mm

Tune in, turn on, drop out sister! Ya need wind chimes too then eh?

I think that normal pressure is expressed as ' # Bar ' : generally between 1 and 2 Bar for domestic properties isn't it? If it's higher then a PRV may be needed. Got the wrong end of this stick haven't I? Again ?

You are in excellent company here, excellent company. ...

Thats all that needs to be said really. The consequences of the error are clear. No 32mm, no sign off. Unless there's reason to suspect mis-communication rather than addle-headedness, then don't pay ( or pay an appropriate amount) until it's put right.

Common ?

Spellchecker... I'm really interested in how these price rises are affecting your decision to build again Gary.....

I asked our oak merchant that same question T.K Knipe in South Cumbria. Heres his response The company does not sell much English oak unless it's harvested from the North East of Cumbria- i.e. in the wind-shadow of the Cumbrian fells. The battering any oak on the windward side of the fells makes the grain confused and difficult to work. The price is many times more than the oak he imports from France: straight-grained longer lengths of knot-free wood.

I ordered 4000+ (A2 SS, 50mm deck screws) from Klokow ( as above) Article number SPAX-0537000500503 , postage 24 Euros. 2 or 3 days (then - might be longer now) Cladding (my hands won't take the recoil of a nail gun, and the sheepdog goes mental.)

I'll have a look....

No Russ, you had a little victory over yourself. The best sort. Here's a start .... I know its for shavers , but (one at a time) you'll still be able to get your legs up high enough to reach the shaver won't you? This particular mirror has a heating element in it to de-fog the glass. Which kind of hints at the possibility of connecting a hair drier (?)

Post deleted: unintentionally unkind ...