ToughButterCup

Families are great. We all have one. A place to share stuff informally. A safe place in which to try things out and see if they work. Bridging the gap from informal to formal ( i.e. professional) is frought with the opportunity for mis-communication. I have seen many instances of the bridge between family and professional services being put under strain. On the other hand, nobody would have told me of those instances when it all went well.

Online, you could not want for a more patient, polite or kind environment in which to share your build challenges. Look at the page count. Re-read just some of the members' responses with care. Work out, briefly, how much time you have been given by BH members - for nothing. Generous does not even begin to cover it. Build Hub is not the only online resource in this sector.

Ask the manufacturer of the ICF. They will (might) have an approved list.

Welcome. Good luck with the planning aspect of things. Since this is your first post could I suggest you have a look through the planning threads? And also have a play with the search facility on the site: its very powerful To help you, as an example, I've done three searches for the topics you highlighted in your post above - and link to them below. Metal stair cases Bi-fold doors ( You might try different spellings of bi-fold ) Kitchen Islands You are starting out at a difficult time - BH is a very supportive group though. Best of luck. If you want some walk on glazing @pocster has some , and don't worry about @Russell griffiths, he's actually quite tame. ?

Mais cherie, je suis trop jeune pour ca, non?

Here's a YouTube search list with the terms balancing and radiators.

Zoot, this thread is the perfect case study of how difficult it is to explain (teach) and learn online. Most of the contributors here have forgotten more than you or I will ever know about radiators and balancing. And I venture to suggest they've never been taught anything about how to teach ab initio members of the public in an online resource. So everyone's groping around trying to help: and you are groping around trying to learn. Both your job, and theirs is incredibly difficult. It might be an idea to spend a little time ( maybe a post ? ) summarising what you think you have learned about radiators and balancing. Write it in simple bullet points as a list. Then those who still want to help might be able to see more clearly what help you need.

Try Babylon Berlin. Plenty of walk-on-glazing to be seen there. And one or two actors who will prolly get your heart rate up ; a bit.

There's your answer. Bloody interesting problem though; thanks for asking here.?

Who is taking responsibility for the decision? Put another way, whose PPI is on the line for getting it wrong?

It doesn't matter. Start your planning anywhere. You will soon identify your own constraints - things that have to be worked on first. Can I suggest some form of list system - one that works for you? There are loads out there. And then there's - ermmmm, paper. Theres no point in amassing vast amounts of information without being able to access it when needed - quickly.

Sad to hear how you feel at the moment. But it's only a feeling. And those change over time. Even low levels of involvement in self building means that you look at almost every building in a different way. You can't flush that experience out of your mind. A bit of you will always be a self builder, and I bet you won't stop looking either. Even if you do so in secret, under the bedclothes so she can't see you looking. We waited 35 years.

Talking about Class Q ?: There's this fantastic resource you might like to consider. (If for no other reason than the superb written style: clear, concise, focussed)

Subject to your answer to Ferdi above, pick up the phone or bush telegraph or write and ask. The Council has a duty to help you complete your application. The agenda for success has been set by the response given by the Council. ( Dressed up in horribly badly phrased plannerbabble I suspect). What do you mean (above) when you say '... not given...' Might you mean '.... not made explicit...' , as in - here's a form, fill it in and attach a cheque?

Insurance, Band Aid, ignorance . In any of those roles, there's little or no point to it.

Not stupid is she, eh?

Whats the prevailing wind direction? I ask because if you are in an exposed location with the wind predominantly blowing past your neighbour's house towards yours, then you're on stronger ground not doing anything abgout it.. If the neighbour won't shift from the notion of 3 m high hoardings, then set the OSB ( I assume) base at a little over 600mm above ground level: job done. The bottom of the hoarding height was not specified I bet. And fiddling about providing another 600mm is a bit OCD innit......

Well, with my screen name, I'd better be the first to say welcome. And with our screen names, we should both be wary of that @Russell griffiths : he thinks buttercups are feeble, delicate little things. ?

Fiscal deficit boys! Run for the hills. An economist has infiltrated us. Arrggghhhh!

taped ? As in airtightness tape applied to the joins? Or is there a different sort of PIR ( taped PIR ?)

@Jilly , here's a schematic for our COLD roof - it's flat - not sure yours is, but the principle is the same. Imagine the illustration to be a cross section of your vaulted ceiling.... The image shows how to allow for ventilation, and where the VCL (dashed line at the bottom of our PIR ) is. (Copyright Sam Edge, Architect) There would be an equivalent breather gap at the other end of the roof ( in this image - the right hand side - not illustrated here)

Thats the best bit of advice I've ever had ( given to me by @nod ) . A Story Rod is useful all over the build and throughout the time of the build. It's such a simple, super accurate way of measuring and fitting: I'm going to use one today to mark out the support holes for a heated mirror. I have a ' good one ' and several gash (throw away) ones. I repaint the good one every now and then: it gets loads of markings on it fairly quickly, and painting over old marks is a simple quick way of 'starting again; The key thing is - have one reference mark - doesn't matter what it is, just one , thats both easily visible, and immovable. And measure everything from that. Can't see it becuase there's now a wall in the way: make yourself a new one.

I was tempering the wind to the shorn lamb. So to speak.

Cheerful bloke that @Declan52 in'he ? Trouble is , he's bang on right. 5 years in, and I'm just about used to it. This is the most important thing he said.... Our walls ( well two of them - because by then I'd sacked the builder) bear more resemblance to a propellor than a wall. Those faulty walls caused the following headaches Increased costs in respect of; first floor joists (up to 15mm variance in some cases cladding ( hours of setting up the battens correctly) plastering ( found a magician plasterer who corrected most of the errors If the builder had spent even one day more getting the lines and levels accurate, I would have saved a good deal of money. I rationalise it by saying that I have learned a great deal from the errors - and indeed I have. But Twinkle Toes indoors could have had a better kitchen , I could have had a couple of weeks holiday etc, etc. I think they call it a steep learning curve.

You bad men. Bad bad bad men. Anyway I am not allowed to delete threads anymore am I.....