ToughButterCup

@MaryM, I don't know anything about your previous experience of the building sector and invoicing: my knowledge was scant - until we decided to build. I hope the following doesn't patronise. Thus far we have had contractors present invoices as a bare number - no detail, no information other than an account number, contractors who simply dont do what they say they will and present a fantasy invoice, contractors who demand money for work done so badly that we've had to spend a good chunk of money putting it right. And lastly someone who - without good reason - presented us with a Letter Before Action using an out of date protocol. In each case SWMBO - because of her experience of local trades folk - put some lead in my pencil: in each case we have stuck to our guns - and on the basis of evidence ( video, time lapse images, photographs, meeting notes, email exchanges, and lists of unsuccessful attempts to make contact - phone logs) point out that the money asked for was either wrong, or unjustifiable. Its an unpleasant thing to have do - challenge someones request for money. But, as SWMBO pointed out, money paid off-invoice, or overpaid can be thought of as deducted from the amount of money we have left to spend on the kitchen. And There Be Dragons.?

One thing that any professional person dealing with this issue will ask about (or rather should ask about) is a description of what both parties have done to resolve the matter informally. If you can evidence that process, that will be helpful. Keep contemporaneous notes.

Modesty

They should give you a design. Once you have seen one you will notice them all over the place.

And when it comes to water ~ make sure their design includes a valve which isolates your property, and which you can turn off.

Welcome @Coops: yep, self building is, occasionally a wonderful laxative.

Who is your MVHR designer? They will be able to tell you.

I'd be fairly militant about that then. Unless there is a good reason for not having sent an additional fees proposal, then I would see that as an indication of lack of attention to detail. How much is being asked for: a few hundred or a few thousand?

Frost on our triple glazed Velux bathroom window too. It faces North, so the ice stays there when the sun comes out.

Thanks Dave, as ever, knowing exactly what to say is the key.

Well, silence has been the loud reply from United Utilities . So, I'm going to report a leak using their reporting system. Anyone care to Suggest a suitable form of words to wake them up?

Oh- shows how out of touch I am. This issue strikes me as analagous to the catflap debacle we had on e Build- What's more important pussy or post?

A personal Amazon - type Locker , then? Some of us are old enough to remember Poste Restant : for a fee you could get your post delivered to an office Where a nice lady would give me a sweet each time I went to fetch it. Ah the good old days...

@Marblox Here you are, as often is the case, B H already has the answer.

I, for one, would love to see an image of that.....

Have I got this right? Smoke only comes into the room when burner doors are open. If that's correct then there isn't enough 'draw' to counteract the downdraft. Lengthen the chimney to increase the draw.

Google-keep. Used as a list of lists- and integrated with Infinite Painter so I can Sketch things by way of explanation. Met office App- can I work outside today?

This is mine -

You have no idea how serious the issue is_ yet. You could try asking your BCO. But I'd be wary of doing that straight off ; test the water first.

It's called DIALux , several hundred quid per license, and you need a top spec machine to run it on. Awsome watching it work: photorealistic rendering

Drafting that brief when the customer is inexperienced can be daunting. And its hell's own job getting a brief out of customers when all they want you to do is ' get on with it '. That's often followed by negative customer feedback, and the designer in turn pointing to the fact that there was no - or an inadequate - brief. A good designer will have the soft skills necessary to coax a half-way useable brief out of an often shy, or modest client. In preparing a brief, there's no substitute for looking around, thinking about what you see and discussing that with the designer(s). Dare I say it in this context ---- applies to architects too I think. Don't worry, I'm off.?

@Triassic, the core problem you would have in briefing a lighting designer is your modesty Everyone can start from ' I know what I like ' , and everyone can put together a Pintrest Board - or something like that - magazine cuttings will do. Once you start, you won't be able to stop. I've found the process great fun. I've almost stopped changing my mind. That process will inevitably help you produce a brief for either yourself, or a designer. One of my children is an architectural illustrator for a large design office in Canada. He produces presentations using a bit of software called DIAlux : its the kind of complex program that takes a whole night to render an animation of how a building looks in all sorts of lighting scenarios. Naturally, he discussed our lighting scheme with us. His advice : layers, and simplicity. Trixy means unecessary cost. The simplest approach might be to get a copy of something like The Bible of Home Lighting - it takes you through the design development steps, has a helpful chapter structure and a passable index. And then there's this video about lighting by Llewelyn Whats His Face We found Use Cases to be helpful in making decisions. Perhaps not the formal Use Case of the software programmer - simply thinking through the light we'd like to have in well-understood situations; Evening in front of the box - getting up to make a brew slicing onions and - eyes streaming - throwing the peel in the bin coming home, arms full of shopping, and unpacking a 3am. trip to the loo - how not to disturb others reading the newspaper at the kitchen table or armchair whats at the back of this cupboard? how to read in bed without disturbing the OH We asked around locally (in the same area you are looking) : I got the distinct impression that the services offered were more suited to large companies. @puntloos puts it best of all, I think.

Do you have to pay more if the screws are all lined up properly?

That's saved me a blizzard of paperwork I know to the m m where it is- tempting. So, Toby- My new mate then. Lucky I haven't sold the digger yet innit? Right then- nuver steep learning Curve.

As Sensus suggests, you might like to think about the log burner. You might be able to put one in a closed loop ventilation system, perhaps?