joe90

+1 wot @PeterW said, I find SE,s over engineer everything so I would be happy as long as it is built to that spec, building regs approval and adequate house insurance. Water tight case (IMO).

our cavity was filled with 200mm of dritherm 32 (two 100mm batts), some we’re worried about not having an air gap behind the brickwork but it has a BBA certificate for full fill cavity work. The blockwork was parged with a slurry mix, then cement render then plaster finish. Around timber joists In the brick work the ends were wrapped in breathable membrane and pinned under the cement render, even between floors before the ceilings and floors were installed ( read up about the “Tony tray “as a variation but mine did not create a slip plane.) Cables in walls were sealed at back boxes with silicone. We had a warm roof, lined with 11mm OSB bubble glued together and sealed to the wall with expanding foam. The only leaks found during the airtest were a couple of windows not sealed to walls as well as I would have liked (can’t blame anyone I did this ?).

+1, my new build is brick and block with 200mm cavity, it’s the attention to detail that makes it “passive” and very comfortable to live in.

I second using twisted ties from roof trusses onto walls with either rawlplugs/screws or concrete screws. I too have high winds in my area, I also used long straps to spread the load down the wall (may be a bit belt and braces but I feel safer).

Ditto, but having the two handles on a “proper” mixer would be good (not that I am doing any from now on ?)

Perhaps I am selfish but I wanted the ensuite fir my bedroom (I do have to visit the loo during the night, an age thing), I live here all the time. An Ensuite fir guests is ok if you have the room But IMO an adequate bathroom fir occasional guests is fine. Plus we have a third bedroom which doubles as an office so if more guests arrive they share the bathroom.

Yes, our ground has very high water table so when the trench was dug fir the foundations and the blockwork was up to DPC we backfilled the outside with 50mm stone and ran a pipe from this to a nearby ditch. We did the same with the garage and it works very well.

Looking good, I don’t like flat roofs, looks much better now.

bugger, a bit far eh?

@Internet Know How where are you in the country, round here sand was distributed to the farmers to help break up the clay soil, I could do with a few truck loads!!!.

Plasterboard is fire proof (30min?) perhaps BI would accept doubled board.

@freshy have you considered a passive slab for your new build, plenty of info here about them especially @Jeremy Harris thread.

It sounds like the leach field has blocked and no longer working, a treatment plant would be a lot better, do you have a watercourse or ditch that it could empty too or what size is your garden to instal a new leach field?

the most voltage on BT lines is 50volt dc or 80volts ac (ringing). I worked fir years on BT lines, never got a kick. You can’t even short it out as all that will do is trigger dial tone!!!!

As far as I remember BT are allowed to put phone wires on electricity poles (below power wires) but not the other way around. Just run your Underground cable up to the pole then accidentally break you overhead cable!

It must be an electricity pole then and BT use it to feed off to you, as @ProDave says, get the cable in yourself and if necessary connect it up yourself, no one will notice ?

sorry no, it was years ago . I don’t think anyone will “guarantee “ it won’t be seen but I remember being very impressed and I could not see it (and I am a fussy bugger). I also remember (even more years ago) working in a hotel where the carpet came in 2m widths and they hand sewed the strips together to make one huge carpet fir the dining room and the joins could not be seen at all.

That’s what I did on our build!. On a previous house we had window reveals past the 4M mark and rather than fork out fir 5m carpet the fitter glued (special heat glued tape) off cuts in the reveal, it was impossible to see the join, the fitter even made sure the pile was in the same direction.

Getting various quotes is the best way to get a “feel” for what something should/will cost.

If it is a static it needs adequate support, with mine I wedged large wooden blocks at various places but here is the “professional” way to do it.

dritherm is not the best for 100mm, I would consider blown in poly beads.

Have it out with him, he was there 4 days not 5, extra work 2 days, yes that is extra because levels were wrong. Don’t let him take you fir a fool or more “extras” will appear (IMO).

I have done wet ridges and hips but not now, dry systems all the way, timber moves, Mortor (relatively) does not. Last time I did a wet ridge was on my garage in a very windy location so drilled a hole in the centre of each ridge tile and used a long roofing screw to stop it lifting, it never moved in 20 years.

and me.

Yes mine has but still needs both hands!.