joe90

I was told because of the nature of clay where I live it will smear on the sock membrane and clog it. I was told to use 50mm stone, not chipping as they are too small. This is all relevant to my subsoil and may not apply to other areas of the country.

This is what the locals do here, same as down the side of dual carriageways (before the grass covers it. ) also when the brick/blockwork was above ground level on my build they backfilled outside with 50mm stone and ran a drain out to a ditch, this stopped water collecting around the house as we have a very high water table. It’s been very successful.

I was advised on our plot (clay) not to use perforated pipe as it clogs with clay but use a French drain with stone, membrane then topsoil.

I wish I had double boarded the dealings and/or used sound resilient bars.

I like the idea, as someone who wishes they had more sound insulation between floors ? I may have considered it but we have some stud partition walls that went on top of the chipboard!!!. Ours was done by a building contractor so not involved at that time, mores the pity. I would deffo recommend more sound insulation than standard regs.

I think you have to demand a conclusive answer as currently it’s “not fit for purpose”.

It’s good that they can remotely sort it quite quickly but I would want a permanent fix.

i did this with some lights we wanted, bought one to confirm, them ordered the rest, I was prepared to send it back if not liked or could not be fitted.

Do you get to keep your money? ?

This from building regs. Responsibility for compliance 1.10 It is important to remember that if you are the person (e.g. designer, builder, installer) carrying out building work to which any requirement of building regulations applies you have a responsibility to ensure that the work complies with any such requirement. The building owner may also have a responsibility for ensuring compliance with building regulation requirements and could be served with an enforcement notice in cases of non-compliance. Also (3) Where this regulation applies the person carrying out the work shall, for the purpose of complying with paragraph F1(2) or L1(b) of Schedule 1, give to the local authority a notice confirming that the fixed building services have been commissioned in accordance with a procedure approved by the Secretary of State. Nowhere does it state the person commissioning should be qualified, like it does regarding electrics for example.

But if they have not visited and to prove it was habitable? Sign off by building control does not prove it was habitable!

I would put money aside and if they visit say “we moved in last week”, hope it works.

Only part that I can find relevant is :- signed by a person who is responsible for the inspection and testing of the system that has been installed. and:- Competent Person Scheme/ Registration Number (if applicable).

This was mentioned here before and I believe the upshot is there is no qualification, I believe @Jeremy Harris found this out. My BCO simply looked at the vents and said, you have MVHR so don’t need trickle vents or fans. I copied Jeremy,s spreadsheet in case he needed docs but he did not even ask for it.

I think it depends on the state of the nails, if they are sound you will break a percentage, if crap then more saved?. So much easier with two people, one to strip and one to catch and stack. I would put scaffold up if it were me, much better platform to work from, you could do an elevation at a time and move the scaff as it’s mostly single story.

Frankly the gables were not big enough to require expansion joints.

The bungalow we replaced was built about 1940s, timber was mostly ok but the sole plate had completely disappeared with rot due to the high water table round here.

Not sure as I have limited knowledge, I have just worked on properties with airated/lightweight blocks and found them “horrible “. I did a loft conversion for my mate and his gable inner walls had to be rebuilt as they were cracked and falling apart (blocks and mortar). The only blocks I found reasonable were Celcon (airated?), I was not laying them but fitting out to them.

Personally I don’t like lightweight blocks, I used heavy blocks fir my inner skin and can hang anything off it with no probs. I have seen a few walls using lightweight blocks that have cracked badly (possibly built wrong?).

They tried to levy council tax on my caravan but I told them it was builders facilities and we were still paying council tax on our last house (wife still working in Bristol). Yes they pestered me about paying council tax when the house was nearing completion.

I found this on the telecommunications act website,.. 10. (1) Subject to paragraph 3 above and the following provisions of this code, where any electronic communications apparatus is kept installed on or over any land for the purposes of the operator’s network, the operator shall, for the statutory purposes, have the right to install and keep installed lines which— (a) pass over other land adjacent to or in the vicinity of the land on or over which that apparatus is so kept; (b) are connected to that apparatus; and (c) are not at any point in the course of passing over the other land less than 3 metres above the ground or within 2 metres of any building over which they pass. (2) Nothing in sub-paragraph (1) above shall authorise the installation or keeping on or over any land of— (a) any electronic communications apparatus used to support, carry or suspend a line installed in pursuance of that sub-paragraph; or (b) any line which by reason of its position interferes with the carrying on of any business carried on on that land. It appears that as long as it’s 3m high and not within 2m of a building permission is not required!!!!!!!

BT was a monopoly and openreach was split off to “encourage competition” a bit like British rail and network rail.

OpenReach is part of BT IMO (split up by government interference).

+1, solid timber also is not very accurate always a little bow somewhere, on my build jji were specked and used but I asked fir said joists (calculated at 600mm centres) to be installed at 400mm to make even more solid. I was able to cut holes in the webs for electrics and MVHR without a problem (they come with a cutting guide).

BT has gone downhill since I left ?. @epsilonGreedy I don’t blame you I would do the same, if your neighbour does not understand he is being unreasonable, I also bet he would be unreasonable if his line was brought down by your tree or builder. No win situation.