PeterW

Doesn't need to be - it can be the same level but outer shouldn't be above inner.

The regs are in the EU Directive Annex but as long as you are using them professionally and not as a consumer then you can use creosote treated products anywhere on the list with the exception of children's play parks etc . The rules even include them being used in waterways and harbours

You need to check all manufacturers - there are loads... Celcon H+H Quinn Lite Tarmac Hemelite Durox Any one of these will do

So that "Silver Birch" is a bit of an unusual reference as they normally go with latin - a true Silver Birch (Betula Pendula vars.) and a Himalayan Birch (Betula Utilis vars.) are easily mistaken, and the White or Common Birch (Betula pubescens vars.) can cross with both so you could end up with anything really. I doubt a council planning officer could tell the difference really as they all look pretty similar. Semi-mature is another unusual statement - birch is mature from 20-45 years so if you said 10 years old it would be 7-9m tall and probably need machinery to move it - and cost you £5-600 most likely. I would query the 1500mm photinia - is that the mature height or the planted height..??

So a conservation officer specified non-native plants ......??? Have you got a list you can send over..??

Just run all the basin pipework in 40mm and use one of these on the top of the last basin http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p54349?table=no Will be fine for the run - I wouldn't start running additional vent pipes or waste runs

Depends on the birch. There are around 200 "Silver Birch", some are slow growing and clump forming, others can form very tall and narrow columns and others form a pinnacle. They are also reasonably shallow rooting so planting on sandy soils needs careful management as they can be blown over easily.

Are they on your PP landscape scheme as otherwise they aren't VAT reclaimable anyway. Does it mention common names or Latin names...?

Buy hedging online - bare root is past it's planting time but the others can be pot grown. It will survive if watered well. Does it have to be red robin (photinia) as the hedging as 50m is going to be 200+ plants and pretty expensive...? Lots of other options that would give a nice mix. Fruit trees you've got til May in reality to get them in - consider ones on decent grafted root stock for apples, pot grown 3-4 year stuff should be less than £20 per tree. Bigger trees - magnolia I wouldn't want to move or plant until autumn now and they need pruning when they have been planted. Silver birch ...?? Betula jaquemontii Grayswood Ghost is stunning - try and get a multi stem that will form a clump. A 15 litre pot would be north of £100 but worth every penny.

Look how much a local "man and a digger" outfit is. I pay £250 for a JCB and £195 for a mini digger per day if I am not self driving. A machine can move a lot of muck in a day, especially if it's just level changes etc. Get someone to do the grunt work and then finish it yourself. Sleepers on river banks are ok, but there is a much cheaper alternative that helps you lose the muck - sandbags ...! Fill them with the spoil you dig out and either stitch the tops (one for 'er indoors...) or just 3/4 fill and fold the tops. Stack and batter back at about 30 degrees. Hazel pins can be useful to stop them moving but not normally needed. Plant them up with stabilising plants and job done ....

If its privately owned then legally if you are one of the owners then you can - assuming you have the correct signage - employ a clamping company... Perfectly legal and gets the message over very quickly !!!!

PC can change through the process. What you need to understand is what you're asking is that the Contractors are responsible for their H&S and their obligations under the CDM regs 4 & 7 from memory. So if you only have one contractor on site at any one time, then they are the the only and therefore principal contractor HOWEVER as discussed previously, whether CDM2015 is relevant to self build is questionable.

A domestic client is not an employer ... are you using a main contractor..?

Yes its good isn't it...? However.... HSE do this as it allows them to prosecute directors etc of companies who may not themselves be contractors but have employees who are. The key word in this statement is EMPLOYS as it is the legal definition you are looking for. You do not ordinarily "employ" a contractor to build a house for you unless its entirely on a day rate under CIS, at which point you would become a business anyway so you're back to being (correctly) defined as principal contractor. A lot of this got clarified in case law when IR35 was introduced as there is a very good distinction between an employee, a contractor and a service provider... but that is for another thread !!!

Ahhh ok ..! Any chance you can go deeper below the slab though ..?

So storm can drop at a steeper angle - no real need for rodding points if you filter the crud and leaves out before it gets to the pipes.

Is that last one foul or storm...? If so, storm it's fine, foul it's not..! 600mm is nothing when you are digging out, a 450mm manhole can be used up to 1200mm with a standard cover and 3m with a restricted cover so you could just drop all the drains accordingly.

I've got 40m or so of Pert-Al-Pert if anyone wants to try ...

Drop a couple of sizes / glass specs on here and I'll see what mine comes out at ...

I had ours delivered no problem to a different name and address...?? PayPal was done with an alternate card so assume they have changed it recently

Straight from the legislation - the statutory instrument lists all definitions used. The CDM Guidance note seems slightly at odds with the actual legislation - not unusual but the SI does have all the terms in it

Skylight porn ...

Are those beams sat on the reinforced concrete ..?? If so, how will you insulate then bottom wall ..?? need a lot more photos here ..!

I would put it into the insulation and then screed over it.

I would make every third one a "wider" terrace by a metre at 2nd and 3rd floor level and put an access way through to the back of the properties. Done properly this means it only provides access to 3 and there is only one with a shorter garden This gets bins off the front (my pet hate) and allows for garden access without coming through the house. As per @JSHarris I would prefer a through hall, or at least swap kitchen and diner over so that there is a hallway then kitchen - no trapesing over a carpet to get front to back.