PeterW

Agree however I've never seen a BCO sign off gas work on a new house without the GSR certified installer ticket. I do my own as I have an old ACOPS ticket but I refuse to do for anyone else ...

You can get multipurpose connectors now with the fail safe and a gauge built in for propane cylinders https://www.bes.co.uk/product/62a~LPG~958~-Multi-Purpose-Safety-Fitting.html

Anyone ever had a query from an insurance company about a key safe ..?? I know they're always looking for ways not to pay up so if the key box was broken into and the key used to enter the house would it be covered..?? I know when we had one for my grandparents the key only got you inside the porch and there was an emergency call button in there.

As it's a fixed installation it still needs a Gas Safe Registered engineer to fit it ... You can get 10mm soft gas pipe from BES along with the fittings. 10mm should be fine for a short run to a twin ring hob however you may be just as quick with 15mm if it's not too far as the fittings such as bayonet connectors are easier to get in larger sizes.

Yes - did you bother to read my response or the case I quoted ..? I think you hit the nail on the head so to speak - anyone with a background in property development should know this stuff - which by definition most self builders are not in this camp ..! But isn't this where as professionals an architect should guide their client with an open dialogue, not choose to shaft them royally by using section 7.3-2(para B):clause 9-2 of their 18 page contract which clearly states unless its all explicit etc etc, the plans they have just purchased are worth slightly less than the paper they are printed on ..?? And you're challenging us as to why some architects have a bad reputation ..??!

Some useful links in here : http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/4621/1/Mann-Denoncourt.pdf

M v M 1941 refers to the copyright in a design that was then copied by another to extend the Heals store in London - it is a clear statement on the copyright of architecture, not on a design or use license which is what I believe we are discussing. Looking at other case law, the right of license is discussed and interestingly RIBA now include that (from what I have read)into their standard terms of engagement. Also appears Stovin-Bradford vs Volpoint 1971 refers to the implied license - I'm not reading that now but I'd hazard a guess it's also about what is reasonable....

But the license is for a single item..! Designed for a single site... I'd need to check but I don't think this has ever come to court as case law as it is borderline indefensible - as far as the court would be concerned, the license fee for that design had been paid, in enacting the "design" then the license is used. I agree if someone went on to build 10 more then copyright breach has occurred, but not for a single bespoke design for a single plot. I will also dig out a copy of the riba standard contract for a look - let's just say most contracts fall apart when their terms are properly reviewed, hence my comment about unfair contract terms act.

Ok ... has this ever been challenged in court and is there case law references ..?? I cannot see how an architect could challenge this despite "owning" copyright as what you are referring to now would not be challenged under the copyright acts / laws but the Unfair Contract Terms act as you can imagine it would be a farce ..! An architect challenging the fact that they designed something for client A to gain planning permission and then client A sold it to client B who then built said design to that permission. The architect would have have to prove material loss by the action of client A not building it, and client B enacting the design....

Whilst I agree the sentiment, a court would look at that in light of the term "reasonable" - and what you're suggesting is not reasonable ..! The fee I was quoted £500 for was to "obtain copies of plans from archive in A1 paper format", not for the copyright. In selling me the plot "with the benefit of full planning permission" and "plans provided within the seller pack" then the only recourse that the architect would have would be on the vendor as taking your example the vendor was selling something they didn't have the rights to sell. That no longer becomes my issue ..!

Short answers are yes, full pp included and the plans were provided by vendors / solicitors but were only A4 copies. I would have paid up to £100 given it's probably no more than 30 mins work to get file copies pulled and new A2 copies created. He also seemed disinterested in doing any further work on it - the vendor was a surveyor so I got the feeling the original plans etc were done as favours. As it stands I just took the online copy and worked through it with a scale rule and then did a survey of the existing building - what now has permission vs the original share a single partial elevation in common, nothing remains of the floor plans or any other elevation so any copyright claim would be amusing ...

I think the comment about perception here is correct - and about what the brief contains vs what is delivered. I've just had all the NMAs approved on our plans which remove some glaring architect induced issues. Bear in mind this is a conversion / extension so you are retaining the existing structure : - a window in the as built existing structure that's on the wrong elevation. - a door and window reversed in the as built - a window inserted into a stairwell that would be at stringer height. All of these are in plans drawn by an architect, yet none were picked up by the previous owners who paid a large sum for his work. This is the same architect who wanted £500 plus vat to provide me with a copy of said plans (paper copies...) despite us buying the plot with full pp from the previous owners. Flip this one over and I've done work with a large scale practice who are superb and would work with again in a heartbeat. Both are RIBA architects, yet perception would put them at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Hi Given the size of your project I can pretty much guarantee you will exceed F10 limits - 500 days is 2 man years. That list you have is pretty accurate although CDM2014 needs a lot more admin including Principal Designer and Principal Contractor - the latter you "could" do yourself, the former you need to engage your architect and be ready for either the bill or them declining the request. Basically you become responsible for the H&S of the whole build - start with the CITB CDM website for more info

Careful as that's the recipe for adobe bricks, not ordinary soft clay..!! 20-30% sand at most in a red brick

Welcome Lee ..! Have a browse through the topics - there are definitely a few that would benefit your skills ..!

So my background is engineering systems and large scale transportation - think £100m tube overhauls ..! One of our biggest challenges was "design for maintenance" - we had the ability to strip down pretty much anything on a CAD workstation to prove it could be maintained in the future. The value ..?? We found an issue in the design for the new tube carriage around the air con units and maintenance - a bolt that could not be removed when the roof had been glued on. Cost to fix in CAD..? About £50k. Cost to fix in production ..?? About £5m.... sometimes it's the "daft question" that isn't as daft as it seems ...

Hi So this is a straight 4x3m rectangular extension ..? How close is the neighbour's tree to start with ..? On your second option I would get rid of the concrete suspended floor - assuming BC is working on you having a clay soil then they will want something like 75mm of EPS40 on the inside of the trench and that also needs to go under the floor, however it's not worth it in this case as a suspended timber floor will be quicker and much cheaper. Back to your original query - 10m @ 600mm wide and nominal 1m for trench fill is 6 cuM, so bulked up is an 8 cuM skip (£180). Clear 13m2 to 300mm ground level is 4 cuM, so let's add another skip. (£180) Machine and labour about £400 to do that lot in a day, should be doable assuming no drains to move etc. Trenchfill those founds using a standard mix (and assuming no pumps etc) would be about £110 per cuM so a full load at 6cuM is £660. Labour to pour and place of another £280 for the day. Totals about £1700 plus the vat, going twice as deep will probably add about £1400 to that plus your EPS. They are ballpark numbers from rates I see around here. Hope that helps

2 degrees is fine - just watch where you put your door and threshold drain as it needs to be aligned or you can get rain running down the front of the door and under the edge.

Apparently so.... I need to have a quick look but I only think there is a legal requirement to put markers on commercial doors so domestic ones can be perfectly clear ... apart from finger prints and dog slobber of course !

So if it was me...... Suggest to the lovely @MrsRA that she considers sliders not folders for internal glass doors as she will forever be asking you to clean them. Glass pocket doors are surprisingly easy as they only need a 20mm slot with 10mm glass and they can appear to "disappear" into each side of the wall. Or alternatively something like this..? Sliding Glass Door

Not a bad thought - I did think about seeing if we can get a bulk purchase deal.

Welcome ..! nice looking house - just one observation, bed 3 (master suite..?) has no door between it and the family room and kitchen downstairs. Is that by design or omission ..?

Wood is incredibly forgiving - I use a mix of coconut oil and beeswax as a "polish" in oak and it looks great. You really do struggle to mark it and if you do damage it you can sand it out. Found a 4m oak on eBay for £165 (sorry @Stones...) have a look here https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/390145736517

Freecycle... or gumtree. Plenty of people will take them for greenhouses or sheds, last job I did we left them to the side of the skip and they went in about 2 hours. Just on that - we had a sign that says "Skips are dangerous - DO NOT ENTER" as the JCB driver nearly emptied a bucket of broken roof tiles over an idiot trying to get something out of a skip on his last job.... yes, people can be that stupid ..!

There is no love lost between those two companies @joe90 ... the after sales experience of the upstart is not known to be the best according to reviews .. [... also look out for renames of companies ...]