Dave Jones

just to add, we previously lived in a G2 with a valley gutter along the end of the roof behind a parapet. Was zinc, lead and tin previously. we ripped it all out and made a trough from OSB then had a firm lay rubber the whole length at 1.5m up the roof as well just in case of moss blockages etc. never dripped after.

your mains water will need to be min 850 deep anyway so 2 birds with 1 stone.

Just goes to show its the smallest of errors that can cause major problems.

the poor sap at end of road can have cheap limitless hotwater now though!

i accept where mains gas isnt an option then you have no choice but if mains gas IS available its also a no brainer.

no difference lol! gas combi £1k fitted. heat pump 10k not counting underfloor, more tanks etc etc Then there is the huge heating bills when they don't work very good in the winter. Different ballpark altogether. worcester boche are working on hydrogen boilers will see which wins but so far heat pumps at their current price point are hopeless.

dont do it! If you have access to mains gas the cost of the pump alone with give you free hot water for ever ! 10k heat pump will pay for a lot of hot water.

Looks to me like that sealed stack cant breath at all. Normal chimney build is pumace liner with every join sealed with the proper sealant then the void between the liner and brickwork filled with vermiculite. This is sealed at bottom and the top of the chimney with blocks, brick, tile etc DPC over the top then a very hard mix made with grano dust to seal it round the pot. Water should never get into this insulated void as its sealed and doesn't need venting. Yes water will get into the chimney but that doesn't matter its fully vented by virtue of the pot and fireplace! Your situation I would start by adding a tray for the chimney to sit on with weep holes to drain it. Take the top off and do it again with a DPC and grano and put some brick vents in it to vent the void, do the same in the attic more brick vents. Even if it was letting in rain water which has no where to go as there is no tray, I would bet it would fill with condensation much like a wrongly fitted warm roof. It means taking down the chimney but not the end of the world.

820m2 wow. did you have windows and running water ?

hard wired for new build. they dont check.

depends where you are but 2k+ is about right for a builder. you may save a small fraction by doing some bits but this will also annoy and get in the way of the trades. 150m2 (not including garage) floor area is a very decent floor area.

Her indoors has insisted on oak stairs with no carpet this time. Whilst they look lovely the noise is annoying. Anyone looked at sound deadening them, fixing some sort of acoustic material to the undersides ?

Marley eternit interlocking look good, resonable price.

maybe simpler to plasterboard the opening over at the bottom of the stairs to block it off. then the issue goes away.

take carpet up. stud to the left and red plasterboard it, then liner. all unscrewable after. days work tops, pout it all in take photo or get BCO out then take it all down. pain in the arse but a days work tops so no real drama.

easy. screw a liner carefully into the opening so you only have screw holes to patch and then fit the cheapest fd30 howdens sell. half days work tops for a chippy.

put a door at top of stairs. get signed off. remove said door.

I’d also ditch the pull cords in bathrooms , architect still thinks it’s 1970 lol don’t get the communal en-suite either split them off , who wants to share a sink with another bedroom ! Odd. the bedroom windows have non climbing guards, are they not fire escape windows ? shower in the second downstairs toilet ??? or are you thinking it’s another bedroom off the kitchen as you already have a downstairs toilet by front door ? 6 toilets for a 4 bed is a lot ! not seeing any extract ducting to the wc’s , building control will want that.

Plumber will do the above ground , builder/groundworker will do below ground. You don’t really want external soil stack as it looks gash so some thought and planning of where you bring it through the house into the ground is needed. sewer pipe is wider than a stud wall remember, but with pozi joists can help routing them no end.

Probably taken the free furlough money.

Yes open fire with a canopy

£90/110 a day

absolutely no problem with plastic. Have a 25 ton lid if you want! https://www.drainagesuperstore.co.uk/product/25-tonne-gpw-steel-lid-pp-frame-663l-x-513w-x-30h.html as Peter said its the conc haunching that carries the load.

We are looking at an an inglenook and of course it would have to have an open grate. I can see BCO having a fit so it will probably be a post completion job.. Anyone done similar ?

conc slab will work out slightly cheaper BUT is a lot more work. Block and beam is rapid and you get a perfect flat floor. You have to be concious of sleeper walls if anything internal is to be load bearing.