Carrerahill

@joe90 @Gone West Both fine looking houses!

I think you quoted me instead of Charlie...

My sentiment too...

Re-read the conversation and you will see your error. You are conflating things.

You will need to buy gallons of the finest artisan spring water.

Merely making a point. It goes two ways. Don't put words into my mouth either. I didn't say anything of the sort. I responded to a comment YOU made, and now you're accusing me of something quite different.

Sounds like a Scottish Water issue not yours, well an issue for you in the sense of flooding yes. I would speak to them. They are pretty good as showing up and doing inspections and investigations I have found. Sometimes a backflow preventer would be used, but that is just a bandaid and they can bung up.

Lets stick to the topic of architects spending lots of cash. DIY design is another topic for another day. However, while you mention that, practically everything Zaha Hadid did makes me wince.

Libel even? Not met an architect yet who doesn't spend clients cash like it is going out of fashion and that's from working with local independent one man band firms through to Snohetta/Fosters & Partners and many the in-betweens!

It depends what you mean by better. If it was me, my forever house I would build it in block/brick. I've done TF and I am happy with it, but I would have been happier with block. There is a recent thread on this topic and the pro's and cons where we have all chipped in the 10's of pros and cons.

Floplast solvent is 36mm but pushfit is smaller. From floplast: 32mm is a nominal size. There is a tolerance allowed within the pipe dimensions so the internal diameter is between 29.6mm - 31.2mm and the outside diameter is between 34.4mm - 34.8mm.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-push-fit-pipe-white-32mm-x-3m/26334 that must fit - surely Sani don't make it so damn awkward?!?

I'd have thought it would have taken the 36mm as the compression is often the open used when going from solvent to pushfit change over. I think you will find pushfit pipe will fit.

What is the coupling on the sani? Compression? I think solvent weld is 36mm OD but push fit pipe is smaller...

Not quite, because I call architects and builders/contractors eejits in the same breath! I am looking at drawings at the moment for some low rise private flats, no riser... no space for multi-service board, no space for a dry riser, no space for sprinkler tanks, no space for booster pumps, no space for anything really. Architect is in a huff with me now because I sent back her drawings with mark-ups of where I want risers and plant space. Builder/contactor will still build it wrong.

Your architect has shown a flat segmental arch. Some options: https://www.ibstockbrick.co.uk/arches/

You would need custom cut/made etc. bricks to do what your architect has done. The centre bricks are parallel sided, then the rest need to be cut to work if you are to have even mortar joints and it to look reasonable. The second column out is where the diagonal aspect starts, so on both sides, from the centre, would have a perfectly vertical edge nearest the centre then a diagonal cut. If your builder was good with a diamond disc you could ask him to cut the top flat to see how it looks and advise it is only as a possible option. I would also ask for your architect to detail this rather annoying little detail fully c/w proposed materials and examples and setting out including mortar joint detail. I work with architects drawings 5 days a week and we constantly need to go back to them with screeds of mark-ups and comments to get buildings to work, for me it is building services I am interested in, but its common for the engineering team to have issues with architectural drawings. The builder is not blameless but I don't think the architect is either.

Unacceptable to bury any joint in my opinion although if there was one that was acceptable, I may agree a pressure tested solder joint would be OK. I can only assume they didn't bother their backsides to pressure test the pipework they intended to bury, had they done this, and it had held, you may have let it slide, their laziness has got them twice, first for burying it and not running it in a duct that could permit the pipe to be pulled back and fixed or via another route and secondly for not testing it first!

Holiday let? So you will pay the bill and guests will not care about leaving heating on and wasting energy. Bad idea to be honest. I'd look at getting gas in there if you have a gas supply or look into a ASHP or you will need to add literally £20's per night stay to cover electricity costs. Unless it is super well insulated and unlikely to need much heating... Is it rural?

Paxton do systems like this -would be pricey, I would look here: https://doorcontrolsdirect.co.uk/20-access-control or similar for the bits you need. A video door entry with finger & fob is easy enough. You say key, that would usually be done via using ironmongery which also allows key on a solenoid receiver as a mag lock will hold the door shut and cannot be override with a key. As for combining the CCTV you would need an output from the door entry onto your HVR/monitor system which is fine. Or a door entry unit with a standalone CCTV output you can incorporate into your CCTV system.

People keep saying Hep2O rather than say JG or others - am I to take from this Hep2O is better? Easier? Cheaper?

I go soldered copper every time, it costs me lots of time and extra £ as I have not been convinced otherwise yet. However, pipe unions and couplers are far cheaper and a bottle of gas, roll of solder and tub of flux will last about 6 self builds so apart from pipe being more pricey and longer to install, I think copper might come in about cost neutral when you can solder in a 90° for about 50p all in. Last year I wanted my boiler moving, I needed to move the cold feed and hot return, I did it in copper, took me a weekend. I could have used 2 pieces off a roll of 15mm plastic and probably done it in about 4-5 hours. The copper was all bent perfectly and soldered and run up through a cupboard clipped perfectly straight to the wall and through the first floor. It looks great. But on the day the gasman came to connect my new pipes to the new boiler he did the change over within the first floor on plastic... I was not pleased. I plan to change it to copper unless someone can really convince me its OK. He used JG. I have done lots of JG Speedfit over the years from putting kitchens into our business premises and for family who want plumbing done and just buy JG as they can do it. But not in my own house. I need to increase some CH pipes from 15mm to 22mm and its going under the floor, getting copper in will involve drilling a hole in the house to feed the pipes under the house, maybe I should just use plastic but cannot bring myself to do it...

PM sent.

As it would be a bespoke piece of limited run there are no regs, certainly no legal issues. Any unskilled person can make a panel or machine or light. In this case, technically the minimum requirement would be a PAT test. Most don't bother. Install it and then do a circuit test and earth check.

Does it impact you? Has the house been externally visually impacted? If not I would leave him alone. If he is a total p**** then maybe fair enough, report him. Or just live and let live and don't let it bother you.