markc

Hi and welcome

I would say the dropped area was a hearth stone

Is it ideal? No. Is it something to worry about? No. Traddies will have seen much worse and it’s been like that for years. Stop worrying, learn from it and carry on.

If you are wanting or needing someone to sign off on something then calcs are needed (or proof load tests). Likewise if you are pushing the boundaries of material compressive and tensile strengths then calcs are a must. Overengineering a small simple structure like a stair is much easier and straightforward, if it looks and feels right then it usually is.

The roof should be supported by the outer walls, rare to find a house of that age that doesn’t have solid internals around stairs etc. as to the sips or builder, I’m guessing you mean sips or brick/block for the extension walls as sips panels would still require a lot of traditional builder work. in your case, as an extension requiring tying into the existing it will be much easier and cheaper to stick to traditional building methods … I.e brick and block.

Permanent formwork isn’t new but the above arrangement seems like a lot of work in joinery, gap/hole sealing and back propping. Beam and block is fast and easy

If the neighbour wants the pipe moving it’s at their cost and application etc, not the person/property it supplies

@Dee yes that will work

Another Y piece and anywhere that works

That’s looking pretty good, fall on a shower or basin isn’t as critical as a soil pipe so any fall is ok. basin waste through wall and into other basil waste is fine, if the basin is on a pedestal then anywhere that works (and is out of sight)

Shear links or stirrups are used to hold bars to form a cage for a ring beam

Sounds like a fun project, crack on with it! Loads of info to be found searching previous threads on here.

One of the best foams by far ilbruk FM330 foam. No problem with going full wall thickness but depends what the finish is inside, if plaster/plasterboard then put a piece in first and you can foam up behind it, externally brick is best but would require taking out any damaged bricks, hopefully 2 but could be 4 and replacing otherwise you end up with a horrible circular patch

If you don’t mind the grills being there, remove grill, pull out the sleeve and fill with foam, trim face flat and refit grill. if you want better aesthetics then it’s brick replacement

Good morning and welcome, trades can pick and choose their work due to demand so quite possible that they are taking a look and then shying away. amount of work and complexity depends on what you have now and what you are wanting to achieve. what is the existing garage like? Double skin? Insulation? Roof build up etc.

Is that the hinge or latch side? Difficult to see in the dark pic

I would say insulating makes perfect sense, hes right they won’t freeze but if they aren’t done it will grate on you for a very long time

Don’t notch the joist. Go right (looking at the pic), through the stud and then down through floor plate.

Had a erbauer track saw for years and it’s been brilliant, great for trimming bottom off doors and skirtings (to slide laminate under) in situ.

@Dee I really can’t see your shower or any basin having enough flow to pull water out of another trap, certainly can and does happen with toilet flushes but in your case I wouldnt bother. Text book installs and reality are different things, if this was my house I wouldnt fit an AAV

You may need to vent it, if so then a air admittance valve (AAV) would go at the end of the run and above the sink level, however, you already have another sink on the line and if that isn’t having problems then unlikely the additional one would.

Really depends what cleaning products are being used as to how long the coated trim last. Yes you can get marine grade stainless steel but that will discolour with acidic (vinegar, lemon juice etc.) cleaning products, stainless won’t peel but it is horrendously expensive compared to the plastic ones. It would be very difficult to get the original fitter back at their expense as you have been using the bathroom for two years.

If there is no vat shown then you cannot claim it back

@Dee yes that’s it

Not ideal but it will be ok, use a branch (Y) connected so the water from basin runs into the shower waste in the right direction. Much better than a Tee connector. There is a chance shower waste could suck water out of basin trap but unlikely