Andehh

That's really come together well!!

The process and website for doing the VAT reclaim was refreshingly simple. I was actually really impressed with the whole process on the UKGOV website. UKGOV website had one long alphabetical list of what you can claim, and what you can't. Also has an easy access portal to upload, with decent instructions. Download/scan all invoices , title them one at a time ie... #1 LED BULBS BULBSTORE, #2 timber TIMBERSTORE etc Make an excel list of them all, as you go through pulling out the required details from each invoice ... Ie BULBSTORE, vat number, claimable items, vat amount, totally amount etc into columns. Upload them one line item at a time, and pull out the required info from your excel sheet. Submit, and they ask for c 30% of the invoices to cross check, and upload them from your folder. Very good system!

Interesting! Thanks very much all. The original bungalow had the stop cock in the bathroom nearest the point where the pipe entered the house. Builder has disconnected It as part of the demolition, and reinstated it at the edge of our driveway, near our boundary. Image attached, you can see it in the corner of driveway/bin store paving area. You can also see where I want to put the shed! I'm curious as to where the official stopcock is, and where our inbound blue pipe originates from. Wasn't an area of the build I kept an eye on, but I think there is a reasonable chance the builder just tapped into the pipe that existed from when original bungalow was built in the 70s. We then have a further isolation valve inside our utility room. From the image the inbound supply runs directly under our bin store to the road beyond the bushes on the right hand side... But there is nothing in the road for several metres that's any sign of a meter or further junction. I don't want a water meter, so prefer not to go down the official loop yet. For now more asking out of curiosity.

We don't have a meter currently, only a manual stop cock isolation valve!

Where our external stop cock is, we want to put a bike shed, a 7ft by 7ft sized one. I'll build it off a wooden deck, and have the shed over the stop cock housing, then cut a hole through the floor so you can access it from inside the shed. It got me thinking though, the stop cock itself is about 2 ft down a 10-15" wide plastic tube, brass valve on blue pipe. It sits very very near the edge of our driveway, and a small bin store we have off the driveway. When they fit a water meter, will they need to excavate out the area, or can they do it all from inside the plastic tube? How do they shut off the water flow, to the stopcock itself? We built on a knock down of a 1970s property, so the builder/water company will have reused the water supply inbound.

Don't get one. You will regret it. ASHP should only be considered once you've ran out of ways of insulating your house and know . You don't have sufficient insulation to really make one work without compromising your comfort in my opinion.. I love ours, and we can really maximise it's benefits... But I would dream of recommending one to a family member who wasn't willing to really lean into it properly.

Really cool! I like it, and much neater then the sail. Please keep us updated! We have a similar alcove that would work well for an identical setup....

Have to admit, someone highly recommended, who you like, and who has provided such detail... Sometimes it isn't all down to cost! Especially on something as critical as a roof.

Figured as much, was just hoping for something more seemless, but makes sense! Thanks

Also to add, put radiators in there unless you are intending to heat it all the time. We have 2 x big rads in there, and even running at 45 degrees odd (without UFH on) it only takes an hour for it to warm up to comfortable temps.

We have a large 45 sqm garage, no insulation in the floor... 125mm cavity bats in the walls and 60mm PIR warm roof. Even during the coldest January days it never drops below double figures. Running a dehumidifier keeps it around 15 degrees. Insulated sectional garage door Gets used 4 x a day as we leave and arrive at seperate times.

Would flexible grout be worth a shot? We have 2 x 7 seater cars, and it's block and beam so some slight movement may occur?

We had a large tiles patio, laid on 125mm + slab, it must have sunk or settled slightly, as the gap against the house opened up several mm in the last 2 years. Now I could fill it with grout, and resilicone, but we have a large thermal bridge here, so having this air gap could actually help slightly by disconnecting the massive heat sink that is the patio. Any recommendations for a filler material? Or just expanding foam? Trim back, then silicone?

We had some movement where a subbie used insulation under the screed in the garage floor. Found out after a year of use, but builder came out and dug out and redid the area. However, I now have this slight join between the two different slabs, and with my epoxy resin coating it really shows. Before the builder rectified it, when the original crack was there I tried some two part crack filler but it was gritty and impossible to get a smooth/flush finish. Any recommendations for how to make it as seemless as possible, but also slightly flexible with the two different slabs?

Also from memory Money Claim works on "balence of probabilities", so OP has a fair case with everything said to date. Just needs to be well laid out, and structured accordingly. I don't suppose you paid any of it on a credit card!? That's an even easier route, and I banked £9k when an air con company went bust on me mid job. Was even able to claim 'making good' and supportive rectification work from a posher company who came in to resolve it all.