Bonner

Granny used to polish glasses with newspaper dampened with water or vinegar. Dipped in a bit of soot from the fire to remove stubborn marks. Some of the old tricks still the best IMO

Agreed, it could cause balancing issues if not set up right. I had minimal flow through the towel rads restricted by 10mm pipe and lock shield valves. Did not have any impact on radiators or hot water. Just an idea, worked well for me but not for every situation.

In previous houses, I have run several towel rads from a tee before the diverter valve. They come on with both hot water and heating, controlled manually or by TRVs. Simple!

Welcome, don’t worry there are no stupid questions here ? I had similar experience with trades over the years and I learnt to do almost everything myself. But bricklaying (and plastering) is something I will always leave to the professionals!

Don’t be put off by any apparent scepticism, this is what a normal house should cost! Self builders tend to focus on larger, high spec homes which cost much more. Developers will be spending this kind of money on houses they sell for £250k+ but they have economies of scale. Watch out for utility connection costs but as you say, this will be funded by the mortgage ... To answer your specific questions, you can make any offer you want (subject to contract) then sort out the mortgage. Bear in mind, in a competitive market, sellers will prefer cash offers. Survey costs depend on the lender and your attitude to risk.

I did the same without any problems. Slip a pallet knife under the rubber seal to see if there is any mastic. Very unlikely to find any unless there has been a leak. Long flat blade to prise the bead out gently.

I chose my builder on the basis that he was the only one that answered the phone when I wanted to talk about the quotes. All the others didn’t even call me back or answer emails. His price was was reasonable and he was willing to talk to me and that is priceless!

Perfectly acceptable on an older house. Assuming it rises up at the other end as well? If it is a gable end, it should kick up slightly to avoid shedding rain water down the wall.

Spoke to Protek again today, they are not offering structural warranties until September now! Can’t wait until then, will have to make alternative arrangements

Fully agree, don’t count on £/m2 rates for any kind of financial planning. The difference between £1500 and £2000/m2 on the average self build is £100k or more. Get a costing done by a QS or online estimator, then add all the utilities, fees and finishes. Don’t forget garage and landscaping which can be significant costs. If you must use a rate for basic forecasting, I would start with £2000/m2 at the moment even for fairly basic spec. * in the midlands *

It is structural warranty that they are not able to offer, although last week when I spoke to them it was imminent... Site insurance has never been a problem, they have got to have something to sell!

It might give the LPA an excuse for not reaching a decision in the statutory 56 days which seems to be imminent. Our PP came through 55 days after a few last minute clarifications so they do seem to work to this target. Could be just internal issues for them, hopefully.

Very unlikely because it’s so hard. Just find the fixing screw and undo them, see what happens. Remember - righty tighty, lefty loosey ?

I agree, don’t know why the architect put an external soil pipe when we were going for a clean contemporary look. But my fault for not spotting it. Told the builder to move it inside where it can be hidden.

Yes, the idea seems to be running drains to the corner so at least we don’t have an external soil pipe on the front! I would prefer not to have an internal drop from the family bathroom as it would be in the middle of the kitchen wall. Expect the pipes will be under the floor (parallel to 254mm pozi-joists) but no idea how the rodding eye would work? @Nickfromwales, any suggestions, internal or external SVP in that corner or somewhere else?

Only drawing I have to be honest ? We are just getting out of the ground so need to ensure we get the drains through the slab in the right place. Then work out the first floor runs later ... Only got drawings for BC so lacking a few details

If I may jump on this thread ... We have started building before I noticed what looks like an external soil pipe! Is this normal in a new build? Can I just move this inside the corner of the en-suite? Does it need a 110mm pipe through the roof if so? The room below is a study, would someone be able to hear things going down the pipe? ?

In the words of Manuel, I know nothing ... however if you search for “horizontal cylinder” you will find it has been discussed before.

Very tight but very tidy ?

Very surprised if a utility company sells property before the auction. Normally they have demonstrate transparency through open bidding at auction. Biggest obstacle could be access unless it is next to a public highway.

Why do you need to put it on concrete? What about stone and gravel? Then build a workshop around it on normal foundations ...

Not what I heard, Hannibal ?

The only way developers make money is buying land in bulk and economies of scale from building multiple houses. Everyone I know in the trade told me they cannot make a profit on an individual plot / single house build (partly due to self builders paying a premium). Ambitious timescales aside, I am quite sure this scheme would not keep under the radar for tax and other liabilities. Five houses in 15 years maybe ...

I had a similar issue, garage on the boundary with block construction with timber cladding . BC actually suggested fire retardant paint, just for the timber cladding on the boundary side but I decided to render instead as it can’t be seen due to hedging. Not sure if fire retardant paint would be enough for timber frame as well.

Looks very similar to these on eBay, with health mark up!