Roundtuit

There's a lot to be said for an angle grinder 🙂

Good. I may have a bit of sympathy for the contractor if he's a one-man-band relying on the developer for an income, but I think the developer has no mitigating circumstances. Fingers crossed for a meaningful sentence!

+1 for Stixall Clear. I've used quite a lot over the last 12 months for adhesive/sealant jobs and it seems to do as it claims. Good price from toolstation last time I bought some.

As an initial disclaimer, we've been using our treatment plant for about 14 months in anger, but... I haven't lifted the lid in that time! We're careful with fat/oil and it goes in the bin, any off milk goes in the outside tap soak-away, and we generally keep food waste out of the kitchen sink. I've asked swmbo not to go OTT with the bleach/de-scaler etc, so assume it's used in moderation, but we don't use anything special. We stick to the same detergents and cleaning products so our bacteria don't get any shocks, and all seems fine so far!

I put some hedgehog brushes in some hard-to-reach sections of guttering. They ended up hanging out after strong winds, so I binned them and put in the cage type leaf guards that fit in the top of the down pipe.

7. Fire extinguisher(s) I think your primary contractor picks up the H&S obligations under the CDM regulations (risk assessments etc), but check their understanding to make sure that you're all on the same page.

I used Integral evofire downlights - a simple design with glass below the bulb - because I wanted the flexibility of choosing the bulb colour. Where they penetrate into the cold loft I've fitted Thermahood covers from above and taped to the airtightness membrane, with insulation over the top. Seems to do the job well. I think we've got about 20, and no bulb failures so far (16 months in).

Good. We submitted wickes invoice for our kitchen and they went through ok, so no reason yours should be any different. Unfortunately we got our window supply invoice (the only one...) worth £4K bounced for reason code 18: detailed breakdown required. I submitted the required detail the next day, but should have thought to send it first time round to support the headline figures. We submitted our claim on 17th April, and had a decision letter dated 17th June agreeing everything but the windows. Still awaiting news on the last 4K.

Yes, spot on with the assessment. I've got 5l of glyphosate ready to implement a scorched earth policy prior to levelling and seeding; I was planning on keeping things looking green until nearer the end of the year, but I could probably compromise and reduce my mowing challenge by 50%

Thanks all. A ride-on isn't currently an option as the ground isn't flat enough, and a wheeled strimmer-type thing will become redundant when I do eventually get it levelled and seeded. I think I'll try and pick up a decent used hover with a Honda engine and give it a go (whilst wearing steel toecaps...)

Anyone got experience with petrol hover mowers? I've come to the conclusion that I need one (well, want one. You know how it is...!), but I'm a bit cautious as I've never used one. Current situation is: ~ half an acre of rough grass (garden, pre landscaping) that I'm trying to keep on top of with a strimmer (screams like banshee and potentially pi$$es off neighbours, family and me), and a little rotary petrol mower which I abuse over the flatter parts (hard work, hopelessly underpowered and on the road to destruction). In the future, a ride-on mower will be the primary mower, but there's no way it would be feasible now. So; whatever I invest in now will be a second mower for the crappy bits/verge/dyke sides, and it needs to be able to handle rough ground. A decent petrol hover seems to fit the bill; any thoughts please?

If your neighbour is moving, now's a good time to do what you want. He's unlikely to want to start some sort of neighbour dispute that might affect his sale, and he probably no longer gives a toss as he's out of there. Your new neighbour will just accept what's there when they arrive.

I think radiators are a fact of life for this situation. Ugly but true. You might have to oversize them a bit, but if it's a new build, there's really no reason to build to a standard that an ashp can't service. Realistically, whilst you might lose a bit of flexibility in room lay out, you're not really losing much space. UHF etc is entirely possible of course, but I looked briefly at the alternatives, and the effort and cost was disproportionate to any benefits.

As Ed suggests, but fix the 30mm kingspan (or similar) with 25mm batons to give you a service cavity.

As long as you don't pay a premium for it, and are prepared to accept that planning permission is an outside chance, then I don't think it's completely stupid. I don't think 'agricultural use' will cover an allotment or nature reserve though, so check your intended plans carefully first.