Roundtuit

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.

At point-blank range, any half-decent air pistol should be plenty powerful enough, and probably reduces the risk of a ricochet. A Fenn trap and cage will save you the trouble though. Not sure what the point of live-catch traps are in a pest control situation...

Thanks for the tip. I was planning to get it up and let it dry/shrink for a week or two (weather permitting..), then spray the treatment on with a 2l pressure sprayer. I might try both.

Bio Pure here, concreted-in due to high water table. It's been running for a year 'in anger', discharging into a dyke, and seems ok (ie no smells, and most importantly, no cause for me to take the lid off).

I'm currently cladding with Siberian Larch (well, when if stops effing raining..). It's rebated feather edge. My battens are as shallow as I thought could get away with (25mm) because I don't want to loose any more of the plinth bricks than I have to, hence batons at 400~450mm spacing, and all screwed with stainless steel cladding screws. I've left ~ 3mm expansion gaps between boards, and I dont expect to see much movement on it; it feels solid. Holes at the ends of boards are pre-drilled for good measure, and yes, it is taking forever! I've bought Sioo:X to treat it, but it will be a few more weekends before I get that on. This is my first/practice end:

Sorry, no spreadsheet; too many variables. Pretty much everything is subject to someone's choice; you just need to choose which choices matter to you and which you're happy to delegate. Cement could be important if you're after a particular look to external brickwork; mortar colour makes a significant difference. You're going to have to make choices about things you didn't know there were choices to be made, and when you find out that there are choices, you'll have to research the options and implications if you want to make a properly informed choice. Don't let that put you off; self-builders chose choice!

As above; scrape off the plaster 'snots' so it fits as closely to the wall as possible. I used No nails, and a 40mm oval nail into each stud for good measure (looks like you have a stud wall from your image). Fix one day, caulk the next - run a fine bead down any gaps between the top of the skirting and the wall and remove excess with a damp sponge. Do what you can to avoid any big gaps, but if you have any, you might have to caulk in two goes. Gaps at the bottom should be negligible, but you might have to scribe the skirting if you've got an occasional uneven tile.

Interesting. I had to query land ownership with the highways authority as I wanted to put a culvert in the ditch at the front of the plot to improve access onto the road. They said that they had ownership of 1m either side of the highway (i.e. road and footpath), and that they had no interest in anything outside of that. As above, if the trees are a little way into the verge, they might be yours anyway.

In my experience, and for reasons I don't really understand, tradesmen prefer to promise a quote and not deliver rather than say they don't want the job. Maybe he's just really busy, but after a month, I'd be looking for another builder.

To me, it sounds like a reasonable price to secure the freehold. Even if it's 50% over-priced, I wouldn't want to lose the option over a few hundred quid. Express an interest and make an offer!

I expect wall/ceiling finishes and colour have a significant effect, and you'd need more lighting in a timber shed to achieve the same level as a skimmed and painted room?

I had 26 widows, 2 doors, 3 French doors and a 4m bifold door fitted for £2050 by local window fitters. I bought the expanding foam tape and fixing brackets (maybe £400 tops) and foamed them in myself after fitting as per JSH. Two-storey house, no need for a telehandler. I'd say there's some room for negotiation in your quote!