Roundtuit

Could you be at cross-purposes? Maybe 8-10 weeks before he can get to you?

Primarily perhaps, but not exclusively. My understanding is, however, that domestic systems present minimal risk unless there is a storage system or dead leg that sits between 20 and 45C and allows multiplication. The HSE's website has a load of stuff on it if you fancy some bedtime reading. I suspect the threshold for control is a function of temperature & time, so you might be ok with >50C for an extended period.

I've got a block-built boundary 'outhouse' - as above, I put a couple of the plastic surface-mount meter boxes in it as it was without a roof or doors for 18 months.

The guy who is currently doing my stove install came and put the bit through the roof in place 18 months ago, so the roofers could fit a lead flashing, and that's how it stayed until this weekend. On the subject of airtightness though, I'm concerned I've made a massive oversight by installing a stove. I got a room-sealed wood burner and put in an external air supply under the floor, but the installer is telling me that the penetrations between floors need to be ventilated (ground floor to first floor, first floor to loft). This effectively gives me a ventilation shaft linking my warm, airtight ground floor to the open air.... I naively didn't expect around the flue to be the leaky bit. Surely there's a better solution than this?

Looks like a first class job! That's not OCD, it's CDO; like OCD but in alphabetical order...

I'm hoping the in-built humidity sensor will do its job ok, but I've fitted manual boost switches. Not sure what sort sensor I would have needed to clear the air the morning after curry night. Maybe something canary-based?

Grout. Or all the gaps will fill up with crap and structurally you'll never be able to do as good a job as you can now.

Coincedentally, or possibly not, I had to call bt today to tell them the account we set up last week has been set up in our name, but with our (soon to be) next door neighbours address. They can't just amend the address - far too simple - they've had to cancel the account and open a new one, with a new engineers date (tbc...). Wouldn't mind so much but we're in the process of moving from talktalk as we thought they were hard work. Daren't tell the kids they'll be another week without internet... Feels like the 'new accounts' team are on commission for signing up an account and don't give a toss whether it sticks or not.

What you have there is section of contemporary industrial-style trellis, aged to a rich brown patina. Screw it to the fence and break out the clematis!

+2! The garden was the primary driver for this build, but the house has accidentally become all-consuming. All being well, this time next week we will be spending our first night in it, then I can concentrate on trying to get it finished! Then it's time to slow down a bit, so the garden will keep me out of mischief for at least the next five years.

@Temp Sorry, the link doesn't seem to work, but I get the gist thanks. The proposed replacement model is the next generation, so if nothing else, I'll have a slight performance upgrade. If the noise is intrinsic, I guess I'll just have to bump the plant room doors up the priority list!

Interesting idea, might give that a go. Just need to clarify that there are no bats here. Nope, no siree. No bats, no newts. ?

Agreed. A new dishwasher was the original plan, but whole thing had turned into a Frank Spencer sketch, so the fitter and I agreed to part company. I've got a snagging list to work through, and they've got 60% of the original invoice value. I've withheld enough to cover a new dishwasher and the invonvenience, so financially I wont lose out, but you're right, I could have done without the additional hassle...

Service providers and their 'customer service' team are not really equipped to handle anything non-standard. As nod said, it's easier to contact the A Team, but if you can get hold of the Openreach guys on the ground you'll save yourself a lot of frustration.

No, not a warranty repair, but was worried about compromising the 2 year warranty by having an 'un-official' repair done. I've withheld a sum from the kitchen fitters to cover it, but the less I have to part with the better. ? I've asked a local independent guy to order the parts and sort it, so thanks for the reassurance.

Hi. My pv has been generating for several months now, but as the weather has got sunnier and the family has spent more time at the build, it has become apparent that the inverter is producing some high-pitched noise. It is at a frequency that I can't hear, but both teenage kids (and friends) can hear it, and I suspect it's pi$$ing the dog off too. The 'plant cupboard' doesn't have doors on yet, but it strikes me as not something you want in the house. The installer and manufacturer are both claiming not to have come across this issue before, but are offering to try replacing the inverter foc to try and resolve the problem, which is fine. But; I can't help feeling that the manufacturer should know what noise emissions their kit makes as it is a measurable, and they should, with the aid of a noise meter if necessary, be able to tell me whether my current inverter is in or out of acceptable limits. Any thoughts please?

The damage is to the black plastic control panel along the top of the door, and very shallow damage to whatever is underneath (inner door I think). Bosch service failed to call me back as promised today with a new date, so based on the positive comments on build quality, I'll go with a local guy. Thanks!

It's a bit of a long story (which I probably should tell if only to make others feel better), but I've recently parted company with my kitchen fitter who, despite being a nice bloke with all the right skills, turned out to be a weapons-grade knob-head. I've got a long list of minor problems to resolve, but the most expensive of which is to fix my brand new Bosch dishwasher that he cut into with a multi tool when finishing off the sink cut-out in the worktop. Yes. I know. Wtf? Anyway, I booked an engineer through Bosch customer services 3 weeks ago, as I didn't want to compromise their 2 year warranty. On the due date - Tuesday - I chased them up to try and get a more accurate time slot than 0700 - 1700, to be told that someone should have let me know that the engineer wouldn't be coming as he hadn't been sent the spares, and they'd have to arrange another date. So, bearing in mind that the repair will probably mean replacing the door with the manufacturers data plate on it, do I persevere with Bosch and their over-priced, lacklustre service, or try an independent for a better value repair, and take my chances with the warranty?

I'm project managing our build, and as we approach the end, my observations would be: No one else cares as much about the build quality as you do No one else is as focussed on getting the best best value out of your budget as you None of it is rocket science, but there is loads of it, and learning it as you go is hard graft So, in summary, I'd say: don't be put off doing it yourself if you've got the stomach for it, because if you have got the stomach for it, you'll probably end up shadowing your project manager anyway. Good luck!

Don't beat yourself up! Nothing ventured, nothing gained. This site is full of accounts of lessons learned the hard way, and many of us will recognise that sick-to-your-stomach feeling. I'll be honest, I'm winging it a bit, and sailing way closer to the wind than I'm comfortable with. It sounds like that, for one reason or another, both you and your builder find yourselves out of your comfort zone, and that there's no real value in going back over who could or should have done what and when. Unfortunately, when it comes to budgets, maths is maths, but perhaps time for an honest appraisal of the situation and to harness the collective Buildhub wisdom to find a way to work through it and get the best bang for the remaining bucks!

No real need to let it dry, unless you're burning it for fuel. I've burned loads of brash the same week as it's come down, often on rainy days so I could be sure neighbours didn't have washing out! Just need some dry wood to get an intense 'core' going, then feed in the rest, smallest branches first, thickest end first into the centre. That'll be gone in a couple of hours! Of course, pick your time, do it safely, respect your neighbours etc etc. ?

You're on! But only if you promise to treat me like an irritating inconvenience and not return my calls!

11. Or As my plumber would say, £111, and I can't do it for 4 weeks.

I'm no expert, but I've tried to get my head round VAT notice 708 a number of times, I don't think that certificate is intended or necessary for your standard self-build. Look at point 5. Are you really going to cough up the vat reclaim if you sell within 10 years? Section 17.1 of vat notice 708 tells you what you need a certificate for, and as far as I can see, it isn't a self-build. I don't want to be negative, but I'd say your hmrc contact is just adding to the general confusion around what is still currently a 'minority' vat issue in the uk.

Wow! Stunning location. There's no going back now! Good luck ?