Barney12

Just be prepared to put a nice back lit dropped ceiling feature in. Personally I'd run a spur from your main lighting source so its there for the "oh shit" day

I hate the job so I force myself to do it. My spreadsheet does include claimable and non-claimable invoices (I have a column to record that) but I'll extract those which I cant claim for at the time of submission. I even categorise the invoice by type i.e. "plumbing", "lighting" so I can keep track of spend against budget. Not that it controls the spending I just know that I've overspent Cant beat a good pivot table! What my spreadsheet doesn't do is provide "item detail". How fussy are the HMRC about that bit? What have people done where the invoice contains multiple items? As an example I have Screwfix invoices with a mix of "plumbing" and "electrical". At the moment I just classify a single invoice by the majority cost, that's a bit inaccurate but fine for my needs.

Evening all, I spent a few hours today bringing my latest pile of VAT invoices up to date. I’m recording them in a spreadsheet, each with a unique reference number. Anyway today I clocked up my 400th invoice which is quite some pile of paper. I’ve not finished my build yet! It got got me wondering if that was above or below average for those of you that have submitted their claims?

I’ve you've got a TradePoint account the Mapei standard set flexible is only £10.50+vat for 20kg.

There are a myriad of products on the market non are perfect and all will wear over time. Sikagard®-850 AG is a good product its clear and it put over the top of an existing substrate (so prep the wall to the colour you want first). The only downside is its got a sort of "wet" look (as many of them do). Coo-Var GP101 isn't too bad either. Again clear. Note that almost all the clear coating to appear to darken the substrate. Less of an issue on painted surfaces but certainly true of brick/stone/render etc. none of it is cheap :(.

There is a welsh plumber around these parts that told me to stick with Honeywell. You'll loose any saving in labour costs and hassle if one fails. Cheapest source I found for mine (albeit 2 port) was JTM. https://www.jtmplumbing.co.uk/search/central-heating-controls-valves-c436/honeywell-motorized-valves-mixer-valves-c123/honeywell

Surely one gain is not having the aditional capital outlay? You are effectively a ‘lender’ to pay the MCS installers premium.

My array was self installed so no FIT. Its fully allowed for in my SAP assessment so I don’t believe it matters. Someone on this forum recommended Wagner Renewables. I purchased everything from them, they’ll put together a full kit for you even down to the stickers to make your CU compliant. Great service. Even if you go for all black branded panels and an in roof system (such as GSE) I doubt it will be much over £3k for the parts. From memory the 2.5kw array on the main house was £2.2k. That’s black panels, GSE, Goodwe inverter and all the related bits (generation meter, isolator, cable etc etc).

+1 to ‘simplification’ being the key aspect. As as an aside: I had a neigbour visit my build on Monday and she said “your light switches are funny”, to which I replied “they are part of an automation system which allows me to control what each switch does”. She looked perplexed and then said “but if they’re computerised how will they work when there is no power?”

Unless of course you've bought a tile for a "feature wall" which has 6 variants. Thats bad enough until you realise that they are supplied in boxes of 9 and the contents are "random". So you have to lay the entire bloody wall out on the floor first to create a design you like. Bloody designers!!

Thanks @MAB After watching a few YouTube reviews/guides a decided on a small bead of "plumbers gold". First time I've used it and funnily enough it has a similar consistency and smell to LS-X

I’ve got Jeldwen Stormsure timber casement windows in the garage flat, workshop and store. I think they represent excellent value for money. The ones in the garage flat have been in for 4 years and show absolutely no sign of wear. Zero drafts, zero defects. My local Jewsons matched the lowest internet prices I could find. Shop arround, prices vary greatly. From memory 35% off list is pretty standard. Actually to be frank they open and close more smoothly than my bloody Internorm windows! They also didnt need constant adjustment or leak like my Internorm windows !!

I really don’t like the mats, loose wire every time for me. You can get it exactly where you want it and tape it down well. Then self leveller over the top. Much tidier (done today):

Funnily enough I’m doing that exact job this morning. I always run them in conduit (it always comes with the probe in my experience). I have actually had one fail in the past but it was within a couple of weeks of fitting. I simply cut the floor with the multi tool by 5-10mm so that the conduit sits down level with the heating element.

Quick question: is is it wise to put a bead of silicone below and above the tray where it meats the waste to help the waste seal or are the rubbers sufficient? Dirty picture:

By far his greatest cameo was providing the voice to Pink Floyds , Keep Talking.

If you've not watched the film of his life then you must! It's exceptional.

I think I can safely say you’re amongst friends

Interesting thread. However at the risk of getting stoned by the residents here...... ”Are we normal?” Do we represent the “average person”? My personal belief is a very strong “no”. We are “special (needs? )” people. We spend thousands of hours sourcing the best possible outcome at the lowest price. None of us are going to accept a “packaged” solution with a packaged price. We crave understanding, detail and cost savings. If we’re spending money we want to understand what, where and when. So, can you take our ethos and “sell “ it to others? No. Lets get really simple and split the demographics into three: 1. The “average”. They’re just not that interested. They’ll pop off and buy a house from a major developer. They care little (or more important have little desire/drivers to understand) issues like insulation levels. They’re just not going to see the value in paying the premium of your services. 2. The “rich”. Will simply go to a high end developer/contractor/retailer/supplier and buy what they want. They’ll happily be taken in by the high end showroom and ego stroking. 3. The “weird”. Yep that’s us here. We’re mavericks, despots, control freaks, suffer from immense OCD and (as we say down here in Devon) are as “tight as a ducks arse”! So were where is the niche angle? @Construction Channel already nailed it. You are simply talking about being a ‘developer’. Build houses to make a profit and that’s sounds ALOT simpler than it actually is, you’ll need some deep pockets. Ill get me coat.

@Onoff please disregard this clearly quite ludicrous advice. What Nick meant to say was “take as long as your wife will let you”

The ecostat S is what I went for. Ibox install is excellent. My one criticism is that the chrome back plate is plastic!!! For a high end brand which is far from cheap that’s pretty crap imho. The joys of buying online, but they came from Megabad in Germany so I wasn’t sending them back.

Looks lovely, well done. Did you get to keep the parrot?

Due to a change in design I’ve got a 15m length to sell. If that’s all it’s worth I may as well just leave it buried

That's the English translation for "Swansea" isn't it?

Another vote here for TK. My main stair came from them semi-assembled and it was spot on. Also just ordered a smaller 3 step staircase for the split level and that's arrived today. It s a flat pack this time (cheaper postage) and even came with a bottle of PVA glue!