ProDave

A void in a wall is just like any other wall, cables must run in a safe zone. A void in a ceiling is just like any other ceiling, the whole ceiling is a safe zone. and a sloping ceiling is still a ceiling.

A sloping ceiling, is still a ceiling, so cables can run anywhere.

Service void is the neatest way unless headroom is tight (I avoided a service void in the en-suite to gain every mm of available headroom) If they must go on the surface, trunking is much preferable. Apart from anything else, clipping to plasterboard rarely gives a secure fixing, the nails of most clips are simply too short. Think how it will transition from the sloping ceiling to the upright wall, I assume that has a service void?

It's a typical socialist "tax the rich" knee jerk. You can debate it all you like, but if ever implemented, the devil will be in the detail, and that will determine if it's fair, or punative. Sice we won't know the detail until it is (if ever) actually implemented we won't know. I am afraid of "tax changes" because they always seem to leave me worse off. When I bought my first house I paid "rates" there was no single occupancy discounts, you got a bill and paid it. So when the poll tax was being introduced, it seemed a good principle that everyone would pay so the amount I should pay would be less. WRONG my poll tax cost me more than the rates did, if there had been multiple people in my house at the time they would ave been raking it in. Then when the poll tax was abolished and replaced with council tax, I thought my bill might go back down. WRONG again. My council tax, even with single occupancy discount was more than I paid for my poll tax. So forgive me for being nervous of ANY tax change relating to property as I pretty well know it will cost me more.

On the subject of pencils. There was a time when the correct place to keep a pencil was behind ones ear. Sadly the onset of middle age, and the requirement to wear spectacles means the ear no longer works as a pencil storage location.

Without seeing the plot layout I can't comment but my initial thought would be the garage om the east side of the house, or offset so at least some more of the south wall of the house gets some sun. Our last house was like that, best view to north but wanted the sun, so made the main living space double aspect with windows to north and south. That is what you want to be aiming for. A compromise might be windows to north and west so at least it gets afternoon sun. Just combining the lounge and the downstairs bedroom / study would achieve a living room that gets the view and afternoon sun (bigger window to the south?) and would adding the extra upstairs bedroom mean you could dispense with a downstairs bedroom?

Yes. you would not believe the number of pencils I have lost carefully distributed around the house for use later. I suffer just as much as anyone else with forgetting where I put a tool. Often I will walk off to get something, not realising something is already in my hand, and that something gets put down where I collect the item I have gone for, but of course I forget that. What I find does help is to actually say to yourself (out loud if needed) "I am putting the tape measure on the window cill" etc. Then you have a slightly better chance of remembering where it is.

Thanks I missed that. Unless there is a VERY good reason why the garage is where it is, the whole layout wants to be mirror imaged top to bottom as drawn. At the moment you have a cold dark living room and a (wasted) lovely sunny garage. I would go to great pains to put the garage anywhere other than where it is at the moment. Quite possibly to the extent of not having one if that really was the only place it could go.

Black duct for electricity (some DNO's want red), grey for BT, water buried direct.

Hi and welcome to the forum. In many parts of Scotland, a hipped roof does not fit in with the local vernacular, and a gable end to the garage roof gives much more scope to make a proper extra bedroom from it. We can't possibly pass comment on the design without knowing which way is north?

That would blow my usual "1 hour per point" estimate right out of the water. Has your electrician tried SBS Trade sales, he sells the Live range of stuff and does some pretty good custom stuff, but strictly trade only?

You appear to have 5 double deck CU's, each probably with the capacity for a very minimum of 20 circuits, so that's 100 circuits available. Talk about "room for future expansion" I have seen industrial units with smaller distribution boards. I assume there is access to the other side of that wall still otherwise how will you get the cables into them?

Not tried them yet but will put them into the mix. Have you also tried stair box?

You have reduced the number of complaints. What do you have against just agreeing a render with a pink hue? It seems they would accept metal roof, timber and render (pink hue) for the walls. Is that not your solution?

Sory not making sense. looks like snow falling off a roof? What am I looking at?

Yes split CU's does indeed seem a good idea. E That's what's known as a KMF switch fuse. If there is more than 3 metres between the meter and the CU then you will need a fuse of your own. you are only allowed to rely on the suppliers fuse to protect a run no more than 3 metres long. I have the same switch fuse for my 25 metre run.

On the subject of granting PP for one house, then refusing one next door. There was a case here where someone applied for permission to build at the edge of a field. There is a general presumption against building in the countryside here with a few exceptions, one being building in an established settlement. Well there were two adjacent properties opposite this plot, and it was granted permission, the plot was sold and a house was built. Then the owner tried for a second house. It was clear to anyone with half a brain cell that his intention was to slice up the field a strip at a time and sell it one plot at a time. This time it was refused. So he took it to appeal. The appeal said it failed the established settlement test and the first house should never have been built either, but they could do nothing about that. So not so much something changed, but different people interpreted the same policy in different ways.

If your tails just go 1 metre through the wall and out the other side then the REC2 will be fine and use the PME earth they have supplied. Put the gernny changeover switch inside next to the CU.

If the board is all rcbo then you do not want an up front rcd, unless you are on a TT earth where you will be forced to, in which case you have a time delay RCD to provide discrimination. I assume this is just temporary as you are having the meter moved first? If that is the case, I would do nothing right now. Book the meter move. Make sure your electrician is on hand and you have a double pole 100A switch and a REC2 enclosure for it. When the meter monkey moves the meter, get him to connect the meter to the input of the isolator switch, and then your electrician connects the output of the switch to your consumer units. If your consumer units will be remote from the meter, then use a switch fuse instead of an isolator, such as a KMF type.

I am just back from a trip down to Oxfordshire. I saw lots of new housing estates. I did NOT see any new roads or infrastructure (other than the roads to access the new estates, presumably paid for by the developers) I would contend that the developers are being conned as the improvements to infrastructure do not appear to be happening. What about all new occupants of the new houses paying council tax? THAT is where the council will be getting extra funding from. Talk about cake and eating it. I don't know the situation in Scotland on big estates, other than the developers appear to install the drainage and roads at their expense before they are adopted by the council. In the case of a single plot like mine, there is no extra infrastructure needed, but you can bet if I was in a LA that imposes bribes, I would have had to pay many £K for nothing.

We are having wet UFH in our bathrooms. the bedrooms are having electric heater points to fit a small panel heater if it proves necessary. Our house is "designed" (as far as BC are concerned) for 5 people, though there will normally only be 3 of us in the house. One could argue that to replace the air we breath, we only need 3/5 of the BC required ventilation rate?

What's needed is a boycott. If ALL the big developers stopped applying for PP because the S106 or CIL charges were too high, then the councils would have to reduce or scrap them. Better still would be the developers only to apply for PP in LA's that do not charge such bribes. We don't (yet?) have those bribes here and I really feel sorry for anyone forced to pay such punitive charges. I was reading in another place of someone that has a couple of properties in an area zoned for development. If his properties and adjoining land were developed it would be about 130 houses. But he won't go to planning because of the bribes he would have to pay make it unattractive, and without his land, the scheme can't go ahead.

I only buy handsaws when Howdens do their "3 saws for £10" deal.

Could they have got in before the house was sealed and gone their to die? We have a peculiar thing here that ordinary "house flies" at the end of the season will crawl into the gap between the opening windows and frames * and go there to die. Should you open a window, it will unleash many tens of half dead flies many of whom fall into the house. * This is not a defect in the windows. The outer seal is a rain seal, and is open at the bottom to let any water that gets passed out. That is where the flies crawl in. The inner seal that makes the air tight seal between the window and the frame is not breached by the flies

Funny. I gained a set of ladders that none of the builders knew anything about. And some roadwork signs left behind by the subcontractors that made the road crossing. And a couple of hand saws.