ETC

What planet is your step dad on? Are you sure he was an architect? Stop work now before you spend too much money - you are building at risk and BC will ask you to remove or make good works that do not comply - including insulation standards. Hire someone to do your BC submission drawings and get a SAP done now. Things have definitely changed in relation to insulation standards/airtightness/renewable energy sources/pv and you need to get this right before you go too far.

Question 1: do you think we're f***ed, or is the £3,500sqm figure nuts? Question 2: would you be livid if your architect designed something double your budget without highlighting the rising cost? Question 3: do you think the doubling of stage 4 fees is reasonable or are they taking the piss? Question 4: anyone ever switched architect between planning and technical design? You need to sit down with your architect and ask them why fees have increased and why they believe the build cost could increase. If you gave them a budget they should have stuck with it - if materials cost have increased significantly between now and the appointment then you should be told about this and given the opportunity of either agreeing the increased budget or reducing the materials specifications - even the option to phase the works until you can raise the additional capitol.

Lidl had one for £69.99 recently.

Is this a top floor or intermediate floor flat? However I’d say that you’re flogging a dead horse unless you can find out exactly where the floor slabs or roof supports are located. Another thing you need to consider is the creation of a bedroom accessed from a kitchen and opening everything up - the rooms become inner rooms and will need an alternative means of escape and I suspect the existing corridor is a protected corridor - are the existing doors to the bedrooms and existing living room fire doors? However, Building Control should have the original structural floor plans.

Vent is a larder or what was a larder. Damp getting in at either the door jamb or lintel.

Emergency Egress Window.

No trickle vents for a start.

@Berkshire_selfbuildNo problem. Anytime.

Leave it as it is but put doors from each bedroom into a single rear en-suite to be shared by both bedrooms.

@NandM

Looks great. Love to see the floor plans.

Do not use PIR or polystyrene in an intermediate floor above a garage. You will not get the fire resistance you need. Speak to your local Gypsum rep who will give you a specification for a floor build up that gives you the fire resistance and good thermal resistance.

That won’t cure anything. Just hides the problem.

https://glidevaleprotect.com/app/uploads/2023/03/BS5250-white-paper_FINALAPPROVED_March-2023.pdf

Vent tiles are no good for a roof where the insulation is placed between the rafters - the tile vent will only vent the space that it has been installed in. You should have had a continuous eaves ventilator installed. You really should have ventilated the ridge as well.

Looks like sh*t as well.

Not sure how the google image got BC approval - too much unprotected wall on a boundary.

Brickies with proper training and experience under supervision and with work inspected. As I was told recently “I’m building not buying it” !!

No wine - just years of experience.

@NorfolkingClue

There are Architects and there are those who think they are. I see drawings every single day that most should be thoroughly ashamed of - by both architects and by those who think they are.