saveasteading

I'd have thought it was easy to divert the hot carrier liquid away from the radiator and fan, and off to a space that needs heating. Maybe it exists and the installers don't know or don't care.

It does matter, depending on the significance of the structure. Considering this point is a part of quality design. For high performance the concrete should be uniform and the designed mix should surround all bars. However for these floor slabs, the surface area of bar, by using 2 layers, is very high. The big stones might not get through but the sandy paste will, so it will all be encased. And it's a floor slab, not a dam. Unless you drop a piano from a great height it should be ok. Always assuming good quality control and processes. Touching the vibrating poker against the bars helps move the concrete into the spaces too.

I meant the amount of heat wasted is huge, enormous, big, lots. None seems appropriate.

I once discussed the harvesting of energy from chiller plants, with a German boffin. The heat thrown away is ( I can't think of the right word for a measure of lots of heat). He said that it was very difficult and inefficient, otherwise he'd be selling the solution. 10% recovery at best, using very expensive equipment he said. I could never get installers to even divert chill store waste heat to adjoining offices.

Wonderful. If we can understand it then we know he does too. When an explanation is complex I start to wonder if it is bluff and fluff. What a contrast to the excessive wordiness we come across in so many submissions, especially in planning submissions. It brings to mind a tender submission I once did for an office block, d and b. At the interview they criticised only providing a 32 page document while other tenderers had hundreds. I apologised but suggested that all the necessary information was there....and so it proved. Got the job. I saw the competitors' documents and they each must have cost many tens of £k. I understand that German, and some other, codes do not allow timber as a support for steel. Eg a masonry wall can provide stiffness but a timber stud wall cannot. Ditto timber joists on steel beams, where steel cross bracing is still required. Overdone? Yes but the logic is of shrinking timber. Extra notes explaining the purpose of a component is an excellent habit. It's more likely to be done, and done well.

Interesting. Is the underlying issue that the SE is not normally considering the whole design, but being given bits to do within someone else's concept? And often chosen by cheapest fee rather than to be more involved and encouraged to optimise?

As far as i am aware, every new house around Inverness, and there are thousands, is T and J. That's got to be because it is cheaper, or faster, or because of skillset availability. It's easy to choose lighting that is not close to the wall , so the joints won't show. If the boards have tapered edges there should be no bumps.

Some mineral wool batts will tear down the middle because they use denser stuff on the outside . Otherwise squeeze it in as it's a lot better than nothing.

It shoudn't be in anyone's mind in my opinion. Their publicity is good. They have their own defintion of insulating performance. I'd maybe use it in an attic or shed if it was half price. I went to a presentation they did. They shouldn't have invited knowledgable people, and so they concentrated on their other products.

Take off the U bend , and use a snake.

Using fancy plywood for reuse and a good finish. Then pour 0.5m3 each pour? Site mix. And adapt for corners. Or forget the municipal look and go for a rustic board finish.

Only if done well! For an amateur t and j is possible whereas skimming will likely be a mess. But @nodwhat do you choose for yourself and why? If it is dearer why do developers do it?

What the Spanish municipal authorities would do is build this in brick or block, then rough render it to shape, then render or tile it. There are well designed kit systems for retaining walls , with stone effect as an option. Your photo is an example of spending someone else's money.

Forget superfoil. Certainly in this context. It depends on adjacent air gaps doing half the work. Might as well use bubble wrap. 20mm of insulation would cause most heat to go up into the room. The waste is still in the house as others say.

The double layer would seem to be for ease of handling rather than a single layer of heavier mesh. Tying them is best. It seems vastly overdesigned just in case there is a soft spot beneath so don't worry. Just try to stagger it, by halving a sheet or rotating some, to reduce multiple overlaps of overlaps. Can anyone explain why a slab sitting on eps needs to be so heavily reinforced? I'm thinking perhaps a supercautious standard detail. Indeed, why do nearly all SE designs show top and bottom mesh for domestic loading?

That should work. If the end gets mucky inside, does it matter?

Stop press. At the construction exhibition at Excel this week, there was a new name for pir. It's called Unilin but is what used to be called Xtratherm. Much the same as the others although they seem to have some special bonded products I haven't read up on yet. He says merchants may not be up to speed but they can all get it. The guy told me he has heard celotex may soon change their name. Despite being the known name, they presumably think the grenfell connection should be forgotten. I certainly avoid it. Kingspan too. It doesn't burn under a ground floor screed of course, it's just been an ethical choice.

Yes. There less chance of damage too.

Because they are buying it from a timber merchant. The very best price Is when you buy a complete pallet or bundle. They are not having to handle it at the depot. It is a 'thing' which they buy off the ship and take straight to your site. BUT, it's a lot of stuff. Once when I asked for a quote for 2x2, 400 lengths of 6m, the merchant was even aurprised how low the price went.

The hidden cost of poor brick cutting is scattered along the way. or less usually in the skip. Especially with expensive bricks. You might have the most expensive hardcore ever. See if you can make it so that both ends of the brick can be used. The ends that are not wasted will be worth more than the cost of the fancy saw, plus the bricks will retain their full strength.

by an independent QS then it is likely to have some contingency built in. Not for the contractor, but to ensure you aren't being given an over-optimistic quote. I'm speaking from seeing a few peoples BOQ's that had some big extra lumps in them. And as an Estimator the risks have to be allowed somewhere. Our joiner had our work measured and costed by a QS and I found almost everything was over-measured. But perhaps that is OK as long as the builder doesn't also look for wastage. If the builder provides you with such a BofQ then that would be a contract document to measure all works done. It doesn't have to be detailed. Our habit with clients was to summarise a project, regardless of value, into about 20 items. Then you simply agree that eg half the site clearance and 30% of the footings are complete, etc. If he is clever he will front load it slightly , but that can be fair as they do have start-up inefficiencies. I don't think what you're doing is wrong, as the builder will hide risks in any lump sums. If you are taking the risks out of his pocket and into yours, , then just make sure you are on top of it all.

A helpful police officer might lend you a couple of their police bollards, to mark the space if the car does move away. and they will carry more authority.

I didn't mean to make you frown. I meant to imply a positive, that taking the tiles off the sill might allow the board to be removed and voila, all within easy reach. The cistern will be immediately under the sill, and the button to flush connection right. there too. Also that removing tiles from the face might be pointless as all you will see is the face of the tank. there: it's good news. ...probably : but best wait a bit and allow others to cry Don't, if they disagree.

A bricklayer hits it with the side of the trowel. 5 seconds. But a bit approximate for your project by the sounds of it. let the bricklayer decide how it's best done. trowel? chisel? hydraulic? brick saw?

Probably with the sole plate at the brick level. Water can creep through timber interfaces. If anything though that fits with the damp being very local. Yes do the pointing repair as a priority. Can you see any hairline crack between the render and the bricks?