saveasteading

Yes that is for sound. Not great for thermal insulation.

Yes the whole wall. A heavy, sealed fabric. A carpet with foam backing, but could look a bit weird, s heavy curtaining. I'm not saying this would make enough difference to justify it, as the mc noise will still come through the window. For sound insulation, the gap in double glazing should be very much wider than for thermal insulation. Something like 30mm I think. You could try an additional inner glazed panel.

So it is going well with the levelling clamps. Pretty well essential for these 900 x 150 tiles, and quicker than manually minimising the steps. Achieving about 1m2 per hour with whole tiles, but will prob get faster.

The rumble from heavy traffic is the whole building trembling. Covering the back of the bookcase will make a difference but not much. All the furnishings will help, and the weight of the bookcase and other furniture may stiffen the floor and help too. A tapestry would possibly be the biggest help....or drapes.

Won't the water just sit there, sometimes freeze and the wood rot?

Best not do that then. But it would stop dripping onto the garden chairs, if you could tolerate a cascade at the perimeter. The ads didn't mention cleaning or the potential buildup of wildlife, tho I expect you could hose occasionally.

I reckon 10mm of good quality is fine, just. To deflect it has to compress or stretch, and it really shouldn't if fixed tight. What do you mean by ' lots of screws'? 200cc? But the heat barrier of another 2mm will be very little. The underlay for ufh is expensive, and the carpet has to have an open backing too. That will matter more than 2mm of ply.

For some reason I get lots of ads for a membrane underlay for decking. It is hung loose between joists so that it acts as a channel and spouts the water out at the front, or side. Any fabric would do, but having Proctor visible all over it might be an issue. I guess if you hang it looser at the outlet end it will have a slope.

A nerdy but excessive solution could be to create a chicane at the bottom of the door. A plate of about 50mm spaced off the door, and extending to the floor using brush strip, so that air could travel down then under the door. Noise however would have to bounce around 3 faces and so fizzle out. I wouldn't trouble the building inspector with it.

Books will be good. They are dense but also loose which will absorb some sound. The noise will mostly be through the window. Heavy curtains will help a bit. Get blackout ones and the pores are closed and one side at least does not gather dust. Heavy is good. Any sound through the walls will be low frequency from heavy vehicles. The books are good. Anything dense hanging on the wall will help a bit. Noise gets through gaps, so it is a case of the 'weakest link'

Care to summarise your +/- ?

Typically £25 each. Or made of scaffold boards to free plans. The £30,000 bat Palace is probably too clean, the wrong temperature and made from treated wood. Just guessing. Somebody made some money.

Have you anything recent on record? This situation can be caused by a severe non-payment to the company. More likely though there have been cash problems for some time. Have the directors been taking salary or even dividends the while? I would make all possible fuss so that they know this isn't just going away. Perhaps that might get you higher up the list? I don't have much faith in liquidators..they always seem to get paid though. The design is yours. Have you got the drawings and calculations? If not then demand it, as that will take them 10 minutes. Jamie was full of positive chat.....anything on the record? Even if not, summarise it now and email it to someone, to here perhaps, to date it.

On our current project, we had stick build, so the timber was immediately ours, delivered by the BM. The joiner still called it "kit" but it was he who converted it from sticks and sheets into kit, on-site. I recommend having a look at this option.

Yes, I'll have a Glenlivet, thanks.

When we used a timber frame company for the first time, we could see things were hand to mouth. Felt like our deposit was buying another client's timber. Ended up agreeing the next cheque was on delivery. That was 15 years ago...what is wrong with this section of the industry that they need so much upfront, and can't use secure accounts/ have insurances? The construction industry does not otherwise work like this.

On a positive note. If you have the funds and time, then you have the huge advantage of being able to stop and think, ornto sack a contractor or cancel an order while you shop around again. The basic shape is good. Rectangular is good. Pointers to reduce cost and maintenance: No gutters or rwp shown. Please keep them external. Valley gutter...design the building around this...substantial with spare outlets and overflow, and assume you will have to clear it twice a year. (I'm really saying can you design it out?) Eaves detail needed. Thats a lot of wood, shown newly cut or treated. Allow for treatment if you want that colour, not grey. Dont assume sips. Shop around.

Big finders, smoll screan. I hearbuy alogopise for this anf past and fewchur occcurunces.

Developers pay to get topsoil taken away. Transport and disposal. Most is dumped on farms. They then buy in screened topsoil at the end of the job. There is no value in yours. In fact there is a risk as it could contain chemicals or banned plants. You might know that it doesn't, but nobody else does. Dumping knotweed can incur a jail sentence. It is certainly full of weed seeds, if not roots. 2 sensible options. Keep it on site for raising flower beds. Pile it high for 6 months and the weeds will rot away. Let that farmer have it, on the basis that he presumably has procedures.

It is not "fun". It is a huge commitment with all your eggs in the basket. If you are comfortably off, with time on your hands then that reduces the economic risk. If you manage it yourself you might make some money. If you diy a lot then that saves more as you are effectively earning a tax free wage....if you are good at it and fast. Do not underestimate the risk. The unkwown unknowns apply even to experts. We mostly do this for quality and personalisation (is that a proper word?) rather than gain. But from your report we can see that you are a risk taker, and have skilfully/ determinedly overcome obstacles. Is this the time to bank on the success, or to hope that you master construction management equally well?

Snips it is then.

Can a normal chop saw be adapted with a metal blade, and bundling the channel with a square of wood, and cutting through the lot?

Sitting on EPS! Rather thick, presumably for a good reason.

I would prefer them to rest on the sill, if possible. That could be with a rubber or brush strip to avoid chafing. This will provide a better seal, and is likely to cause the joints to close, thus strengthening it against wind. Also, some blknds have small holes at the joints, for dappled light, and onlh close up when fully lowered. I suspect some of this is not a matter of choice...what do the instructions say?

I wouldn't count on the software ever being accurate. As i have said here before, i have met some of the people who built and support it, and wasn't impressed. They have been told since the scheme started that it had these massive logic flaws, as well as glitches. For a better rating, solar panels may take some time to fit after completion, but it doesn't delay the signing off.